Chain and bar oil suggestions and comments please...

[WeldrDave]

Hello all,
I would like to get your input on chain and bar oil, I have been using drain oil from oil changes from a good friends auto repair shop for years. I throw some gear oil in when the mix is thin and it has been working fine.

I feel not only I'm recycling but it's free! My suggestion to all is if you have a local gas station or a service place, most of the time they have to pay to get rid of their used oil and all you have to do is ask for some.

 

[Thistle]

This is a topic that has lots of heated discussion on both sides of the issue.Do what you want with older saws,but if I had a new saw still under warranty I would only use new bar & chain oil,just to CMA in case it ever did need warranty work at local dealer.....

 

[JustWood]

,,,,,,,,,,,,,, and we're off

 

[WeldrDave]

This is a topic that has lots of heated discussion on both sides of the issue.Do what you want with older saws,but if I had a new saw still under warranty I would only use new bar & chain oil,just to CMA in case it ever did need warranty work at local dealer.....[/quote

So What could possibly go wrong as long as the bar and chain are Lubricated? I have spent many years in the engineering field and I can't understand why we are throwing away $$$ for something that is a out there for free. I have a 25 year old stihl still kicking a$$ and been using it since it was new. I do agree with you that if you have a saw under warranty you should follow the book verbatim but after that, Save your Money$$$

 

[perry]

your saw do what ever you want. i have put used oil in old saws i use for crappy cut jobs. TSC bar oil is good and only $8 a gal . i like my oil gooey with strings

 

[MasterMech]

your saw do what ever you want. i have put used oil in old saws i use for crappy cut jobs. TSC bar oil is good and only $8 a gal . i like my oil gooey with strings

Yup. One thing drain oil lacks (amongst many) is the tack additive present in B&C oil. TSC sells it cheap. I've worked on a few saws that ran drain oil for bar lube. What a mess. Black residue all over the saw and usually gunks up the oil pump too. The bishops of the drain oil religion will tell you to filter it good before "recycling".

My suggestion to all is if you have a local gas station or a service place, most of the time they have to pay to get rid of their used oil and all you have to do is ask for some.​

I wouldn't use service station drain oil or any other source that I couldn't account for exactly what was in it. If you want to conserve oil and save the whales, stop changing the oil in your car every 3000 miles.

The higher chainspeeds and engine RPMs (a lot higher) of todays saws are a big reason why mixing 30wt oil in your fuel (at 16:1 , ) and pouring 30wt in your bar oil resevour doesn't work well anymore. That and the fact that there are much better options available these days too.

 

[WeldrDave]

This is Good advice, I have a new MS 250 I haven't even used yet, I did buy bar oil and from stihl, I just felt it wasn't worth the money considering the $$.

 

[mywaynow]

I use half synthetic drain oil and half TSC bar oil. The only thing I am considering different than that is canola oil I hear from a few here that it works well. I like the idea of a vegetable oil splattered around the cut site more than regular petro oil.

 

[BobUrban]

Like most I like FREE stuff for sure but at 8-10$ a gallon and the distance a gal of bar oil goes it just seems to be an area I do not need to be trying to save money Vs. saving my saw. To each there own but I run the real stuff - mostly winter blend and synthetic if I can find it even if it costs a little more and believe me, money is not growing on trees around here!!

Well.... It kind of is when I look at my wood stacks and think about the gas man!!

 

[firefighterjake]

I use bar and chain oil . . . simply because I don't use that much of the stuff to find that it makes that much of a difference in savings.

 

[WeldrDave]

Good stuff!, great to learn.... I just about fell over though when the stihl dealer told me what the bar oil cost. I think I paid $12.99 qt. I don't have a tractor supply close but gonna do some digging and may order on line, again I've had this saw now for about two months, "Christmas" and haven't used it, want to do the right thing. funny thing is, my old 021 just going to town!

 

[BobUrban]

Bar oil is available at your local hardware or even the dreaded Wally World on the cheap and is ecentially all the same stuff in different packaging. The bar oil has tack so it stays on the bar better than conventional oil. Shop around and find the best price but seriously, unless you are cutting 8hrs a day for a living a gallon of oil is going to last a while so 3-5$ difference is not a big deal calculated out over the cords of wood it delivers. I buy a gallon per season and always have some left over after cutting 10 cord(give or take) I just like to have a full gallon back-up because running out of anything frustrates me.

My only high grade cut off is the pre-mix super gas - that is too rich for my blood!! I run high octane in all my toys with synthetic 2 stroke oil and I add Stabil to the gas cans before I head to the pump.

