XP or XPG 550 or 560 Husqvarna?

[WoodMouse]

18" bar, general purpose ground saw. 550 or 560 XP or XP G. I'm thinking the 560 XP G, but if it's really not worth the extra cost, weight etc then perhaps the 550. Or am i just splitting hairs?

[Brushcutter]

All i can tell you is that it's worth the extra 50 quid or so to get the heated handles.

 

18" bar is a bit big for regular use on a 50cc saw imo.

[WoodMouse]

Yea, listening to the guys talk about cold weather work it seems like such a bonus. It was worth having on my bike. So 60cc good for an 18. No need to go to 70? This is going to be my first groundsaw and i'm looking for something as versatile as possible should i stick with 18"? planning on a bigger one at a later date the 13" just seems a little small. Thanks for the info.

[Chris Sheppard]

All i can tell you is that it's worth the extra 50 quid or so to get the heated handles.

 

18" bar is a bit big for regular use on a 50cc saw imo.

 

I'd agree - 18" on a 50cc is on the big side. I've had 15" on my 550 and am sure in softer woods it would pull an 18" if it had to, but I'd be leaning more towards the 560. Once upon a time I'd have said if you wanted 18" with any regularity then go for the 372 but the 560 really did up the ante.

 

FWIW my 550 usually lives on a 13", 357 is on a 15" and the 372 is on a 15" but up a tooth. 372 sometimes gets a 20" though. That's out in the woods though. EDIT: Should have said - do sometimes use another 357 with an 18" 3/8ths on it and it pulls it well. However it does run better than both my 357's and any other I've used - it's standard, but an older one so don't know if the emmissions gubbins made the newer one's a bit limp?

 

When you say ground saw, do you mean for arb rather than out in the woods?

 

From what I can gather, most of the tempramental 500 series saws have been mainly used for Arb rather than forestry.

 

Have only limited experience of heated handles but I do quite like them, more for novelty than owt else though.

Edited November 16, 2012 by Chris Sheppard

[treefrog]

Xpg enough said.

[WoodMouse]

Thinking mainly arb work, but i'd like to get into the woods eventually. Im thinking 3 saws and a top handle saw is what im looking at eventually. But for now i was thinking about an XP top handle and 560, prob use a 13 mainly, but being able to put something a little larger on there would be useful. whats the 560 like with the 20" bar?

 

If i had to courier through winter without heated grips it would suck. Be nice to want to pick it up to warm your hands.

[Chris Sheppard]

Thinking mainly arb work, but i'd like to get into the woods eventually. Im thinking 3 saws and a top handle saw is what im looking at eventually. But for now i was thinking about an XP top handle and 560, prob use a 13 mainly, but being able to put something a little larger on there would be useful. whats the 560 like with the 20" bar?

 

If i had to courier through winter without heated grips it would suck. Be nice to want to pick it up to warm your hands.

 

If your hands get cold you're not moving fast enough

 

Can only really comment properly from a forestry perspective, but when I started I had a 65cc saw and a range of bars and one saw did all. Then went 50cc and 70cc and if one broke the other could finish the day off at a push.

 

I've ended up with a bit of a ramshackle collection of Husqvarnas (and a jonsered) from 242g through to 181se with a few 3 series huskies and the 550 thrown in for good measure. The 181 is 27 years old but will still work hard when it needs to.

 

I've only ever used a 15" on the 560 as we only had it on demo, but I pre-ordered my 550 before we took the 560 back. If you're thinking 13" mainly, I'd go 550 and then later get something like a 372 which will comfortably run 20" but at a push run 24" or I'm sure there's some one here said they've tried a 28" on it (I can't see it being that good though)

Edited November 16, 2012 by Chris Sheppard

[WoodMouse]

Thanks for the advice Chris. Do you know if the 550 is the newer one or did they both come out at the same time. Cant see myself needing anything bigger than a 24 for a long time. Perhaps a 550 and then a 372 would be the way to go.

[WoodMouse]

yea, i hear ya on the locomotion but when it's pissing down or snowing it'll be a godsend.

[MattyF]

I would go 560 as I can quite happily swing it around all day ... Yes a 550 is lighter but I have done hard wood thinnings and a 60 cc saw up to 14" is what you need , yes a 70 cc saw ie 372 or 460 gets it done quicker but I have found the weight hampering after 4 hours or so... As for heated handles my 357 is an xpg and there has only been one time I was thank full it was and that has been ditch clearance with soaking wet hands in December frozen... The xpg is to hot!! Well in are climate any way... I switched it on last week really no need lol