Husqvarna 50/51/55 repair thread.

[Onan18]

I havent put my mitts on a 555. I like both orange and orange and white saws. Anything of quality. Sorry if i sounded defensive. I just have a soft spot for the underdogs.

Built on the same chassis as the 562, just dialed back a bit. No crank stuffers, different carb and coil, different transfer caps, etc...

 

[Loanstar]

Would a 55 be a similar comparison to a 261 vs a 262xp?

 

[Dub11]

Am i wrong? But back in the day it was almost xp/pro grade ? Todays quality its better than some "pro" saws. I just dont understand the class it falls into. Now a new "rancher" from a big store i get how the quality has fallen off. But a 30yr old saw that stil smokes a 261 is cool. Why is there no love for the 55

I don't get it either. But if the 55 was made by Stihl it be getting $400 plus now a days I bet ya.

 

[Loanstar]

Dang marketing

 

[Dub11]

Dang marketing

It's true. I had a ms290 and thought it was the chit! Then I got a 55 and thought WTH this thing is lighter and faster!

 

[Loanstar]

Here ive got 3 choices on new saws. Dolmar/makita. Stihl and husky. I always copare power to weight based on my old 55. I want the speed of the dolmar 5105. I want the power of the 562xp but i want the balance of the 362 and am not fond of autoanthing.

 

[RIDE-RED 350r]

Aside from the intake tract, the 55 is a dang solid saw.

 

[stretch5881]

On my 51, I threw away the intake bolts. I took the intake studs off an old stihl and cut the heads off. These have thicker ends where the heads were. Thread the thicker ends, run a tap in the partition and loktite the studs in. Now the carb stays tight.

 

[RIDE-RED 350r]

While I can see why the self tapping screws and plastic partition can be troublesome, the biggest thing I don't like is the intake pipe that connects the partition and cylinder and the impulse coupler rubber. They just seem very failure prone to me in terms of air leaks. That was the cause of the burn down on that seemingly low hour 55 I rebuilt and posted about earlier in this thread. No clamps of any kind just doesn't inspire alot of confidence for me

 

[PogoInTheWoods]

Why is there no love for the 55

There's plenty of love for the 55 in the right circles. As for the intake design? I'll take it all day long over the plastic clamp intake abomination implemented on the 357XP/359 and the smaller chassis 340 ~ 353 series (including the 346XP). Now that was a joke and by no means resembled anything 'professional' in it's implementation besides the impulse passage. It doesn't even fit right at the bottom where it meets the intake port with a metal clamp if one looks very closely. As @Spike60 said in one of the vids he and Walt did on the 50 series, "Nobody complains about the intake design on these saws until the rubber wears out."..., which is pretty much the case with any saw for that matter. The most obvious weak point is the impulse grommet which simply deforms over time. The intake sleeves are almost always intact and tight unless they have literally split or become excessively dried out. I've never found one that actually leaked, but always replace them during a rebuild anyway. I've also only found the threads stripped on two of the dozen or so 50 series saws I've worked on. One was from another guy who worked on the saw and screwed the threads up himself. The other was the first one I ever worked on. Hamfisted and cross-threaded the screws myself learning that lesson the hard way right out of the gate. And I often wonder if the guys who complain the most about the 'infamous' intake design are also the guys who themselves screw up the bulkhead screws by cross-threading or stripping them out..., not to mention pinching the impulse grommet during the bulkhead to cylinder reassembly by not installing it correctly or just re-using an old grommet flipped around to save 2 bux. Hell, I'll admit to falling into that category in the beginning myself.

Show me a 350 that was run regularly for even a couple years without burning up due to the intake design or melting a whole through the oil tank because the muffler came loose and I'll find you a dozen 55's that are still running today in spite of the intake design.

As for the comparisons to other popular 'pro' saws of the day, it was pretty much it's own niche in the Husky lineup (as previously mentioned) with the closest competitor in its class for my money being a Stihl 026 in the weight to speed/power category.

Sooooo.....

In conclusion.....

Can anyone tell I've got a little love for em? LOL

Happy New Year, gang.

 

[Loanstar]

I REally love my 55. I especially enjoy it being kindof a sleeper to some people. Thats always fun. However ... I didnt mean any disrespect or loss of enthusiasm but wow pogo. You can sit by me on the bus.

 

[Loanstar]

My particular flavor of 55 is slightly ported muffler modded and a timing advance . its very nice to crank and idle while neysayers mock the packaging then get quiet and wont get theirs out of the truck. I have and like bigger sometimes better saws but my old 55 always pleases me.

