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