Stihl 290 Farm Boss (18 inch) vs. Husqvarna 455 Rancher (18 inch)

[midwestcoast]

STIHL!! ALL THE WAY..... Easy to work on a stihl. Plus Husqvarna makes sewing machines LOL

and Stihl now makes vacuum cleaners hahahahaha

Now I have an image of some nice housewife gearing-up in PPE and firing up a big 2-stroke vacuum cleaner belching the smoke, Ha! My dog already hates the vacuum, I think she'd have a stroke.

 

[smokinj]

My only complaints on the 455 are that the fuel tank is annoyingly small, the oiler should pump more volume for a 20" bar & it's a little heavy for the power. It has tackled Oak up to 40" & didn't complain.

here's a 40 inch-er that rancher would have puck on! About 40 in. at that end and 44 at the butt end.

Excuse me while I go get more beer while you're waitin for that Farm Boss to get through 44" Oak. You and the saw will both be worn out by the time you finish and I'll be comfortably numb. They call um 'farm boss' and/or 'rancher ' cause they expect you to use them for trimmin the tops off fence posts :lol:

Well I never said it was fast, took a few minutes per cut & had to dice up the last few rounds as the 20" bar wouldn't reach the middle from either side. But I'm just scrounging firewood here. If I went & bought an MS460 or 660... for that 1 tree it would have been the most expensive firewood ever. A firewood processor can spit out a cord of splits in a few minutes, but I can't afford one of those either.

It took 1o and half man hours on that pic I was on a 460 well 0ver 2 half hours my elbows felt like there where going to blow out....(well over 5 min cuts about 2 cuts per tank) 40+ inchs of red oak is pushing a 460/660 if your bucking to firewood.

 

[midwestcoast]

Well it must be a miracle, but I'm burning the wood this season so I know I didn't just dream it. Cut the trunk over 2 afternoons. My trigger arm was sore for a couple days from pulling against the dogs & I was not pulling very hard that's for sure. Vibes didn't seem too bad.
I'm willing to bet bigger trees have been cut with smaller saws & the guys never thought nothing of it

 

[smokinj]

Well it must be a miracle, but I'm burning the wood this season so I know I didn't just dream it. Cut the trunk over 2 afternoons. My trigger arm was sore for a couple days from pulling against the dogs & I was not pulling very hard that's for sure. Vibes didn't seem too bad.
I'm willing to bet bigger trees have been cut with smaller saws & the guys never thought nothing of it

lol I am thinking about it I rember that sucker it was in Aug. of 2009 And just kick my @ss! Wish I had the 880 at that time.....Very tough tree and even the small splits seem very heavy by the end of the day. Cant even rap my head around doing it with a 20 in. bar and a small cc saw. My 460 was getting hard to start there at the end. I had a 361 and a 260 at that time and the stayed in the shop.

 

[DanCorcoran]

It always cracks me up when someone will gladly pay thousands for a premium woodstove, but balks at spending an extra couple hunj on a top shelf saw. . .

Just sayin' . . .

Yo! I bought the nice stove to improve resale on the cabin and as a pleasure to look at when I'm sipping a bourbon and watching the secondaries. That cabin is snowed in much of the winter, so I'll probably buck and split a cord each year and burn only 1/2 to 1 cord. I'm doing my own just 'cause I enjoy it, not because it's cost effective

Lumberjack R U, not me, and that's fine for both of us.

 

[chad101]

I'd lean towards the 290. I actually have a 455 Rancher (bought used) & it works fine for me. My 20" bar is a bit much, 18 would be better on either IMO.
Yes the Stihl will hold it's value better if that maters to you. I get the impression that the 290 is the more reliable of the 2, but that may have to do with so many Ranchers being bought in box stores with no instruction or set-up from the seller.
My only complaints on the 455 are that the fuel tank is annoyingly small, the oiler should pump more volume for a 20" bar & it's a little heavy for the power. It has tackled Oak up to 40" & didn't complain.

here's a 40 inch-er that rancher would have puck on! About 40 in. at that end and 44 at the butt end.

Dull chain? I see allot of saw dust w/ few "chips".

