Husqvarna X-Guard “all season” bar oil

[Woodsplitter67]

So, I’ve been running the Stihl orange and blue gallon jug bar oils for years, essentially orange most of the year, switching to blue when it’s so cold the orange barely pours. I also often make my own blue by mixing a little diesel in with the orange to eyeballed viscosity based on my long experience with both products, given stores around here often go out of stock on the blue.

But I just picked up a gallon of “premium all season” bar oil from Husqvarna and I’m trying to determine its actual temperature range spec, realizing there may not actually be one. Two different places on Husqvarna’s own site separately list the low temperature limit at either 15F or 32F, and I can’t find the high temp limit anywhere. Anyone know, for sure?

.Your killing me over here.. Im using house brand oil.. 10-30 above freezing.. and below freezing its either a 5-20 or 5-30.. I cant see using that expensive brand name bar oil.. Im I really missing something..

 

[SpaceBus]

In the name of minimal effort and maximum cost savings I just use straight canola oil year round for all of my saws. I started using it for milling lumber, but found it worked so well I use it for cross cutting too. No negative environmental impacts and less health issues compared to breathing in a petroleum mist.

 

[Eman85]

In the name of minimal effort and maximum cost savings I just use straight canola oil year round for all of my saws. I started using it for milling lumber, but found it worked so well I use it for cross cutting too. No negative environmental impacts and less health issues compared to breathing in a petroleum mist.

I've read where a lot in cold climates use Canola oil, I'm guessing you've done this for a while so I guess it works well year round.

 

[Eman85]

.Your killing me over here.. Im using house brand oil.. 10-30 above freezing.. and below freezing its either a 5-20 or 5-30.. I cant see using that expensive brand name bar oil.. Im I really missing something..

You're using motor oil?

 

[SpaceBus]

I've read where a lot in cold climates use Canola oil, I'm guessing you've done this for a while so I guess it works well year round.

Supposedly the oil freezes around 15f, but I never have problems with cold oil. In the summer it is "thinner", but that just means I use more since the pump is able to move more oil. A couple of my saws have adjustable oilers, so even that is mitigated for the most part.

 

[Isaac Carlson]

Spacebus, how cold does it get where you are? I'm in WI, at the 45th parallel and jan/feb are usually below zero, sometimes down to -50.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

You're using motor oil?

been doing that all my life.. haven't had any issues.. I know many who do the same

 

[Isaac Carlson]

been doing that all my life.. haven't had any issues.. I know many who do the same

I have worked with guys who use the oil drained out of the trucks as bar oil. It makes everything stinky, dirty, and grimy, and their bars and chains were not in good health. A lot of tree services do that to save money, but it doesn't save anything in the long run. People aren't too happy about black diesel oil streaks in their yard, especially a few days later when the grass is dead....

It's hard enough to get bar oil to stay on the chain, I can't see how engine oil would do any better, since it is designed to fling off of rotating parts...

 

[Woodsplitter67]

I wouldn't use dirty oil.. thats not for me.. I just cant see spending the money for bar oil and don't really see the advantage..

 

[Isaac Carlson]

I wouldn't use dirty oil.. thats not for me.. I just cant see spending the money for bar oil and don't really see the advantage..

I buy bar oil by the gallon and it's a lot cheaper than engine oil.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

I buy bar oil by the gallon and it's a lot cheaper than engine oil.

.What bar oil are you running.. when I looked at it it was way more expensive then regular motor oil

 

[Isaac Carlson]

X guard oil. It was $12, but now it's closer to $18. Just bought 2 gallons last week.
I can get the tall timber stuff for about 12/gallon.
Engine oil is about $30 for 5 qts.

 

[Ashful]

been doing that all my life.. haven't had any issues.. I know many who do the same

Why wouldn't you run way oil, Woodsplitter? Something like Mobile Vactra can be bought in gallons cheaper than motor oil, and will outperform it in every way, without all the detergents that offer no benefit in a bar oiling scenario.

MOBIL VACTRA WAY OIL #2 QUART For BRIDGEPORT, HAAS MILLS & HARDINGE LATHES | eBay

Used in Bridgeport, Haas Mills and Hardinge Lathes. NEED PARTS FOR YOUR BRIDGEPORT?. ASK ABOUT PINT & GALLON CONTAINERS AS WELL! ASK ABOUT OUR SYNTHETIC AND WATER SOLUBLE COOLANTS IN GALLON AN 5 GALLON BUCKETS!

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As to why I run Husqvarna or Stihl bar oil, I guess I've never really given it any thought. It's right there on the shelf with the saw stuff, the cost doesn't bother me, and they say it's "formulated just for my saw". I guess I'm a sucker, but I'm not losing any sleep over it, either.

 

[Eman85]

As I posted Rural King had bar oil for $7.99 or 8.99 a gallon, not many motor oils for that price.

 

[salecker]

When i scrap a car the fluids get drained before it goes to the dump.
The engine oil and old gas go into my waste oil burner.
The clean fluids go into my chain oil pail.Power steering fluid, automatic trans fluid.
I used around 2 gallons for my fire wood this season.

 

[SpaceBus]

Spacebus, how cold does it get where you are? I'm in WI, at the 45th parallel and jan/feb are usually below zero, sometimes down to -50.

I'm near Machias Maine and our lows regularly go into negative single digits and colder. Well, it used to. Seems not as common these days.

 

[Ashful]

I used around 2 gallons for my fire wood this season.

Wow! How much wood you cutting? I'm felling, bucking, and even often noodling 10 - 14 cords per year, and I don't think I'm using nearly that much. I've never personally kept track of my bar oil usage, but I'd guess I'm probably under 1 gallon per year.

I think I used more back when I had 1970's saws with manual oilers, but these "modern" Stihl's are stingy on oil.

