Customer Reviews

Husqvarna 455 Rancher 20-Inch 55-1/2cc 2-Stroke Gas-Powered Chain Saw (CARB Compliant)

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

I just picked up a 455 Rancher about a month ago (today is 4 May, 2006). This is a great saw. I had been using for more than 20 years, and still use to some degree a Stihl 028; another excellent saw.

There are some pros and cons to this saw as with all things.

Here's what I like. It's easy to operate and maintain. Accessibility of the under-cowel components such as the air filter, spark plug, and clutch housing is a no-brainer. It starts easy. In fact, you really don't need the pressure valve. It "pops" after a few short and fast pulls. Remember, once the saw "pops" with the choke, un-choke it and pull it again. You do not need to warm a two stroke with the choke on like you would a 4 stroke engine. Attempting to warm with the choke is the biggest cause of two stroke engine flooding.

Here's what I do not like. The low/hi mixture settings are limited by EPA regulations; a complete and total joke. If you remove the controls to optimize your settings, the warranty is void. But, I think it's better to do that than cook engine from lean settings. There aren't enough chainsaws running in any given period of the day to justify this regulation. So if you are a casual user, really pay attention to the break in procedures. Since the saws run lean, you need to make sure to break them in with extra care. If you use them much more frequently, remove the EPA limiters and richen out the hi/low mix, otherwise you will cook your engine.

Overall this is a great saw. The chisel chains do well for heavier applications. Be careful of kickback with these style chains. You can get low-kick back chains from any dealer. It's all a matter of personal preference.

I have outfitted my saw with an Oregon 20" Bar, chain, and rim sprocket. Once again this is a personal preference issue. The power head of the 455 is plenty and the applications many. If you are a causal user of this saw, talk with the folks at the saw shops for tips and ideas. They are a repository of knowledge and can help you make informed decisions about your saw.

-Washington State

This is my second full season with my 455 Rancher. We have been having a huge issue here in Colorado with pine beetle infestations of lodgepole pine trees. I have been felling and bucking pine for firewood. I've been putting in about 15 hours per week with my Husky saw. It has performed well. The cutting I have been doing has been at 9000 feet elevation and even at this altitude the saw has adequate power for what I've been cutting. Most of the trees I've been dropping are 12" to 24" in diameter. The only negative issues I have encountered can be traced immediately back to the operator of the saw (me!). The biggest problem I've had is that I filed way too much off of the chain rakers. At that point the saw was no longer cutting, but tearing through the wood. I filed the teeth heavily and that problem was solved. The carburetor adjustment takes some learning, but is pretty simple once you get the procedure ironed out (learned) in your head. At 9000 feet I can get it to run sufficiently rich so as to prevent engine damage, but still not smoke much if at all during operation. The last tree I fell was 22" DBH and around 110 feet tall. I felled the tree and bucked it into 18" lengths for firewood in about 1.5 hours. I cut every part of the tree down to 2" in diameter for heating wood. Not bad at all. I would buy this saw again for sure. I had a chance during the late summer to cut about a cord of hard maple into firewood with this saw as well. This was at an elevation of 2000 feet. With a carburetor adjustment the saw was off and running. It did seem to be a bit on the lean side at that elevation, but it never overheated or lost power. This maple was 14" in diameter and the saw had absolutely no problem with the heavy, dense wood.

The biggest limiting factor with any chainsaw is the maintenance and adjustment. Take your time and learn the procedures. No one is born knowing how to properly set-up and use a chainsaw. Proper procedures make ALL the difference. People want instant gratification from anything they buy. A chainsaw is not one of those things.

Conclusion: If you are a serious land-owner user I wouldn't hesitate to buy this saw. It can, when properly set up, mow through some serious lumber in a respectable amount of time. If you are a professional timber faller you aren't even reading this review.

