550xp vs 555AT

I know where a nice 550 is for sale From a good guy, that I have bought off of before

You need a 550.. Even of you sell it in 2 months

 

Actually the easy money is in parts. Only the best run shops are really leading the way in net profits. That's a damm rare thing in this business unfortunately. Dealers that primarily sell low-margin entry level equipment are fighting an uphill battle. Selling a product which the cost to repair easily exceeds 60-75% of the cost to replace the unit. So you have the overhead of running a shop (which gets more expensive as I type this) and a low shop job capture rate. Plus a lot of junk to get rid of.

You are absolutely correct that area/economy plays a large role as well. Around here, the big brands are common on the average homeowner's lot and shop labor ranges from $50/hr to $75/hr depending on where you go and what it is. Totally different story where the vast majority of lawn tractors are sub-$1500 machines. I imagine the shop labor rates to be much lower in that kind of environment as well.

I think you'll find the new crop of 50cc machines to be much more "grunty" than the 346XP was. That said, the 550XP has been heralded as the limbing/handling king while others agree the MS261C-M has that "little big saw" feel. To which I concur. I have limited experience with the 550XP but in my hands I was surprised at how much oomph it had as a new-out-of-the-box 50cc. I hear Terry offers up the 2253 at a pretty good deal.

As popular as the new 50cc units are, I'm surprised one hasn't popped up at a charity cut/g2g close enough to you to try.

 

Carbine hit the nail on the head about our economy. When I told my dealer to order the 241C, he looked at me and said "You better buy this, because you know your the only person that comes in here, that would buy such a saw". And it's the truth. Although, I bought the 362C instead (more money, so he wasn't mad), but I had full intentions of buying the 241C later down the road.

When I went in last Saturday and bought the KM-130 he told me that someone bought the 241. He said it was some older man that walked in and said "Show me your fastest, smallest, and lightest saw". Jimmy showed the old man and then he said "I'll take it"!

Those are rare occurrences around here though.

 

I snipped it a little. It's pretty funny

 

Gotta love auto correct. My stock MS261C-M is a ripper. 12" wood and under and it's my go to machine every time. If we get into bigger trunks than I can handle with one swipe of a 16" bar, I switch out to the MS441C-M, also a good running machine compared to it's predecessor. I'm surprised you were disappointed with the OE 261. Most that own them like 'em. The biggest difference IMO with the 261s is the fact that the CM fires in a couple yanks (cold) every time, adjusts itself to environmental conditions almost instantly and runs at 100% performance every time you pick it up, which gives a saw that might feel more powerful on a consistent basis. It's not even the slightest bit cold-blooded either.

I'd like to see an OE261 again for comparison. As I found differences between the OE 441 and my CM that were definitely worth some power.

 

What chain does he run? Makes a BIG difference in these 50cc units.

http://firewoodhoardersclub.com/for...t-3-bars-3-chains-5-sprockets-and-1-saw.3690/

 

I remember that thread on AS too where Chity tossed that 372 out in the cold.....