What is the suggested chainsaw bar oil? I bought a gallon of "Natural, Organic" stuff a few years ago. Really stiff like 90 weith gear oil when cold. How about Used Mobil 1 5w-30? very clean, got very good report from oil analysis.
chainsaw bar oil
- Thread starter borgward
- Start date
Many people have, "been there, done that", and learned that engine oils fling out of the groove (in the bar) fast.
You have to refill the bar oil reservoir frequently when using engine oil.
I don't believe any damage will caused by using old motor oil.
If the chain saw rides in the passenger compartment or is brought indoors for warmth, you may suffer the stink of old motor oil.
You have to refill the bar oil reservoir frequently when using engine oil.
I don't believe any damage will caused by using old motor oil.
If the chain saw rides in the passenger compartment or is brought indoors for warmth, you may suffer the stink of old motor oil.
The difference with chainsaw bar oil vs. motor oil or gear oil is you want the tackyness so it stays on the chain/bar. I use whatever "all season" bar oil I can find for the best price, and cut it with a little 5w20 for better winter flow. Regular engine oil will sling off the chain pretty quick.
Tractor supply destroyed their once good bar & chain oil. Now what?
Just mix in a little STP, or that crap Lucas Oil sells they put into that machine, with the gears attached to that crank. I think they call it "Oil Stabilizer", or some such.
bobistheoilguy.com
Bar oil VOA?
Anyone ever do a VOA on chainsaw bar lube? Be nice to know what is in it. I just use used motor oil for the past 25 yrs and it works fine. Just curious about it.
bobistheoilguy.com
4WD
$50 site donor 2024
Yup - SuperTech is easy to find without paying for a Stihl decal
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2014
- Messages
- 4,118
Chain/bar will warm up in use. I will pre-oil my chain/bar and not worry about the bar/chain oil thickness when cold.
ATF/PSF/oil will all sling off pretty quickly. So, use that only in an emergency. They'll still lubricate as needed and better than nothing, but messier.
Walmart/Lowes/Homedepot/Ace always have various bar/chain oils in stock. Walfart will usually have Supertech, Blackmax, and Hart products in various locations. Lowes has Ego, Husky, and Proselect. HD has Echo, Powercare, and Ryobi. Ace has Ace and Craftsman. I haven't seen the need to spend the $50/gal at the local small engine/tractor/landscaping/equipment shop for fancy brands, when the above are locally available in pints/quarts/gallons for $13-$25/gallon. A few are listed as synthetic if you read the bottles... and might help with cold flow.
If its winter or cold, and you're planning some tree/branch pruning, just bring the saw and chain oil into the 70° house which is probably mildly warmer than the -20°F outside temp.
ATF/PSF/oil will all sling off pretty quickly. So, use that only in an emergency. They'll still lubricate as needed and better than nothing, but messier.
Walmart/Lowes/Homedepot/Ace always have various bar/chain oils in stock. Walfart will usually have Supertech, Blackmax, and Hart products in various locations. Lowes has Ego, Husky, and Proselect. HD has Echo, Powercare, and Ryobi. Ace has Ace and Craftsman. I haven't seen the need to spend the $50/gal at the local small engine/tractor/landscaping/equipment shop for fancy brands, when the above are locally available in pints/quarts/gallons for $13-$25/gallon. A few are listed as synthetic if you read the bottles... and might help with cold flow.
If its winter or cold, and you're planning some tree/branch pruning, just bring the saw and chain oil into the 70° house which is probably mildly warmer than the -20°F outside temp.
read it again! I'll make it easy - it's old engine oil that had been analyzed. It's really cleanOil analysis on bar oil ? Just when I thought I heard everything , you guys come through again .
Maybe someone here knows a recipe for a potion which, when added to old motor oil, turns it into bar & chain oil?
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2014
- Messages
- 4,118
Great, can I get a pint of Vanlube TK100 at falmart?
Does anyone think that STP or Lucas might be close enough
Tk-100 ...Ethylene propylene copolymer dissolved in a process oil Viscosity @ 100 °C, 4500
Lucas @100°C is only 110... not thick enough, and similar to some of the different STP products, except STP synthetic which was ~60cst, and HyperLube ZRA was about 35.
Schaeffers 132 is 250-300....
