Husqvarna 2100CD

[leverly88]

Hello all.  What is the consensus on the Husky 2100 CD?  Predominantly will be used as a firewood saw. Found one cheap, so why not purchase it?

[ZeroJunk]

Not sure what cheap means. But, they are quite collectible and I wouldn't waste any time getting it.

[sawguy21]

I want one! They are an absolute beast but probably too heavy for a firewood saw and will be a knucklebuster to start. What size logs are you planning to cut?

[Real1shepherd]

I used this saw professionally for over a decade as a logger. Long story about how it came to be....this model by Husky.

I'm reluctant to endorse it as a firewood saw for the following reasons:
1. It's heavy compared to other lightweight saws today that are purpose built for a firewood setting....like pro 50-70cc class saws.
2. Parts are NLA and VERY expensive, via the collectors who have been hot on this saw for yrs.
3. This is a serious saw for fellin' and bucking big timber. Putting a 24" bar on it is an insult and extreme overkill. With a small bar like that, other modern saws will run circles around it.
4. If you've never used a saw this big before, it could be dangerous to your health...especially if it's without a chain brake.
5. When you find out the collector's value of the saw, you may not want to run it.
6. No decomp. Isn't a big deal for me, but I'm used to it...others complain about that a lot.

That being said, on another forum I tested one of my 2100's against my J'reds 2094. Both with 36" bars and both running square file .404 skip-tooth chain.

The 2094 wraps about 14,000 unloaded and the 2100 around 12,500(governor mod). With the tip showing in the work bucking large sugar maple, the 2094 out performed the 2100. But bury the tip in wood, bucking and the 2100 walked away from the 2094. And this Husky will handle much bigger bars without breaking a sweat.

So sure, if it's a great price, BUY the saw....but I'm not certain you'll need it on much in firewood. Maybe the occasional log around 36" and more. I don't know what you cut?

Dibs if you buy it and don't like it....lol.

Kevin

[Real1shepherd]

It would seem like leverly88 got what he wanted and left. I'm sorry I took the time to give a reasonably insightful response based on experience. smiley_goofy_face

Kevin

[lxskllr]

I think some people shotgun the web for answers, and if they get one elsewhere, they never go back to the other sites. Regardless of the OPs status, your insight is welcomed Kevin. Other people will quietly utilize your knowledge, and you'll never know about it, but it's still created value  :^)

[Al_Smith]

I've got one I landed cheap from another forum .It came from some island I think off Washington state .I got it cheap else I wouldn't have bought it .I had to replace the coil with a used one and do some cosmetic stuff .I've never had the cylinder off but suggest it might have been souped up a little bit .At some GTG's it would out run what few of them you might see .It's a good runner,tad bit hard to start and has a D-handle because it's about like roping over a Harley Twin  .However it's a little over kill for the average fire wood saw . 

[ZeroJunk]

I had a 2101XP that was new for all practical purposes. Guy thought it was locked up because the cylinder was dry and it was just that hard to pull.  Anyhow, I sold it for $750. The $750 is gone and I don't know where it went. And, I don't have the saw.  One of my dumber moves.

[leverly88]

It would seem like leverly88 got what he wanted and left. I'm sorry I took the time to give a reasonably insightful response based on experience. smiley_goofy_face

Kevin

I appreciate your response, but I don't sit on this forum all day long, waiting for someone to say something.  I've got way too many things to do.  It's been one day since I posted this.

[Spike60]

Fact is that not everyone wants to join and actually become a forum member in the context that most of us are. I've noticed there's quite a lot of these "I'm New!" folks that drop in and ask a question, get their answer and off they go. There's nothing fundementally wrong with that; maybe just a bit disappointing for guys who take the time to welcome them. Some of these guys are pretty green regarding saws in general. No offense to the OP, but anyone asking if a 2100 makes a good firewood saw is clearly unfamiliar with what a 2100 is.

