New Husqy saw choice....gauge, pitch questions

[ampamp]

So, few questions here. I have a Husqy 350 and it’s great, but looking for a potential upgrade. Just not sure what to get. I cut about 10-20 face cords a year…seems to be increasing though. I also perform a bit of land upkeep too. Sometimes there’s a “big†year of woodcutting thown in there too, if the wood is real convenient. Either way, when I bought my 350…it was .325 pitch, .050†gauge, 72 teeth with a semi-chisel…pretty std for the saw out of the box. I’ve switched to a heavier duty bar and run a full chisel, 0.058â€, 0.325 setup and it seems to work pretty nice. That’s my background, and the firewood seem to be increasing a bit though.
I understand the gauge is the width of the chain and I know the definition of the pitch, but what cuts better? I see some saws that are 3/8 pitch (.375) vs the 0.325. Is this better in terms of speed or cutting? Not quite sure on how this affects things. I’m planning on going towards a XP saw and I’m contemplating the 346XP or 357XP with pretty much the same setup I have now, just looking for a bit more ass in the saw since the 350 and the 346XP seem to be close. I know the 346XP is better in terms of the internal components, but my 350 (and the 346 I suspect) tends to bog down a bit. I’m hoping to see a pretty good change in performance without having to go to a 372XP. Any thoughts on the setup as well as the pitch / gauge comments. One last question….seem like you have to have your drive/nose sprockets matched up with your pitch…right? I thought I read one of the XP saws (maybe the 357XP) advertising .325, 3/8….can it accommodate both or do you ask them for the setup you want when you purchase? Thanks in advance

 

[smokinj]

Its very simple the smaller the gauge the faster the saw. Now it comes down to power and safety after that. If I could I would run a .043 on my 122cc saw but that's just not safe..lol Run the smallest gauge you can.... Beginning to really like my 192t its 30cc running a .043 and a 14 inch bar. If I was to do anything to it I would run a 12 inch bar on it...

 

[bpirger]

I run both a 350 with the .325 and 18" and the 372XP with .375 and 24". I just brought in about 12 full cord to fill the woodshed, everything dropped on my land and brought in by me. I run the 350 most of the time, saving the 372 really only for big things or when cutting a whole bunch of small things at the same time (think many smaller logs (say up to 6") in a stack....the 24" bar will go through 3 or 4 at a time.

When they both have a good sharp chain, while the 372XP is faster in just about everything, it isn't highly noticable to me. The 350 will cut like a hot knife in butter when the chain is sharp. When it comes to 18" and larger, the 372 usually comes out, and it will cut through a 20" red oak just like the 350 in an 8" top piece. I chuncked up a 22" maple with the 327 and a brand new chain and it was a pure pleasure to do the cutting. I don't think it took 20 seconds to cut through the whole log. Sometimes one saw get pinched if I'm not paying great attention to this....and the other one always comes to the rescue. This is essential when working in the woods at odd angles and whatnot I find.

The narrower chain has to help with the little saw. I thought when I bought the 350 with the .325 I'd end up upgrading it to the .375, but I haven't, and I doubt that I will.

The XP saws are better built....but you pay a bit more. The 350 lost the wire to the power switch a couple of years ago....I shut it off with the choke. Just this spring the drawsting on my shorts got sucked into the recoil section of the 372 and it ended up breaking the switch wire as well. That could have been a whole lots worse!

I have no reason to ever move away from Husy, no complaints. I did at one point pick up a smaller 40cc Husy....which I never run....and I learned my lesson. Even when limbing off spruces, I'd rather have the longer bar than the little 40 (like 16"). In fact, I'll often use the 372 to limb off the spruces just becuase I have that much more reach. It is likely the most dangerous thing done, as tripping all over the branches is just a fact of life, so one has to be careful with the bigger saw....but it helps on the back. The little 40 is almost like a toy....and I'd think great for the tree guys that often run with one hand (the 346XP is likely ideal for this)...even though it is dangerous.

I've never really wished for a bigger bar or more power. I just wish the chain would stay sharper longer. Carbide is very expensive, and I'm not sure how they cut....never have used one. The only thing I'd really like now is a way to lift the logs up in the air so I can chunk them off the ground, like a miniexcavator with a thumb and my wife doing the picking....but she's too busy running the splitter.

 

[midwestcoast]

On "What cuts better .325 or 3/8?" the answer is It depends, but on a 50cc saw .325 works great & 3/8 will work to. It's nearly a toss-up, don't bother changing looking for more speed.

350 is a good firewood saw, if it's running good I don't see how a 346XP would be worth it to you, it might be a bit faster, but still to small for the big stuff. Moving up to a 357XP might not gain you a whole lot either. Sure it'll be stronger, but again, not really enough to justfy the $$. It could wear a 24" bar kinda-sorta, but 24" buried in hardwood you're gonna want a skip-tooth chain and you'll probably be thinking to yourself "hmm, maybe I shoulda gone with a 372?"
And think of this, if you have the 357xp or 346xp, then what would you use the 350 for? Back-up only I'd bet.
My advice: 350 + 372XP = Otherwise, might as well sell the 350 to finance a 357 or wait around for when Husky hopefully, finally releases the 560, 562xp or whatever they decide to call the new 60cc saws that they promise to be stronger, faster, lighter, more efficient, bring you a cold beer at days end....

