Which saw?

[LeeK]

OK here's the deal: my old Husqy 353, which was brought back to life by Andy at West Hill Saw House, XP top and ported, gave up on me this weekend.   All of a sudden it idled fast, chain spinning, wouldn't calm down, then shut down.  Not lean, like when you reach the end of a tank, but some throttle problem maybe.  Anyways, will start with a few pops, with no choke, but won't sustain.  I borrowed my buddy's Echo to finish the truckload of firewood, but now I have a dead saw.  My thinking is to get this one fixed, time to visit Andy, but I really think it is too old to be depended on, maybe relegate to backup saw.  My question is as follows: The dealer to the north (a big operation) has Husqy 550xp for $579, the dealer (much closer, older guys, working 7-noon, mon-sat) to the south has Jonserud 2253 for $590.  Lotta dough-re-mi but firewood harvesting is a passion so maybe I grit my teeth and pass the plastic.  Which saw?

[JohnG28]

I would go with the 550xp, but it is a new autotune saw. I don't know if that will make a difference to you but worth noting.

[HolmenTree]

The 550XP is a good 50cc saw. Being a strato charged saw they do take a little extra time to warm up but their a strong runner right out of the box.
My stock 346XP doesn't have the performance and all the good features my 3 - 550XP's have.

[John Mc]

Lee -  You've been debating getting a bigger saw for a while.  Have you looked at the 555?  A little more money than the 550XP, but a nice 60cc saw that doesn't bump you all the way up to the price of a 562XP.

[rburg]

If you have been happy with your 353, you could also look at the 545/2252 models which should be about $100 less than the 550/2253 models.

[John Mc]

Have you figured out what happened to your old saw yet?

I seem to recall that new 346 top end isn't all that old (a couple of years?), and it's not like you've been working that saw 8 hours a day 5 days a week.  That doesn't seem all that great a life for a personal firewood saw.

[HolmenTree]

To the O.P. you're better off to stick with the small bar mount saws if you're looking to save money. The 555 or other large bar mount saws wouldn't fit what your setup with the 353.

[Pine Ridge]

I  don't  have  any  experience  with  the  Jonsered,  but  we  have  a  couple  of  550 xps  that  we  run  a lot,  excellent  power  and  lightweight.  A  little  touchy  at  first  but  after  a  few  tanks  run  through  em  they  were  good  to  go. my  dealer  also  priced  the  550 xp  at  $579  here  in  Missouri.  He  also  priced  a  545  Husqvarna  for  about  $100  less  than  the  550 xp  as  rburg  had  said  earlier.  In  the  literature  I  looked  at  both  were  same  weight  10.8  pounds,  but  the  545  was  listed  at  3.3hp  and  the  550 xp  was  listed  at  3.7hp.  I  don't  have  any  experience  with  the  545,  and  I  didn't  buy  one,  but  someone  on  here  has  I'll  bet,  maybe  give  some  input  on  them.  Guys  the  specs  on  weight  and  Hp   I  quoted  are  correct  to  the  best  of  my  knowledge.  Hope  whatever  saw  you  choose  serves  you  well !

[John Mc]

To the O.P. you're better off to stick with the small bar mount saws if you're looking to save money. The 555 or other large bar mount saws wouldn't fit what your setup with the 353.

I think the 555 is also a small bar mount. The 562Xp is large mount.

[HolmenTree]

To the O.P. you're better off to stick with the small bar mount saws if you're looking to save money. The 555 or other large bar mount saws wouldn't fit what your setup with the 353.

I think the 555 is also a small bar mount. The 562Xp is large mount.

You're right John,  :-[...... I guess I'll just stick to  advising with the familiar XP stuff :D

[7sleeper]

If money is tight then I would definately think about the echo 590! Pro built 60cc saw for ~400$ doesn't sound to bad in my book. Look what Andyshine77 and other users has to say about it. There is a video of him with the 590 with a muffler mod wrestling with a ported!!! Stihl 361 for first place. With that option you would still have more than enough money left for a rejuvination program for the 353/346 hybrid.

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[John Mc]

I'm not sure what there is for good servicing dealers for Echo in our area. I think I've seen a place or two selling them, but not big on service/repair.  I ruled out Dolmar as an option when I was shopping for similar reasons: Good saws at decent prices, but the only guy anywhere near me who serviced them was a bit flaky - and he finally got out of the chainsaw business.

John Mc

[LeeK]

What is autotune?  What are the benefits?  That seems to be one of the few differences between the Husqy 550xp and the Jons 2253.  The 353 may not be dead, maybe needs carb work, I dunno, there is some problem with fuel delivery perhaps.

[John Mc]

From the Husky Web Site:

AutoTune gives optimal engine performance throughout automatic engine setting. No time spent on carburetor adjustments. It compensates for different fuels, altitude, humidity, temperature and clogged air filter.

There are no mixture crews on the carb. It's all handled by an electronic controller.

I'm no expert on the subject, but I've heard good things about it -- once Husky got over their teething pains.

[LeeB]

Would this keep you from toasting a saw due to an air leak/lean situation??

[7sleeper]

Would this keep you from toasting a saw due to an air leak/lean situation??

No! It would just take longer, because the carb would try to compensate so long until no compensation is possible anymore and then game over. Same as any conventional carb.

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