That being said, a little 2100 discussion here is good for anyone who wants to participate or just drop in to read. I've got 2 of them in my collection, they wear 32" and 36" bars and I've only had a couple times where I've burried them in wood large enough to experience, (with a smile), what a 2100 is all about. But I'm just playing, so I really respect the insight from Kevin who actually worked them for real.

Yup, starting them is like starting your pickup truck with a rope. But since I start saws all day long in the shop, it's not a big deal for me. Parts are very scarce, just a handful of things still in stock from Husky. If you find one to buy, best make sure it's complete. The parts deal makes these along with a lot of other saws poor candidates for any kind of regular or serious work. It's only a matter of time until you need a part that you can't get and the saw winds up on the shelf.

[Real1shepherd]

It would seem like leverly88 got what he wanted and left. I'm sorry I took the time to give a reasonably insightful response based on experience. smiley_goofy_face

Kevin

I appreciate your response, but I don’t sit on this forum all day long, waiting for someone to say something.  I’ve got way too many things to do.  It’s been one day since I posted this.

Sorry, thought you had flown the coop. However, it was logical to assume that after you posted a question like that, you would be looking for a timely response, especially involving an immediate sale....my bad.

As was said by other members, it is very common to see a newbie ask a question and then leave forever. In the spirit of good forum discourse, we hope to have members stay and engage....at least for awhile.

Kevin

[Al_Smith]

On this particular saw it would of course be much better to actually see it than buy a pig in a poke off the internet sight unseen .The actual value is a matter of opinion .Having been at this collection restoration stuff a long time usually if you keep your eyes open a deal will come along to fit in your pocket book .
As I recall I had about $90 plus maybe $20 to ship mine from Washington then another $50 for a used coil which also came from Washington .Keep in mind if a new coil could be found they get around $200 for it .
As far as the size and really style several manufactures  made similar models of 99 cc machines .The popularity  depending on the geographical location.So they are where you might find them . 

[Real1shepherd]

Not to get completely into the 2100CD story....few saws were actually purpose built for pro loggin' PNW use. In this case, Husky sent one of their top Swedish engineers into the woods with PNW loggers to get feedback on the prototype saws and improve them where necessary. That's not a common story shared by other pro saw marques of their day.

As a tool, the saw did everything 'right'. If we had any idea that Husky eventually would drop the 2100/2101and go with the 394 and 3120, we would have held onto to our 2100/2101 saws. And maybe in doing that, Husky would have continued to make parts for the 2100/2101 way longer than they did.

And yes, I've seen some very patched up and almost unrecognizable 2100's for sale. And they were "cheap"....but bringing them back to stock would have been expensive.....

The word has been out on the 2100 for yrs......but those of us that actually used them in large-bark PNW timber are dwindling in numbers and memory. You just had to be there to see the impact this model had. Some would argue that the big Homelites and MAC's took most of the OG Doug Firs in the PNW....not the 2100CD. But the truth is that the OG's were pretty much gone by the time the 2100 hit the forests. However, loggin' shows in the late 70's, early 80's were at their maximum efficiency and the actual board ft this saw took rivaled anything the older saws took combined.

I got to work in some OG stands with six ft bars on the 2100 with nothing more than a plugged governor and modified mufflers......also with Silvey hydraulic backpack jacks and springboards that took us above the giant root masses. Then I had the pleasure of taking OG Engelmann Spruce up on the Grand Mesa in CO. I can't imagine using anything else for timber like that....but you use what's at hand and what you know best.

Kevin

[Real1shepherd]

On this particular saw it would of course be much better to actually see it than buy a pig in a poke off the internet sight unseen .The actual value is a matter of opinion .Having been at this collection restoration stuff a long time usually if you keep your eyes open a deal will come along to fit in your pocket book .
As I recall I had about $90 plus maybe $20 to ship mine from Washington then another $50 for a used coil which also came from Washington .Keep in mind if a new coil could be found they get around $200 for it .
As far as the size and really style several manufactures  made similar models of 99 cc machines .The popularity  depending on the geographical location.So they are where you might find them .

