Lucas + SAE 30 ND = Bar and Chain Oil

[man114]

I have about 5 or 6 gallons of Lucas Hydraulic and Regular oil stabilizer that were mistakenly sent to a local Kmart and I couldn't pass at the price when it came to experimentation (if you want to know next to free, maybe ended up costing me $9 for all of it).

They were having yard waste pickup two weeks ago so I picked up a lot of good firewood. Decided to start chainsawing and splitting it. While I didn't use it in my good chainsaw we ran out of bar and chain oil before my wife got home from work (I was so covered in sawdust I was not leaving at that point, she didn't leave for an hour). I had some ND30 from changing my compressor oil last year (takes only 12oz) so I had roughly 20oz ND30. I put about 4oz Lucas into the ND30, shook it around and it made kind of a tacky oil , slightly less sticky than bar and chain but suited perfectly, cut almost a cord of wood on that mix before my wife got home with the real deal. Running this in the [censored] chainsaw is a no brainier, it is cheaper than what I paid for bar and chain oil. I noticed virtually no discernible difference after cutting for hours. Actually flowed better and created less mess.

If you have some lying around but don't want to use it in your engine, this makes a pretty decent use for it.

 

[tstep]

Thanks for sharing. Suitable substitutes are always a good thing to know. Though never tried yet, I have read about using canola oil. Supposedly used in environmentally sensitive areas such as cutting in wetlands.

 

[Donald]

Bar & chain oil is pretty darn cheap at TSC if you buy it by the gallon.

If you have to buy the Lucas and ND30 oil, I cannot see that combo being cheaper.

 

[4wheeldog]

I use my manual tranny/differential drain oil. It goes through the saw a bit quicker than regular bar oil, but not near as fast as AT drain fluid. Either way, it is free, and keeps the chain in great shape.

I do let it set so that the solids settle out, then rebottle it. I am the cheapest ba$tard I know.......What do I win?

 

[Michael_P]

Thats good to know. I once saw an old timer buy up all the STP oil treatment at my local big lots for 50 cents a bottle. He also bought some canola oil for $1 a gallon on a stale sale there too. He said he was going to mix the STP and canola to make bar lube. I wonder how that worked for him. He claimed to cut a bunch of wood and would go through a few gallons a year.
I myself have only used bar lube in a chainsaw, but if I'm ever in a pinch, its nice to know these things.