HUSQVARNA 460 Rancher Chainsaw Review

460 Rancher Felling - The 460 Rancher is a great bang-for-buck chainsaw for an experienced, but non-pro user. If you make your living as an arborist, or cut every day, you will be looking at the Xp models. Our Husqvarna 460 Rancher was ordered with a 20" bar and on a 60cc saw is just about perfect, though the saw will cut like crazy with an 18" bar and chain. Husqvarna recommends the max bar and chain size to be 24", but choose your chain wisely as that could be a lot of teeth to pull, pending the wood you are cutting.

If you order a 20" bar, note that the factory oiler setting is 2 of 3 and will not be sufficient. Turn it up to 3 of three for the proper oil for that sized bar.

Starting the 460 Rancher was impressive! The saw starts on 2nd pull cold or 1st pull hot consistently. These easy starts are even consistent in all kinds of weather, including when the saw is covered in snow. The compression release is appreciated toward end of day but we found the recoil start easy enough that many times we did not use it when the chainsaw was warm. This chainsaw is relatively light and has a good "Husqy" feel to it.

Power wise, the Rancher 460 is not a pro saw, but we used it for felling mostly Elm and Oak, averaging 17" diameter. We also used this saw for bucking the felled trees and it performed flawlessly with ample power. The 60cc motor will "torque up" in your hands when revving.

460 Rancher Features

Side-mounted chain tensioner for easy access
20-Inch Bar
Quick release air filter to facilitate cleaning and replacement of air filter
Forged 3-piece crankshaft for maximum durability for the toughest applications
CARB Compliant
460 Rancher Suggestions

Please be sure to read the instruction manual before you assemble your new chainsaw. The manual clearly says to be sure the chain break is off before removing the clutch cover to install the chain. This should be a given for an experienced use, but if you don't there is a chance a dealer will have to put the cover back on.

Another word of caution and something we preach about all the time. These new saws require premium gas, 91 octane or higher. Also, using gas with more than 10% ethanol well cause them to run too lean and over heat and burn up the pistons. You must also use high performance 2 stroke oil (the stuff you use in your outboard will not cut it). Use Husky XP oil or purchase your fuel and oil already pre-mixed.
Overall

While there are some words of wisdom in this review, the fact is the Husqvarna Rancher 460 is an excellent saw. These words of wisdom should be communicated to any saw buyer as our fuel and CARB (EPA) requirements keep changing and ethanol is not good for any small engine. There is no doubt that with care and proper maintenance, the Rancher 460 will be a saw that will be handed down to the next generation. Great build quality in addition to top notch features keep Husqvarna at the top of the pack.

Engine Specifications

Cylinder displacement
60.3 cm³
Cylinder displacement
Power output
3.62 hp
Maximum power speed
9000 rpm
Fuel tank volume
0.9 US pint
Idling speed
2700 rpm
Spark plug
Champion RCJ7Y, NGK BPMR7A
Electrode gap
0.02 in
Torque, max.
3.4 Nm
Fuel consumption
437 g/kWh

Recommended Chain Specifications

Recommended bar length, max
24 in
Recommended bar length, min
13 in
Chain pitch
3/8"
Chain speed at max power
65.62 fts
Chain speed at 133% of maximum engine power speed
87.27 fts

[TatPower]

Great video. Thanxx for not being another guy who likes to hear himself talk. Straight and to the point.

[slpip]

I got this saw online came with a 24" bar. I also bought a 20" Husky bar and chain combo. This saw was a little bit sluggish when it was new. I had to fine tune the fuel and air mixture for idle speed and high speed. It has so much power to take down a 70 ft 24" diameter tree in a few minutes. No problem and a lot of power for its 24" bar. Slow and powerful engine. It is heavy but it is well balanced and more safer than a small saw.

[dankruger]

got the 455 rancher.  Had it for the last 5 years and it has been perfect.  cut 2 1/2 cord in 3 hours of big 24 inch butt cuts from a slash pile and it never hesitated.  got about 10 cord that way in three weeks.

[Smokeythewelder]

Great vidy. Hit all my questions without wasting my time. Thankyou!😊

[ww]

all around best saw you can buy off the shelf in a box hands down

[ilovesunoco]

I was cutting 26'' diameter ash today with my new Rancher 460, has 24'' bar and i run my saw's 32:1 with pure Syn oil and 93 octane. I was very happy with its performance as it didn't bog down nor lose power while working, I ran 2 tanks of fuel and had to call it a day, I planned on returning the saw if it couldn't handle the logs but i'm impressed with my purchase.

[captainconner]

They are a good saw, I personally have one, however a key important safety factor was missed upon mentioning the starting procedure. 1. Pull choke, 2. Two to Three pushes on the purge bulb, 3. Depress the Decompression valve, (the missed ones) 4. Engage chain brake forward, 5. Pull starter till saw tries to start, 6. Push choke back in to set fast idle, 7. Pull starter again, saw fires up. 8. Quickly press and release the throttle trigger to set normal idle.

[TheLvGordo]

Upgraded from a small echo saw which wouldn't start after using it twice. It did the same thing again after getting a new power head under warranty. Like the bigger bar and more power, much more flexible saw.

[guitarwok]

Just ordered one and can't wait till it comes in

[RobertoRodriguez-iedl]

Great video. I Just got my 460 today and cut 3 cords ready to split. Great chainsaw

[kylelemire]

I just bought the same saw love it. Waiting to buy a 20 inch bar

[wvboy]

Ive had my 455 rancher since 2010 it will start after setting for months runs every time doesnt matter ive used it for milling and for cutting a bunch of firewood

[russwebster]

Nice video guys.  It looks like a nice unit.  I like the 20 inch bar with the option to go to 24.

[mr.benitezhimself]

Picked this baby up today!
I’m excited to break it in

[XLRRRICK]

That blue choke lever can break off from the pull starter return. The plastic can shatter when freezing.

[kitfortney]

good point i just use mine for logging once in awhile and firewood

[ryanbrooks]

Nice saw my father just bought one yesterday.

[thomaswhitten]

When you say it's not an everyday saw, what does that mean?? No, I wouldn't use it everyday but when I do, it's for several hours and it needs to stay running. I've read reviews where these saws come out of the box broken. The plastic on the clutch melting and the brake being stuck. I also read and witnessed a saw the ran for a little while then just quit and wouldn't start again. What's up with that?

I just purchased this saw last week from Canadian Tire. It came with a 24 inch bar. I would like to downsize the bar and loose some weight. Could i drop this down to an 18 inch bar?

[Bluepilled-ct]

Yeah I’ll get me one of those, thanks.