Recycle car oil in chainsaw (bar)

[gzecc]

A friend says he uses the old oil from his cars in his chain saws. Whats the concensus?

 

[Bigg_Redd]

A friend says he uses the old oil from his cars in his chain saws. Whats the concensus?

You could. . . seems like it's be thin so keep an eye on the level.

I've used new motor oil for bar oil without catastrophe.

 

[LLigetfa]

Chain/bar oil is really sticky for a reason. This is so it doesn't all fling off with the cetrifugal force going around the tip. Oil is cheap. Don't wear out your bar, chain, and sprockets.

 

[ansehnlich1]

If you love your chain saw, use bar and chain oil.

I've never seen a chainsaw manufacturer recommend used motor oil to lube their chain/bar/sprocket.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

They are thicker going in, but loosen up when sitting next to a running engine.

Personally, if I were trying to save money with oil I'd buy a better quality synthetic two cycle oil and keep my combustion chamber in the best shape possible.

Matt

 

[Mass. Wine Guy]

What a great idea! Let's experiment on a nice chainsaw. I think you should use new bar oil. Why contaminate it with the gunk in the used stuff?

 

[gzecc]

How about a 50/50 mix?

 

[Bigg_Redd]

Chainsaw bar lubrication is fairly un-demanding - low pressure, not too hot, etc. Motor oil, new or used, works fine as long as it doesn't run out, which it is apt to do being thinner than bar oil.

 

[LLigetfa]

If you love your chain saw, use bar and chain oil.

I've never seen a chainsaw manufacturer recommend used motor oil to lube their chain/bar/sprocket.

Agreed.

I can't believe this discussion is even going on. Do you think oil companies fabricated a chain oil myth as a ruse to bilk money from unsuspecting wood cutters? Really! Give your head a shake.

 

[Corey]

Guys, what's going on?!?...it's new years morning, so I guess it can be forgiven, but nine posts and no one as mentioned using vegetable oil!

Generally, used motor oil is frowned on for various reasons. It would probably do an OK job lubricating, but it's non biodegradable, plus got all sorts of gunk from the car engine, not to mention heavy metal particulates such as lead and copper. The amount you go through is pretty small, but of course - if everyone did it, it could muck up the woods pretty quick. IMHO, I just run bar oil. I've forgotten how many cords of wood I've cut with this one gallon I have, so a couple bucks every 2 years is a small price to pay for peace of mind.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Ha! You think bar oil is bad, wait until the oil pump has to process an old french fry :lol:


Matt

 

[EatenByLimestone]

How about a 50/50 mix?

When it comes down to it, it's your chainsaw. People have run new oil, old oil, veggie oil (as mentioned above) and anything else that might lube at a low price. If you want to try it, go ahead.

I actually turned up the oil pump on my saw to the max. I figured I'd rather go through more oil then wear out my bar.



Matt

 

[savageactor7]

gzecc sure I suppose you could use old motor oil, I don't cause I have other uses for used oil, but speaking just as a bar lubrication issue yeah sure.

Lately I've been buying that green bottled poulan oil at WarMart for 5.50 a gal. Now that oil has cratered I'm watching it ...when the price goes down I'll score another 10gal or so. It's better than money in the bank cause oil is oil and money is ... well, nuff said.

 

[smokinj]

in the late 70's a lot of people would do this in the winter months!

 

[Bigg_Redd]

Guys, what's going on?!?...it's new years morning, so I guess it can be forgiven, but nine posts and no one as mentioned using vegetable oil!

Generally, used motor oil is frowned on for various reasons. It would probably do an OK job lubricating, but it's non biodegradable, plus got all sorts of gunk from the car engine, not to mention heavy metal particulates such as lead and copper. The amount you go through is pretty small, but of course - if everyone did it, it could muck up the woods pretty quick. IMHO, I just run bar oil. I've forgotten how many cords of wood I've cut with this one gallon I have, so a couple bucks every 2 years is a small price to pay for peace of mind.

You know it's no more non-biodegradable than any dino oil, right?

 

[kevin j]

search on arboristsite.com for many discussions.
bar oil lubricates the chain pins with high stresses, sprocket tip with tiny roller bearings, and and the chain sliding on bar.

there are winter grade oils, or cut it with diesel or kerosine maybe 10%, below 0 F.

I would use new motor oil in only if there was no other option. I would NEVER put used motor oil with dirt, acids, water, and other junk into any of my equipment. I can't see risking $500-1000 saws, oil pumps, or bars to save $10/gallon.

an old poulan cutting stumps, that may be different story....

