Husqvarna 550xp?

[gman98]

I've been eyein these saws for quite a while, but have been hesitant to spring the cash on one.  I handled one this fall at a local dealership, and was impressed by its weight compared to its advertised power.  I'm looking to get one as a saw for part time logging- cutting pulp, firewood, and sawlogs on weekend jobs.  What do you guys think about one of these saws for this use?

Thanks

[DelawhereJoe]

I've run the 346xp and its a great saw, cuts very very well. You may want to just drop a few more $ for the 562xp you wouldn't be disappointed, I'm very happy with my ms 362 and they (562xp & ms 362) are in the same class. I can't recall anyone ever saying I hate this saw cause it has to much horsepower....

[gman98]

I've run the 346xp and its a great saw, cuts very very well. You may want to just drop a few more $ for the 562xp you wouldn't be disappointed, I'm very happy with my ms 362 and they (562xp & ms 362) are in the same class. I can't recall anyone ever saying I hate this saw cause it has to much horsepower....

I currently have an ms 362 c-m, I'm just looking to get a spare saw that's a little different from what I have.

[DelawhereJoe]

Go for it then, my dad has the 346xp but every other saw he has is Stihl. I believe the 550xp is the new version of it. It will be a great saw for you, limbing, small trees, brush thats in the way. I'm running an old 024 in conjunction with my 362 c-m they work great together, I can fell and firewood most trees I find up to 24" on one tank of fuel each.

[barton174]

I've got a 550XP. Make sure you get one with the new cover (has a rectangle cutout 3/8" x 3/4" at the top right side), or they'll provide the cover under warranty. It'll want to vapor lock over 90F on warm restarts. Below 90F and/or with the new cover, it's been good, but I've only got about a gallon of mix through it, and have had it about 4 months. Completely different saw than the 562, though. Cuts really fast for what it is, and is very light and maneuverable. It doesn't have as much power as the 562, but is also 2lbs lighter. IMO, a good 2-saw plan is a 50cc saw and a 70-80cc saw. I've got several saws, but I mostly cut with my 550XP and my ported 371XP.

Mike

[Riwaka]

I have two 550XPs,  I can't see what type of wood you are cutting or in what conditions you are cutting. 550XP have a 3 section clutch and need a special tool to remove the clutch to get at the chain drive sprocket. The chain bar cover has retained nuts so you don't loose them flipping the bar. XP550 has a fuel level viewer on the gas tank, there is no elastostart pull cord handle like the pro Stihls. The 550XP in this part of the world run a ngk sparkplug (Japan) which are a good plug.

I would be inclined to guess you look at a Stihl 441c and or equivalent Husqy 70cc & upwards for what you are wrote about and use your small Stihl as a limbing saw to give a breather to larger saw between felling and bucking/ cross cutting etc. See if a local logger/hire shop/ saw shop with demo saws will give you a try before you buy. The newer Stihls have a carbon? element filter versus the older style on Husqy.
The pay off for purchasing a larger saw is you usually cut more wood in a shorter amount of time, if you are on a hourly rate buy a small saw and have lighting and spend the weekend nights there cutting wood. With the heavier saw you rest it more on the log and hold it closer (make sure you have the best boots and saw protection unless you are on a weekday weight lifting program.)

[HolmenTree]

550XP are great little saws, ready to perform brand new right out of the box.
I have 3 of them for about 4 years now which are dedicated to cut only 3 hours, one day of the year at a competition I run every February.

Daytime temperatures are usually 40 below windchill or colder. The saws are idling and speed cutting through frozen solid 10"×10" for the 3 whole hours.
Used by some male and female competitors who never used a saw before, these little saws never miss a beat.
I'm very very impressed with them.
First pic shows how to run in the AutoTune for the first 5 minutes at WOT when brand new ...right out of the box.

2nd pic at 55 below windchill

3rd pic shows them cutting 10"×14" frozen wood (I milled them with my Alaskan mill) at 30° below . Don't let the bright sunshine fool you :D


  

  

  

  

 

[CR888]

The clutch on my 550xp & 555 have little cutout grooves/slots that your flat head scrench can seat in. A firm whack with a hammer or wood block will undo them for sprocket changes. You can use a piston stop or the resistance of compression. No special tools needed, but I suppose they would work well too. 550xp is light, compact, fast spooling and pretty much exactly what one would want in a 50cc pro saws.

[gman98]

I almost bought one the other day on sale but I didn't right before Christmas.  After reading you guys posts, I felt that they seem to be a good saw.  This was reassured by the fact that one of the choppers I work with runs all 550xp's and he is cutting pine 40+ inches at the butt.  I guess I may just have to get one now.  Thanks guys for your help.

