New 346XP vs. 455 Rancher

[BenPutnam]

Yep, she is quite a woman.

 

[sawinredneck]

I took my new 346 back to the dealer to have them put an agressive chain on it like the one I have on the 455 and they said it wouldn't fit. They said the 346 takes a smaller chain tooth size than the 455, I asked them what saw had a big tooth like the 455 and they said the 372, so I traded it for a 372 with a 20 inch bar, they said it will be here in a week.

Either your dealer is an idiot, or you are a troll! I'll keep my opinion to myself on that.
Lots of guys are running 3/8's chain on the 346xp's, change the drive sprocket, chain and bar, good to go.

 

[KsWoodsMan]

I loved all the free saw advice that had nothing to do with my question but the free marriage advice, well, that’s just icing on the cake. I hate to take the bait Loverboy but here it goes, I assure you I 'figured it out' a long time ago and she bought me the saw because she asked my friend what I wanted and he picked out that saw and told her where to go pick it up, the money is of no consequence to her.

Bait ? :dunno: there is no bait or hook, but, Hey ! You're Welcome ! I'm just here to help with free advice.

I was having a futile moment and retracted the advice earlier, 'cause it wasn't about saws or sawing in the woods. Even congratulated you on the gift. I didn't directly answer your question about which was better or more preferable. With that said and money was of no consequence, I'd have the 346XP over the 455R. The 455 is no slouch for what it is... but, the 346... well it's just in a different league. As much of a different league as the 372 is from the 346 and the 455. The 455 is familiar and has been hard to kill so I can see why you'd stay with it.

Congrats on the 372 as well and for having it figured out cause 'til mama is happy aint nobody gonna be happy. Not saws again, oopsy !:msp_rolleyes: my bad !!! As i see it, If you don't want it commented on ..... don't bring it up !

 

[BenPutnam]

Either your dealer is an idiot, or you are a troll! I'll keep my opinion to myself on that.
Lots of guys are running 3/8's chain on the 346xp's, change the drive sprocket, chain and bar, good to go.

I'm not really sure what a troll is but it doesn't sound nice.

I'd rather have the 372 anway, more horse power.

 

[SawTroll]

Either your dealer is an idiot, or you are a troll! I'll keep my opinion to myself on that.
Lots of guys are running 3/8's chain on the 346xp's, change the drive sprocket, chain and bar, good to go.

"Sounds" like a dealer that just wanted to sell the chain he had in stock - and didn't have any chisel chain in .325. He probably didn't want the "trouble" of putting a 3/8 rim on the 346xp - or he is an uninformed moron excuse for a proper dealer........

BenPutnam, find a new dealer! :msp_rolleyes:

 

[CTYank]

A mix of 25:1 will kill a saw as quickly as no oil at all! Not enough fuel to cool it down, and it will look just like a lean seize!
Really, 45-50:1 is plenty if you buy a good quality oil! I'm a real oil snob, I run ONLY Royal Purple in my two strokes with premium gas, the only thing I own that gets premium gas mind you! I do about the same as stated above, I leave a little of the old mix in, add oil and then 1.9 gallons of gas, I mix two gallons a time.

The more oil you add to the mix, the lower the octane rating, and you do know what that means.
Any extra oil means more particulates in the exhaust, and they carry lots of carcinogens on their surfaces. Not to mention, the added carbon deposits in the chamber, ports, screen & muffler do their bit to make life more difficult for the saw. And the benefits of extra oil, again?

Extra oil may help you to feel better, but does the opposite for the saw.

 

[sawinredneck]

Thank you CT!

 

[SawTroll]

The more oil you add to the mix, the lower the octane rating, and you do know what that means.
Any extra oil means more particulates in the exhaust, and they carry lots of carcinogens on their surfaces. Not to mention, the added carbon deposits in the chamber, ports, screen & muffler do their bit to make life more difficult for the saw. And the benefits of extra oil, again?

Extra oil may help you to feel better, but does the opposite for the saw.

:agree2: + that the fuel to air mix becomes leaner.

 

[SkippyKtm]

I took my new 346 back to the dealer to have them put an agressive chain on it like the one I have on the 455 and they said it wouldn't fit. They said the 346 takes a smaller chain tooth size than the 455, I asked them what saw had a big tooth like the 455 and they said the 372, so I traded it for a 372 with a 20 inch bar, they said it will be here in a week.

Either your dealer is an idiot, or you are a troll! I'll keep my opinion to myself on that.
Lots of guys are running 3/8's chain on the 346xp's, change the drive sprocket, chain and bar, good to go.

