Stihl 260 vs Husky 351/55 Rancher

[tony marks]

a just curious question. is it possible the 55s powerhead is the same as is on the poulan pro 330. i owned this poulan pro and it sure nuff was a cutting machine and i couldnt see any difference in the powerheads. the one i had just had a lot of vibration. plus break clutch and a couple othe things were made less quality than the 55 husky.
thought mabe a mechanic had seen them side by side.no biggee ,just curious.

 

[lync]

55 rancher

No offense intended to huskyman or tundraotto. IMHO and personal use I find the 55R only marginal in performance. Cheap referring to price and not necessarily quality. It's been my experience that for a $300 saw USC, its ok. The 026 for $100usc more is a better performer, and is worth the difference in price.
If sting is going to use the saw daily I would go 026. If its for occasional use, he could take advantage of the more economical 55R. Tundraotto's point about 3/8 chain vs .325 chain has some validity. The o26 i've used was running .325, the rancher 3/8. Too much chain for the powerhead would negativly impact cutting speed.

 

[Sting]

So... what's the story???

Ok here's the rundown I see so far...

A lot of people like the 260 from Stihl, the 351 is well regarded too... reviews of the 55 Rancher are mixed, some negative, some positive, some so-so... *SIGH* so where does this leave me?

There is 0.3-0.4 hp difference in power, with the Stihl having the slight upper hand (351 having 3.1 hp, the 55 @ 3.2, with the 260 leading with 3.5)...

However, the power to weight ratio favours the Husky 55 Rancher (0.46 for the 55, 0.48 for the 351 & 0.55 for the 260). Now am I reading that right? The lower the P/W number, the better, right? When I did look into the John Deere's, they claimed the best P/W ratio, and it was around 0.36 or something...

And what is the difference in regards to the chain pitch??? The Husky 351 runs .325, and the 55 runs a 3/8. What kind of chain would the 260 come with? I understand that if the chain pitch is less, the saw cuts faster, right? Long term, what does this chain difference mean, if anything?

Now, for the first while I am going to have the new saw there will be enough work ahead for it... I need to finish cutting up an oak tree... smaller branches no bigger than 12" diameter... then over the fall and winter, I have 5-8 small trees to deal with all in the 10-12" range and some stuff smaller than that, all a bit taller than my two storey home. I also have an dead tree up my drive way, a bit bigger in diameter and taller... so I have a fair bit of work ahead. Beyond that... who knows... In this scenario, what would my best choice be?

Price is a factor, as I don't want to spend too much on a saw I really don't need, but I want a saw that will last. I don't to "buy cheap and buy twice", otherwise my poor dad will roll in his grave, and I know that Husky and Stihl are among the best out there, and I'll have good dealer support, one way or the other. My dad's Pioneer Holiday has lasted over 30 years, and I'd like to make a purchase as well as he did.

Sorry for so many questions, but I've never bought a chain saw before, and like I said, my father made wise choices, and I'd like to do the same...

 

[Tony Snyder]

The rubber anti-vibe mounts are famous for going bad, that is why big E went to the springs.

I like 351s and 2149s, but honestly, they probably will not keep up with an 026 stock for stock.

If your local John Deere dealer has a decent saw man, I would go with the CS56 JD; second choice would be the Husky 55. Fifty five cc saws make a better all around saw than 49cc.

 

[stihltech]

mounts

Famous for going bad? Only on a constantly dull chain. And why is one my customers who went to Husky (and has returned) complained of replacing the springs weekly? If you abuse anything, you can wear it out or break it.
What to do about the new saw? Run them, try them out. Buy the one with the best dealer support that feels right.

When was the last time you cut down a tree with specs on paper?

 

[treeclimber165]

Re: mounts

Originally posted by stihltech
If you abuse anything, you can wear it out or break it.

What to do about the new saw? Run them, try them out. Buy the one with the best dealer support that feels right.

When was the last time you cut down a tree with specs on paper?

The master has spoken. This is getting to the point of being talked to death. Time to run a couple saws and pick the one that YOU like.

 

[ccicora]

Very few people have probably abused an 026 and a 026 pro to the extent that I have. When I did right of way cutting you would hold the trigger all the way in and swing those arms for 6-8 hours. My first 026 work saw had several hundread hours on it and it still ran. If you want to abuse a saw cut trees from 1"- 14" all day long and don't let off the trigger. Then when you cut just slap what ever you are cutting with the bar.
A tank of gas in the saw would last about 15-20 min. My secound year I got to try out a new Johnny turbo, nice power ran great till that friday.... BOOM. The saw turned so many RPM's that it just sheadded it self apart. So back to my old Stihl and it just kept running . My third and fourth year I was given one of the new 026 Pro's. And that was a great saw to run.
I would say is try out a saw that someone has and run it a bit, cut down some trees and limb the trees up. put in a good 2-3 work then try another. Your body will tell you which one to run.

