Is anyone familiar with this chainsaw?

This is cross posted, as I know between the flat and round side of woodworking there is a quite a large population that use chainsaws.

I am looking at buying the Husky 460 with a 24" bar for general use and to use in some of my woodworking endeavors. I want to use it to harvest some wood for different small projects, but also for bowl blanks as well as firewood.

In the past I have owned McCullough, Poulan, Echo, and Homelite. There were OK for what they were (light homeowner saws), but I want something that is heavier duty and more dependable. I need something with larger capacity (don't need the 36" bar) and good power. After using a pro Stihl for a day, you really notice the difference in the equipment if you are used to one of the above offenders.

Around the house it is hard to beat a good electric, but I may be coming onto a good deal of mesquite in the future as well as some nice oak and ash. The electric won't fill the bill for some heavy duty log sawing I have in mind as the logs I will be cutting are anywhere from

18" to 36" across, and there are a bunch of them. And if things go well with my harvesting efforts I may be cutting bowl blanks to trade or sell from time to time in the future, so I will be using the saw pretty hard, off and on.

I can get this saw to the door for about $410 with three chains and a bar scabbard. Before the posts start about getting a Stihl,

>I'd love to
Reply to
nailshooter41
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Tricky question to answer. I have a Husky myself, a 60cc 'semipro' model that hasn't let me down for the last 23 years. I used to swear by the brand.

However, lately I have heard from people whose judgement I trust (one of them a chainsaw shop employee whose wife is friends with mine) that Husky have become "price-driven" - in other words, that they are now selling cheap junk that isn't even worth repairing when (not if) it craps out. Sooooooo ...

Pretty shocking what you have to say about Stihl though. I don't think they are like that here in NZ. But I haven't tried getting one sent out. That'd seriously put me off.

Alternative: you could look for a Dolmar. They are a smaller company, but they are the guys who _invented_ chainsaws. They have been bought up by Makita a number of years back, but the saws are still made in Germany a.f.a.i.c.t. I have a 90cc Dolmar, this is a serious saw that cost me near $1600 NZ and it is very, very, very good indeed. I crosscut and rip gumtrees with it with a

28" bar; that is *very* hard work, and it never misses a beat so long as I remember to blow out the airfilter before the working day starts.

B.t.w. I haven't seen Echo saws here in NZ for some years. But before they disappeared, Echo stood about half way between the cheap saws on one hand, and the expensive (Husky and Stihl) on the other; their bigger saws were used by professional lumberjacks and I didn't hear any complaints about them. Small saws always have been problematic, though, never mind the brand :-). I used a small Echo (not mine) for a while and it was fine.

Frankly, I'd hesitate to buy a light Husky these days that is not explicitly one of the pro line of their production. I think if you can get a pro Husky at

2/3 the price of a Stihl and with a 2 year warranty it's probably worth the gamble ;-) The 359 and the 570 are pro models around the same size as the 460 you looked at. I'd get a quote on those saws and see how the prices stack up then! The 570 must be seriously powerful if it can drag a chain around a 32" bar like they specc., for a 68cc saw. Not that any normal person needs anything bigger than 24", like you said, it's just that I have all these huge gumtrees on my farm. My 60cc Husky is struggling to drag its (larger) 20" bar through gum, it does fine with the 16" bar or cutting softwoods with the larger one.

h.t.h. -Peter

Reply to
Peter Huebner

Robert:

This just went on at a forum my buddy attends. Log building.xx.xx?? The consensus seems to be that if you buy either a Husqvarna or a Stihl of sufficient blade-length and horsepower to suit your needs, you can't go wrong. He went for a Stihl, simply because of access to service in town.

His buying advice was: Select the best you can afford, then add $

100.00 and buy that one. *G* IIRC he bought a model 460-something. It is supposed to have some features which make it work in cold weather. I'll ask him. r
Reply to
Robatoy

I don't have that model but my Husky is rock solid. Bought it about 8 years ago. It will set for months and start right up.

I would go for it.

cm

Reply to
CM

a chainsaw shop employee whose wife is >friends with mine) that Husky have become

isn't even worth repairing when (not if) it craps out.