P.S. Some of the other reviewers mentioned the "flimsy" choke and kill switch actuators. I actually consider their flexible nature to be an asset. They bend without breaking. A more rigid tab would break rather than flexing and then snapping back into place. The woods can be a pretty brutal environment when woodcutting is going on. I would prefer to not have a broken piece of plastic be the reason I had to go back 20 miles to town in the middle of the day.

Hope this review is helpful. Cheers!

N.W. Colorado

Living in Alaska heating oil costs can get astronomical. I made a decision this year instead of paying the local lumber yard $125 a cord for split spruce; I would take care of it myself. After the 1st half cord of wood my old McCullough just wouldn't cut it anymore. The local saw shop didn't want to work on it and so I started looking around for a decent saw.

I first purchased a Poulan 18" that was completely worthless. Gas and Oil leaked from the poor cap design while in operation and at rest in it's case. The poulan wouldn't stay running despite all my efforts to get it to behave.

I quickly returned the Poulan and purchased the Husqy 455. I've been very happy with it's performance to date. It chews through White and Black spruce at insane speeds. I've cut 3 cords with it already and the only problem I've had to date is after about 45 minutes of cutting the saw will shut off at idle. I'm assuming this is a possible heating issue. If you let the saw rest for 2 minutes it fires right back up like it never had a problem. The choke handle is indeed very cheap plastic and I'm taking good care to handle it gently.

The saw has already paid for itself and I expect to get many good years of service out of it. All in all it's the best saw I've used to date; but that's comparing it to Poulan and McCullough.

Pros:
- Easy starting, cold, hot or in between
- Powerful and fast cutting
- Easy manual chain adjust
- Sensitive chain brake

Cons:
- Loud
- Won't load the wood into the pickup

Where I live, dry ponderosa pine goes for about $125 per cord blocked and delivered. I've cut about a dozen cords of mostly dead-fall ponderosa in the 11-months I've owned the 455. The trees have ranged up to 32" caliper but most are 24" or less and I harvest the entire tree down to 2" branches. My wood stove happily consumes all. If one evaluates the effort required to block, load and unload a tree, it goes something like this: 25% cutting into blocks up to 14" long, 5% handling before cutting, 65% loading the blocks and limbs, 5% unloading. Splitting the large blocks into suitable firewood is akin to Tom's fence, ponderosa splits so easily with a 7 lb splitting maul that I look forward to the sessions.

In the dozen plus hours of actual cutting time I have these observations:
- the 455 is not overpowered, having the 20" bar buried its full length in a log and you wish it had more motor.
- the 455 is light enough such that only when cutting at shoulder height or above is weight an issue.
- the 455's spring mounted motor/bar/chain makes vibration a non-issue.
- In hindsight, I would NOT be willing to pay an extra $300 for a lighter more powerful "pro" saw.

A chainsaw is a high maintenance machine, sharpening the chain frequently pays big dividends, you can tell by the chips, big chips = sharp chain, sawdust = dull chain. Chain adjustment is needed with each load along with flipping the bar occasionally. Be sure to clean the bar oil hole when flipping the bar, I didn't once and I could believe how poorly it cut. Don't forget the air filter, it should be checked every few loads.

I got the large orange box to store and transport the saw along with needed tools, $40 well spent. I use about 1:2 ratio of chain oil to gas/oil mix and whenever the gas tank runs dry I top the chain oil tank too. Be sure to use environmentally friendly vegetable base chain oil, used by Husqvarna, etc., not mineral oil. An old toothbrush will aid in cleaning around the caps before filling.

I was heavily influenced by VelvetHog's post. We both cut in Colorado above 8000' and cut firewood. I bought the 455 from a local dealer who spent 30-minutes bench tuning the motor for 8000'. It runs great. I'm clueless how to tune a 2-stroke.

Theirs nothing more frustrating that starting a balky motor and this is the easiest starting 2-stroke I've ever owned. Whether it's because of the dealer tuning or inherent in the 455, can't say. It starts so easy that when I need to set it down to move some wood, I simply flip the red switch. One pull and the 455 is running again and I've never used the compression release. One tip, pull the choke out and push it back in, this will set the high idle and if the motor has cooled for a few minutes it'll make a big difference.

