Chain saw guys

My old Homelite 330 20" bar has " 3/8 70" stamped on the bar. I am looking at a Husquvarna 455 Rancher with a 20" bar that is stamped "3/8 72DL". Is the 70 and 72 the number of links? Won't interchange?

The 72DL means 72 drive links. I can't say for sure but the 70 for the Homelite probably means drive links as well. I can't tell you whether they will interchange or not but probably not. Chains are pretty inexpensive if you know where to buy them however. My dad orders our through Bailey's and I believe they cost about $10 per chain. The 455 is an awesome saw and I know many people who have them. My dad has a 372XP and he will only buy Husquvarna from now on.

Besides the chain lengths being different, the chain thickenss is probably different too.

Homelite with 3/8" chain usually has .050" gauge drive links. Needs a .050" bar.

Husqvarna usually has 3/8 chain with .058" gauge drvive links and needs a .058" bar.

You DO realize the 455 is an "el-cheapo" saw with a plastic crankcase? Don't confuse it with the better pro-saws that Husqvarna sells. I've seen many of the plastic Huskys self-destruct. Good cheap saw for occasional use, NOT a good saw for serious, long-hour cuttting.

The 372 XP is a hugely different saw from the 455 Rancher. In the Husky line, any model # ending in XP is designated as a pro model saw. If you check the difference in price of the different models, you will see a significant difference. The really good saws do not come cheap. In general terms, the "3" means the 3rd generation of saws, and the "72" means the number of cubic cm of engine displacement. The 372 XP is a big saw with tremendous power, too big for me, at the mid 60's stage of life.

My first Husky was a 266 SE of about 1980. It is approx 66 cc and is quite a saw, still runs right up with the newer models of similar engine size. This was kind of a "pioneer" model of new saw technology, a real leader of its time. Many of its construction features are still part of the XP line. My 2 sons and I have a total of 6 Husky pro saws, and they have been absolutely trouble free. My "smart" brother who is so "bargain" oriented followed our recommendation on Husky saws and bought some cheap model. He thought the name was all he had to look for, and bought the cheap Home Dep model. It had been no end of trouble until he finally threw it away.

Son in Law doesn't like to take any form of advice from this side of family, so he followed his buddy's suggestions to buy a Stihl saw. It is not a bad saw, but won't keep up with a similar size pro model Husky. Hey, ask a Stihl owner how he likes the fancy "no tool" chain tightening system, which has become known around here as the "auto chain slacking system".

Pick your model carefully, and it will still be a great tool 25 or 30 years from now.

Paul in MN

I didn't know stihl made a pro saw w/that type of chain tightner.

I haven't seen a "tool-less" adjuster that stayed tight on any of the newer saws. It was bad enough when Poulan Pro did it, but seemed Sthil would of been smart enough to stay away from it. But, they really want the homeowner/ part-time cutter market.

Poulan Pro, Husqvarna, Jonsered are all owned by the same company.

The Husky pro-saws are still excellent but over-priced. Right now, I don't think there is a better saw on the market, dollar for dollar, then then the Dolmar and Efco saws. Especially if you find a deal and buy one in Makita "blue" or John Deere "green."

Dolmar/Makita and Efco are both built every bit a well as the pro-Huskys, but can be bought with much better prices and warrantees. Both old companies but never had a big presence in the USA. Dolmar is older then Stihl in Germany. Efco is the #1 pro saw in Italy, and can be found at times with the Deere label and paint on it.

I've got many Stihls and Huskys . . but for now -I'm a steadfast Dolmar and Efco convert for newer stuff. Note I'm also in the "60s" stage of life and like having a saw with a good power-to-weight ratio -but without a plastic crankcase! 64 cc Dolmar/Makita DCS6401 with a 32" bar is the biggest I need for anything.

My smaller newer saws are - the Dolmar/Makita DCS510 at 50 ccs, and a Efco/Deere CS56 with 56 ccs. Metal crankcases, full ball bearings on the crankshaft, compression releases, etc.

I don't think I would bother looking at the 455 unless you use it only a couple times a year. I depend on my saws everyday. I own Husky and Stihl because I have good dealer support for them brands. Efco and Dolmar might be great saws but I don't have a good dealer close by. I would stay away from big box store saws. A lot of them are rebadged cheap junk saws. Spend the money and buy a pro-saw and it will last you a long time.

Jd You are a little off on this one Efco is a good saw but some of them were priced higher than a jonsered for same size. That made them hard to sell. Ad to a name recognition problem and it was worse. As far as dolmar and solo, there combined, The price was high and poor dealer support.

Could you name some in the Husky line?

Christopher

I mainly run the bigger pro-saws. I have 2-385's, one set up for hard wood other for soft wood, 2-372's for landing saws for bucking logs. my biggest saw is a 2100 Husky for cutting the occasional big tree or yard tree. For Stihl's I have 2-046's, 441, 044, and a 362. All good saws. I would really like to try out a Dolmar for a few days. Ran one at my "Game of Logging" courses and was pretty impressed.

I don't use my saw every day, I will hopefully be able to use the saw another five years before old age shuts me down. All you guys I guess I see once a week on "Ax Men" or "Swamp Loggers" ??

> I didn't know stihl made a pro saw w/that type of chain tightner.

