Husky 181

Klicker · October 21, 2014, 12:32:16 PM

I just got a 181 husky from a neighbor. Is there a way to tell how old this saw is and what is the longest bar it will handle I am thinking of a chainsaw mill for the few that are to big for my LT40.

Al_Smith · October 21, 2014, 08:31:10 PM

It's 81cc -- 5 cubic inch .It will pull a 32" okay .However it won't do exceptional milling .

HolmenTree · October 21, 2014, 09:24:20 PM

The 181 is fully capable for light milling but was originally designed as a production felling saw.
First introduced in North America at Husqvarna dealers as a 181SE in the fall of 1982.
It was labelled as a "new concept" saw with its high power to weight ratio, thanks to it's new at the time "power flow" piston which provided added strength and a low operating temperature for easier restarts under tough conditions.
Also new for the time was it's 4 position oil pump, larger av mounts, enlarged air filter and muffler.

It took Stihl 4 years to better the 181 with the 064AV introduced in 1986..

Klicker post your saws serial # and we can tell you when it was manufactured.

sawguy21 · October 21, 2014, 10:05:03 PM

The 181 kicked butt. I would snag one in a heartbeat.

Al_Smith · October 22, 2014, 05:32:02 AM

I've got a later model 281 in the shed that wears a 24" .Plenty of power but it doesn't pull any better than my 805/850 McCulloch or the 038 Mag I souped up .

Nice old saw though .Once again though saws of about the same engine displacement will preform about the same .After that it's just preferencial likes or dislikes .

HolmenTree · October 22, 2014, 01:53:51 PM

Here's a few pics to show the beautiful lines of the 1982 Husqvarna 181SE, in my opinion a work of art compared to any other saw in history, even in 2014 standards.

Last pic shows the upgrade to a 181XP in 1986, to counter the Stihl 064AV.

mad murdock · October 22, 2014, 03:09:06 PM

My brother hada 181SE in the early 80's, it was a kick butt saw! I had a 266 and later got into a 920 Johnny. That 920 was a real good one too!

HolmenTree · October 22, 2014, 06:09:59 PM

Quote from: mad murdock on October 22, 2014, 03:09:06 PM
My brother hada 181SE in the early 80's, it was a kick butt saw! I had a 266 and later got into a 920 Johnny. That 920 was a real good one too!

I went the 910/920 route too at the time the 181 came out. At the time I liked the looks of the 181 but my previous Jonsereds ties prevented me from buying one....I wish I did.

Even though the 920 was a good saw, it was a cinder block compared to the 181.

mad murdock · October 22, 2014, 06:48:16 PM

Quote from: HolmenTree on October 22, 2014, 06:09:59 PM
Quote from: mad murdock on October 22, 2014, 03:09:06 PM
My brother hada 181SE in the early 80's, it was a kick butt saw! I had a 266 and later got into a 920 Johnny. That 920 was a real good one too!

Even though the 920 was a good saw, it was a cinder block compared to the 181.

I agree with you for sure!!

Klicker · October 23, 2014, 05:31:39 PM

Serial number is 1983014041. It is a 181 se. It runs good But needs a few things the kill switch does not work and the cover has a hole in it.

sablatnic · October 23, 2014, 05:46:59 PM

I would presume it was built during the first week of 1983.

Lovely old brute. Enjoy it!

HolmenTree · October 23, 2014, 10:36:00 PM

Quote from: Klicker on October 23, 2014, 05:31:39 PM
Serial number is 1983014041. It is a 181 se. It runs good But needs a few things the kill switch does not work and the cover has a hole in it.

I not used to those old #s. :D
SawTroll might have to correct me, but I'd say it's the 41st unit assembled in the 14th week of 1983.
Or .............4,401st unit assembled in the 1 st week of 1983. 4,401 units does sound a bit high for a week production especially way back then.
So I'd say my 1st guess is correct ,unless they added the last digit for some unknown reason..

