Husky 550xp?

[gman98]

How many of you guys run these saws, and what are your thoughts on them?  How do they compare to the 346xp's?

Thanks

[danbuendgen]

I think the 550 has more power then the 346, but the 550 floods very quickly in hot weather. I have one for my wife to use when we work on firewood sales. She like it ok, it's light and not too aggressive for her, but she gets very frustrated running it in the summer with the flooding issue. Locking the throttle helps, but is not a cure for the issue. Other then this one issue, it's a good tiny pro saw. But I never really run it. Too small for my tastes. I like them big, loud, and aggressive.

[RIDE-RED 350r]

I own a 346NE and use a 550xp at work, both are bone stock.

I don't notice a difference in power so much as throttle response. The 550 just seems to have more of a bad attitude, I would say that AT and Rev Boost are the main contributors to this. I like the 550 just fine, but I'm not rushing out to trade my 346 in on one.

[adventure bob]

I have a 550 and love it.  Runs great.  However it has not been without problems. Danb, I will bet you a dollar that its not flooding issue.  Next time its in the shop, have them pull the transfer port cover and check the gasket.  I've had two of these with the exact same symptoms and they both were xfer port gaskets.  When they're sealed up, they run awesome and start in 2-3 pulls whether cold or hot.  They fixed the xfer port design after 2015.

[danbuendgen]

Ours is a 2015. I know a hand full of folks with hard warm starts in the summer time. My saw dealer claims is the AT needing more cold air to get started. Or the AT will shut it's self off if the cylinder temp gets too high. So when you shut it off to re-fuel, the fly wheel stops moving, and it heats up to the point where it's "to hot" so it wont let you start it.... until it's cool enough.