242xp vs 550xp

[Keith Gandy]

I'll take the smallest, lightest & fastest of the class.

I agree! No sense in compromising

 

[Tor R]

Thank you I think it runs decent too!

muffler mod 5/8' hole straight out of the front bracket. widened the ports no duration change. lowers untouched. a big help was advancing the ignition. I was unimpressed with 242's until I advanced the timing.

Both saws were running oregon 21. the 2150 has a ported aftermarket 346 topend.

its sure a strong runner and thank you for the advises David
I respect if you dont want to share how much you advance the timing, but if you share the knowledge I would apreciate it.

The flywheel key #735880400 is still avaible so I want to try it out anyway

 

[sawmikaze]

I agree! No sense in compromising

But then you could take in dealer support..filtration..theres so many things to consider but at the end of the day unless your workin the balls off of a saw your never gonna see the weak links..

Aussie guys seem to like the filtration of the 261s because of the wood they cut..not because its faster than a 550 but because it works for what they need.

I wish i could have a 550 with a HD2 air filter and stihl fastners..your desires may be different

 

[Keith Gandy]

But then you could take in dealer support..filtration..theres so many things to consider but at the end of the day unless your workin the balls off of a saw your never gonna see the weak links..

Aussie guys seem to like the filtration of the 261s because of the wood they cut..not because its faster than a 550 but because it works for what they need.

I wish i could have a 550 with a HD2 air filter and stihl fastners..your desires may be different

I agree with Sawtroll on that the 261 feels much bigger and awkward than a 550. 550 feels like a 50cc saw to me. No 2 ways about it adding more compression and more rpm in the cut when ported is like daylight and dark to me. Necessary no but makes sense if u can do the work yourself especially why not? A MM and a timing advance with a proper tune goes along ways or just buy autotune / mtronics. Makes no sense to me for folks that cant tune to not buy autotune/mtronics unless m9ney is an issue

 

[jakethesnake]

I'm still afraid of the auto tunes... I grabbed a 346 while there still sorta easy to snag I don't have a husqy dealer near me that is competent so I'd have a long ride if I had an issue same reason I bought a honda over an e tech outboard but that's a diffrent can o worm I did like the 550 and e tech a lot just little nervous

 

[Tor R]

I agree with Sawtroll on that the 261 feels much bigger and awkward than a 550.

it is quite a lot Sawtroll say that is true and that part is one of them.
For awhile I had MS261 JRed 2153 and 2253, stock I would grab the 2253 anytime, eventually I got rid of the two first one, just didnt needed two 50cc who was just sitting there.
Other thing is that 2253 has less vibration, I'm getting old, those things can be felt in the body.

 

[Simondo]

it is quite a lot Sawtroll say that is true and that part is one of them.
For awhile I had MS261 JRed 2153 and 2253, stock I would grab the 2253 anytime, eventually I got rid of the two first one, just didnt needed two 50cc who was just sitting there.
Other thing is that 2253 has less vibration, I'm getting old, those things can be felt in the body.

Its a real shame that JR are no longer available in the UK and there not easy to find second hand !

 

[Ktoom]

I'll take the smallest, lightest & fastest of the class.

I agree! No sense in compromising

I third that!!! I want a saw that is going to keep me from fatiguing quickly. Especially when your cutting in tricky situations for extended periods of time.

Yet on the same note, air filtration is starting to also matter to me as I really like the setup on the new Stihls vs the current Husky XP's.

At work, I prefer the 550xp for its size, ergo's, weight and high revving. At home id prefer a saw with good air filtration as I'm the one owning the saw, the rest of the categories don't matter as much to me.

 

[David Young]

its sure a strong runner and thank you for the advises David
I respect if you dont want to share how much you advance the timing, but if you share the knowledge I would apreciate it.

The flywheel key #735880400 is still avaible so I want to try it out anyway

of course, no problem I have no saw secrets.

I advanced 5 degrees. I use a wheel and pull cord in the cylinder for a piston stop.

big thing is this is an efficiency/ timing thing so 4 degrees may run good 8 degrees may cause a problem.