SawTroll · October 24, 2014, 11:31:54 AM

Quote from: HolmenTree on October 22, 2014, 01:53:51 PM
Here's a few pics to show the beautiful lines of the 1982 Husqvarna 181SE, in my opinion a work of art compared to any other saw in history, even in 2014 standards.

Last pic shows the upgrade to a 181XP in 1986, to counter the Stihl 064AV.

Yes, they look really nice! 8)

Interesting with the 181XP, as that model isn't listed anywhere - but still not a big surprice, considering how they did things back then. If it ever hit the market as the 181XP, it soon was replaced by the 281XP anyway.....

Somewhat similar stories were the 2100XP/2101XP thing, that happened at about the same time - and the 166SE/266SE thing, that happened some years earlier .

ehp · October 24, 2014, 10:36:25 PM

I have 2 of them here , oldest number is 1983005789 but mine has 181 SE but has the XP sticker on saw but not in the number , You will find the older 181 have different crank and crank bearings in them , 1 side of the crank has a smaller diameter than the other side, the later saws both sides are the same size , also the crankcases are different because of the smaller crank bearings on the 1 side

SawTroll · October 25, 2014, 06:17:02 AM

Quote from: HolmenTree on October 23, 2014, 10:36:00 PM
Quote from: Klicker on October 23, 2014, 05:31:39 PM
Serial number is 1983014041. It is a 181 se. It runs good But needs a few things the kill switch does not work and the cover has a hole in it.
I not used to those old #s. :D
SawTroll might have to correct me, but I'd say it's the 41st unit assembled in the 14th week of 1983.
Or .............4,401st unit assembled in the 1 st week of 1983. 4,401 units does sound a bit high for a week production especially way back then.
So I'd say my 1st guess is correct ,unless they added the last digit for some unknown reason..

It obviously is a 1983 saw - but I don't know for sure what the other digits meant by then.

sablatnic · October 26, 2014, 04:07:19 AM

Just had a chat with a guy who used to run of the warranty department of Husqvarna Denmark. He said that as far as he knew 1983 was the year, obviously, 01 was the week, and 4401 was the total number of Husqvarna products till then, that week.

But that doesn't explain the number of ehp's saw, unless the week before '01' was numbered '00' that year!

SawTroll · October 26, 2014, 05:23:32 AM

Quote from: sablatnic on October 26, 2014, 04:07:19 AM
Just had a chat with a guy who used to run of the warranty department of Husqvarna Denmark. He said that as far as he knew 1983 was the year, obviously, 01 was the week, and 4401 was the total number of Husqvarna products till then, that week.

But that doesn't explain the number of ehp's saw, unless the week before '01' was numbered '00' that year!

The other numbers meant that when the year digits changed from all four to just one (some time in 1984?) - but I'm pretty sure I've seen 1982/-83 numbers that don't add up with that.

That's the reason I said I don't know for sure....

sablatnic · October 26, 2014, 08:45:33 AM

Just been up in the attic and have a look around, and found a Partner 1633B #1983 001434, and a Partner S65 # 1984004397!

My friend from Husqvarna wasn't right either, and I'm confused!!

First four digits, production year!
Next two digits, assembly line number?
Or just the next??
Or the first '0' is just a separator and the next two the week number, which means that they can't make more than 1000 units a week?!?

About assembly lines: When I visited Husqvarna in 1984 they had two assembly lines for the saws, one for all the saws, and one for the partner S-series, which were assembled by a couple of guys in the basement!! Took 9 - 10 minutes to assemble a Partner!

dennyb · December 20, 2014, 10:36:26 PM

Quote from: Klicker on October 21, 2014, 12:32:16 PM
I just got a 181 husky from a neighbor. Is there a way to tell how old this saw is and what is the longest bar it will handle I am thinking of a chainsaw mill for the few that are to big for my LT40.

80cc and light. I think the best power to weight ratio when it came out in 82 and I think it 84 became the 281. I bought a 480 before that and it was the most gutless power to weight ratio I ever saw in a husqy so when the 181 came out I was thrilled. I was lighter than the 480 and would leave it for dead in a race.