Bucheron

Hi Chaps, One of my crop of Husqi 560XP's blew up last week. The lower end bearing explosion thing.... In about a week I retire!! (This will be the THIRD time in my career I have said I will have cut my last tree!) But as I will be cutting firewood for myself in fairly good quantities I might need another saw. 555 vs 5650XP - semi-pro versus pro, right? The 560xp I have always enjoyed for what I do, professionally. It converted me quickly away from Stihl.. All a question of performance. But in all honesty, I have not been that impressed by the longevity for the price. A number of catastrophic failures have come my way. I understand that pretty much everything between 555 and 560xp is swapable. The performance is slightly less for the 555 but my mechanic (whose opinion I have come to respect over the years) says he can't tell the difference. Also heard that because of plastic shims in 560xp or some such around the bottom end somewhere, there is less room for lubricant to circulate than in the 555. This might mean less bearing issues...? Anyone out there care to inform me as to the merits of the two models?

Chaps. Title says it all... Easy Kent - Ashford/Faversham/Canterbury. In-cycle, (@max 15 years) chestnut coppice required for cutting NOW!. (Yes, yes, I know, I know......) Approx 2 acres required. Can be contacted here or PM mobile and I'll call. This is something of a crisis, so I shall let you all work out how much we might pay!!!! Any assistance appreciated. BUCHERON

Webby, I'm in Kent and have recently made a few spars - the first I've done for @ 20 years! - having like you some hazel that would otherwise get burnt. I've done plenty in the past in W.Sussex. The problem you might have is the Polish competition. They provide an excellent service with a quality product at a price that I'd not be working for; £110/thousand or £120/thousand pre-twisted. The thatchers I know just phone up and next day a van turns up with exactly what they want. That said, I have built a good working relationship with a thatcher who will buy my spars. That is just a case of good business networking. But I can do things that are out of the ordinary like making some trial spars in chestnut, which the Poles don't. Intro course? No, not necessary if you have some experience of woodland work and can "talk the right language". The thatchers will just point you in the right direction if you make a few samples. Obviously, you need to be quick and efficient. You need a small, light spar hook, not a meaty billhook if you want to spare your wrists.... Market? See above. Part-time? Definitely. Indeed, I'm not sure there's another way! (To my mind it gets WAY too repetitive.) I used it as bad weather work in the shed where I had previously stacked the gads ready. Seasoning not specifically needed and I've never had issues moving spars from summer cut wood. Also, there are liggers that can be supplied. Hope that is helpful. BUCHERON

Folks, Based in East Kent - Canterbury - and looking for a tractor-powered peeler for sale, preferably a Cundy. Anyone know of one needing a new home within reasonable distance of East Kent? (Posted on behalf of a colleague who knows not how to use the internet!) Cheers, Bucheron

Roger... Is that price to include sorting out the crown (for firewood)? I ask as the big tree felling I did in France there was a separate bloke to break down the crowns and we had a price just for felling and severing at first fork. (About 9€/m3 for that - not as good as here!!)

Not thinning, mature trees. Getting it out - nothing to do with me! So just the felling, snedding etc. You saying £18-22/m3...?

Evening, Anyone out there able to give me the going price per cubic metre for felling of large oak? East kent. Thanks, B

Chaps, Run Husky 560xp's using 0.058 18" bar and full chisel chains (20LPX). I see there are other chains available, so in the interests of increased efficiency wondering about the following for use on in-cycle to large chestnut coppice: 1/. Narrow kerf chain on 0.050 grooved bars - the logic is narrower cut therefore more of the saw's power goes into the wood. However these chains seem only to exist in semi-round version (95VPX) so this might negate the benefits over the full chisel. 2/. There is a normal kerf 20LPX chain available to run on the narrower 0.050 bar. What if anything would this change? 3/. 3/8 conversion. Bigger chain so logic is directly opposite to the above - it should be less efficient right? But a colleague knows someone who he thought did this and found it was excellent. Note: I'm not spending my days hauling through round timber, which might make these more interesting. 4/. Multicut chain, with the heavy duty plating which might be more resistant to the slight burring nicks on the corners that the full chisels are prone too. Anyone able to comment from experience? With the type of work I'm doing I'm looking for short blast, quick acceleration type speed gains - if there are any to be had! Regards, Bucheron

Matty, You had any experience of rebuilding the top end of a 560?

I had a Stihl MS361 did 10 years excellent service. Can't speak for the 254 - never had one. Also had 066's. But the fact of the matter is that the 560xp is so hugely better in all departments apart from this lifespan thing. I cut more, earn more, less effort, safer etc BUT looks like I'll be spending a lot more on capital outlay. Is this really acceptable for what is a PROFESSIONAL saw? In comparison with the past machines, absolutely not. Things go wrong, bits fail and break, which is only ever both inevitable and irritating. So we used to fix them. Now we chuck 'em away........

This 560xp is a superb machine when it is doing what it says on the tin. It is vastly superior to the various Stihls I've owned. (Notwithstanding it depends what work you are doing etc.) But this lifespan is not good. Seems that my 700 hours is pretty good in comparison to others. But if I was paying @£700 for a saw doing 300 hours I'd be less than happy; I'm not particularly impressed with 700. It had very few issues until it was shagged in fairness (new return spring, various AV's....) A throw away product for a few months? This is not really acceptable is it...? So what, gentlemen, is the solution? Stihl again? Clearly most of us who work have got little choice but to pay the money every 6 months or so. Spend more time on maintenance? Personally, I'll be taking the extra time. My prices will be going up too. They have to with this longevity. Come on Husqy, do better than this!

I JUST DID NOT KNOW! Nobody told me, (!) not in the book - cheeky bastard in the shop said I should have read the manual - and I did not notice the little lug on the side. First Husqy after 25 years chez Stihl so thought it was normal. Realised how normal it wasn't when they told me and I opened it up!!!

Quite. (Like a lot of things.) Depends on the price. Anyone any idea of barrel/piston + gasget...? I have come on here to purge myself of a sin I find totally abhorrent; I did not realise my own stupidity was capable of going this far. Viz, that the air filter splits in half to enable cleaning inside! Thought it was a bit difficult to get clean and in defence is not mentioned in the manual.... Regularly went in the washing machine in a sock though. But then folk are saying that 700 hours total is not bad for a full time 560 anyway so maybe I did better than I thought.................. Others beware!!

Bit of thread drift - hope you all can cope..! 560xp with 700 hours and big compression drop, so that it would not start or be difficult. Would it in all honesty be worth replacing top end to keep as a second saw? Shop is saying not (they could have taken my money!) as tends to blow out the bottom at that many hours. Any thoughts?

Gentlemen, Bit of a long shot: Does anyone know of any hazel coppice - preferably in cycle of course - in the east Kent area? I'm as far east as it is possible to go and do not wish to travel further than say Ashford or Maidstone. Anything of interest considered..... B