Chainsaw Bar Oil

[mustangsallysdad]

I don't know whether you would call it "additives" or not, but I found it very easy to see and feel the difference between bar oil and motor oil.

I too find bar & chain oil to be significantly "sticky & tacky"...anyone who doesn't believe it should do a make shift "tension test"...that will convince you that it is tackier than motor oil. I can pull a thread of Wal-Mart's Super Tech about 18" before it breaks...motor oil, maybe an inch or two.

 

[brandoro]

I came across an interesting device, see link below. It is hydraulically driven and is self oiled by taking oil from your hydraulic reservoir. Not sure if I would agree with hydraulic or trans/hydraulic oil being very good for a bar and chain oil but it is probably better than running it dry.
I'm not much of a shopper so I usually buy whatever bar and chain oil is easiest for me to get to but, I do like to use oil that was designed for the job, whatever that might be.
Limbinator Saws LLC

 

[RobertN]

Me too.

In my earlier post about using premium Stihl or Husky oil, I did not note that I have a Husky dealer 2 miles away. And a Stihl/Husky dealer 8 miles away. Next closest Stihl shop is 17 miles away.

So I use Stihl or Husky mix and bar oil. Might be cheaper at Wally Mart, but it is 9 miles away. And, the Stihl and Husky dealers are a whole lot more fun of store to visit

I'm not much of a shopper so I usually buy whatever bar and chain oil is easiest for me to get to but, I do like to use oil that was designed for the job, whatever that might be.

 

[alchemysa]

What kind of proof do you need All you have to do is look and feel...the bar oils I've used definitely are "tacky/sticky" almost to the point of being stringy...

I'm in the camp of using bar oil rather than pinch a few pennies with used motor oil..

I'm not saying its not thicker or tackier. I'm just a bit sceptical that the tackiness is due to the additives rather than it just being a natural property of very thick oil.

A long time ago I knew a guy who made a whole range of shampoos for professional hairdressing chains. It was all the same stuff but the addition of a few drops of some obscure ingredient into a 44 gallon drum of the basic shampoo allowed him to make all sorts of claims. A few drops of aloe vera was enough to suck in the organic market.

 

[Soundguy]

IMHO.. gear oil does not feel as tacky or stringy as bar oil.. yet gear oil is heavier.

whether it is a property of the base stock oil or an additive is rather academic isn't it?

soundguy

 

[RobertN]

Gear oil is stinkier too. Bar oil does not have much smell. I was transferring oil yesterday, and hardly noticed any odor. I buy a gallons of bar oil, but transfer it into a couple large dish-soap bottles. Makes it easier to handle, and easier to "squirt" in to one of my saws, that has the handle partially obscuring the oil fill hole.

IMHO.. gear oil does not feel as tacky or stringy as bar oil.. yet gear oil is heavier.

whether it is a property of the base stock oil or an additive is rather academic isn't it?

soundguy

 

[WayneB]

Right, bar oil is definitely stickier , almost like maple syrup...now dont use that in your saw

:licking:

You are so right plus the price of Maple syrup this year in NH is right at $80 a gallon.

 

[Soundguy]

Gear oil is stinkier too. Bar oil does not have much smell. I was transferring oil yesterday, and hardly noticed any odor. I buy a gallons of bar oil, but transfer it into a couple large dish-soap bottles. Makes it easier to handle, and easier to "squirt" in to one of my saws, that has the handle partially obscuring the oil fill hole.

you got that right.. gear oil stinks real good.

I do however save the lil pointy tops off the quart gear oil bottles.. they screw on good to quart oil bottles. I buy either walmart or tsc bar oil inthe gallon jugs, and I have a quart bottle that I refill, then put the pointy top on. as you say.. makes getting the oil in the saw easier as oposed to getting oil on the saw!

soundguy

 

[Treemonkey1000]

Maple Syrup might smell better coming out of the saw but boy would it scorch and gum up the bars! I have been using the laundry detergent bottles to pour the bar oil for several years. I sure get a lot more in the tank than on the saw that way...

 

[6thgpSF]

I just bought a gallon of stihl oil yesterday at $11.00 a gallon,another place I went to wanted $15.00 a gallon. russ

 

[Treemonkey1000]

Not sure if there are any Ace stores out your way. About $9 a gallon

Ace Bar & Chain Oil (74134a) - 6 Pack - Oil - Ace Hardware

 

[valley]

I have always used ,new not used, motor oil. The chain and bar are still good on the first saw I bought in the late 60s. Haven't read the whole thread, not sure what the pros ues.

 

[D7E]

We cut 1-200 cords of firewood every year and i have worked for some arborists and logging crews who have all used 15/40 or 80/90 gear oil watered down with a bit of hyd oil or whatever is to hand in our old and new saws without any trouble so long as the chain is getting enough of it . I do see some of our self employed boys putting 10/30 in their saws in winter if thats all they have in the truck to finnish the day out.

 

[MESSMAKER]

Used oil works pretty well. I have never had wear problem out of any saw I have owned. I suspect that it is just fine but I bet the"Snake Oil" salesmen will give you a hundred reasons why it won't work, when I know that it will. I have seen used transmission fluid used as well.

 

[Soundguy]

besides the fact that it's bad for the environment? should htere be any other reasons needed?

soundguy

 

[newbury]

Bar oil -
The buildup of human oils deposited by leaning on the bar while drinking.

The bar oil used will often depend on the oiler and the temperature.

My JD CS62 on a medium setting will spit out Motion Lotion at low temps like a llama, (Bailey's - Motion Lotion Bar & Chain Oil).
My Stihl 660 dribbles it out at the same temps, while turned to the max, like Scrooge McDuck.

WalMart oil is much thinner and less sticky, Canola oil is more "green".

Just make sure your chain "spits" a little and you should be OK.

Note - I bought 4 gallons of Motion Lotion for $9@ when Baileys had free shipping.

The OP mentioned Way and Slide lube used for rearends and such. I'd be wary of lubes used for rearends.

 

[MESSMAKER]

besides the fact that it's bad for the environment? should htere be any other reasons needed?

soundguy

I get what you are saying, but I suspect that specific bar oil is not all wine and roses for the environment either. Chainsaws are just tough on the environment for a multitude of reasons.

 

[Soundguy]

I get what you are saying, but I suspect that specific bar oil is not all wine and roses for the environment either. Chainsaws are just tough on the environment for a multitude of reasons.

if you have a choice between introducing clean oil stock to the environment. or 'waste' oil stock that's been thru an engine.. collected benzene and heavy metals.. etc... well.. which one would you prefer to show up in your drinking water? the one with mercury, lead and benzene.. or the one without it?

soundguy

 

[Rich Waugh]

Agreed. Used sump oil is a really bad thing for the saw, the environment and YOU. You're breathing a mist of that stuff all the time you're cutting, to some extent.

If you really want to be environmentally conscious and personally safe, use vegetable oil with a veggie-based tackifier additive and also wear a respirator because even veggie oil ain't too salubrious for your lungs. Alternately, you can forget the tackifier and just run a bit more oil through the pump to make sure enough gets around the bar to the bottom where the pressure is.

You can buy spiffy "biodegradable" commercial bar oil at about double the cost of dino bar oil or canola oil from Sam's Club, if it makes you feel better.

If you work around wetlands or water you should definitely use a veggie oil. Used fryer oil will work okay, too and your firewood smells like french fries.

Rich

 

[xyz123]

I bought a saw that had been run on vegi oil. What a :smiley_aafz::thumbdown::smiley_aafz: sticky mess to clean up.