The electronic potted SEM's modules under the flywheel of the 2100/2101 are available new for $100-$150 if you shop around. They were reintroduced about five yrs or so ago. This particular module doesn't have the same failure rate as some of the more notorious Stihl models. But they can fail and you were pretty much stuck...until now.

I haven't seen anything in the literature that the new modules are fortified or made any differently than the originals.....or even WHO actually makes them.

The bandits on eBay are trying to get almost as much for a used module as the new modules cost....so it goes.

Kevin

[Al_Smith]

I may be mistaken but one older model Stihl used a similar,inside the flywheel type of coil 052 or 056 I think .The used coil I got the kill switch shorting didn't work so I had to splice in a thumb operated shorting bar from the HV wire going to the plug .There is more than one way to skin the same cat.
The one thing on this model you do not want to do is use the choke to shut it down .That model of Tillotson HS really puts out the fuel .If you flood it it might  take half a day to get a restart .
With a cold start,choke only once else it will flood .Hot start no choke .Even as much as I belly ache about it starts easy on a hot start ,rarely fails on one pull .  

[Spike60]

Not to get completely into the 2100CD story....few saws were actually purpose built for pro loggin' PNW use. In this case, Husky sent one of their top Swedish engineers into the woods with PNW loggers to get feedback on the prototype saws and improve them where necessary. That's not a common story shared by other pro saw marques of their day.

As a tool, the saw did everything 'right'. If we had any idea that Husky eventually would drop the 2100/2101and go with the 394 and 3120, we would have held onto to our 2100/2101 saws. And maybe in doing that, Husky would have continued to make parts for the 2100/2101 way longer than they did.

And yes, I've seen some very patched up and almost unrecognizable 2100's for sale. And they were "cheap"....but bringing them back to stock would have been expensive.....

The word has been out on the 2100 for yrs......but those of us that actually used them in large-bark PNW timber are dwindling in numbers and memory. You just had to be there to see the impact this model had. Some would argue that the big Homelites and MAC's took most of the OG Doug Firs in the PNW....not the 2100CD. But the truth is that the OG's were pretty much gone by the time the 2100 hit the forests. However, loggin' shows in the late 70's, early 80's were at their maximum efficiency and the actual board ft this saw took rivaled anything the older saws took combined.

I got to work in some OG stands with six ft bars on the 2100 with nothing more than a plugged governor and modified mufflers......also with Silvey hydraulic backpack jacks and springboards that took us above the giant root masses. Then I had the pleasure of taking OG Engelmann Spruce up on the Grand Mesa in CO. I can't imagine using anything else for timber like that....but you use what's at hand and what you know best.

Kevin

This is great stuff Kevin; thanks. I love this kind of "been there" history. Feel free to keep going.

[Al_Smith]

I can't say I've used mine that much.maybe one 30" tree and some large oak rounds down to splitting lengths .At one GTG they had  a class for classics made before a certain date and I let somebody else run it .Of course it won hands down .That's just one of those  fun events ,nobody cares who wins .Some take stuff like that seriously ,I don't . ;)

[Pine Ridge]

I also enjoy hearing from those that have hands on experience. I've never owned a 2100, but i do know they are a working mans saw.

[Al_Smith]

Eventually the question arises what bars fit these things and I have a theory although I've never tried it .Obviously a Husqvarna bar will fit .
For example a McCulloch sp 1000 and a Partner P100 are the same saw .If you use the bar plates from a 2100 then a husky bar will fit on that saw .I think if you had the plates for the McCulloch branded sp 1000  model it would seem logical 10 series McCulloch bars should fit on the 2100 
I have both sets of  plates and a 2100 plus plenty of 10 series bars from 16"  to 36" but I don't know when I'd find the time to find the answer .Might be tomorrow or 2 weeks from now . This is the stuff you find out by accident.