.02
kcj

 

[smokinj]

search on arboristsite.com for many discussions.
bar oil lubricates the chain pins with high stresses, sprocket tip with tiny roller bearings, and and the chain sliding on bar.

there are winter grade oils, or cut it with diesel or kerosene maybe 10%, below 0 F.

I would use new motor oil in only if there was no other option. I would NEVER put used motor oil with dirt, acids, water, and other junk into any of my equipment. I can't see risking $500-1000 saws, oil pumps, or bars to save $10/gallon.

an old poulan cutting stumps, that may be different story....

.02
kcj

the stihl dealership tould me the same thing about the kerocene 10 percent

 

[jdemaris]

A friend says he uses the old oil from his cars in his chain saws. Whats the concensus?

I hear an awful lot of nonsense on the subject. I've been cuting wood for over 40 years and have always used nothing but waste motor oil. Zero problems. Never, ever, paid for a jug of bar oil.
I've also never had to buy a new bar. I'll add that I cut a lot of wood and heat my home and barn 100% with it. Also used to be a tree cutter and climber for Asplundh.

That also includes my Stihl with a 30" bar and hard-nose end (no roller). Never got hot, and never lacked lube.

Funny thing is - I was a Homelite saw mechanic in the 60s, and later Stihl, et. al. Got an awful lot of bars that customers were going to throw out and I'm still using them.

I filter all my waste oil through a paper paint filter, just to make sure it's fairly clean. Also, for my saws with long bars - if they have adjustable oilers, I turn them up .

From what I've seen, buying bar oil is a waste of money unless you're doing it for some sort of environment reasons. Or, perhaps, don't have any waste oil to start with. I will say, that none of my waste oil is the newer super-thin oil that new cars call for. That too, is a waste of money as I see it. It has been proven in testing that the new thin oils reduce engine life. This does not matter to car companies as long as the engine life exceeds warranty periods. Super thin oil is new car engines is to gain a slight degree of better fuel mileage, and does not enhance engine life. All my waste oil is - diesel rated straight 30W, 15W-40 diesel rated, or gasoline rated 10W-40.

 

[Gooserider]

Well, according to the folks over on arboristsite, and other places I've looked...

1. EVERY saw maker will instantly void your warrantee if you use waste oil...

2. MOST saw shops will charge extra if you bring them a saw where waste oil was used - On arboristsite, the dealers there were saying a one hour minimum surcharge to decontaminate the saw, plus materials - arguement being that they didn't want the extra hassles of protecting their mechanics from the waste oil, plus the fact that it made the saw harder to work on.

3. It is worth noting that waste oil is considered haz-mat, and the EPA and friends don't appreciate that being sprayed around the woods, or your back yard...

4. It is worth noting that waste oil is a carcinogen and otherwise unhealthy to breath or have contact with - is it really a good idea to be spritzing it around where it will almost inevitably be inhaled in small amounts, not to mention getting on your skin?

I'll stick with the bar oil, or possibly vegetable oil.

Gooserider

 

[jdemaris]

Well, according to the folks over on arboristsite, and other places I've looked... [/quote

Collectively, comments from the aborist site are no more, and no less accurate then anecdotal comments made in many other forums, saw related and not. If you believe everything said there is rock-solid credible, you're suffering from the "false authority syndrome." By the way, I've made many comments on that forum - so there goes the credibility factor.

1. EVERY saw maker will instantly void your warrantee if you use waste oil...

That is just pure BS. First, you are not going to find somebody that's qualified to comment on what every saw maker in existence does - in regard to hardly anything. I did a lot of warranty work for Stihl, Homelite, Bobcat, Honda, and John Deere going back to the 1960s. At least at that level, I've got a very good idea on how some warrantees are handled. If a company screws a dealer and tries to weasel out of warrantees, the dealer is apt to take on a different product line. It usually behooves everybody to try to work together and be fair. In most cases that I have first-hand knowledge of - if misuse of a product leads to a premature parts failure - the company will not warranty that repair. But, let's say you have a new saw and used waste oil in the oil tank, and a clutch shoe broke, or an engine blew up, or a pull starter broke, or an ignition module failed - few reputable companies are going to void that warranty. There has to be some credible cause-and-effect. Taken from my new Makita warranty book - "Makita may deny warranty coverage if your engine or a part has failed due to abuse . . "

2. MOST saw shops will charge extra if you bring them a saw where waste oil was used

Right. And who is this authority that knows about "most" saw shops?

