Husqvarna 550 XP Mark II vs Husqvarna 555
Tinted cells mark the better figure on that row alone: more engine, longer bar, lighter, cheaper. A lighter weight is only a win on the same basis.
What owners like and complain about
Husqvarna 550 XP Mark II
- Class-leading power-to-weight — 3.0 kW in an 11.7 lb package
- Mark II revision put the original's air-leak reputation behind it
- AutoTune self-adjusts for altitude, fuel, and filter condition
- Factory X-Cut SP33G chain is sharp and smooth out of the box
- Magnesium crankcase built for rebuild-and-run-again pro life
- Light enough and smooth enough to run at full output all day, though fallers who run both rate the Stihl MS 261 as the less vibey saw in the cut
- Crank-bearing failures are still reported on Mark II saws despite Husqvarna calling the problem fixed — one dealer stopped stocking them over it
- Dealer-only pricing runs $660-760 — double a big-box 50cc saw
- Wants to be run at full throttle; feels flat when lugged
- AutoTune requires a dealer with diagnostic gear for deep service
- Overkill money for occasional weekend cutting
- 20-inch bar is its ceiling — big-wood buyers need the 562/572
Husqvarna 555
- 59.8cc and 3.1 kW for roughly $190 less than the 562 XP Mark II
- 3/8 pitch chain steps up from the .325 the 50cc saws use — better in big wood
- Rated to a 24-inch bar, a genuine step past anything in the Rancher range
- X-Torq engine keeps fuel use and emissions down for the displacement
- Simple carbureted fuel system that any small-engine shop can service
- No AutoTune — altitude and seasonal fuel changes mean adjusting the carb by hand
- 0.4 kW and four inches of maximum bar behind the 562 XP Mark II
- 13.01 lb powerhead is over a pound heavier than the 50cc saws, and it is felt when limbing