I'm not really sure what a troll is but it doesn't sound nice.

I'd rather have the 372 anway, more horse power.

"Sounds" like a dealer that just wanted to sell the chain he had in stock - and didn't have any chisel chain in .325. He probably didn't want the "trouble" of putting a 3/8 rim on the 346xp - or he is an uninformed moron excuse for a proper dealer........

BenPutnam, find a new dealer! :msp_rolleyes:

Sounds like your dealer just wanted to "sell you up" to a more expensive saw. A 3/8 Bar and chain fits on a 346 no problem, your dealer sounds unethical at best.:msp_sneaky:

 

[CTYank]

Thank you CT!

For what? Just trying to keep things honest, partly paraphrasing Paul Dempsey from his excellent little book on 2-strokes. Helped me fill in a lot of blanks in understanding the little monsters.

 

[Officer's Match]

Sounds like your dealer just wanted to "sell you up" to a more expensive saw. A 3/8 Bar and chain fits on a 346 no problem, your dealer sounds unethical at best.:msp_sneaky:

Yeah, that's crap. BTW, my 2153 Jred (same saw as a NE 346XP) pulls 3/8's just fine.

 

[BenPutnam]

Sounds like your dealer just wanted to "sell you up" to a more expensive saw. A 3/8 Bar and chain fits on a 346 no problem, your dealer sounds unethical at best.:msp_sneaky:

Don't be too hard on him, I probably asked if they had any 372s in stock before he got a chance to explain my options for the 346.

I called yesterday and they said it should be in by Friday, I can't wait to try it out.

 

[SawTroll]

Yeah, that's crap. BTW, my 2153 Jred (same saw as a NE 346XP) pulls 3/8's just fine.

Surely it will, but that doesn't always mean it is the ideal set-up.......:msp_wink:

 

[BenPutnam]

Update:

I went to pick up my 372 XP and it had not arrived yet so I bought a 576 XP he had in stock. I cut firewood this past weekend and I didn't think anything could cut better than my 455 but that 576 was great, I can't wait to get out and use it again.

My only compaint is that the 24 inch bar takes so much longer to sharpen than the 18 inch bar on my 455 so I had the dealer order a 20 inch bar for the 576.

Thanks for all your help.

 

[TK]

Update:

I went to pick up my 372 XP and it had not arrived yet so I bought a 576 XP he had in stock. I cut firewood this past weekend and I didn't think anything could cut better than my 455 but that 576 was great, I can't wait to get out and use it again.

My only compaint is that the 24 inch bar takes so much longer to sharpen than the 18 inch bar on my 455 so I had the dealer order a 20 inch bar for the 576.

Thanks for all your help.

You didn't think any could cut better than a 455?
You just up and bought a 576 while waiting for a 372?
You're dealer had to order a 20" bar?

 

[mayhem100]

I'd have a real problem with using any dealer who doesn't keep wear and tear parts in stock for the products they sell.

Not having a 20" bar in stock is like the Ford dealer having to special order the oil and filter for your F150 before you can bring it in for service.

Best of luck to you with the new saw, I'm sure you'll enjoy it for years to come, but I really think you need to find a new dealer.

Give you $50 for the 24" b&c.

 

[BenPutnam]

You didn't think any could cut better than a 455?
You just up and bought a 576 while waiting for a 372?
You're dealer had to order a 20" bar?

I should have been more clear, I bought the 576 instead of the 372.

He said the 576 takes a different bar than the other saws, the bolts are farther apart or something like that.

 

[avalancher]

probably because I never drain the fuel in the summer and I don't mix my fuel to any specific ratio, I just pour a bunch of oil in the tank then fill it up with fuel and go.

:jawdrop::jawdrop::jawdrop: I never thought I would ever run across anyone around here with enough balls to admit to doing that! Please tell me you are kidding....

 

[TK]

I should have been more clear, I bought the 576 instead of the 372.

He said the 576 takes a different bar than the other saws, the bolts are farther apart or something like that.

576 bars are no different than any other large mount Husky. Is this dealer primarily OPE oriented or do they do something else and have an OPE section to supplement???

 

[mayhem100]

I should have been more clear, I bought the 576 instead of the 372.

He said the 576 takes a different bar than the other saws, the bolts are farther apart or something like that.

According to Husqvarna, the 576 takes the same car as the 372, 395 and 570. At present I'm using a borrowed 20" bar from my brother in law's 372 on my 359, so that seems to be the same bar mount as well.

I don't think your dealer has your best interests in mind.

In fact, I bet you could take the 18" b&c off your 455 and put it right on your 576 and tell the dealer to cancel the order.