 

[WeldrDave]

Bar oil is available at your local hardware or even the dreaded Wally World on the cheap and is ecentially all the same stuff in different packaging. The bar oil has tack so it stays on the bar better than conventional oil. Shop around and find the best price but seriously, unless you are cutting 8hrs a day for a living a gallon of oil is going to last a while so 3-5$ difference is not a big deal calculated out over the cords of wood it delivers. I buy a gallon per season and always have some left over after cutting 10 cord(give or take) I just like to have a full gallon back-up because running out of anything frustrates me.

My only high grade cut off is the pre-mix super gas - that is too rich for my blood!! I run high octane in all my toys with synthetic 2 stroke oil and I add Stabil to the gas cans before I head to the pump.

That is something I do not skimp with, only pennzoil air cooled 2 stoke oil and mid grade fuel, always in all my 2 stroke stuff....
I just called the local Ace hardware, they got bar oil "much cheaper" than Stihl...

 

[Hawkeye]

I don't know about you guys but I've had poor luck with regular bar oil (especially the Stihl oil) when the weather gets cold. It won't flow as well and I've smoked some chains (chains get hot, lose the temper, and dull quickly). I've bought the seasonal "winter grade" bar oil but only had marginal better perfomance. And I've used them all - old motor oil, Stihl oil, Husquvarna oil, generics........

With that - I tried synthetic (Amsoil). A friend recommended it. Since then, I have had such better performance I try not to use anything but the Amsoil. Good stringy oil that flows well. Especially for cold weather. As for price - not much different.

And it makes some sense - in the last few years we've switched all our hydraulic track equipment and locomotives (I work for a shortline railroad) to synthetic hydraulic fluid and gearbox oil for the same reasons - it performs well in cold weather compared to non-synthetic. It has made our life much easier in the winter.

 

[TreePointer]

I never had any trouble with Stihl winter grade oil in cold temperatures.

I've also never been involved with Amsoil multi-level marketing.

 

[smokinj]

,,,,,,,,,,,,,, and we're off

Pick a side and I will do my best to counter!

 

[Halligan]

TSC oil. I just Bought 4 gallons on sale for $7.00 a gallon so I'm set for awhile. FWIW you can buy a gallon of Husqvarna @ TSC and Lowes for about $12.00 a gallon.

 

[TreePointer]

I'm going to start drilling in my backyard so I can make my own oil.

 

[loadstarken]

I wish we had a TSC out here!

I like to buy my oils and stuff from the local dealer to support the local guys. Also the more they see you in there the more they'll recognize you and might help your chances to get a deal on your next saw purchase.

My saw its no longer under warranty so I buy my gas at an ethanol free station for my saw, yard equipment and my hobby truck.

 

[TreePointer]

Lucky man. I don't live near any major boating areas, so there's no readily available non-ethanol gasoline here.

 

[Hawkeye]

I never had any trouble with Stihl winter grade oil in cold temperatures.

I've also never been involved with Amsoil multi-level marketing.

Yeah - I avoided the stuff when someone tried to sell it to me. Didn't like their tactics. But then my father-in-law gave me a quart (someone gave it to him and he doesn't cut wood) so I used it about 5 years ago in the winter. I had just smoked a chain on stihl oil so I tried it (it was fairly cold - maybe 10?). I was eating crow when the stuff worked. I've used lots of other oil since but grab a gallon when I can. I don't mess with their salesmen though - I buy it online.

 

[loadstarken]

Lucky man. I don't live near any major boating areas, so there's no readily available non-ethanol gasoline here.

Are any of these stations near you?
(broken link removed to http://pure-gas.org/index.jsp?stateprov=PA)

 

[Jack Fate]

Rural King $6-7 a gal Decent bar & chain oil

New Bar & Chain $85

Failure in the field $ $ $

It' your time & money

Warranty mostly worthless

Cheers

 

[TreePointer]

Are any of these stations near you?
(broken link removed to http://pure-gas.org/index.jsp?stateprov=PA)

Unfortunately, the closest one is 45 minutes there and another 45 minutes back, and it's in the opposite direction of any travels I normally make.

 

[MasterMech]

With that - I tried synthetic (Amsoil). A friend recommended it. Since then, I have had such better performance I try not to use anything but the Amsoil. Good stringy oil that flows well. Especially for cold weather. As for price - not much different.

Finally, someone who's tried it. Thanks for posting your experience. Stuff ain't cheap tho.