New Husqvarna 435e II

[XmasTreefarmer]

Got this saw to handle the stump cutting required for the Christmas tree farm and as a limbing saw when I make wood (and for smaller stuff in general). My Husqvarna 350 is my workhorse for firewood and I can bring out my OLD Homelite SXL-Auto with the 20" bar for the bigger stuff. Yes, that saw purchased in 1974 is still running! Heavy as can be, but still has plenty of power.

Anyway, the 435 is light - 9.7lbs I really need that for the stump cutting - that's why I got it. I've run only 3 tanks of gas through it - that's before it snowed here in Southern WI and I could work on the stumps. Since then I have done some limbing too. It ran really poorly when I picked it up from the dealer. They had run the saw before I picked it up, but they must have had a junior guy do that. I took it right back in after only running 1 tank of gas through it. They were able to improve it significantly. It is still a little slow to accelerate and a little rough at full throttle. It was just terrible before I took it back in. I spoke with the lead tech who did the tuning when I brought it back in (he rebuilt the carb on my 350 last year and did a perfect job - that saw runs like a dream) and he said not to worry, that it really needs 5 to 6 tanks to finish the break-in process and then they can do the final tune.

What do you guys think? It's been so long since I bought a new saw, I just don't know.

I trust that tech - he's done good work for me in the past - he sort of crinkled up his face when talking about how the saws are getting harder and harder to get running correctly as the EPA regs get tighter and tighter, but that he can always get them to run well. I also talked to my sales guy and he said their policy is that if they can't get the saw to run to my satisfaction I can trade it in on another saw or they will take it back and refund my money, so I'm feeling pretty good about my options. Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[JimBear]

Some of the newer saws really come to life after a few tanks of fuel after the rings get set. I read an article about some Echo’s being set too lean at the factory & scoring the piston/cylinders after just a few tanks of fuel. Sometimes you just need to tweak the carb settings a little. You may want to or have the tech take the carb apart & check for debris. I am not that familiar with Huskys, if it’s an autotune you have to do a reset on it. My Stihl 261, 462 just keep getting stronger & better running. My little Echo CS 2511T was pretty snappy when new but has improved with a bit of run time. If your dealer is willing to stand behind it & replace it if you are not happy then run it & see if it improves, if not send it back for another.

 

[ColdNorCal]

My echo cs352 ran better after a few tanks of gas. And retuning it, removing limiter caps, made it run and start better. Opening up the muffler and tuning it again and its a different saw.

 

[lost in the woods]

are you running 87 octane in your mix gas? my cousin runs 93 on his dolmar and says it runs better. . . not sure if that would help. . . I just use 87 in my husqvarnas they are pre auto tune though

 

[XmasTreefarmer]

Thanks guys for all of your replies. It does seem like I just need to be patient here and let this "new" saw break-in before it will really run right. And as you said, my ace in the hole is being able to return it. I feel like I have so much time invested by this point - 3 trips to the dealer so far, learning the saw, and starting to get it broken in- I would really like to have it running well and be able to keep it.

The good news is that I'm learning a bit more about carburetors. None of my saws have limiter caps, so that allows things to be tuned so that the saw runs right. And the Homelite and my 350 have slotted screw adjusters, but the new 435 does have the spline adjusters - I'm ordering a tool to be able to adjust that saw. I've fought having to learn how to tune my chainsaws, but maybe now is the time for me to learn. There are some pretty good videos on YouTube that take you through the process and I think I understand it now.

And gas - I'm a fanatic on using only non-ethanol gas in my equipment. The chainsaws, pole pruner, leaf blowers, small snowblower, etc. all get nothing but 91 octane with no ethanol. That is the easiest for me to find around there - I can get 87 octane with no ethanol, but I have a longer drive to get it. I'm also pretty strict with not keeping gas around too long. It's usually not a problem because I'm using the equipment a lot. I only mix a gallon at a time and I put a date on the can each time. Sometimes at the end of Winter I might have a 1/4 gallon of mixed gas left that's a few months old. If so, I dump that in the tractor (it doesn't mind a little oil in the gas) and then mix a fresh batch.

 

[XmasTreefarmer]

A quick update here. I just ran the 5th tank of fuel through and the saw is coming around! I cleared some Box Elder out of a small stand of White Pine and it was running like a champ. It's coming up off of idle really nicely and is making more power at full throttle.

Just checked the Husqvarna manual and they recommend 6 to 10 tanks of gas and then take it to the dealer for a final tune. I just don't remember this from my older saws, but things have changed and as long as it all ends well I'll be happy.

 

[XmasTreefarmer]

And a final-final update here. I returned the saw. Just as it was starting to run better ... it started to leak bar oil. Here's the scoop on this for anyone interested in a Husqvarna 435, 440, and 445. I'll try to keep this short but cover everything.

The oil pump will leak depending on where it stopped when the saw shut down. There is a position where it will not leak and there is a position where it will leak. That's why it took a while for me to see this issue. The tech at the dealer said that this is a known issue with the above saws (they all use the same pump). His suggestion was to keep it on a piece of cardboard and change that out as needed or drain the bar oil after each use. Neither of those was an acceptable option to me.

Husqvarna has an interesting post in their tech tips area. They explain that a little leakage is "normal", but they show a piece of cardboard that has some small spots on it from oily wood chips falling down from the sprocket cover and from the chain. I get that - any saw will do that. They also say that you should never fill the bar oil when you are done with the saw. Leave it as is and then top it off before you use it again. Then they say that if there are any puddles of bar oil to take it in for repair. The whole tech tip entry really does not make any sense.

Anyway, that's the story on this saw. It was really just what I wanted, a nice light saw for stump cutting in the Christmas trees and for use as a limbing saw. However, in my attempt to improve things, I ended up just making a lot of extra work for myself and being disappointed in the "state of things" as far as light weight chain saws go. I'll be using the trusty Husqvarana 350 for the stumps again as was before. I have an old bar and chain I put on for that work and then swap that out when I'm done and put my good bar and chain on for making wood.

 

[Sean McGillicuddy]

Thanks for the update...
Let use know what saw your going to try next ... You will ...

 

[XmasTreefarmer]

Sean - You've got my ticket! I am trying hard not to look at other saws ... but I might run in and checkout an Echo CS352. Less power than the leaky 435, but about the same price, but also about 1# lighter. Hmmmmmm?