Replacing Husky 55 Rancher with Stihl model.... which one?

[olsonbri]

Awesome prices bandit! To the op check out the price on a new carb probably not much difference than a kit if not just get the carb and spare yourself some time and get the fuel and other lines . If you can't get good info from this post hang it up lol

It's just a bit hard to start right now. I want to keep it as a backup saw. Main reason: I missed 2-3 good scores of free hardwood, and lots of it, in the past due to not being able to get my Husky to fire. Fuel filter okay, plug is good, got spark,... oh it wanted to fire, it's dead... wait 15 mins, try again... Then it runs great until I need to stop cutting and clear some limbs away, and there you have it, it won't fire. Wait, try again and see, time goes by.

Bottom line, I'm not a mechanic but I don't mind tinkering around. The carb rebuild definitely helped. So another day of frustration comes and it's $40-50 spent at the shop cause I didn't feel like messing with it. I confident I can start it now, but I'd rather have it as a backup to a more reliable saw. In my mind I compare this experience with my troy-built weed-eater I've had for 10+ years and NEVER had an issue except for running out of twine )

One thing I've learned about scrounging and an opportunity for free wood is get it while it's free because if you wait it will likely cease to exist.

 

[Bigg_Redd]

Stihl dealers won't discount a dime, my Husky dealer is great regarding prices. For example, 20" Tsumura bars for $40, $46 for 24". I paid $529 for a 550XPG.

The Stihl dealers here pretty routinely knock 10% off pro-saws. I bought a 440 in 2011 and with the 10% off (about $95) it brought in to within $40 of the 372xp.

Understood, but a 6400 in a pinch will pull skip chain on a 30" bar OK, think a 290 would do that satisfactorily? It's still big and bulky for a 60cc class saw.

The 290 oiler wouldn't keep up even if it could, and, it's no bigger and no bulkier than any other non-pro 56cc saw, and half the price.

 

[Bigg_Redd]

Is it really worth the extra $150 to go pro over the 291 ($469)

IMO, no. The 291, being a pound lighter than the 290, addresses the main complaint about the 290.

Also, all the talk about the clamshell engines is a little over blown. The clamsell engined 290 was as reliable as a hammer and I have no doubt the 291 will be too.

 

[olsonbri]

If one should google images "clamshell engine", it would be pretty clear as to why all the confusion as to what a clamshell engine is! I've been looking around this evening and read a little, but need the hands-on-experience I guess (??)

https://www.google.com/search?q=clamshell engine&client=firefox-a&hs=1l7&rls=org.mozilla:en-USfficial&channel=sb&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=BAmAVNvDD4KQyAToy4LQAQ&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAg&biw=1920&bih=969

 

[Bigg_Redd]

but need the hands-on-experience I guess

I ran a 290 very hard for 8+ years with virtually no maintenance - I had the air filter off twice. It ran perfectly the entire time and is still running perfectly to this day. The only thing I ever replaced was chains.

 

[7acres]

+1 on a pro saw261/362 Stihl or 550xp / 555 husky their worth it In the long run

I took the "spend the money once" approach on my two Stihl pro saws. No regrets. They give me zero grief. 362 + 150 make a great little set.

I'm so fond of them I store them in separate buildings for fear that if I got broken into I'd hate to lose everything.

 

[Jon1270]

Also, all the talk about the clamshell engines is a little over blown.

From the average user's perspective, I agree. I suspect the bad rep comes from people who have to work on them, since a top-end rebuild is a much bigger PITA than on split case / flat-bottomed cylinder saw.

 

[Danno77]

In my opinion it's cost prohibitive to have ANY work done on a chainsaw that isn't covered under warranty. Even on a pro model saw you can easily hit half the cost of a new one with the right dealer service department.

 

[Boil&Toil]

My MS290 (w/18" bar) has been very little trouble. ~5 years in it needed a new fuel line; other than that, it's fuel mix, bar oil and sharp chains, and it's started every time without a fuss until that fuel line broke, and every time since then after it got fixed. I don't cut anywhere near enough to justify a pro saw (then again, when I bought it, it was $300 and the pro saws were $5-600, so it sounds like prices have come up a tad on the "ranch" models while staying more or less similar for the "pro" models.) My Stihl Dealer is a Husky dealer, too, which should make a few brand-loyalist heads explode. Mind you, I rather suspect that having the original saw professionally rebuilt (rather than a self-rebuild of the carb that you were surprised about it firing up after) would be the best bang for the buck option, really, unless it's totally clapped out - it's not a non-rebuildable piece of crap like my Homelite XL.

Fine - rebuilt by my saw guy, or one like him, not Danno77's dealer, I guess.

 

[TreePointer]

My 290 was built like a tank and reliable. The problem was that it also weighed like a tank for its power.

346XP (50cc edition) had essentially the same power (3.7 hp vs 3.8 hp 290), better antivibration (springs vs rubber spacers), quicker throttle response, faster chain speed (linear feet), and was TWO POUNDS LIGHTER. I'm not saying the 290 doesn't have its place, but it was decades old technology when it was the "best selling" Stihl saw. For less than $100 more (at the time), one could do much better and get more up to date technology.

 

[Firewood Bandit]

I agree with TreePointer. The two pounds difference between a 290 and 346XP is misleading. Once your run it the difference is exponential in how much better the saw handles in your hands and how fast the 346 accelerates and decelerates. The Stihl's seem to take forever for the chain to stop.

Several of my friends have 290's and I still talk to them.

 

[Osagebndr]

Never owned a husky but I am looking at a 372xp for some of the biggins I get

 

[olsonbri]

I would NEVER add fuel to the fire, but I have a question: Has the reputation of Husky been compromised by contracting w/ L*wes and other box stores? (as opposed to Stihl, whom restrict their retail sales to dealers at set prices)

 

[Wildo]

I would NEVER add fuel to the fire, but I have a question: Has the reputation of Husky been compromised by contracting w/ L*wes and other box stores? (as opposed to Stihl, whom restrict their retail sales to dealers at set prices)

For some people I would dare say yes, but if you go to your dealer for all your outdoor power equipment I would say no since dealers tend to stock the higher end models instead of the more disposable ones.

 

[Bigg_Redd]

I don't think so. I think most people don't really think about anything. Also, the good Husqys are dealer only.

 

[missedbass]

Getting closer. I like the Stihl 261 for $619. BUT: Is it really worth the extra $150 to go pro over the 291 ($469) for the above reasons already stated? Seems like a bigger discrepancy in price than other reports I've seen.

I compared the 271 ($399) with the 261. For my needs the 271 was a deal for me and has been trouble free. the 261 is a great saw- enjoy!