 

[salecker]

Wow! How much wood you cutting? I'm felling, bucking, and even often noodling 10 - 14 cords per year, and I don't think I'm using nearly that much. I've never personally kept track of my bar oil usage, but I'd guess I'm probably under 1 gallon per year.

I think I used more back when I had 1970's saws with manual oilers, but these "modern" Stihl's are stingy on oil.

About 10 cords spruce bucked to 20"

 

[Ashful]

About 10 cords spruce bucked to 20"

Interesting. Like I said, I haven't kept track, but I do believe I'm well under a gallon per year. I'm doing slightly more cords at slightly less length, so (in theory) I'm making about 28% more cuts than you, at 11.5 cord/year @ 18".

I guess there's three things that could be happening here:

1. My memory of how much oil I use is way off. I'm just going off how frequently I remember grabbing a jug off the shelf at the local Ace or saw shop.
2. I take the depth gauges down on all my chains to make them cut faster, and also run smaller bars on bigger saws to avoid bogging when feeding fast, so the saw might be spinning less minutes per cord cut.
3. My two main bucking and felling saws are Stihl 036 PRO with an oiler adjuster that I've given up trying to actually adjust, and a Stihl 064AV, which I believe is known to be a little stingy on oil.

 

[ericm979]

these "modern" Stihl's are stingy on oil.

That's why you should use actual bar oil. But bar oil is better for any saw. The tackifiers in it make it stick to the bar and chain better than regular motor oil which gets flung off. A couple years ago bar oil was $10/gallon at TSC now in my area its $18. Which is still $5 less than the cheapest motor oil they have. That oil is 5w-30, which is not the best oil to use for chainsaw bars as it's thinner than the usual 30w. So it will flow more and not stick to the bar and chain as well as even 30w motor oil. But real bar oil is better and cheaper so why not use it?

 

[Ashful]

That's why you should use actual bar oil.

Yep, I do. My mention above for way oil was in response to those who use motor oil.

BTW, way oil is also very tacky, targeted at an application with very similar requirements. I'd be surprised if most bar oil isn't simply re-badged way oil, with perhaps some small differences to enhance its temperature range.

 

[salecker]

Interesting. Like I said, I haven't kept track, but I do believe I'm well under a gallon per year. I'm doing slightly more cords at slightly less length, so (in theory) I'm making about 28% more cuts than you, at 11.5 cord/year @ 18".

I guess there's three things that could be happening here:

1. My memory of how much oil I use is way off. I'm just going off how frequently I remember grabbing a jug off the shelf at the local Ace or saw shop.
2. I take the depth gauges down on all my chains to make them cut faster, and also run smaller bars on bigger saws to avoid bogging when feeding fast, so the saw might be spinning less minutes per cord cut.
3. My two main bucking and felling saws are Stihl 036 PRO with an oiler adjuster that I've given up trying to actually adjust, and a Stihl 064AV, which I believe is known to be a little stingy on oil.

I take 3 saws when i go cut
Spruce has a ton of branches the one i use for limbing usually runs out of gas on the last tree.
8 trees is the average for a cord.
I filled my oil jug twice this year,so 2 gallons is kinda rough idea,but when it's free who cares.

 

[Eman85]

I'm as cheap as the come and have plenty of good quality used motor oil from a race car and plenty of new motor oil that I catch from oil cans when I let them drain what's left after pouring. That said I buy chain bar oil that's made for use in a chainsaw just like I buy jack oil for my jacks if needed and the correct hydraulic oils for the application. I watched many through the years "substitute" oils and it usually was penny wise and pound foolish. It's your saws do what you wish but I'll stick to quality bar oil and pre-mix oil.

 

[Ashful]

I take 3 saws when i go cut

Same! 35, 65, and 85 cc.

Spruce has a ton of branches the one i use for limbing usually runs out of gas on the last tree.

I think this is it! About half of everything I cut is standing dead stumps with no tops. The other half may have tops, but I simply lop them off and leave them in the woods, unless the property owner is there and wants to waste their own time on cutting limbs. I do basically zero limbing in the average year.

8 trees is the average for a cord.

Another big factor. I average less than 1 tree per cord. The tree I split today had 45 feet of 24" diameter trunk = 141 cu.ft. = 1.66 cords at 85 cu.ft./cord typical stacking density.

I filled my oil jug twice this year,so 2 gallons is kinda rough idea,but when it's free who cares.

Yeah, I'm not losing sleep over it. Just always interesting to hear how others are doing, in this solo hobby.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

Why wouldn't you run way oil, Woodsplitter? Something like Mobile Vactra can be bought in gallons cheaper than motor oil, and will outperform it in every way, without all the detergents that offer no benefit in a bar oiling scenario.

MOBIL VACTRA WAY OIL #2 QUART For BRIDGEPORT, HAAS MILLS & HARDINGE LATHES | eBay

Used in Bridgeport, Haas Mills and Hardinge Lathes. NEED PARTS FOR YOUR BRIDGEPORT?. ASK ABOUT PINT & GALLON CONTAINERS AS WELL! ASK ABOUT OUR SYNTHETIC AND WATER SOLUBLE COOLANTS IN GALLON AN 5 GALLON BUCKETS!

www.ebay.com

As to why I run Husqvarna or Stihl bar oil, I guess I've never really given it any thought. It's right there on the shelf with the saw stuff, the cost doesn't bother me, and they say it's "formulated just for my saw". I guess I'm a sucker, but I'm not losing any sleep over it, either.

Ill look i to a bar oil.. it always seemed so expensive.. I purchase oil in bulk as we run through alot of it.. 1 truck is 3 gallons of oil.. per change.. when we serve the machines.. its like 4 cases of 10-30