I have started using BIO Chainsaw Bar oil.

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I have been cleaning up a bunch of storm damage on my property and Have been running the chainsaws a lot. After going thru almost 2 quarts of bar oil, I asked myself If I would spray 2 quarts of motor oil all over the ground on my property. Well I am sure you know the answer.

I looked into non toxic alternatives and have settled on using Plain canola oil, Stihl Bio Plus bar oil, and NV Earth oil. Canola oil is cheap, the other two not so much. Its also not easy to find. Most dealers do not stock this stuff.

The guy I bought my Used saw from actually originally put this idea into my head since he said he felt many of his health issues are from years of breathing in the mist of oil off the bar.

I believe that both the Stihl Bio Bar oil and NV oil is Vegetable oil based With Tactifiyers added in.

So I feel better about dumping oil all over my property now that it will biodegrade rapidly and cause much less of a possible health effect. The bio oil smells better IMHO, and it washes out of my clothes much easier.

Then I thought about how the EPA is cracking down on 2 strokes. Is the problem really a modern relatively clean, lean burning 2 stroke engine, or is it the gallons of bar oil carried into the forest and never carried out?

I am not an extreme hugger, but I do think about these things.
 
A few gallons of bar oil over 10 years is hardly a problem

they used to spray roads with dirty nasty transformer oil... etc
 
By the time I get done it will be a few gallons of bar oil in a few months. I agree it probably doesn't hurt too much, but im pretty sure veggie based will hurt less over time.
 
The Sthil bio oil will dry on the bar in storage and glue the chain to it.

So when you put your gear away for a few months or more it pays off to run a tank of regular bar oil thru it.
 
I've heard that it will dry up, some have said the newer stuff has something to keep that from happening. I will be sure to run tome petroleum based oil in the saw before storage.
 
I'm no expert is this but is "bio oil" really any better on the environment? I mean, both are fat molecules right?
 
OK, I applaud you for trying
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But since most of the bar oil ends up in either the cut (into the wood if dry'ish), or onto the chips, I never worried to much about it.

I worked for State Parks for years as an erosion specialist and our Ecologists were about as green as a person could get, by persuasion. I had to admit that they did not always see the bigger picture like stream health from paved roads vs degraded dirt roads (sediment loads).

And they never once mentioned bar oil as an issue ...

Now I'm a member of the local Park Forest Practices Group and we do 20~30 hazard trees, storm damaged trees, road blockage trees, etc. Run a LOT of saws and I have never heard this issue until you brought it up ...

I want to know which lubricates the best and which does not gum up if it sits through the summer in the oil tank or on the bar?
 
I doubt there are many environmental issues with using normal bar oil. Not a lot gets used. The issue with motor oil is when it's used oil and people dump it.

There are bacteria that digest oil. That is what causes sludge in home heating oil tanks.
 
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Some BIO oil does not gum at all, so it depends on the base oil. And, it's not like dino bar oil is poisonous either.
But, that said, it feels good to use bio-oil and if the price is right, well even better. Some people I know use it 70/30 with dino bar oil to avoid it dryin on the bar. Maybe that's something to consider, cover both bases!
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Bar oil has never been a big issue, there's plenty of microbes in the soil that break down oil fairly quickly. It's dirty oil that causes issues and it's only a major issue if it reaches the water table or gets into the watersheds where the heavy metals and other chemicals can cause problems. Clean bar oil is pretty neutral and disappears rather quickly in normal use.

Not saying it's a bad thing to use bio at all if it makes you feel good and you don't mind the price then it's a good thing.
 
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