Husqvarna / Gas / Professional

Husqvarna 562 XP Mark II

Name: Husqvarna 562 XP Mark II
Brand: Husqvarna
Price: 950 USD
Availability: InStock

50cc class

59.8cc

Engine

3.5 kW rated

18 in

Bar

cuts to about 16 in

13 lb

Weight

powerhead only (excl. cutting equipment)

~$950

approx., with 18" bar and chain

See it at Husqvarna

Price and availability on Husqvarna's site may differ.

Thirteen pounds, 4.7 hp and a 28-inch bar rating make this the saw that does felling and limbing from one hand, and for a one-saw professional that combination is hard to argue with. It is also the model with the most complicated reputation in Husqvarna's range. The 560/562 generation that came before it produced a long trail of owner reports about crank failures traced to the outboard clutch design — the clutch sits unprotected by the crankcase and the crank narrows where it threads on — plus hot-restart trouble in hot weather and dry hardwood, and a vocal minority who simply want mixture screws back instead of AutoTune. The Mark II is the revision to that platform, so the fair reading is that the known failure mode is documented on the earlier saws and buyers should ask a dealer directly what changed. The power and the handling are not in dispute.

Best for: One-saw professionals and serious firewood cutters who need felling power and limbing manners in the same machine.

Specifications

Engine class: 50cc class (by displacement)
Engine: 59.8 cc
Rated power: 3.5 kW
Bar length: 18 in
Bar range: 15-28 in
Single-pass cut: about 16 in (bar minus 2)
Chain: 3/8" pitch / .050" gauge (X-Cut C83; .058" C85 and .063" H83 options)
Weight: 13 lb, powerhead only (excl. cutting equipment)
Power type: Gas
Use case: Professional
Warranty: 2-year consumer / 1-year commercial (Husqvarna limited)
Model: 562 XP Mark II

Manufacturer figures except the engine class and single-pass cut, which are derived here. What each spec means

4.7 hp at 13 lb
Rated to a 28-inch bar
AutoTune with 3/8 pitch chain

What owners like

4.7 hp in a 13 lb powerhead — the best power-to-weight in Husqvarna's 60cc class
28-inch maximum bar makes it a genuine felling saw, not just a bucking saw
Three chain options (.050 C83, .058 C85, .063 H83) let you match the bar to the wood
AutoTune holds the mixture across altitude and fuel changes without a screwdriver
Magnesium crankcase and pro anti-vibe built for rebuilds rather than replacement

Common complaints

The preceding 560/562 generation has a documented crank-failure pattern tied to the unprotected outboard clutch — ask what the Mark II changed before buying
Hot-restart complaints recur in owner threads, specifically in hot weather and dry hardwood
Some owners actively dislike AutoTune and want mixture screws; it also needs resetting to factory defaults after fuel-system repairs
$950 before a bar upgrade, and dealer-only so there is no discount channel
At 13 lb it is a pound and a half past the 50cc saws for all-day limbing

What owners say

Read from owner discussions, long-term write-ups and dated retail reviews; nothing here was measured on this site.

This is the saw a one-saw owner buys when the one saw has to fell and buck, and the owners who have settled on it are specific about the configuration: a 24-inch bar, preferably a light one, which is where they say the balance and the power-to-weight come together. Reports from that setup are strong — a 33-inch tree taken down in Southeast hardwood, a year-old saw that cuts like crazy and starts easily, a Stihl loyalist of fifteen years who borrowed one and came away arguing the gap between the brands has closed. The Mark II is also treated as the generation that fixed the platform; owners who cooked early 562s understood the first saws to have cooling problems that later revisions addressed, and at least one Mark II owner says the first-generation issues are simply gone.

The complaint that still follows it is heat. On 85 to 90 degree days one owner could hear fuel boiling in the saw at shutdown and the primer bulb did nothing while it was hot; a forestry worker calls the same thing a heat-sink problem producing vapour lock after heavy use and was ready to shim heat shielding between the carburetor and the head. A separate quirk is dying the instant you blip it off fast idle on the day's first start, then running perfectly after a restart. AutoTune adds a hidden requirement: owners say it will not adapt if you start up and cut straight away, and the fix they pass along is to run the bar tip along a log at about half throttle with steady RPM for two minutes before working. In genuinely deep cold the plastics become the weak point rather than the engine — a crew at minus 35 broke switches, clutch covers and a recoil housing across four saws.