Tor something else is the 346 carb is a fairly easy swap and is 1.5mm bigger venturi.

 

[Landmark]

something else is the 346 carb is a fairly easy swap and is 1.5mm bigger venturi.

so 346 carb will direct swap on the 242?

 

[David Young]

both HDA bodies and seem close if I remember. I'll check it out tonight guys. I have not done the swap just to be clear.

 

[Tor R]

of course, no problem I have no saw secrets.

I advanced 5 degrees. I use a wheel and pull cord in the cylinder for a piston stop.

big thing is this is an efficiency/ timing thing so 4 degrees may run good 8 degrees may cause a problem.

Tor something else is the 346 carb is a fairly easy swap and is 1.5mm bigger venturi.

thanks alot David, this thread is just getting better and better,

I never thought about 346 carb, but the gasket and impulse line fit. Dont know about throttle and choke will fit, but I have one 182 carb to try with Sure gone give it a try the only issue I see with 346 carb is that choke is on the other side, that part can be fixed anyway with the good old 40/44 parts

Another carb I had in mind to try is HDA 120, it also have a bigger venturi, and the throttle & choke flap is same as 98, just to swap over throttle and choke shaft from 98 carb...

Lol edit alot

 

[David Young]

I want give credit. Joey told me about these mods. Here are some pics. The 242 carb is a hda34a. Some pics are with a hda 175 and the other is with a Xanax clone for a 346.

 

[David Young]

Your looking at a shaft swap and bolt up

 

[David Young]

Fake Zammer carb.

 

[CR888]

I have had a few 50cc saws, I have a couple of ms261's which are a well built strong saws. My 550xp is the best 50cc saw I have run and IMO is the best in its class on the market. I am more of a stihl person than husky too, I just buy good models of any brand.

 

[Crzybowhntr]

I have a 562 and a 550. I Love the 550 and it is my most used saw. Lite weight and peppy. .325 chain and 16" bar. I also have a 460 mmd'd and a 372. Did I mention that little 550 is my fav? lol. Any wood that's 16" diameter or less and I don't get another saw out. Well, until I get the 550 stuck but that never happens.

 

[weedkilla]

I've run an oe346 for ages, a 550 for a while now and picked up a 242xpg recently.
I will have to spend some time freshening up the 242, but I can't see any reason to choose it over the other two. I bought it because it's a bit of a legend on the inter webs - but I just don't get the appeal so far.

If I had an issue with the 550 it would be a bit of a daft one. I like a sub 50cc saw with a 16" 325 bar. The 550 is faster with a 325 8 pin, or 3/8x7 so it's hard to not run one of those setups. 3/8 isn't as smooth limbing, 325x8 gives you a dull chain much faster than 325x7, and with 325x7 it's no faster than my 346. See, it's a daft problem!

 

[Locust Cutter]

I will have a 550 someday. I finally got to run one a few days ago. It doesn't quite have the torque of my MS261 or ported 346xp but I love the feel and the 550 was on it's 3rd or 4th tank so it was still breaking in. The 242xp is a nimble little saw and a lot of fun but it's nowhere near the 346xp or 550xp. If you already had a good 50-60cc saw, then the 242 make a lot of sense. Or if you simply want one because. I have a 261 which is a hell of a sa and would make a decent 1 saw plan for firewood. Unfortunately it's a compromise saw that feels and runs more like a 60cc saw. I like actual 50cc saws which run like one.

Now, if you were to run a 2-3 saw plan for firewood I could see a 242xp, 262xp 562xp or Efco CS62 and then an 80-90cc saw. That would offer a lot of coverage and allow each saw to shine in it's respective area.

 

[Simondo]

Just some food for thought here Gentlemen . When the 242 was the small pro saw in the range followed by the 254 and the 262, you had 40, 50 and 60 cc classes . If you take the 550 as the start of the pro range of modern auto tune saws then it appears Husqvarna have upped the start point to 50 cc . I just think its difficult to do a direct comparison of a 242 to a 550 due to the cc gap and auto tune. Personally I'm a fan of both and see them as different rather than ..Better and not as good. IMO