Husqvarna Chainsaw Guide: Parts List, Chain Size Chart & the $450 Mistake to Avoid

You're probably here for one of three reasons: your Husqvarna needs a part, you're staring at a chain size chart, or you're trying to figure out if a drill bit can stand in for a router bit. I've been running and repairing Husqvarna saws since 2017, which means I've already made most of the expensive mistakes for you—including the $450 bar-and-chain failure I'll explain at the end, and the chain gauge mix-up that cost me an afternoon in the middle.

Here's what we're covering:

• What the Husqvarna 555 59.8-cc 2-cycle 24-in gas chainsaw can actually handle
• Where to find the full Husqvarna chainsaw parts list for your model
• How to read a chainsaw chain size chart without guessing
• Aftermarket parts, warranties, and what the FTC actually says
• Whether the cheap-chain math ever works out
• Can I use a drill bit in a router?
• Ten minutes of maintenance that prevents the most expensive damage

1. What can you actually do with a Husqvarna 555 59.8-cc 2-cycle 24-in gas chainsaw?

The 555 is a firewood saw, period. At 59.8 cc with a 24-inch bar, it sits between the lighter 550 XP and the heavier 572 XP. That means enough power for medium-to-large felling and bucking—think logs in the 18 to 30-inch range—without feeling like you're carrying a block of iron through the woods.

It took me about three years of running one to understand what the dealer tried to tell me on day one: professional-tier saws are priced for the work they do per hour, not for how they look hanging in the garage. A $300 homeowner saw cuts the same firewood. It just takes longer, vibrates more, and—in my experience—wears out faster under regular use. Put another way: the cheap saw is only cheaper on day one. If you're cutting a couple of cords a year, the 555 is overkill. If you're cutting five cords every winter, the cost per cut drops the more you run it.

Price varies by shop and package—I've seen the 555 listed anywhere from $550 to $750, and it might be different by the time you read this. But the total-cost story isn't the register price. It's cutting speed, vibration, and whether the saw is still doing its job three winters from now.

2. Where do I find the full Husqvarna chainsaw parts list for my saw?

Go to Husqvarna's website, Support → Parts Lookup, and enter your model number and serial code. The serial is stamped on the crankcase behind the clutch cover on most saws. What you get is the Illustrated Parts List—the IPL—an exploded diagram of every nut, gasket, and bearing with a part number.

Here's the lesson that cost me two days and a few wasted dollars: I ordered a fuel-line kit for my 555 using the model name alone. Looked right on the screen. Didn't fit in my hands. Husqvarna had updated the kit mid-production to a revised part number, and the fitting angle was different. My saw was the earlier version.

I had a storm-cleanup job in two days, so instead of waiting for the right part, I rushed to three local shops, bought a universal kit at emergency prices, and made it work with trimming and patience. Looking back, I should have opened the IPL on my phone and checked the revision letter. Every part on the diagram carries one—A, B, C—so you can see when a superseded number exists before you click buy.

(Should mention: add shipping to any part comparison. Small stuff like gaskets can go in a USPS large envelope—$1.50 for one ounce per current rates at usps.com/stamps—but most parts ship in boxes with $8-15 freight. Part price plus shipping is the number that matters.)

If you bought a used saw without a manual, the IPL is free on Husqvarna's site. Download it before you order anything.

3. How do I read a chainsaw chain size chart?

Three numbers. Get all three right and you can order a chain from the couch. Get one wrong and you'll be visiting the parts counter twice.

• Pitch — the distance between drive links, usually stamped on the old chain. Common sizes: 3/8", .325".
• Gauge — the thickness of the drive link that rides in the bar groove. Common sizes: .043", .050", .058".
• Drive links — the number of links in the loop, like 64, 68, or 72.

A chain size chart lists all three. Match them to the stamp on your bar, not to the saw model or bar length.

Dumb tax story: I needed a chain for a weekend job, had about two hours before the supplier's cutoff, so I grabbed the old chain off the nail in the shop. I read the pitch, counted the drive links, measured the bar. Then I assumed the gauge wasn't that important because the chain "looked similar." It wasn't. The old chain was .050" gauge; the one I ordered was .058". It sort of sat in the groove and bound up the moment I tensioned it. The saw was down, the job slipped, and I paid expedited shipping for the right chain.