The cross-shop is the Stihl MS 362 C-M, which Stihl itself names as the closest comparison, and owners say the 562 beats the 362 easily except in frozen wood where the 362 pulls ahead. The saw that actually pulls buyers away is the MS 400 C-M: lighter on a loaded-weight basis, more displacement, and repeatedly described by former Husqvarna owners as the sweet spot between a 562 and a 572. Weigh dealer support heavily — the most common reason owners in these threads choose Stihl is nothing to do with the saws. On fuel, follow the manual at 50:1; a dealer telling a new 562 owner to run 25:1 set off a long argument in which most owners landed between 50:1 and 40:1 and pointed out that Husqvarna itself only specifies 32:1 for milling, and only on AutoTune saws above 70cc.

What owners like

The owners who run one daily describe the same thing: a 24-inch bar on a light rail turns it into a balanced saw rather than a nose-heavy one. One whose everyday primary is a Mark II with a 24-inch Sugihara calls the power-to-weight excellent and says the light bar gives it a balance he has grown to love; another with a 24-inch bar in Southeast US pine, oak and hickory took down a 33-inch tree with it and says it has handled everything thrown at it.
The Mark II is widely treated as the fix for the first generation. One owner says flatly that all the issues the first generation had are gone and it is simply a joy to use. Owners who cooked early 562s understand the early saws to have had cooling problems that later revisions addressed, which is the key thing to establish when you are comparing a used first-gen against a new Mark II.
It converts Stihl users on the strength of AutoTune. A sawyer of fifteen years whose most-used tool is an MS 261 borrowed a 562 XP and says the AutoTune alone is worth the discussion — no more fiddling with the H and L screws moving between sea level and the mountains — and rates the anti-vibration noticeably better on the Husqvarna pro saws.
It cuts above its displacement, with one specific caveat owners offer. A year-old 562 XP owner who has run a lot of saws says it cuts like crazy with a 24-inch bar, runs great and starts easily, and reports hearing that it is faster than a 572 XP until you get to 24 inches and larger. Another says that other than his 066 the 562 XP is his favourite ground saw and it will just eat and eat as long as the bar and chain are maintained.
It will pull more bar than its rating suggests if you accept the compromise. Owners report running 28-inch bars with skip-tooth chain in oak — it will pull it, though they are clear it is not ideal — and 28-inch setups turn up often enough on these saws that one owner who favours a 24 says he has seen them more than once.
Owners who lost a Stihl in the same class replaced it with this and stayed. One whose MS 261 C-M had slow pickup, disappointing power in brush and then failed after about a year of line-clearance work replaced it with a 562 XP, still has it several years later, and says he loves it.

Common complaints

Hot restart is the defining complaint and it is temperature-dependent. One owner kept a 562 XP for six days: it cut great, but on 85 to 90 degree days he could hear the fuel boiling when he shut it off, and pushing the primer bulb did nothing once the saw was hot. A forestry worker issued a 562 describes the same thing as a heat-sink issue causing vapour lock after heavy use and planned to add heat shielding between the carburetor and the head if the shop would not fix it. A third owner who found both his 572s maddening on hot starts rates the 562 only slightly better.
It can die immediately after the first start of the day. An owner a tank and a half into a new Mark II reports it fires within three pulls, then dies as soon as he blips the throttle off fast idle, and restarts and runs perfectly from then on. Owners treat letting it fast idle longer as the workaround rather than a fix.
AutoTune has to be allowed to adapt or the saw underperforms, and nothing tells you that. An owner who has done it on several 562 XPs says the computer is supposed to adjust to conditions but will not if you start up and cut immediately; his routine is to run the bar tip along a log at roughly half throttle, keeping the RPM as steady as possible, for about two minutes. Dealers reportedly tell owners the same thing in cruder terms — run it hard, do not let it sit and idle.
Deep cold destroys the plastics. A line-cutting crew in northern Saskatchewan and Manitoba running 562s through a stretch of minus 35 Celsius had the plastic turn brittle on at least four saws — broken on-off switches, clutch covers, one cracked around the pull cord — alongside carburetor and air-filter trouble, and were going through saws at what they call a ridiculous pace.
Two assembly details catch owners out. The chain adjustment mechanism comes away with the clutch cover and is not held captive, which looks like lost parts the first time it happens; and at least one owner's bar oiler could not keep up, a problem a reputable shop failed to correct across two visits.
The powerhead weight flatters it. An owner who put his saws on a scale makes the useful comparison: fully loaded with bar, chain, fuel and oil the 562 XP Mark II comes to about 20 lb against roughly 18 lb for a Stihl MS 400 C-M and 17.5 for a 362 C-M. Combine that with thin Husqvarna dealer coverage in some regions — a recurring reason owners in those threads default to Stihl — and the practical case is less lopsided than the spec sheet.