 

[smokinj]

I'd lean towards the 290. I actually have a 455 Rancher (bought used) & it works fine for me. My 20" bar is a bit much, 18 would be better on either IMO.
Yes the Stihl will hold it's value better if that maters to you. I get the impression that the 290 is the more reliable of the 2, but that may have to do with so many Ranchers being bought in box stores with no instruction or set-up from the seller.
My only complaints on the 455 are that the fuel tank is annoyingly small, the oiler should pump more volume for a 20" bar & it's a little heavy for the power. It has tackled Oak up to 40" & didn't complain.

here's a 40 inch-er that rancher would have puck on! About 40 in. at that end and 44 at the butt end.

Dull chain? I see allot of saw dust w/ few "chips".

lol At that mega pixel if you see any chips THAT AWESOME.....Heck I can throw chips milling. (3 chains where used on that trunk)

 

[5654684]

I would go with the Stihl. I have a 029 with a 18" bar that does great. If you want a 20" bar, go for the 310.

 

[southbound]

I would go with the Stihl. I have a 029 with a 18" bar that does great. If you want a 20" bar, go for the 310.

+++++++++++++++++++++++1

 

[fire_man]

Weird that you're seeing them for sale with 18" bars...all I ever see are 20" for sale...at least on the Husky. Only one or two Stihl places around here, but Husky is sold by everypne...local hardware store, Tractor Supply...you name it. I have enver seen a 455 for sale without a 20" bar and never for less than $399.

I'd say go with shichever one is lighter and easier to handle. You're going to be using it for awhile, might a well be comfortable.

The Stihl gets the nod from me simply because its $30 less out of the box...spend the extra on a spare chain or two.

I got my Husky 455 from an Independent dealer - it came with the 18" Bar. I noticed the big box stores tend to sell it with the 20" bar.

 

[Danno77]

I got my Husky 455 from an Independent dealer - it came with the 18" Bar. I noticed the big box stores tend to sell it with the 20" bar.

I think you are onto something there. I think Joe Homeowner sees a saw with a big bar and thinks it's more capable. Seriously. If you put a 25" bar on a 33cc Poulan I bet you could charge $350 bucks for the thing and it would sell well.

 

[SPED]

I would go with the Stihl. I have a 029 with a 18" bar that does great. If you want a 20" bar, go for the 310.

+++++++++++++++++++++++1

+2 I have a 290 with an 18" bar and I love that saw. The dealer told me exactly what TheGriz said, if you want to step up to 20" get a 310.

 

[SmokeyCity]

We have some folks in our area who are big Husky fans but most prefer the Stihl. For sure there are more Stihl dealers around. I've never owned a Husky but have my first Stihl. So far no problems with it.

You Stihl have it ?

 

[Como]

When I broke my 455 I replaced it with a Makita, same sort of money, much nicer.

 

[smokinj]

Well I never said it was fast, took a few minutes per cut & had to dice up the last few rounds as the 20" bar wouldn't reach the middle from either side. But I'm just scrounging firewood here. If I went & bought an MS460 or 660... for that 1 tree it would have been the most expensive firewood ever. A firewood processor can spit out a cord of splits in a few minutes, but I can't afford one of those either.

Man I now have too epa stoves......Yes the 460 is now an extreme over kill! Wooot Woooot! Life is alot better not looking at a 12+ cords just to make it. (Couple afternoons and done for the year) Hello new hobbies. lol

 

[burnagain]

I have a 290 (wish I'd went bigger didn't have the funds) but it works great for the trees I cut. I went opposite of what most do and I put a 16" bar and the RSC chain on mine. I can't suggest this enough, unless you're cutting big wood all the time. If I have something bigger than 30 inches I can make it work most times.

 

[MasterMech]

You Stihl have it ?

Smokey, you talk funny.

Got a great deal on a new saw. Some might say it was a Stihl.

 

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[drumbum]

This will probably go against the grain, but between the two, the 455 w/18" for sure. Get a better chain and keep the vanguard for dirty work. You will appreciate that you can expose the engine, especially if you have a compressor to blow the saw clean (mandatory for any saw imho). Don't believe the stihl hype on power ratings. If it were me, I'd convert to rim drive and semi chisel .325.