Husky 281

[TimberJacker66]

I am getting a Husky 281 in trade for some work for a buddy of mine and don't really know much about the saw. Is a 281 a decent saw? About what size bar can I run? What years were they made? Any potential problems? Thanks!

[sawguy21]

A little long in the tooth but was a good saw. It was built in the 70's. You should be able to comfortably run a 30" bar with 3/8 chain..

[SawTroll]

The 281xp is the little brother of the 288xp (81 vs. 87cc), and has a very good reputation. It is a bit heavy for the power output, though.

These saws were based on the 181se, introduced about 1982.

They were introduced in the mid-late 1980s, and discontiued about 2002 here, but were still sold as a current model in parts of the world, the last time I looked......

Here is a User Manual, dated 2002.

Do you know when yours were made?
If not, it can probably be figured out, based on the serial number......

There are 11 different IPLs on Huskys web-site, dated from 1986 to 2001.

[logger]

281xp hmmmmmm, hey I've ran one of those!  My buddy has one, he runs a 20" on it.  He uses it for mostly trimming logs and boards at his sawmill.  When I ran it, it cut pretty good.  My buddy bought his new back in 1990, still running good, tons of timber cut, firewood, boards,etc.....  I would say it's a good saw. 8) :D ;D