550xpg

[Wood wasp]

I've used both our 560s last few days. Both are great saws but one consistently has a millisecond bog before hitting top revs from idle, the other screams right away

[Breezeblock]

Let me tell the tale of the 550xp. I bought a new one on 11th Feb this year. Fantastic powerful light wee saw I thought. My plan was to use the 550 as an everyday/thinning saw for the 10-12" spruce thinning job etc. I also have a 372xp with 24" bar for bigger stuff. Perfect pair of saws, you would think. After a few trees dropped, sned and crosscut, it was clear the 550xp had issues. When picking the saw up after stacking the timber, from idle, there was zero throttle response. The saw bogged down and wouldn't take throttle. If you held the trigger in, it would sort itself out and pick up after 5 or 6 seconds. Almost like it was flooded. Bit smelly too. I put the saw into some big timber as per the manual to "tune" the autotune but no better. Back to dealer for diagnostics. New (upgraded) carb fitted and saw returned to me. Nope, still the same. Took it to another dealer for a fresh look. No faults found. Dealers/workshops can't replicate felling trees. They couldn't get the saw to fault. Sent back to original dealer who promptly sent it to Husqvarna UK. Came back with new piston and cylinder fitted under warranty as "there was scoring to the cylinder unrelated to fuel/oil mixture." Still no better. My dealer, who was most helpful throughout, replaced the 550 with another new model. Fault exactly the same. Very poor throttle response from tickover. I was offered a 560xp in it's place and what a saw that is! Fantastic. No issues whatsoever. So, ask me about a 550xp and I will tell you to skip over it and get a 560xp. Slightly heavier but not by much and gets a much better report all round.

we've got a 560 i was just looking for a saw thats a wee bit lighter hence going for 550

[njm]

Let me tell the tale of the 550xp. I bought a new one on 11th Feb this year. Fantastic powerful light wee saw I thought. My plan was to use the 550 as an everyday/thinning saw for the 10-12" spruce thinning job etc. I also have a 372xp with 24" bar for bigger stuff. Perfect pair of saws, you would think. After a few trees dropped, sned and crosscut, it was clear the 550xp had issues. When picking the saw up after stacking the timber, from idle, there was zero throttle response. The saw bogged down and wouldn't take throttle. If you held the trigger in, it would sort itself out and pick up after 5 or 6 seconds. Almost like it was flooded. Bit smelly too. I put the saw into some big timber as per the manual to "tune" the autotune but no better. Back to dealer for diagnostics. New (upgraded) carb fitted and saw returned to me. Nope, still the same. Took it to another dealer for a fresh look. No faults found. Dealers/workshops can't replicate felling trees. They couldn't get the saw to fault. Sent back to original dealer who promptly sent it to Husqvarna UK. Came back with new piston and cylinder fitted under warranty as "there was scoring to the cylinder unrelated to fuel/oil mixture." Still no better. My dealer, who was most helpful throughout, replaced the 550 with another new model. Fault exactly the same. Very poor throttle response from tickover. I was offered a 560xp in it's place and what a saw that is! Fantastic. No issues whatsoever. So, ask me about a 550xp and I will tell you to skip over it and get a 560xp. Slightly heavier but not by much and gets a much better report all round.

 

They run too lean , mod the needle spring and there a good saw , also faults with the ignition at idle and cylinder gaskets leaking , Husky use sealer on the gasket now and there are new ignition units for them , 560XP also have major cylinder gasket problems

[Davie Mac]

Thank goodness for the 2 year warranty!

[woodwizzard]

How do you mod the needle spring and is it worth retro-fitting a new ignition unit?

[njm]

How do you mod the needle spring and is it worth retro-fitting a new ignition unit?

 

Get your Dealer to check the part no of your ignition against the service bulletin for the 550 , Needle spring mod is to adjust the pressure required to open the needle , Best left to a good saw mech , i have done 3 so far , instant hot start with no fast idle or decomp , saws start far better cold and run better in the cut these saws were all 2012 saws with hot start faults , what i have found with autotune that its very good at leaning off the fuel but not so keen on making it run rich under load , Most 550xp saws that do not start hot have vapour locked as the pulse at starter speed will not open the needle ..

[njm]

Get your Dealer to check the part no of your ignition against the service bulletin for the 550 , Needle spring mod is to adjust the pressure required to open the needle , Best left to a good saw mech , i have done 3 so far , instant hot start with no fast idle or decomp , saws start far better cold and run better in the cut these saws were all 2012 saws with hot start faults , what i have found with autotune that its very good at leaning off the fuel but not so keen on making it run rich under load , Most 550xp saws that do not start hot have vapour locked as the pulse at starter speed will not open the needle ..

 

What i should have said , the intake pulse will not open the needle at starter speed if the fuel has boiled off in the fuel valve , extra fuel in the chamber will flood the fuel valve circuit , autotune will compensate by adjusting the fuel valve pulses but the saw will run a bit rich in the mid range , saws tend to run a few degrees cooler plus extra fuel stops vapour lock , Husky are well aware of vapour lock problems [ mod tank vent and new top cover ]

[markieg31]

Mine has been a great saw 2012 saw. Recently started having real trouble hot starting. Keep pulling till my arm falls off then eventually starts. Faultless while running mind.

[njm]

Mine has been a great saw 2012 saw. Recently started having real trouble hot starting. Keep pulling till my arm falls off then eventually starts. Faultless while running mind.

 

If you have a good Husky Dealer ask them to plug the saw in and check fault codes , any code with the mention of air leak will probably be cylinder gasket ,

All the saws i have done have had new cylinders and ignitions before mod to needle so i started with a known good saw but with hot starting fault and all 3 were 2012 models ?

[Breezeblock]

picked it up on friday and used it today so far not that impressed with it maybe too used to the 560