Later,
Chris

 

[tundraotto]

lync: you will probably want to change to the .325 chain pitch on your rancher. this is the reason the 55 (not rancher) that came with the .325 chain stock was always held in a little higher regard. put some .325 LG chain on there and it will be a much faster cutting machine.

of course we should not forget about the extra weight of the 3/8" compared to the .325 that sucks power from the saw just to spin it - 3/8 chain is not required from a saw these sizes.

it really makes a saw cut a lot faster.

sting- i would still pick the 026 out of the bunch before the others, if the 346xp is out of reach.

 

[treeclimber165]

Originally posted by tundraotto
sting- i would still pick the 026 out of the bunch before the others, if the 346xp is out of reach.

OHMIGOD!!! Can somebody drive Arkansas and check to see what is wrong with Otto? Maybe an alien invaded his body! Is he feverish? Delusional? I thought he had Husky 2-cycle oil pulsing in his veins, and he recommended a STIHL??????

 

[Happyjack]

I have an 026 and love it. Run .325 chain and 16 or 18' bar. Cut down about 100 trees with it 12-24". No problems at all.

All three modles of saws are good, it just depends what saw feels good in your hands and what dealer you feel comfortable with. Go check them out and demo the saws.

Get the dealer to throw in a hard hat or chaps. You don't need a case IMO just a bar cover.

What ever saw you get, take care of it and it will last a long time.

be safe

Happyjack

 

[rbtree]

Well, tc bri, i say the same thing.... and it more'n likely is cause that's what happened to me one night awhile back.... I'm sure, uh, I think, say missy didnt the car lose power that night.... and our watches were way off... or so we thought....


.. and that strange little mark on my upper lip....


...hey, cut that out........ ow.....

 

[jokers]

Hi Sting, I don`t want to get involved in all the semantics and terratorial chest beating going on here, I just want to say that if you can swing the money, the MS260 for the price you listed is the most saw for the money. The folks here who know me are probably nearly as surprised by my recommendation as they are by tundraotto`s since we both generally favor Huskies, I think that we both see you getting a bargain price on that MS260 and we are being fair and objective. I can`t say a bad thing about the 55R or the 351, both are proven saws regardless of what the Stihl fanatics say, and many are in use daily in the hands of professionals. Just that for very few dollars more you can get a better power to weight ratio and all modern features with the exception of Air Injection that you will not miss if you never had it. There have been so many 026s sold( it`s been around for quite awhile) that performed very well compared to all the other ~ 50cc saws on the market that the 026 has a legendary reputation. There are zillions of them out there that run day in and day out. If Husky keeps the 346xp in it`s line up long enough, it may eventually have the same reputation, but right now it is just a relative newcomer being compared to the standard in this class, the 026/MS260. BTW, the 351 and 346 share all the most important components for durability. So buy the MS260 and don`t question your decision. As to power/weight ratios, the higher the number the better. To put it in more graphic terms, the most powerful saw with the lowest weight has the best ratio. You will want to stay with .325 pitch chain on your saw, no matter which of these models you pick, and learn how to properly maintain your saw and chain and it should easily last you 20 years with the amount of use you are talking, infact, I think you will find that the work you have mentioned will hardly take you a few days to complete with your new saw provided that you are fastidious about keeping a sharp chain. The guys who mentioned safety gear are on the right track, don`t let machismo get in the way of common sense. Russ

 

[Dennis]

russ....I hate it when you make sense....

 

[rupedoggy]

Man I love these threads. I have read a bunch of them that are all similar. Some guy wants to get a good saw the first time and asks us "experts" for help. Some of the members are happy with their saw and recommend it or another by that manufacturer. Others with lots of experience tell it like it is but fail to realize that their experience may be in a different area of using the saw, than the man asking the question. The one thread that really made me laugh was one like this, that had given numerous helpful hints on which saw to buy, and the original person, asking for advice, came back on and said " Thanks for all the help you guys but my neighbor gave me an old Homelite XL and it is just what I need, You should try one they are really powerful" Ha! Mike

 

[buckwheat]

I know sting asked for opinions from a list of choices, but looking at what he needs the saw for, I gotta agree with rupe. We're talking homeowner work here, which can be tackled by a homeowner saw. And if he goes with Stihl or Husky, it'll last as long as he needs.
The other day I sharpened a friends 345 Husky (plastic crankcase) with a 16" bar/.325 chain. He cuts about 5 cords a year. Since I never ran one I took it out to the wood pile and made a few cuts - its a great saw, and I think he paid $230 for it over the net, with shipping. Does it have the best p/w ratio? No, but is it a good saw for his needs and represents good investment? you betcha.

btw: sting, I loved your last album.