Questions owners ask

Does it really have hot-start problems?

On hot days, yes, and owners are specific. One who owned his for six days could hear the fuel boiling when he shut the saw off on 85 to 90 degree days, and found pressing the primer bulb achieved nothing while it was hot. A forestry worker describes the same fault as a heat-sink issue that causes vapour lock after heavy use and intended to add heat shielding between the carburetor and the head himself if the shop could not cure it. Owners who also run 572s say that saw is worse, which is cold comfort.

Mine dies right after the first start of the day, then runs fine. Is that normal?

It has been reported on a brand-new Mark II a tank and a half in — fires within three pulls, dies the moment the throttle is blipped off fast idle, then restarts and behaves perfectly for the rest of the day. The workaround owners suggest is letting it sit on fast idle longer before knocking it down. If it persists past the first few tanks, treat it as a fuel or AutoTune issue for a dealer rather than something to live with.

How do I let the AutoTune calibrate properly?

An owner who has done this on several 562 XPs runs the tip of the bar along a log lengthwise at about half throttle, keeping the cutting RPM as consistent as he can, for roughly two minutes. His point is that the system is supposed to adjust to atmosphere and fuel but cannot do it if you start the saw and cut immediately, which leaves it running below its potential. Dealers reportedly give the same advice less precisely — go run it hard, do not let it sit and idle, because the 5 series like being worked.

Did the Mark II fix the first-generation problems?

Owners say yes, with the usual caveat that this is owner testimony rather than a published change list. One Mark II owner states flatly that all the issues the first generation had are gone. Owners who cooked early 562s understood the early years to have had cooling problems that later production revised, so when you are weighing a cheap used first-gen against a new Mark II, the cooling history is the thing to ask the dealer about directly.

What is the biggest bar that makes sense on it?

Twenty-four inches is where owners who run them daily have settled, ideally on a lightweight bar for balance, and that setup has taken down trees in the low thirties of diameter. Twenty-eight inches with skip-tooth chain will pull in oak — owners confirm it — but they also say it is not ideal and that one of them does not think the saw has much more power than a 460 Rancher at that length, just a better build. If 28 inches is your normal, owners point at a 572 XP or a 70cc saw.

My dealer told me to run 25:1. Should I?

Most owners say no and to follow the manual's 50:1. The argument that broke out over this is worth knowing: one side holds that the AutoTune carburetor's fuelling map assumes 50:1 so a heavy oil mix pushes it outside its envelope, while the other points out the system samples RPM, heat and barometric pressure several times a second and will compensate within seconds. The common middle ground among owners who deviate is 45:1 to 32:1 with a premium oil, and the cited precedent is that Husqvarna itself recommends 32:1 for milling — but only on AutoTune saws above 70cc.

What is the closest Stihl equivalent?

Stihl's own customer service names the MS 362 C-M as the nearest saw in its pro series, at 59cc and 4.7 bhp. Owners add nuance: the 562 beats the 362 easily in most conditions, but in tests on frozen wood the 362 came out ahead. The saw that actually pulls people across is the MS 400 C-M at around 67cc — described repeatedly by former Husqvarna owners as light, powerful and the sweet spot between a 562 and a 572 — with the newer 400.1 slightly smaller and lighter again.

Drawn from 8 owner threads and long-term reviews, kept on file with this entry.