[barton174]

An update from before... I got one in August (though it was a mid-2015 mfg saw), and it ran great, but the only issue I had with it is that it was before the new cover with the hole in it, it would vapor lock above 90F on warm restart. So, I talked to Husq CS and they had me take it to my dealer, and they put the new software on it and the new cover under warranty. It has only run premix fuel, so they were very, very helpful about any issues! Anyway, I got it back from the dealer, and it had a little bit of a bog/stumble at middle throttle openings, but idled and ran WOT just fine. Over the next couple tanks, the bog got bad enough that I was pretty sure there was some vacuum leak, even though it idled and ran WOT OK. Anyway, I called the second level tech folks at Husq USA, to ask if they had to make the transition lean or something for emissions, or if there was some issue with the latest software, and he said no, sounds like a vacuum leak to him, too. They literally just sent me a brand new one (showed up yesterday 2016-25xxxxxx) with all the updates, and even included a felt air filter, as well as the mesh one in the saw. They're sending a call tag for me to send my old one back. I seriously couldn't be happier with the CS!

Having said that, I'm just a firewood hack, and I've got the 4 year warranty, so I'm running premix in this, and keeping it stock for now. I know not everybody can or wants to do that, based on how much they run a saw.

Mike

[DonT]

I have a 550xp I purchased in August. I like it as a smaller limbing saw.It usually sits beside the chipper.I am curious about the vent hole mentioned in a post above.I looked mine over for this type of hole but could not find one.Does anyone have a picture of it? Is this something not sold on Canadian saws ?   Thx DonT

[DelawhereJoe]

Perhaps up north you dont have to worry about the 90°+ days so its not a problem.

[DonT]

We seem to get the best of both worlds,plenty of 32degree days in August and lots of -25 in January.I had a few hot start problems and thought it was just me.Have to say we do not get anywhere near as cold as HolmanTree.

[HolmenTree]

Don, you should use farinheigt scale :D

Here's in Manitoba with our 100,000 lakes we get lots of humidity on our hot summer days.
We go from one extreme to another +110 F to -50 F below.
When our summer temps get into the 90's with close to 100% humidity I try not run my saws too much. :D

[barton174]

I have a 550xp I purchased in August. I like it as a smaller limbing saw.It usually sits beside the chipper.I am curious about the vent hole mentioned in a post above.I looked mine over for this type of hole but could not find one.Does anyone have a picture of it? Is this something not sold on Canadian saws ?   Thx DonT

The slot right in the middle of the pic, next to the decomp. I bought mine in August, as well, but it was a mid-2015 saw. The updates were

[DonT]

Thank you for the picture.Mine definitely does not have that slot.I will ask my dealer about it.  DonT

[HolmenTree]

My best saw to keep on hand besides my chipper is this little battery powered  T536Li XP.
Lots of torque and no hot start issues  ;D




 

[DonT]

I have one of those as well and love it. Saves a lot of energy wgen up in a tree and on the ground.It also rides on my sled when grooming ski trails for blowdowns.We got one for my 82 year old dad as well,always starts for him and when he is out of battery it is time to quit.

[John Mc]

When our summer temps get into the 90's with close to 100% humidity I try not run my saws too much. :D

When it gets in the 90s with close to 100% humidity, I try not to run my self too much, let alone my saws.

State law in Vermont states that anyone who has lived here for more than 5 years is required to complain about the heat any time the temps hit the mid-80s F or higher.

[newforest]

I have both a 550XP and a 562XP purchased in 2016.

They both have had updated top covers this year I believe, due to possible vapor lock issues on hot days. On the 562 I think they increased the height of the cover a little bit. On both they simply made the cut-out on the side a little bigger. I have heard this can be done by owners of 2015 and prior models themselves, if they have the right tools to cut hard plastic correctly.

But the vapor lock is only a problem on the hottest days. An old-time solution to vapor lock is to open the fuel cap immediately upon running low, and let some heat escape from it for a while before putting the fuel in. The sawyer needs a little bit longer breaks in hot weather anyway. Taking the cover off with the quick release snaps probably wouldn't hurt either, quick and easy these days.

Your shop can get you the details on which 550XP has which cover (and which carburetor, changed in early 2016), based on the Serial # and the Husqy Technical bulletins.


I run my 550 every day on cutting jobs, but I work in "pre-commercial" diameters, doing Silviculture management work such as post-harvest clean-up or Crop Tree Release TSI work. It is a great saw, a worthy successor to a 346XP I put over 1,000 hours on and is now a back-up saw.

I deleted the decompression button as the Auto-Tune system is a little quirkier to start and as I run this saw in my hands all day, most every day, with no stopping to load firewood, etc.; I don't need the easier pull on the starter. The button is best replaced with a form-fitting grommet to keep the air-flow over the cylinder correct in the design of the saw. I did the same with my 562XP.

I bought the 562 more for that inevitable day when one of my friends has a 20" tree down across their driveway. When everyone knows you run saws, you get those calls, and I don't mind them a bit. But in sawlog size cuts, I would rather have a 60cc saw. You can cut big wood with a sharp 50cc saw but it will take longer and you wouldn't want to do it all day long. Often, a 50cc + a 70cc class saw is a good combo but I have no plans to do cuts truly needing a 70cc saw. So my 562 is a bit of a back-up saw now as well, though not so heavy that I can't run if for a full day once in a while.

If you have any plans to cut log size material, I would pick the 562.