Husqvarna 61

[Bruno of NH]

My uncle is selling his summer home on a lake in NH . He gifted me a very nice Husqvarna 61 . I'm not a Husqvarna guy. We run 3 echos at the mill and firewood operation.  
The 61 is well built and runs great. Just don't know much about them.

[TreefarmerNN]

My uncle is selling his summer home on a lau

My uncle is selling his summer home on a lake in NH . He gifted me a very nice Husqvarna 61 . I'm not a Husqvarna guy. We run 3 echos at the mill and firewood operation. 
The 61 is well built and runs great. Just don't know much about them.

I don't know about the 61 but my various Husky saws all required this for a cold start.
Turn switch on,
Set choke,
Pull rope until if fires and coughs.  It probably won't run but even a little cough is enough.
Push choke off,
Pull rope again and it's running. 

If you don't push the choke off after that first cough, it will likely flood.  Then you will have to hold the throttle open and pull rope without the choke.  Probably several times.  Or you can cuss and walk away for a few minutes.  When you come back, hold throttle open and pull rope. It's much better to get the procedure right the first time and even my old Husky saws start well when I remember to do it right.

[Bruno of NH]

I'm in practice with that .
All my Echo saws are like that. Once it coughs,  shut the choke off and it will start right up.

[CJ154SG]

You have an all-time top-10 saw on your hands, Bruno. First sold in 1976, and still in production in Brazil today. Shares the same bottom end as the 66, 162, 266, 268, and 272 Huskies. They were originally produced in Sweden and Yugoslavia (later Slovenia).

Lots of Husky snobs can't be bothered with the 61 because it is the smallest-displacement cylinder of the bunch, and a mere open-port (eyeroll) at that. Which is great for anyone else who simply wants a torquey, nearly-indestructible saw that they can pass down to their grandkids (or nephews ). Perfect for the operations you describe.

For a saw with a nearly 50-year (and counting) production run, there have been a few changes over time: moving from two-piece to single-piece ignitions, different flywheels, carburetors, and an improved cylinder design in the early-1990s, etc., but you can easily keep one going for decades as there are still a lot of good used OEM parts still around, and pretty good aftermarket support on top of that.

They had white top covers from 1976 to 1985-86, followed by grey top covers from 1986-92, and then orange from 1992-on. The older white and grey tops are interchangeable, but the later orange tops have a different profile and mounting-hole pattern, due to cylinder and crankcase updates.

Enjoy the saw, and kudos to your uncle for a great heirloom

[DHansen]

I have a 61 and it is a great saw for bucking up firewood.  Fast and efficient in the cut.  Easy to maintain and easy to find parts if and when needed.  I have options to chose from including 266 and 272, but that 61 gets grabbed often.  I'd hang on to that one.  My 61 is an orange top. Thanks for the great information CJ.  Just my opinion on the 61.  

[Bruno of NH]

Mine is a Grey top and the data plate says made in Sweden. We ran it today trimming up some logs for the sawmill. I'm glad to have it.