Looking for a chainsaw to use around the home? Cub Cadet offers two options: the CS 511 and the CS 552. Built for common residential tasks like cutting limbs, felling small trees, and trimming logs to be made into firewood, these saws are light and easy to use, but they aren’t dumbed down for home users, either. Professional quality motors and clever design features make these Cub Cadets easy to own.
Ease of Use
These models come with an automatic chain oiler, but chain tensioning has to be done manually. Fortunately, the tensioning bolts are exposed on the side of the chainsaw body, making them easy to access.
The choke is integrated into the carburetor, and the engine just needs a few squeezes of the priming bulb before it will fire up. A wide foot handle makes it easy to keep the saw in position when pulling the starter handle. Like other two-strokes, the motors used in the CS 511 and CS 552 are sensitive to fuel age. Cub Cadet doesn’t offer pre-mixed fuel, but they do encourage owners to use a fuel stabilizer and to check the fuel using test swabs.
Once underway, vibration isolation on both the front and rear handles makes the chainsaws comfortable to use over long periods. A wide front stirrup handle allows multiple hand positions to further reduce fatigue.
Cutting Power
What are the main differences between the CS 511 and CS 552?
The engine and the bar.
The CS 511 uses a 51cc Pro 2-cycle motor, while the CS 552’s engine displaces 55cc. Why the difference in motors? The 511 uses an 18-inch bar, while the CS 552 needs a little extra oomph to power its 20-inch bar. When cutting the same size branches, they’ll both saw at about the same speed, but the extra length lets the 552 tackle larger branches and trunks.
Durability
Both models are covered by a three year limited residential warranty. Both motors are EPA rated for 125 hours of use, not the usual 50 hours you’d expect to see on a residential two-stroke.
Safety
Both saws come with a heavy duty carrying case to protect the saw and any people moving around it. This case has a rectangular shape with an extension for the bar, making it stable and stackable. No curved sides means no rolling around in the back of your truck or trailer.
An inertial chain brake cuts power to the bar when the chainsaw kicks back, protecting the operator.
Getting Parts for the 511 and 552
When you need to work on your Cub Cadet chainsaw, or you need some maintenance items like a new chain, visit cubparts.com. We’re a certified Cub Cadet dealer, and we carry a wide range of OEM parts so you can make quality repairs to your small engine equipment. We make finding the right part easy thanks to an advanced part lookup system that lets you view factory parts diagrams and descriptions of assemblies, so you can be sure you’re ordering the exact part you need. We ship orders across the U.S. and Canada.