And this indeed points out the dangers of the international conglomerate. The product sold in one country may be "made specially for the XXX market" and might not be the same as another sold in the YYY market. So the product we get (Husky is the largest outdoor equipment manufacturer in the world so they could pull this off) we get may or may not be the same as the one someone else gets. One product might have more plastic parts, it may be assembled in a different country to avoid tariffs and excise taxes, and that country may not have the same quality as another.

It is another aspect of what is driving me nuts. I would bet the Husky saw sold in Germany is not the same one made to go head to head with Stihl.

they are the guys who _invented_ chainsaws. >They have been bought up by Makita a number of years back, >but the saws are still made in Germany a.f.a.i.c.t.

Boy are you gonna love this. Dolmar failed in the US market several months ago with their big introduction by Bailey's. They are now following the Stihl business model, dealer sales only, no shipping. On another venue the folks that used them extolled their virtues as being at least as good as Stihl, and comparable in price. But they never caught on, so it is now a boutique saw, one that will require too much time and effort to maintain as we don't have an authorized Dolmar repair center in the whole state, and I couldn't find one in the country.

one of the pro line of their production. I think if you can >get a pro Husky at

2/3 the price of a Stihl and with a 2 year >warranty it's probably worth the gamble ;-)

looked at. I'd get a quote on those saws and see >how the prices stack up then!

Actually, the guy I spoke with at Northwest told me the same thing. He thought the smaller Huskys were probably "bang for the buck" the best homeowner saw around. They are made for someone that will help the neighbor dispose of a tree, light trimming, and the once a year firewood cutting.

He advised that I spend the extra $$ to buy the 460 instead of the 455 for the extra power. He was good with the 455 up to the 20" bar, but had heard reports of the saw bogging down with the 24". The 460 has a 60cc engine on it, and I think a different plug, and it comes with a more expensive non laminated roller bar, which is something I like a lot.

Thanks for the reply, Pete.

Robert

Reply to
nailshooter41

Husky 455 Rancher and love it.

Reply to
Ralph E Lindberg

buy that one. *G* IIRC he bought a >model 460-something. It is supposed to have some >features which make it work in cold weather.

That would be interesting. I know that in the "frozen tundra of Canada" (tip of the hat to Chris Berman!) you guys have a huge lumber industry and lots of folks using larger chainsaws due to the amount of useful tree wood you have.

You buddy is right. I already went from the 455 to the 460 which added $60 to my original budget. It was pointed out to me that since I am buying a good chainsaw with quality chain, I should plan on buying some chain files, instead of sending out the chain to the local chainsaw guys that burn off half the chain when sharpening. That added another $20 from the "pro guys" since they sell them in packs of

  1. This is the time to get a blow mold case as it will keep the fumes inside the case, and any oil spills or pump dribble in the case long with the extra chain and the lube. Also gives the saw a little more protection when relegated to riding around in the bed of the truck. But a case is another .

I'm already over what I thought I would spend, and now I'm trying to minimize the damage. When the dust settles I'll bet I'm in for about $550. For a damn chainsaw! (I am thinking that money should be in the "upgrade the planer fund").

But if it lasts, it will be worth it.

Thanks for the input, and I will be looking for what you find out from your amigo since I am thinking of purchasing next week.

Robert

Reply to
nailshooter41

Thanks, Ralph. The 455 is just a little smaller than the 460. What bar length did you get? How long have you had it?

According to Husky, the 455 has been redesigned some time back and it is now their best selling saw. The 460 was made to accomodate the 24" bar.

Robert

Reply to
nailshooter41

I think you will get a superior saw to what you have had as long as the Husky is a Husqvarna and not a Home Depot Husky. :~)

Stihl is good also.

Reply to
Leon

No kiddin'. I haven't seen an HD branded chainsaw, but I sure wouldn't be surprised.

But here's a fun fact, too. Husqvarna is sold by Lowe's, which sells the 455. From them, the saw is sold with the medium duty bar, and a light chain for the same price you can buy that saw at many places with the heavy duty bar and a good chain.

As always, buyer beware, eh?