They do have a tool-less chain tensioner on MS saws. It is NOT a standard feature though. It's a specialty thing like a full wrap handle. If you see a B in the model name, it has the tool-less tensioner similar to how a W in the model name has the full wrap handle. Here's a photo of it:

<a href="http://www.stihlusa.com/chainsaws/acc_quick.html">Quick Tensioner</a>

I've never seen one in real life, so I'm guessing they're not all that popular. Neat idea though (if it works).

I heat with wood so I'm not just an occasional user. My old McCulloch 1-43, built in 1962 still runs great. But my Dolmar 6800 absolutely will cut rings around it and weighs 8# less. Not so many dealers around for Dolmar, but the saw is very good and reliable. Never did anything to it except for a spark plug and cleaning the air filter.

> Pick your model carefully, and it will still be a great tool 25 or 30 years from now.

Husqvarna/Jonsered discontinues parts 10 years after a model ends production. I don't know if Stihl does the same, but new parts are widely available for their older saws. I have 7 Jonsered saws and they're great saws, but my latest purchase is a Stihl because of parts support. I'm not spending $1000 for a new saw if I have to toss it in the scrap pile or jockey for used parts after they're 10 years old like I have to do for my Jonsered 930s and 2094s.

No, I'm not a "little off." I DID say you have to buy them right. That means not going to a dealer and paying full list price.

First, Efco was the latest John Deere branded saw. When Deere stopped selling them, many dealers were selling off old stock at great prices. I bought four. Deere CS56 is the Efco model 156. 56.5 ccs. I paid $290 each with 20" bar and chains - free shipping and no sales tax.

Second - the Dolmar 510 is available with a Makita label on it as the DCS510. I bought two for $320 each with 18" bars. Fantastic saws.
50 ccs.

Third - the Dolmar in Makita paint as DCS6401. I paid $520 shipped to my door with no sales tax. That with a 20" bar and two chains. 64 ccs. Baileys now has them on sale with an extra "upgrade" piston and cylinder. That because in Europe the saw is bigger ccs. It's "tuned down" for USA sales with a smaller piston.

In regard to your claim of "poor dealer support?"

OK, I'll say the same for Sthil. The only thing I'll ever need a dealer for is parts and my experience with Stihl over the past 40 years has been not very good. I was a Stihl dealer mechanic since the late 1960s and you're not going to convince me of otherwise.

Also note that Efco and Dolmar post full parts breakdowns and manuals - free on-line. So, you can see what a saw is made of before buying. Sthil does not, for many.

You got a good deal on some discontinued saws 5 years ago... You can't "buy them right" anymore.

It's great that you work on your own saws. Most people aren't that handy, or just don't have the time/patience/ambition to tear one down. They want to be able to take it to a professional who has all the tools and know-how.

I've got two professional Stihl saww from the 1980s that Stihl USA stopped selling parts for. After I was told by Sthil that no parts were available anywhere (I even called USA headquarters in VB) . . . I bought my new parts from dealers in West Germany. NO thanks to the useless Sthil jerks in the USA.

While waiting for those parts, I bought a couple of Dolmars and - love them. I'd never buy Stihl again unless things change. Like Stihl gets better and Dolmar gets worse? I doubt that will happen, but if it does - there's always someone else out there trying to get a presence in the USA with a good product. Like Efco.

Yes, and a good saw mechanic can work on any brand. If he/she can't, they I'd say their expertise is lacking. You do realize there are independent saw shops around? Some good and some not.

Also note that not all dealer mechanics are good.

I suspect that at least some people - who find time to participate in these "antique tractor forums" also have time to work on their own equipment.

I don't understand the concern about support lacking for certain brands. Parts are available on-line for them all.

I just bought another Deere new leftover last month - from a Deere dealer in Georgia. NOTE that none of my purchases were "five years ago" as you allude to.

If you are a person that only shops from dealers at full list price - that's fine. Some people would rather get more for their money.

Baileys is running some excellent deals right now on Makita/Dolmars.

By the way - back to saw repairs? Most I've owned have been incredibly trouble free with only minor repairs over the years. Many from physical damage from dropping saws, or dropping wood ON them. Or, general sprocket and clutch wear after many seasons of use. That's what's nice about a pro-built saw.

When I was a Stihl mechanic I(also Solo and Homelite a long time ago) - most repairs were on cheap homeowner type saws. Pro-saws rarely needed work unless dropped out of a tree, or off a skidder.

I've been logging most of my life. Went out on my own a while back. You would be fine with a 455 then. I bought my dad one for fathers day a while back and he seems to like it. He cuts about 5-6 face cord a year and uses it for clearing to.

As usual JDemaris is talking good sense. Efco is more commonly known as Oleo-mac, Olympyk or Olympic. Been around for generations, good saws. Dolmar/Makita/Sachs Dolmar is a touch above Efco in quality IMO. As a former Husky/Jonsered/Olympyk dealer I have to say I'm a little let down with todays lower end Huskys. Overpriced IMO. Dolmar, Echo, Efco, Solo...all lesser known brands that are built very well. Stihl is still good as are Jonsered and Husky, but they go dear these days.

I'm just getting back into the chainsaw biz after 25 years out of it. Oddly I'm finding myself working on Echos a lot. Simple stuff, but you get to see they are well built rigs.