A $6 gauge-check tool from the parts store settles it in ten seconds. I keep one in the chainsaw toolbox now. Never assume the gauge—verify it.

4. Does using aftermarket parts void my Husqvarna warranty?

Short answer: no, not by itself.

Under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act (15 U.S.C. § 2302(c)), and in plain language in FTC guidance at ftc.gov, a manufacturer can't void your warranty just because you used a third-party part. They can deny coverage only if that part caused the failure. So if an aftermarket chain snaps and damages your bar, you're on the hook for the repair. But if your starter assembly fails six months later for unrelated reasons, the warranty still covers it.

The gray area is proving what caused what. If a generic air filter passes dust and the piston scores, Husqvarna can reasonably point at the filter. My rule after nine years of fixing these: wear items—chains, sprockets, guide bars—are fine to buy aftermarket from reputable brands, as long as specs match exactly. Engine-side stuff like filters and fuel lines? I buy OEM. Saving $8 on a filter isn't worth a disputed claim on a $700 saw.

5. Is buying a cheaper chainsaw chain actually cheaper?

In spring 2023, I bought eight off-brand chains at about $16 each. OEM chains were running $32-34 at the time. On paper, I'd just halved my chain budget for the season.

That was a mistake, and I didn't fully admit it until about July. The budget chains stretched faster, needed retensioning every couple of tanks, and cut slower once they'd broken in. I pulled the last two out of service early and finished the season on OEM. End result: the total cost was basically a wash—except I'd spent extra hours on tensioning and the cutting had been slower all summer.

That's when it clicked. The price on the shelf isn't the cost of running a chain. Cost per hour of actual cutting is. A chain that costs half as much but lasts 60% as long and cuts slower isn't a deal; it's more expensive with extra steps.

That said, some aftermarket chains are genuinely well-made, and some OEM-branded chains come out of the same factories as budget loops. The deciding factor is steel quality and heat treatment—not easy to judge from a package. My rule now: once you find a chain that holds tension and cuts clean, stick with it. Switching to save $10-15 rarely pays off.

6. Can I use a drill bit in a router?

This one has nothing to do with chainsaws, but it shows up in almost every tool search, and the answer really matters. If you're asking because router bits cost $30 and drill bits cost $8, that's the wrong way to frame the problem.

No, you can't use a drill bit in a router. A drill bit is designed for axial force—pushing straight down into a hole. A router bit is designed for lateral force—pushing sideways through the edge of a board at 10,000 to 30,000 RPM. And router collets (typically 1/4" or 1/2") won't grip a drill bit shank with the precision a spinning tool needs. If you try it, you get wobble, ragged cuts, and a very real chance of the bit catching and throwing the work piece.

Then you're not saving $20 on a router bit—you're replacing a work piece and possibly a collet. Same total-cost logic as the chains above. If the price is the issue, basic router bit sets run under $20.

7. What chainsaw maintenance prevents the most expensive damage?

In my experience, most saws that "died suddenly" were suffocating or starving: clogged air filter, stale fuel, or a bar groove packed with sawdust and oil residue. The 10-minute checklist we run before every job:

• Check chain tension every time you refuel.
• Look at the air filter when you refuel; tap it out if it's matted.
• Clean the bar groove and check the tip sprocket for side-play whenever you flip the bar.
• Drain or stabilize fuel that'll sit for more than a month.

Back to the $450 mistake from the intro. That was a tip sprocket with a subtle wobble that I noticed and ignored. It took out a new chain and scored the bar beyond safe use, plus I had to push a weekend booking down the road. Parts plus lost time, easy to see how it hit $450. If I'd caught the wobble when I first felt it, the fix was a $30 nose sprocket and half an hour of work.

The checklist above has caught 47 potential issues in the past 18 months—I know because I keep track on the shop wall. I think most chainsaw owners are one habit away from saving themselves the same bill.