What bar oil is best and stuff?

[Lightning Performance]

Restore* is what you want in that old motor. Lots of zinc and a good package with it for ten bucks.

 

[sawmikaze]

I've been using kinetix for about a year.

 

[smokey7]

Ive been using starfire bar oil here. I get it thru my oil wholsaler or my parts suplier if i dont have time to stop at the wholsaler. Its cheap 5 a gallon or 6.50 from the auto guys. Very tacky but still pumps in the cold.

 

[bwalker]

The best bar oil is the cheapest. I ran lots of supertech when I logged. Bar and chain wear was never an issue.

 

[Terry Syd]

Gasoline seems like that may be a bad idea

In the winter, I use gasoline/petrol, just a bit of pre-mix will thin it out. What counts is ON THE BAR. Getting it through the oil pump can be a problem with thick oil during the winter. However, If the bar is warm the gas evaporates off and leaves the thick stuff. If you thin it with kerosene or diesel all you do is make a thinner lubricant. - And NO, that tiny little bit of gasoline evaporating off with all that air flow from the speeding chain does not burst into flames.

It is the same concept as motorcycle chain lube with the high evaporation carriers for the thick oil.

 

[RI Chevy]

I use TSC bar oil. Like others mentioned, I bought about 8 gallons when it was on sale.
They do make a winter bar oil as well but it's a couple dollars more a gallon.

Jake, don't be penny wise and dollar foolish. Just buy bar oil.

 

[Steve]

I too use the tractor supply oil. Works well in all my applications. Thin it with diesel if I'm cutting below 20 degrees but I don't really cut much when it's that cold! I don't like using reclaimed oils personally. Bar oil is just too cheap for the added piece of mind of a "clean and dry' lube. I worry about extra wear on the oil pump and pittley things like that.

 

[Barneyrb]

What are the thoughts on recycling the hydraulic oil I drained from my tractor. I have 20 gallons or so and was thinking of mixing STP/Motor Honey with it and running it. It's been run through a filter all it's life and is fairly clean with no combustion ever.

 

[jakethesnake]

What are the thoughts on recycling the hydraulic oil I drained from my tractor. I have 20 gallons or so and was thinking of mixing STP/Motor Honey with it and running it. It's been run through a filter all it's life and is fairly clean with no combustion ever.

I’d certainly use it. I use atf without additives quite a bit. Should be similar

 

[jk14]

What are the thoughts on recycling the hydraulic oil I drained from my tractor. I have 20 gallons or so and was thinking of mixing STP/Motor Honey with it and running it. It's been run through a filter all it's life and is fairly clean with no combustion ever.

Yup, I'd use it without hesitation. Like you stated maybe thicken it up with some Lucas or the like and run it.

 

[Wilhelm]

The tack factor... can someone help me here? I was using my blend on some very large stuff today. I had plenty of lube on the chain. I can’t grasp how it helps really. I guess I get it. How bout all the canola oil lovers.

I think the tacky thing is a marketing trick to scare people into purchasing bar oil!
In my area 1 liter of bar oil costs 2-3$, fuel is cheaper at about 1,6$.

Oregon had, maybe still has, an emulsifying bar oil - their claim was the evaporating water helps keep the B&C cooler (or something like that, haven't seen the stuff advertised anywhere for a while).

Around my area regular B&C oils seem to have a viscosity of 160-200.
That works fine in the summer heat, but in the winter it barely creeps out of the can, lest gets pumped in sufficient volume to the B&C.

What bar oil is best?
The one that accommodates Your cutting style!
If You are constantly utilizing Your saws spikes, You might be best served with thick tacky oil because You are causing increased friction and heat between the bar and chain.
If You keep Your chain sharp and let it and the saw do their job, You will be perfectly fine with any kind of oil - even thin hydraulic oil will work.

Does used engine and/or hydraulic/ gearbox oil work?
Sure, but it's messy if it is really used up engine oil.

I got a liking of heavy duty industrial gearbox oil, but I will use what I have and/or whatever I can get easily and cheap.

This is another one of those topics where everyone has his/her own opinions and preferences.
Each to his/her own!

 

[bwalker]

I would not mess with used engine oil or gear oil. Engine oil kills pumps from what I have seen and gear oil stinks pretty bad.
I would use hydraulic oil without reservation.
Back in the golden era of Arboristsite there was a retired engineer fron windsor and he claimed hydraulic oil was one of the best things to use for B&C oil.

 

[RI Chevy]

I always thought bar oil was straight 30W?

 

[Wood Doctor]

I always thought bar oil was straight 30W?

Perhaps, but Menards bar oil on sale at $4.50 a gallon plus sales tax is even cheaper and works. The loggers here use it and have no complaints. Sometimes they go through about five gallons a week using Stihl 661 saws while cutting about 15,000 bd ft. Oh, and BTW, I have no complaints with it either.

 

[RI Chevy]

No Menard's anywhere around me. [emoji52]
But I thought all bar oil was straight 30W with some tachyness built in???

 

[jakethesnake]

No Menard's anywhere around me. [emoji52]
But I thought all bar oil was straight 30W with some tachyness built in???

Some of that stuff is super thick. The old Poulenc in the green jug was like pouring straight Lucas out of a can. I haven’t bought bar oil in a couple years.

 

[Wilhelm]

I always thought bar oil was straight 30W?

I've seen a local supermarket B&C oil proudly stating tacky "200" on the sticker, and another one claimed viscosity "160".

B&C oils seem rather thick, although there are exceptions.

I've spent used pitch black engine oil, used trans-hydraulic oil (TransHydraul - multipurpose transmission and hydraulic tractor oil, Ferguson clone), HD20 hydraulic oil (thin as water), gearbox oils with viscosity ranging from 180 to 420 (420 was a little too thick though) - there is no difference in B&C wear and behavior that I have noticed, never had any pump issues either.

Right now I'm liking oil with a viscosity of 60-100 for ice cold winter operation, and 180-320 for the scorching summer heats - but as stated before, I just use what I have and what I can get at the moment.

I think that the "importance of quality bar oil" is generally overrated, but that's just me.

 

[Steve]

I've seen a local supermarket B&C oil proudly stating tacky "200" on the sticker, and another one claimed viscosity "160".

B&C oils seem rather thick, although there are exceptions.

I've spent used pitch black engine oil, used trans-hydraulic oil (TransHydraul - multipurpose transmission and hydraulic tractor oil, Ferguson clone), HD20 hydraulic oil (thin as water), gearbox oils with viscosity ranging from 180 to 420 (420 was a little too thick though) - there is no difference in B&C wear and behavior that I have noticed, never had any pump issues either.

Right now I'm liking oil with a viscosity of 60-100 for ice cold winter operation, and 180-320 for the scorching summer heats - but as stated before, I just use what I have and what I can get at the moment.

I think that the "importance of quality bar oil" is generally overrated, but that's just me.

Spend 1000 dollars on a saw then put used engine oil in it? I'm gonna stick with 5 dollar a gallon B/C oil.

 

[RI Chevy]

I feel the same way. Only new stuff goes on and in my saws.

 

[Wood Doctor]

I feel the same way. Only new stuff goes on and in my saws.

You could always try what some guys have tried -- used cooking oil thrown out from a restaurant. I got a saw in last year that smelled like french fries so I drained out the bar oil. Sure enough, that's what it was. The entire inside of the oil tank was caked with crap and finally the saw's pump refused to oil the bar -- clogged filter and clogged up pump. Other than that, everything was "fine."

He said the used cooking oil was free for the taking.