The 51 is officially dead...

Well, I got the call from my father today, who had dropped my Husky 51 off at the local shop the other day. Not good. It had been dying out under full load recently. It would be running fine, with the bar buried in a log and then act like the ignition was shut off. Anyhow, the shop declared it dead (and didn't charge the hour to tear it down), and I now have a parts saw for my 55 (they are basically the same).

What I am looking for is a smaller saw. Something better for limbing than a 20" bar, and something better on my back. A good friend has a 235, which was just right, but it felt a little too "homeownery". The 435 looks pretty good as well, and might be slightly lighter depending on the bar.

Any suggestions?

346XP if you're willing & able to part with the cash....

That will be my next saw.

What sort of budget do you have ?

Love my 346xp

had a 235 and sold it. Great saw for limbing!

235 and 435 are the same size saw and have the same manual.

Dont know the exact differences. But prob not much.

Budget is about $300,and I will probably look for Factory refurb/lightly used to keep the cost down.

I bought my 346xp for about that price off of a guy on AS. He rebuilds them. His reputation is outstanding. If you are interested, let me know and I'll pm you his email addy. He sent me pics of the saw (compression test and piston) before the transaction and made a YouTube vid of it cutting and sent me the link as well.

Buy a used 346 or ms260 over a refurb landowner model

Should you decide to go new, I'd say the Stihl MS250 (in plain clothes) deserves some attention. Perhaps the 211 even. The 250 is absolutely the most saw (power wise) $300 will buy, and the 211 has come along way from it's roots (the MS210) in the power/efficiency/anti-vibe departments.

Used saws, the comments regarding the 346XP are right on. I prefer my saws with a bit of white to compliment the orange so I'll say look at a MS260/026 as well. If you find one, there are 024's out there that typically sell for less than $200 and would fit the bill perfectly.

I personally would love to try an MS200/MS201 (back-handled versions of the MS200T/201T) for limbing. Those saws typically sell for more than a 50cc pro saw like the 346XP and are much harder to find.

339......

Simple Serf , I haven't used any of the saws from the person that king quad mentioned . But I can say that his reputation at A/S
Is sterling . That, and the 346 is a great saw .

Hmmm... the 346 does sound pretty good. Probably be a little while till I purchase, but I would be interested in that info on the rebuilt units, Kingquad.

This is one of the reasons I love being on Hearth!

Thanks guys!

235 and 435 are the same size saw and have the same manual.

Wrong.235 is buy Pouland 435 is buy Husqvarna.

I'll get it to you this evening when I'm on my computer. I'm on my wife's iPad right now.

I think my next saw will be a 346ne from S.Ga

You should be able to get a 346 OE rebuilt for within your budget. Run a short 13-15" bar and 8t/.325" setup and you should have a great limber saw!