Just picked up a jug of generic bar oil at HD, then I got to thinking, "What would the boys at Hearth.com think about that?
Does it matter what kind of bar oil you use?
Does it matter what kind of bar oil you use?
Does Bar Oil Brand Matter?
- Thread starter Battenkiller
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I have noticed that when the seasons change, the local logging store stocks the right viscosity. Its generally hit or miss at chain stores.
peakbagger said:
I never thought of changing viscosity for the tempeture. I figured the heat from the saw would warm the oil.
As long as your running oil 30 weight it will be fine..I get boiling oil on my milling bar but as long as its there its all good.
It does get warmed by engine heat at least to some degree but if you store the saw in sub-zero temps it could take a while. I switch to a medium weight in Winter. The heavy weight oil won't even pour. Back when I was cutting professionally and going through lots of oil, I would buy only the heavy Summer weight oil and thin it out as needed with kerosene.Needshave said:
As for brand, I never had any loyalty.
LLigetfa said:
I'm sure pros need to use every money saving tactic they can. My old saw used close to a 1:1 ratio as I remember. Maybe little saws use more oil, I dunno. But even at a 2:1 ratio of gas to oil, at $10/gal for the stuff I bought, that seems to be by far the most expensive part of the equation.
Glad to see I don't have to buy performance bar oil as well as high-octane ethanol-free gas and performance two-stoke oil. I'd like to somehow at least break even on this whole enterprise of cutting my own compared to just buying c/s/d wood.
If your buying right if or when you ever sale you will find that you paid very litte for the use of your equiment......For example my 361 I used for 13 months I had 500.00 in it +39.00 for the case 3-chains paid for one 15.00 bucks...total investmet 554.00 it sold for 505.00 + 60 shipping it cost me 25.00 to ship it so after 13 months of use it cost me and 50 to ebay 10.00 to use this saw NOT BAD no matter how you look at it....I have done this many of times with stihls.
smokinjay said:
I'm talking about running the saw - gas, two-stroke oil, bar oil, etc. - not the cost of the machine itself. I've bought and sold everything from musical instruments to small boats to tools to lumber, and I always make money on them when and if I sell. The musical stuff alone, I once figured I spent about $40,000 total on personal instruments, but I sold every one at a small to huge profit when I got bored with then, and I only ever owned a handful at a time. They'r mostly all gone now 'cept for a couple guitars and amps, so I guess I did OK for using these things over the course of about 40 years of playing. Prolly made over $20K lol
Now, I don't expect to make money on the new chaps I bought, but I consider stuff like that to be a consumable. But I got my 357 XP for $235, so I can use it for a long time and get all the safety gear and the money I spent for the saw back if I ever sell it. Brand new stuff like my Fein Turbo II shop-vac or my Porter-Cable 7518 router, well, I might not make money on them if I sell, but I bet I'll get a pretty cheap long-term "rental" because I bought them so cheap (PC 7518 now goes for $350, I paid $230). Heck, I might even make money on them as well. :coolsmile:
Cutting firewood just for personal use, I go through so little oil and gas that cost is not really a factor. I would not cheap out on the mix since the life of the saw depends on it. Bars and chains will wear regardless so there is no point spending hundreds for premium B&C oil to save tens in bars and chains.
Has anyone tried the biodegradable bar and chain oils? I know animal fats have a pretty good "cling" to them, and therefore might get flung off less from the moving chain. I'd also feel better about the whole thing if I was doing my part to keep petroleum-based oils out of the ground water.
Battenkiller said:
they work just dont store in the saw...and depending on what saw your using it may be a non factor anyway. Doing alot of work in one area is the point where this stuff is needed.
I haven't noticed a big difference in the cheap stuff and good stuff . . . as long as it sticks to the bar for a bit and keeps things lubricated.
That said . . . I tend to support my local dealer and buy the brand-name stuff which he actually discounts pretty heavily to make it comparable in price to the cheap stuff . . . supposedly it is better for the environment. I also have a winter and summer blend that I use depending on which season it is.
That said . . . I tend to support my local dealer and buy the brand-name stuff which he actually discounts pretty heavily to make it comparable in price to the cheap stuff . . . supposedly it is better for the environment. I also have a winter and summer blend that I use depending on which season it is.
I buy the stuff that is at the store when I need it. It may be stihl, poulan, or some other name.
chris-mcpherson said:
yes straight 30 weight...And if you can get it used filter it through old blue jeans and or coffee filters.
Does anyone know if the regular Husky brand oil is bio-based? Thought I read that it was, but I don't see any mention of it on the bottle. I'd much rather use the bio stuff.
FWIW I find the oiler on my Husky 455 Rancher doesn't pump as much oil as I'd like & it really doesn't like the Ace hardware store brand b&c oil I have anywhere near freezing temps or below. The husky oil is thinner & does fine winter or summer.
FWIW I find the oiler on my Husky 455 Rancher doesn't pump as much oil as I'd like & it really doesn't like the Ace hardware store brand b&c oil I have anywhere near freezing temps or below. The husky oil is thinner & does fine winter or summer.
Best to filter it through your old shorts, or new ones if you want that "used" look.smokinjay said:
oldspark said:Best to filter it through your old shorts, or new ones if you want that "used" look.smokinjay said:
Dont tell my Girls that!
midwestcoast said:
In answer to my own question: Info from a Husky owners manual states that Husqvarna brand bar oil is vegetable-based. It's not stated anywhere on the bottle I have, but I guess it is so.
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