3. It is worth noting that waste oil is considered haz-mat, and the EPA and friends don't appreciate that being sprayed around the woods, or your back yard...

Yeah, and I, in turn, don't "appreciate" the EPA allowing many other harmful things that I come in contact with on a daily basis that I have no control over. On the roads, in the air, in the water, in plastics, in building materials, etc. The EPA is a government boondoggle - sometimes doing good things, sometimes just being asinine, and sometimes doing things just to look like they mean well.

4. It is worth noting that waste oil is a carcinogen and otherwise unhealthy to breath or have contact with

So is car exhaust, exhaust from power plant chimneys, jet travel exhaust, gasoline, most garden fertilizers and herbicides, deep fryer oil, potato chips, etc. I figure I'm already doomed since I've spent most of my life with my hands and arms covered with "dangerous" grease and oil - and also still eat potato chips. I also change my own oil in all my cars, trucks, and tractors and do NOT wear a hazmat suit.

My comments about bar oil are about bar and chain wear - and not much else. As I said earlier, I don't dismiss environmental concerns - that is a different issue. But, if you truly care about the environment, there are much more meaningful issues than the use of waste motor oil for bar oil. Speaking for my personal lifestyle, overall, I tend to have a lower negative impact on the environment than the average person. So, maybe - I can do what Al Gore does and claim carbon-credits for myself - use old oil for chain oiling, and still look good.

 

[JustWood]

The used oil in saws myth is "bunk"
1. Been using it in all my saws for 21 years. NO problems. Fact is we also settle it out and trippple filter it for use in our diesel trucks and equipment. EPA approves of this practice , go to their site and check for yourself.
2. My STIHL dealer gladly does warranty work, no questions asked.
3. NEW OIL IS CONSIDERED HAZ MAT. Just check the placards and permits on tankers in a truck stop parking lot.
4. Sawdust is a proven carcinogen. How much sawdust compared to oil is on the ground and your clothes when you're done for the day .

Every single vehicle on the road burns some oil between oil changes. It's already in the air in MASS quantities.
If you are going to use it and the drain oil from you vehicle is 5W , you should probably thicken it up with some used gear oil or some new bar oil.

 

[jdemaris]

. Fact is we also settle it out and trippple filter it for use in our diesel trucks and equipment. EPA approves of this practice , go to their site and check for yourself.

Yes, many have done it for many years. I've been using waste-oil in my diesels for close to 40 years. Only negative I know of is the color and questions it can raise when used on the highway. One gallon of waste-oil can turn 300 gallons of once-clear diesel, pretty dark. Never heard of it being questioned, but with all these dip-checks going on - I wonder? Not much an issue for me. Small trucks don't get checked, at least not in my area. Besides that , most of my waste-oil goes into my farm-tractors and dozers. All off-road stuff.

Not too long ago, most of the big truck stops routinely put waste motor oil into their diesel.

 

[mainstation]

I have used old car oil for my bar oil in a pinch, but would n't recommend it long term. It is definitely thinner, so watch for bar wear.
Veggie oil in a saw is an old Hunting trick, (moose), keeps the meat clean , when you have to quarter the animal 3 miles back in the bush .

The bigger scam is Summer or Winter bar oil??

 

[Bigg_Redd]

I have used old car oil for my bar oil in a pinch, but would n't recommend it long term. It is definitely thinner, so watch for bar wear.
Veggie oil in a saw is an old Hunting trick, (moose), keeps the meat clean , when you have to quarter the animal 3 miles back in the bush .

The bigger scam is Summer or Winter bar oil??

The only way for it to wear the bar due to lack of viscosity is that it will dispense faster from the oil tank. It's plenty thick to protect the bar as long as it's there.

 

[Beanscoot]

"...the extra hassles of protecting their mechanics from the waste oil"

Perhaps they should be in a different line of business if contact with used oil is a problem.

As for exposure to used oil particles thrown from a chain, it might be no worse than the oil mist generated from burning a gasoline oil mix in the saw. It will also be in larger particles thrown away from the operator. These larger particles generally don't make it into the lungs like the very tiny aerosols from the two stroke oil combustion.

A friend uses vegetable oil as chain oil. I would be a bit concerned that it might gel from the saw sitting. I was also intrigued by the assertion that it is no more biodegradable than petroleum oil. Of course both will be eventually digested by bacteria, and the light distribution of the oil means it probably is broken down fairly quickly.