 

[RIDE-RED 350r]

Woa, hold on here. I don't believe I was condemning the 55 as garbage and I have not read any naysaying in this thread. Just not a fan of the intake arrangement.

Now then, yes, there are faults in just about any model you can name, including the 3-series. Yes, that first plastic intake clamp was a disaster. But, a proper steel clamp fully addresses that issue. And as far as the impulse arrangement, just like the 55 impulse coupler it does work fine as long as care is taken during installation. I would think that the same guys that can't get a 3-series intake installed properly are also the same ones that can't do it on the 55 as well. In either case care during installation is critical to the parts working or not.

The 55 I worked on burned down due to a massive air leak at the main intake coupling pipe. It was not cracked or rotted, and did not show any outward visible signs of a problem. It was a pressure test that revealed a serious air leak at that coupler. It was old and just didn't grip tight enough to seal. I will say that the new OE replacement went on much more securely and didn't leak at all. That was a problem that would not have occured if there were clamps of some kind implemented in the design. Like I said, it was not cracked or rotted at all, just lost it's whatsy in terms of it's snug grip on the partition and cylinder.

Beside that, I think that the 55 and others in the same family are fine saws with their mag case construction. It's just one of those things, we are all saw nuts and we like to talk about pros and cons as EVERY saw ever sold has both. There is no such thing as a perfect anything that has been designed by fallible human beings.

I don't mean to offend anyone by what I've said here and I say it with the utmost in respect for you folks. It's just my opinion and I try to be honest in my opinions. That's what we are all here for, right?

 

[Tor R]

The only thing a 3xx serie saw is better on is it's AV system and closed quad jugs, that is compared against the 2×× serie saws.
55 has its weakness with the intake system but so has 340-353, of those two, if I have to pick the worse one my vote goes to 340/345/346/350/351/353
Btw, a proper metal clamp didnt fix the issue 100%, it helped but thats about it, we still has use to sealant to get it sealed 100%.

Long live them classic 2×× serie!!!

 

[XP_Slinger]

In the end all of these “weaknesses” are great to discuss in order to raise awareness for the end user. In turn, hopefully this knowledge helps folks develope a maintenance & inspection routine that prevents a premature burn down like Joe’s friend experienced on his 55.

 

[PogoInTheWoods]

Woa, hold on here. I don't believe I was condemning the 55 as garbage...

Easy, bro. I don't think anyone said you were.

Forgive me if it seemed like I was getting down on anyone in particular here. Certainly no disrespect intended. Was just generalizing all over the place in an effort to show my blind devotion and unwavering affection for the sweet little 55 that doesn't get enough love. LOL

And just offering some observations and opinions in defense of one of my favorite little saws which also happens to be one of the more maligned saws in general..., often times by folks who've yet to fully appreciate or understand the nuances and unique aspects of the saw, but rather who just parrot what they've heard or read without any real hands on experience to actually substantiate what they're proclaiming. That was sort of the point when I admitted to being guilty of it myself before eventually gaining enough real experience rebuilding over a dozen 5o series saws to actually have a pretty good handle on what I'm talking about these days.

It is about sharing information, ideas, and opinions here..., learning. Don't need to agree on everything, though. That'd get boring pretty fast. And I'm still fairly new over here. Can occasionally seem abrasive with a pretty dry sense of humor sometimes. You'll get used to me, or not. I try to help where I can, learn when I can, and have some fun doing both if I can. Too old to argue over dumb chit.

You can sit by me on the bus.

Cool. Are ya cute?

 

[RIDE-RED 350r]

Copy that bud, all good

 

[Loanstar]

What rpm do your 55s like? I normally run a 20'' bar with Oregon lpx 3/8 chain and a 7 pin sprocket. Tuned by ear and checked with a tach it always sounds and cuts the best at around 13,2K is that too much for the saw in terms of lifespan?

 

[XP_Slinger]

What rpm do your 55s like? I normally run a 20'' bar with Oregon lpx 3/8 chain and a 7 pin sprocket. Tuned by ear and checked with a tach it always sounds and cuts the best at around 13,2K is that too much for the saw in terms of lifespan?

If it still 4-strokes when you lift in the cut I’d say it’s dialed in perfect. In my personal opinion 13.2k shouldn’t hurt a 55 at all, unless all you do is piss rev the saw all day. Lol

 

[Loanstar]

A few years back I took it to a local guy and had the carb ran through his USC when it all went back together they tuned it with no bar/chain at 12,5k , it was terrible but he said it was safe. That's when I ordered a USC and a tach of my own. At 12,5 k I thought it had been castrated.