I guess you'll need a higher ratio blend if you use one of the honeys to spike the motor oil, ATF, or PSF to avoid the slinging a little.
Next time I use the chainsaw, I'll try a 5w30 mixed with STP or Hyperlube since I have a bottle of both on the shelf. I just find that barchain oil works just fine.
Does anyone think that STP or Lucas might be close enough
Tk-100 ...Ethylene propylene copolymer dissolved in a process oil Viscosity @ 100 °C, 4500
Lucas @100°C is only 110... not thick enough, and similar to some of the different STP products, except STP synthetic which was ~60cst, and HyperLube ZRA was about 35.
Schaeffers 132 is 250-300....
I guess you'll need a higher ratio blend if you use one of the honeys to spike the motor oil, ATF, or PSF to avoid the slinging a little.
Next time I use the chainsaw, I'll try a 5w30 mixed with STP or Hyperlube since I have a bottle of both on the shelf. I just find that barchain oil works just fine.
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2014
- Messages
- 4,118
After the last hurricane, once the quart of bar chain oil disappeared, we used whatever was available. Most stores were closed for an extended amount of time. All stores didn't have ANY bar chain oil, motor oil, ATF, PSF..... it just sold out.
I don't stock pile. I have one bottle on the shelf. If it runs empty, I go to the store. Imagine every store sold out for 100 miles. How far would you drive to keep that saw running? So, the PoulanPro, Stihl, Echo, Husky.... all got PSF, ATF, gear oil, motor oil, MTF, Mazola, Wesson, Louisiana, and whatever else on the garage or kitchen shelf as a chain lube. None protested.
Hurricane Michael dropped 1/2 a billion trees. Thats a lot of 2-stroke oil and bar/chain oil. Repeat often with every category 4 or more... Katrina/Ian......
I don't stock pile. I have one bottle on the shelf. If it runs empty, I go to the store. Imagine every store sold out for 100 miles. How far would you drive to keep that saw running? So, the PoulanPro, Stihl, Echo, Husky.... all got PSF, ATF, gear oil, motor oil, MTF, Mazola, Wesson, Louisiana, and whatever else on the garage or kitchen shelf as a chain lube. None protested.
Hurricane Michael dropped 1/2 a billion trees. Thats a lot of 2-stroke oil and bar/chain oil. Repeat often with every category 4 or more... Katrina/Ian......
How does the sprocket at the end of the bar get lubricated? I see a tiny hole on either side. I guess I could squirt some oil in there, but that does not seem like a day long solution. I had one freeze up before and replaced the entire bar,
You need to get a bar greaser. They cost about $8, are filled with blue grease and you can refill them with #1 or #2 GCLB.
I have at least 6 of them, because I can never find one when I need one. Plus a pistol type grease gun with a special end that works on bars.
Look for "Oregon push 'n lube" Rona has them for $10
Last edited:
Oil leaks out of mine so I assume it is getting plenty of lube from the oil pump and chain travel. All my bars are 20" and my saws seem to oil very generous. If you have a longer bar such as a 28" or higher, I beleive you need to keep them greased often.
Also I have found that right now (Feb 2023) Cam2 bar and chain oil from rural king is just about the best deal for its quality. It is just acceptable I would say. The stuff tractor supply used to sell was phenomenal, but they ruined it, and made it into water. Its like SAE 30 water thin.
Martin Lubricants has an excellent "Extreme" Summer formula, but I cannot find another bottle anywhere I look.
Martin Xtreme Xtreme™ Bar and Chain Lubricants
xtremeoil.com
Just curious, but has anyone heard that AMSOIL's Bar and Chain oil is the collection of all the different oils they have with a tackifier added to it. I was told that when AMSOIL runs the "pig" through the oil lines to clean it out for another different batch of oil that the oil they collect from doing that they recycle it into bar and chain oil. Anyone know if this is true?
Have a neighbor that has a tree service, he only uses canola oil as bar oil. He has multiple saws running all day, must be working.
He has some environmental restrictions when working close to the water, IIRC he stated that he can't use traditional bar oil when working close to the Chesapeake Bay where we live.
He has some environmental restrictions when working close to the water, IIRC he stated that he can't use traditional bar oil when working close to the Chesapeake Bay where we live.
Similar threads