I was cutting a monster log (30-32" OD) into blocks and the chain was binding a bit. The bar kicked almost imperceptibly and the next thing I knew, the chain brake was locked. The chain brake can either lock via the handle or inertia. In this case the imperceptible kick was enough to lock the chain. Love it, error on the side of safety.

BTW, the monster log really exposed the weakness of the 455. Having the 20" bar buried in the log caused it to bog down repeatedly such that I had to constantly fiddle to keep the chain spinning. I've learned my lesson and I'll not attempt anything over 24" again.

At first I didn't wear ear protection and does this Husky ever bark, compared to my 32cc Poulan. I now wear a combo shield - ear muffs and I can barely hear the motor.

See several photos I've added showing before and after cutting.

Ask anyone who has never run the 455 Rancher, or couldn't identify one by sight if their lives depended on it, and they'll likely tell you how terrible the 455 Rancher is... or that it's a saw that's been on the market for a few years. On paper it's about .7lbs heavier than it's 50-something cc neighbors in the Husqvarna line. On that basis, the experienced professional is likely going to go with the 359 every time. Not only because of the weight factor, but because the 359 is a true professional saw, whereas the 455 Rancher was always intended to fill a gap between the upper end homeowner saws and pro saws.

This isn't a professional saw, but it's a fine saw that's a good choice for serious firewood cutting or whatever you want to throw at it. With an 18" bar, and a good chain, this thing blows through wood like butter and is just as impressive as any of the Husqvarna saws. The wings on the limiter screws for the carb do scream to be saw off with a Dremel, but other than that, it's a good choice for a homeowner who does a fair amount of cutting.

I think that the reputation of this saw may improve significantly in the next year or two as more and more people have the opportunity to actually run one.

I've used this saw on several jobs. Simply put, if you need a saw for light work this fits the bill. For professionals, spend the extra cash and upgrade to the Husky 359 or the Stihl 440.

It is easy to start and has the same decompression valve as other Husky models. I do not like the choke/power toggle switches. The choke is flimsy plastic and the power is even flimsier. Again, to cut costs, some features very important to the professional user must be over looked.

Homeowners and occational users should give this saw a look. But I suggest you try out the other models I mentioned and see if the extra money might be worth it.

Sorry to hear about weird dealer and warranty issues of others, but I thought I'd add my two cents.

Living in the cali foothills with lots of black and live oak, we don't get much snow. I bought this saw about a year ago after a big snow that caused some major damage to our oaks. I have cleaned up an acre of trees with this saw and it has always performed. Most limbs from 12-20 inches and approximately 3 or 4 chords worth. Not that much in hindsight, but for "non-pro" / "commercial" applications, I find it performs much better than struggling with a cheapie. I would rather spend a little more for quality than purchase a throw-away that doesn't cut it.
At first, after it warmed up, it was punk to restart, but like others have stated, choke it, pull once to a stutter, turn choke off, and it fires right up. The choke lever does feel a little flimsy, so I'm careful with it.
I haven't had problems with chain slack like others - seems to stay tight. So much comes down to the chain - sharp chain - no problems. Like most equipment, make sure you use fresh or treated gas. Old gas will kill a trimmer or chainsaw and you'll be toast as you dismantle the whole thing cuz you have to get it outta there (blowing a little WD40 in the cylinder will help fire it up until you can cycle the old gas out).
Also, it comes with a case and spark plug wrench so I'm not sure why others were having problems removing the plug. I had another wrench that just "worked", I think it was one for my car so it can't be that un-standard.
I actually like the manual. Lots of good techniques and maintenance information. There's quite a bit you need to be aware of to keep it in good running (and safe) order. Not unlike a motorcycle.
Saw is kind of a beast (heavy), which might be a good thing by dissuading people (like me) from using it over their heads, on a ladder, while climbing, etc.
Again, I don't use it every day but for a weekend warrior (over the last 1+ years), it's been reliable. I might check out the carb settings, it does seem a little lean.
I've used Poulan, McCullogh, Homelite, and Craftsman (probably a relabeled something or other). Haven't had an opportunity to use a good Stihl, but I could see this as being comparable. I've helped others that were using stihls and both seemed to cut clean and fast. If this one ends up dying (hopefully years from now) - maybe I'll give another company a go, but so far this saw has performed and I haven't needed a heavy duty "logger's" saw. I think this saw is priced well for my type of user and abuse it would see from a "rancher". If it breaks in well after this season, I'll come back and update to 5 stars.