[chet]

Sad ta say my 2100 has been sittin' idle for awhile. After 2 seperate shoulder surgeries I'm a little reluctant ta yank on dat beast.  :'(  TA think in my younger days I actually had the saw in a tree with me lots of times.

[sawguy21]

I wouldn't even coonsider packing a 2100 up a tree, they were enough to deal with on the ground. :D

[Al_Smith]

My findings on bar interchange are inconclusive .I found the bar plates for a 2100 but not for a Mac 1000 .With the Husky plates depending on the Mac bar it would fit on some bars and some would need the tightening hole elongated down a tad with an oil hole drilled straight though because the 2100 oils from the top .
For those who do not know over the years and manufacturer many 10 series bars are slightly different .I tried a 36" made in Canada dated 1971 and it worked with no modifications .Yet a 24" that looked nearly new probably from the late 80's would need some modifications .Both would have been used on some model of the 81 cc models in the PNW I would imagine .

All that said these years it would be much easier just to find a Husky bar because long Mac bars in good shape are not that easy to find .Of course I have a few but I'm also a collector .

[Real1shepherd]

It's hard to imagine the impact this model saw had in the PNW. Bailey's was probably selling dozens of them per day....on a good sales day, many more than that. I bought two to start out with at about $500 a pop from Bailey's....just the power heads.

I had started off felling with a 075 and the older faller I was working with suggested trying one of his new 2100's. It was like feeding gasoline to a fire. I had no preconceptions or loyalty to saw marques at that point. They were just tools to me and yet this Husky performed flawlessly....and so did the next and the next....

To understand a little bit about pro saws back in the day....before Powerpunch became popular(Bailey's again), a big pro saw got about a season and was moved down to your back-up saw. The back-up saw before that one was sold to wood cutters in the local paper. So a new saw was bought every yr. Most of us didn't have the time to work on our saws or were too tired...beyond routine maintenance.

Either the loggin' shows had a shop somewhere with q full-time mechanic or you took your saw to a trusted saw shop in town. That's why it was important that your main saw was always newish.

So back to Powerpunch.....a quasi-synthetic oil mix that was advanced for its day. It allowed us to keep a main saw running for a yr and a half....or rarely, a full two yrs. You could say that was a game changer...but it kinda screwed up the previous schedule based on a yearly cycle.....lol. But longer lasting saws was $$$ in your pocket.

I went from General bars(small OR company that made excellent large bars and had great service) to Cannon. Cannon bars have always been expensive. I sold all my big bars when I quit, but kept a couple of 2100's. One of them was stolen later on, but I replaced it with a used, but not clapped out pawnshop 2100.

So....I actually have one 2100 from my loggin' daze. It served me well in MO where I bought a big farm in the late 80's that had 120 acres of woods, 540 acres total. Given the intensity of the storms there and those stupid, giant Sycamores that thrived on the creek banks.....I was always needing the 2100 for something. When I moved back to WA eventually, it got out that I could fell 'problem' trees with great accuracy. And I had occasion to clear some decent timber tracts.

Now I'm just old with two 2100's....but when you use a saw like that for so long, you retain muscle memory. I can still work it all day and start it without a sweat.....but I have to be more conscious of my balance jumping up and down on logs. My brain says go for it, my knees say NO!

Kevin  

[PJ65]

Always wanted a 2100.  For smaller stuff I was working in a 181/288 made more sense. I still have a 266 I bought new in 85.  Still runs!   Got crushed by a skidder but still on original jug and piston.  Replaced clutch cover and handle and back to work.  Still have my last 288 which is second fiddle to my newer 372.  I do love the older huskies.  They were quite an upgrade from the stihl 056 that I broke in on.  Still want a 2100!

[Real1shepherd]

It's too bad more people don't have access to this saw at a decent price. I remember when you could pick up a nice one on eBay for $300 and less through Craigslist.

You'd think it would be a treasure trove here in the PNW to find one. But collectors have scoured the region for over a decade. And when I do see one or two pop up, they are priced insanely high.

Kevin