husqvarna 445 50cc?

[bluefrier]

I purchased a 445 18" bar a few months ago and would like to take the time to say what a great saw it is. It feels lighter and more balanced than the smaller pp3516 it replaced. She inhaled and spit out some black locust and oak rounds about 18" effortlessly, noodled big rounds and y crotches no problem. The only negative is that the bar nose sprocket got stuck with wood chips on two occasion which took about 10 minutes to clear. I pulled the serial number off the saw for a warranty claim and noticed the 50cc label on the handle. now i'm really curious because the website listed the 445 at 45.7 cc

 

[ErikR]

Congratulations. Did you buy the saw new? I only ask because if it were a used saw, I'd wonder it the previous owner had swapped out the wrong bar. I have a 450 and haven't had a chip clog problem. Do you give the holes at the sprocket a shot of grease once in a while?





The 445 is a 45.7cc saw.


Good luck!

 

[bluefrier]

bought it as a factory refurb with warranty. The bar sprocket froze before a half cord and they gave me a new bar today. Yes, I see where the website listed the saw at 45.7 cc but on the actual saw it says 50cc. I also found another review on amazon.com stating that their 445 is listed as 50cc in the manual.

 

[TreePointer]

I do know that a lot of saws in the same chassis/model family will share the same manual (like Stihl 290/310/390). Doing a quick look on Husqvarna's website, the 445 and 450 do indeed share the same manual during some production years.

I'm not totally sure about the sticker, but it may have something to do with model or model family registration. That is, it might be that only the 450 (50cc) was submitted for emissions testing, and when it passed, it meant that the lower displacement 445 (45cc) also passed because it's the same saw with only the piston & cylinder being smaller.

 

[bluefrier]

That's a good point TreePointer. Maybe I'll give husqvarna a call on monday. no big deal either way its still a great saw.

 

[Ashful]

I use the same grease gun as Erik. One squirt in the grease hole at the nose of the bar at the beginning of each day will do ya. Alternate sides, and try to clean the hole of dust before squirting.

 

[TreePointer]

There are two schools of thought on greasing bars. Grease them and keep greasing, or never grease them at all.

I started with Stihl bars that don't take grease. There isn't even a hole at the sprocket for greasing. The b&c oil is enough lubrication for the tip sprocket, and I haven't had issues. Well I did fubar one Stihl bar sprocket, but that was when a large cherry tree pinched it.

I've never greased Oregon/Husqvarna or other bars that have the lube hole, either. I keep the oiler opened enough, and also haven't had an issue.

I have read that some have used a solvent like gasoline or diesel to clean the grease out of the tip and just went with b&c oil, but I haven't read how these bars fare in the long run.

 

[Fifelaker]

I haven't greased a bar tip in close to 30 years and never had a problem (I have both styles). I think if you start you need to keep on greasing. I have had them bind, small pieces of wood will get trapped in them. I just set the bar on a piece of wood then pull or push until it clears.

 

[_CY_]

bought it as a factory refurb with warranty. The bar sprocket froze before a half cord and they gave me a new bar today. Yes, I see where the website listed the saw at 45.7 cc but on the actual saw it says 50cc. I also found another review on amazon.com stating that their 445 is listed as 50cc in the manual.

generally Husky follows last digits for cc .. for instance 3120XP = 120cc .. 394XP = 94cc ... 346XP = 46cc .. 359XP = 59cc and so forth

above apply to husky pro saws .. no idea if home owner saws follow suit. have never lubed a bar tip, usually there's more than enough bar oil flying around.

to verify oil is coming out .. point tip at a visible surface then rev engine. oil should sling off moving chain if oiler is working properly. bar oil pickup tube and tiny oil feed holes in bar will clog.

 

[bluefrier]

The bar is getting oil but I think the echo b/c oil I'm using is too thick. I'm going to add 15% diesel to the mix and see what happens when I take the saw out on Tuesday.

 

[TreePointer]

That trick has worked for me. It doesn't take much diesel to thin it. You can always add more.

 

[ErikR]

"......The bar sprocket froze before a half cord and they gave me a new bar today...."



I know everyone has their own ideas about how to run a saw, but this is right from the 445 manual.... Feel free to do as you wish...



And the picture....


Lube is cheap, bars are not....

 

[Ashful]

Having had more than one sprocket jam up or sieze on me, I can safely assume those who've never lubed and never had trouble are either:

1. Not felling and cutting nearly as much large green wood as me (entirely likely... I cut 4x what the average guy burns in a year, all large stuff (nose often buried), mostly green).
2. They're running bars with sealed bearings, such as Stihl ES bars.

Bottom line, bars with grease holes are intended to be greased. These bars generally have bearings with dust shields, and debris does find it's way in there, causing the sprocket to foul. At a minimum, this eats up some of your valued horsepower, and at worst, the saw just jams. Putting grease into those little holes not only serves to lube the bearings, but also forces out debris that has worked its way in around the shields. Doing so daily (most saw manufacturers actually recommend with every tank refill) keeps your bearing clean and clear.

Anyone claiming bar lube gets into that sprocket clearly did not pass high school physics. Bar oil is being slung AWAY from the bearing, as your chain rounds the tip of the bar. Any bar oil that sprocket sees would be limited to a small fraction of bar oil dripping off the chain into the sprocket during storage. If your chain sees enough oil to drip, it's not a Stihl.

 

[Fifelaker]

I cut between 12 and 35 cords per year. I replaced a sprocket tip last year and it had oil in the bearings, If it didn't get it from the oiler there is some kind of magic going on. I replaced it due to a chunk missing because I did a bunch of limbing with a loose chain. The bottom of the drive link pushes oil into the tip.

 

[TreePointer]

I would have to think that every time the chain stops it drops oil into the bearing.