Bar Oil

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NHFarmer

Feeling the Heat
Feb 17, 2008
294
southeastern NH
I just bought a gallon of bar oil for $15. That is just too much money, Does anyone buy larger quantities to get a better price? Any substitutes that are clean and actually work well?
 
That's a lot. When I bought my saw last spring I bought a gallon of Stihl bar oil for $8.xx
 
Last year it got so high I went to Walmarts Poulon oil for about $6...after using it I don't think I'll switch back either.
 
I buy pulan, stihl, whatever is cheapest, and I buy 2 gallons at a time. It lasts a long time for a homeowner. That way as 1 gallon gets used up I buy 2...wait until down to 1 gallon again. You get the idea.
 
Some folks run vegetable oil in the warmer weather (be careful in cold weather as it can get too thick) but that isn't a big savings. Veggie oil is also the base for some of the "environmentally friendly" oils you can purchase. However veggie oil can damage or gum up the rubber lines in the lube system, especially if you let it sit in the saw for extended periods of time. Dolmar advises you to drain the veggie stuff and run a bit of dino-base oil through the saw before letting it sit for more than a month or so.

A few use waste motor oil, but this is considered a VERY bad idea by many people - it will void saw warrantees, and many people consider it a pollution hazard, toxic, etc.

I stick with whatever brand of bar oil I can get for cheap, IMHO there isn't enough difference between them to pay for fancy brand oils. As mentioned, cheap places to get it include Wally World, Home Despot, and Tractor Supply, probably other big box stores as well.

Gooserider
 
MY local Stihl oil went from $8 to almost $13 a gallon. :bug:
I have seen at Baileys they have Motion Lotion oil for $6+ a gallon or 4 gallons for $24. Has anyone used this oil before? I will also have to check out the shipping costs to see if its a deal or not.
 
Contrary to the ridiculous assertions of the handwringers, saws are not all that picky about bar oil. I've used Delo 400, 10w-40, ATF - all with no harm. I like my Stihl dealer so I'll pay his price, but otherwise I'd just use the WalMart brand SuperTech bar oil.
 
savageactor7 said:
Last year it got so high I went to Walmarts Poulon oil for about $6...after using it I don't think I'll switch back either.

Seconded. However with oil back to the low $40s per barrel I wonder why it isn't back down to $3/gallon... :-/
 
Thanks for all the replies,I was able to find a much better wholesale price by the case. That will save me some money.
 
I buy what ever is on sale and ussually have 5 or more gallons around it always seems to go away
 
bought a gallon the other day
thought it said 11.99
n. e. det. mi
 
Mass. Wine Guy said:
Has anyone used the Motion Lotion chain/bar oil from Bailey's? It sells for $8.95 a gallon.
Thats what I want to know.. look up^^^
 
Mass. Wine Guy said:
Has anyone used the Motion Lotion chain/bar oil from Bailey's? It sells for $8.95 a gallon.

You mean THIS STUFF? Seems like a great price, and a fun product, but I thought it was for a different kind of bar? ;-P Either way, I never knew that Bailey's had expanded their business in that direction.... <GRIN>

Gooserider
 
I use used motor oil. I know the talk about how it doesn't "stick" to the bar, but I've used it for 20 years and haven't seen excessive bar and chain wear.
 
Bought 5 - 1 gallon containers of bar oil yesterday. $8.00 each. Would rather use that than motor oil.
 
All this talk of buying gallons of the stuff. Unless you're in the firewood business, where are you pouring it? I don't use a gallon in a year.
 
I just bought a gallon of Stihl bar oil for $10 and it goes through my saw like water. The last Gallon was from Home Depot and was like pouring honey, this one is like regular motor oil. I am filling the oil every gas fill, it is not empty but is below half. That is a lot since I have a Husky Rancher 455 and the fuel tank is tiny.
 
LLigetfa said:
All this talk of buying gallons of the stuff. Unless you're in the firewood business, where are you pouring it? I don't use a gallon in a year.

Pouring it into chain saws. When root plowing pastures, the D9 dozers shove the trees to the side. We cut them up. Several chain saws at work at all times.
 
LLigetfa said:
All this talk of buying gallons of the stuff. Unless you're in the firewood business, where are you pouring it? I don't use a gallon in a year.

x2.

I'm just about to finish off a gallon that I've had for God-knows-how-long. It's been at least 5 years and I cut 5-15 cord of wood per year.
 
Hurricane said:
I just bought a gallon of Stihl bar oil for $10 and it goes through my saw like water. The last Gallon was from Home Depot and was like pouring honey, this one is like regular motor oil. I am filling the oil every gas fill, it is not empty but is below half. That is a lot since I have a Husky Rancher 455 and the fuel tank is tiny.

There's winter oil and summer oil. I use the thick stuff (don't know if it's summer or winter oil) year-round.
 
I did not see any grade or winter / summer on the label. How do you tell.
 
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