First, Read the manual - cover to cover.

Second, my 13 year old son - after a few lessons on being a man - fired it up - by himself - and ran it without any problems. He ate through a chord of wood, under adult supervision of course, before we stopped to clean it up for the next chord.

If you're stalling the chain - it's probably technique - any chainsaw can be made to stall out. Relax, keep the blade straight and let the saw do the work. If you have to force it, your blade is either dull or you need to adjust tension or practice more at keeping the blade straight. A loose chain will whip against the entry and slow the engine - creates a huge amount of resistance and forces the engine to work harder - which can cause all kinds of damage. The Husqvarna 455 saves you that damage and expensive repairs by shutting down on queue. So if your saw is shutting down frequently - consider tightening the chain.

Oiling issues have to do with making sure you punch out clogging debris from the oil reservoirs - something you have to do with any chainsaw.

Chain stretch - every new saw will stretch a new chain a lot until the chain is conditioned to max. After that.. it'll break... and it doesn't really matter which brand you use - the chains are pretty much all the same.

What I recommend:

Read the manual - front to back and get intimate with maintenance.
Keep your saw clean - although some greasy wood dust left behind probably helps keep the machine well lubricated.

Blade Oil: For this saw I use 20-50w Quaker State High RPM Synthetic oil. The manual says to use an oil that will stick to the blade. If you do use a thick oil it will pick up debris and clog the oiling ports very quickly. This High RPM oil keeps things rinsed and operating perfectly.

Note: I also use the same oil in my home generator and weed eater.

Oil to Fuel Mix: If hard times abound - 3 ounces regular or synthetic motor oil (30w or any oil having 30w value; i.e. 20-50w) per 1 US gallon of any octane grade. Otherwise you can use ANY 2 stroke oil such as Ryobi Premium 2-cycle synthetic oil or Husqvarna's 2-cycle oil. Important point: not enough oil in the fuel mix is disaster- too much oil is a dirty spark plug you can easily clean.

DO NOT USE waste oil! Waste oil has residue that works like watery sand and will quickly destroy your chainsaw!

For the most part, this chain saw is hardcore!

The 455 Rancher, just because it is made by Husky is NOT a professional's saw . . . If you do want a Pro saw in this size range buy a 359. I have had no problems with my 455, which I bought for my wife when she expressed an interest in running a saw with me during timber thinning and firewood cutting. I have never expected the features and performance of a Pro saw from my 455 though, but to fell and buck smaller timber and to limb it has done the job. I however do not like the cheesy plastic on/off switch and choke lever . . . the previous generation 55 Rancher had a better set up in this regard. The verdict: it isn't a Stihl, but the price tag isn't that of a stihl either.

Neither Husqvarna or their dealers will honor the warranty. I purchased a Husqvarna 455 Rancher from a dealer. Used it one day. The plastic handle snapped. When I took it to the dealer, they informed me that part was not covered under their 30 day warranty. I needed the saw back so I paid the bill ($120) and chalked my experience up to another course in the school of hard knocks. When I pay close to $400 for a chainsaw, I expect it to last !!!!!!!! Do yourself a favor....if you insist on a Husqvarna, buy it from Lowes and make sure you use it right away. That way, when it breaks, you can simply return it because the Husqvarna warranty isn't worth the paper it's printed on.

Oh...and by the way...the chain oil valve kept clogging up every 15 minutes.