Husqvarna 450 Rancher Review

Even if you’re not a chainsaw enthusiast, you’ve probably heard about Husqvarna. They produce some of the best chainsaws on the market. In this review, you’ll find out if they live up to their reputation.

The 450 Rancher is a feature-packed 20” (50 cm) gas-powered chainsaw, and it’s of their most sought-after models. It belongs to Husky’s medium range of chainsaws, and as the name suggests it’s made for homeowners, farmers, and ranchers. Not so much for pro users.

It’s powerful enough for felling and clearing on the ranch or large estate. Efficiency, light weight, easy starting, and maneuverability are all present. Like all Husky’s chainsaws now, it’s equipped with an X-Torq engine, which is efficient and has low emissions.

Pros & Cons

Lightweight
Easy to start, use and maintain

Doesn’t come with a cover
Recoil starter may jam after a while

Conclusion

It’s no secret that this is a popular saw. And in my opinion, it’s for good reasons. It’s a versatile machine and offers plenty of power for regular homeowners or farmers. It’s easy to use and it can take a ton of abuse, so it should last you a couple of years.

See Amazon reviews

Design

Guide bar

Out of the box, there’s a 20” (50 cm) bar, though you can swap that and use whatever you like. Recommended size ranges from 13” (33 cm) to 20”. It’s attached to the saw by only one nut. This may concern some people, but there’s no report of any major issue with this.

Chain

The low kickback chain has a 0.05” gauge, 0.325” pitch, and 72 drive links. Thanks to narrow kerf technology it requires less power to make the same cut. There’s plenty of cutting speed with the chain speed being around 17 m/s. Be sure to keep the chain sharp at all times for maximum performance and safety.

Fuel tank

Along with the 445 and 450, its 0.95 US pint (0.45 liter) is the biggest in this range. It’s also transparent so you see how much gas you’ve got left or don’t overspill when filling up.

Ergonomic rear handle

Rancher models have better ergonomic rear handles that reduce fatigue when cutting a lot of trees in one go. The classic 450 and 450E don’t have this.

Felling marks

Again, standard with all Huskys. Felling marks on the body are for lining up the bar to the cut. You line up the mark where you want the tree to fall with the felling marks and you do the top cut first.

Durability

Air Injection

The centrifugal air cleaning system prevents larger dust and debris particles from reaching the air filter. In return, you get improved engine life and less maintenance cleaning the air filter. All Husqvarnas have this.

Three-piece crankshaft

This design with roller bearing provides greater reliability and reduced internal wear.

Adjustable oil pump

Modern saws often feature this, so you don’t have to manually oil the chainsaws yourself. Auto oiler adjusts itself to whatever you’re doing.

Ease of use

Flip-up tank cover

Makes it easier to refuel the chainsaw, as you have a better grip when opening the filler even with a vacuum in the tank. The cap is designed to allow air in and replace the vacuum after turning it through ¼ turn and break the suction power.

Snap-lock cylinder cover

When you need to do maintenance on the air filter, you can remove the hard plastic cover easily by popping the snap-locks on each side. You don’t need any tools for that.

Air purge and fuel pump

They’re the same thing. Before you start the engine, you press it up to six times to make sure there’s a fuel in the carburetor. When ready, fuel is visible in the bulb, it removes air from the carburetor and fuel system for quick starting.

Smart Start

This is available on the 450, 450 Rancher and 450E. It reduces resistance by the coil by around 40%, which makes starting up the chainsaw a lot easier and with fewer cord pulls.

Starting up

To start a cold engine, you prime the air purge bulb (also called the fuel pump) until you can see fuel in it. Next you activate the choke and engage the chain brake by pushing the handle forward. Before you pull the handle of the cord to start the engine, you press the decompression valve.

Auto return stop switch

When you use the stop switch to kill the engine, it resets on the ON position, which enables the engine to start again. This is convenient, because you won’t forget to set it to “run” mode before you start the engine.

Safety

Chain catcher at the bottom of the saw provides protection should the chain slip off the bar.

Inertia activated chain brake

In case of kickback the inertia mechanism will stop the chain from running. This significantly reduces the risk of injury.

LowVib

The vibration dampening system called LowVib is present in all Husky chainsaws. Metal springs in the engine suspension reduce vibrations felt by the operator. This allows you to work longer without your hands getting exhausted and it also prevents developing medical conditions.

The front handle and hand guard are offset by 7° to provide more natural holding position.

Performance

X-Torq

Probably the best thing about newer Husqvarna saws is the X-Torq. They’re famous for their low fuel consumption and emissions. You spend less on gas and breathe less fumes. It also makes the saw CARB compliant.

The 3.2 horsepower, 50 cc 2-stroke engine has a maximum RPM of 9000 and provides ample torque (2.6 Nm) which goes through logs easily.

As usual with 2-stroke engines, a fuel mix ratio of 50:1 (gas:oil) applies.

Warranty

For personal use you get a 2-year warranty. If you purchase 3 x 32 oz cans of the Husqvarna premix fuel with your chainsaw, you can extend the warranty to 4 years at no extra cost. You have to register your saw online to get the extra years of warranty and you’ll have to provide proof (receipt) of buying the premix.

There’s also the option to buy 2 or 3-year protection on Amazon.

What’s in the box?

Chainsaw
Chain
Guider bar
Scrench (screwdriver and wrench)
User manual

Most retailers, including Amazon, ship the saw fully assembled. You only need to put fuel and oil in it, tension the chain and you’re good to go.