550xp mk 1 help

[Husqvarna King]

3 minutes ago, adw said:

The 550 mk11 is a completely different beast to the mark l, sorry too many changes to list them all , but better cooling, more power, the 560/562 is on a bigger platform so a lot different to the 550.

Are the bearings any better and are they as prone to air leaks? I used to own a 560 that replaced my 357 and it was a very good saw over the 7 years I’d owned it. It would be around the 50cc mark on a 15” bar we’d want. Shame they don’t make the 346 any longer

[adw]

They still use the composite bearing cages, and seal pressed into the bearing itself, the bearing is an SKF bearing and there has been many improvements to the cage material, this all assuming the bearings on your saw have collapsed, the 560/562 also have the same bearings, the mk11/111 has a different supplier for the bearing.

[Husqvarna King]

5 minutes ago, adw said:

They still use the composite bearing cages, and seal pressed into the bearing itself, the bearing is an SKF bearing and there has been many improvements to the cage material, this all assuming the bearings on your saw have collapsed, the 560/562 also have the same bearings, the mk11/111 has a different supplier for the bearing.

That’s interesting, any idea if they normally last longer than the mark 1 before needing major work. All I’ve ever heard is that the 550 is the best 50cc saw to use but it is just unreliable and that’s it’s let down

[adw]

The 550 mk 11 is undoubtedly the best  saw out there, all machines are mechanical  and can have issues, all modern saws have changed greatly from saws only a few years ago, it started with lower vibration, so av mounts will not last as long, then emissions, so this had to be lowered with cylinder design, auto tune, fuel injection, operators want lighter machines, so components are made lighter, we want faster acceleration, so smaller flywheels causing hotter running engines, then throw into the mix poor quality fuel, and dare I say insufficient maintenance by operators, we can all say saws used to last longer, but there wasn’t all the restraints then that has to be built in todays machines, now onto battery machines thank the lord retirement is looming.