And yes, bar nose-sprocket must match chain pitch. Bar gauge must match chain gauge. It's stamped on the bar. The 357xp would likely come with 3/8 pitch here in the east, but they should switch it to .325 if you ask them (advantage would be both saws having bars & chains of the same pitch). Bars over 20" are min 3/8 pitch as far as I know.

 

[ampamp]

great adivce. thanks guys. couple follow up questions though. so, why do >20" bars come with 3/8 pitch vs .325? kickback issue on the bigger saws? also, any thoughts on the .050" gauge vs the 0.058" gauge that I switched too. I would guess the .058 is biting off more wood maybe since it's a wider tooth? i'm trying to be universal here as well as considering a bigger saw. I agree the 350 is a great firewood saw.....it just gets bogged down a bit. maybe a saw with slightly more rpms, a few more cc will do the trick. not sure if i would notice the difference with the 346xp. everyone seems to rave about the saw....just not sure if i'll see the difference. i have a dealer who has been able to put his hand on a few 365. guess they are only available in the uk. either way.....magnesium crankcase....the whole shot. $600 Suppose to be a pro saw. it may be the 60cc answer that comes to the states.

 

[midwestcoast]

365, go for it! It's more cc's you want and the 365 has'em. You're in Buffalo, he's prob getting them from Canada.
on the 346XP: more RPM will not keep you from bogging down, just lets you cut a bit faster with a light touch. You are looking for more cc's methinks.

Bigger bars = longer chains attached to more powerfull saws so the chains need to be beefier to hold-up, so bigger pitch and gauge.

 

[jeff_t]

great adivce. thanks guys. couple follow up questions though. so, why do >20" bars come with 3/8 pitch vs .325? kickback issue on the bigger saws? also, any thoughts on the .050" gauge vs the 0.058" gauge that I switched too. I would guess the .058 is biting off more wood maybe since it's a wider tooth? i'm trying to be universal here as well as considering a bigger saw. I agree the 350 is a great firewood saw.....it just gets bogged down a bit. maybe a saw with slightly more rpms, a few more cc will do the trick. not sure if i would notice the difference with the 346xp. everyone seems to rave about the saw....just not sure if i'll see the difference. i have a dealer who has been able to put his hand on a few 365. guess they are only available in the uk. either way.....magnesium crankcase....the whole shot. $600 Suppose to be a pro saw. it may be the 60cc answer that comes to the states.

Gauge refers to the thickness of the drive link, the part of the chain that runs in the groove of the bar. Doesn't really have anything with the width of the cutter.

 

[jeff_t]

Bigger bars = longer chains attached to more powerfull saws so the chains need to be beefier to hold-up, so bigger pitch and gauge.

So my ms270 runs a .325, .063 gauge. My 7900 runs .375, .050. Bigger pitch, smaller gauge. :smirk:

 

[Beardog]

I have both the 350 and 346xp. XP is a fast saw, I have a 20' bar setup on the xp and 18 on the 350. Since I got the xp, I don't use the 350 much, love the xp. Had the xp burried in 30' red oak and 28' cherry many times and it cuts fast and easy. Not sure I could justify a bigger saw based on my needs, especially with how the xp cuts. Would I like a bigger saw, who wouldn't! The 346 is enough saw for my needs though, about 6 cords cut a year.

 

[midwestcoast]

Bigger bars = longer chains attached to more powerfull saws so the chains need to be beefier to hold-up, so bigger pitch and gauge.

So my ms270 runs a .325, .063 gauge. My 7900 runs .375, .050. Bigger pitch, smaller gauge. :smirk:

Yes, general statements like mine above are almost never universally true. I just thought the OP might be overthinking the chain gauge & pitch looking for more performance. For firewood use I think that's barking up the wrong tree.

 

[mywaynow]

Check the 359 against the 357xp. It appears to be the same saw with a different crank that ruduces the rpms and hp a little. Overall the same with high oil volume for a 24 inch bar. I got mine just prior to price increases in March, and am very happy with it, though I stepped up a ton from what I was using. It was a good dollar value when compared to the xp.

 

[mayhem]

I second the motion to check the 359. Got mine this year too and tus far its been just a great saw. Eats through pretty much anything you put in front of it, light enough to use all day, but powerful enough to run a 24" b&c. Mine came with a 20" 3/8 .058 setup and I think its just about perfect that way. Great replacement for the 350 if you want to stick with a one saw plan.

Personally though, if the 350 meets all your needs, why spend the money?

 

[Cowboy Billy]

My brother has the 2159 and I have the 2157 and for the very little difference between them its not worth the extra money. But since we both got 2171's they both just sit there. I use my 2145 for up to 8" the the 2171 for anything bigger and that seems to be the perfect combo for me.

Billy