Robert Robert

Reply to
nailshooter41

I got the '455 rancher 460' with a 20" bar and it seems to work well. I also got the powerbox to carry it in ($35 extra). I got mine to help cut us out of the ice storm (a good reason to buy a bowl blank cutting tool). It seems to be a very solid machine.

Jack

Reply to
Taunt

Yup, my findings in the last 3 years or so is that if you can find it somewhere else it's gunna be cheaper than the Big Box. Good Luck. You uh, gunna be going after any Mesquite? I am making a modification to out kitchen and adding a Cook Book/Small drawer unit between two cabinets and over a window. I am putting Mesquite handles on the tops of the drawers. Boy is that stuff nice to work with. Very stable and it sands out as smooth as glass.

Reply to
Leon

Holy smokes! He dropped over a CAN$ 1000.00 for that thing, with a spare blade and chain, a few other things. The handle is heated so it is easier to operate with a thinner glove. The carb also has pre-heat of some sort which makes starting real easy in the cold. He's a surveyor and uses it to chop down stuff in the way of his instruments when he lays out monument systems. He's often used another saw, a Husky with similar features and liked it just as much. Must be a Festool vs Fein thing. Good stuff is good stuff. Period. Good luck with yours..and get some of those chaps, my buddy won't open the case without them on his legs. Makes a whole lot of sense to me.

r
Reply to
Robatoy

Someone else was singing high praises of mesquite as well. How big a trunk does it get? Or is it more for trim/accessories? I DAGS, and didn't find much on the 'lumber' side of things. One funny thing jumped out at me: Screwbean Mesquite (Prosopis pubescens). Say what?

r
Reply to
Robatoy

Yep, get a bar at least two inches longer than the swing of your lathe so you don't have to bury it in the length of log you're splitting up the middle, with the danger that can pose. Then make sure you've got the displacement to pull that length of chain.

I'm Stihl, second one, first having dumped its magneto after 15 years. Trade was worth more than the cost of the part, and the parts on mine live on in three neighborhood Stihls. FWIW, I'm in hardwood country, and the piececutters are pretty much solid with Stihl. It has a "preheater" feature which impedes the air intake for winter work. Never used it, having only used the saw at -20 F, perhaps they mean colder than that.

Don't get safety chain for ripping turning blanks. Clogs too much. Get a good chisel chain, or perhaps a skip-tooth. Skip tooth gives a bit more feedback on crosscutting, so I'm staying with chisel.

Reply to
George

Chisel is good for pine, willow, poplar etc. For hardwoods especially ones that have a high silica content you're better off with semi-chisel which has a kind of rounded over shape to the teeth rather than the sharp corner -- stays sharp much longer. I also have no problems ripping with semi-chisel.

cheers, -Peter

Reply to
Peter Huebner

i've been a professional timber feller for well over 30 years, although my back is now shot and i'm feeling the age i don't cut nearly as much as i once did, however for the last 5 years husky has been my saw of choice preceded by jonsreds for many years. really good saw and for the occational user will last a long, long time and then some. ross

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Reply to
Ross Hebeisen

90% of Mesquite is brush in Texas. The trees grow very slowly, crooked, and every once in a while you see one with a trunk 2' in diameter or bigger. Its wood is a great for smoking meat or BBQ. That said you really don't find Mesquite in massive quantities at wood suppliers. There are some places that handle Mesquite exclusively. Mesquite is the hardest North American wood and after it has dried will not change more than 2% in size from climate changes. Very stable. Typically you buy it like you buy some exotics, s2s with the bark still on it. I like this place and have bought a little bit of Mesquite from them.
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you look around the galleries show the wood samples in cabinets, flooring, and fire place mantels.
Reply to
Leon

Thanks for the follow up. The particular model I am looking at doesn't have any cool pre-heating, and I got a chuckle out of reading about it. If it gets in the twenties here, it is considered a natural disaster, so preheating isn't really necessary.

I was glad to see some good news on Husky.

Robert

Reply to
nailshooter41

SNIP

Thanks George. I didn't think to specify the kind of chain - I have been totally focused on the saw and would have been totally pissed off at myself when the saw came with three of the same "general use" chains.

Robert

Reply to
nailshooter41

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