Bulk Bar oil

[jakethesnake]

Industrial heavy duty gearbox oil, viscosity 220.
It has nice tackiness and thickness, proven to be too thick under cold winter conditions.
For usage in winter conditions I find that a oil under a viscosity of 100 is desired.

You can cut it with fuel oil if you're ever in a pinch.

 

[skidooguy]

According to the local Stihl dealer he cannot get any better of a deal for customers in bulk. He claims its same price per gallon from a gallon jug up to 55 gallon drum. No idea if there's any truth to it or not. I buy a lot of the tall timber brand found at the local co-op for $22 for a 2 1/2 gallon jug. In winter I occasionally buy the Stihl winter blend but usually cut the regular stuff down with diesel or use hydraulic oil.

 

[KiwiBro (deleted)]

Canola oil is the cheapest here and according to my IR temp gun, the best lube. Haven't used regular bar oil for years, but it doesn't get very cold here so the oil doesn't gel.

 

[Carhartt]

I am still waiting to hear back from one of my dealer contacts that treat me pretty well. I have a feeling its not gonna be any cheaper in bulk containers. Canola oil is pretty thin also, but you say you did some research and with your IR gun it ran around your bar the coolest? Would it still have the same lubricating qualities if it was ran in a French frier for a wk then filtered and ran through a saw. I love chainsaws and French fries. Hmmmmmm

 

[Philbert]

Don't some of the vegetable oils solidify and gum up up parts if left too long?
(BTW - I tried to Google this, but came up with canola oil used to quench heated metal parts!)

Philbert

 

[jakethesnake]

I had some rot in my tank gummed everything up. Lucky splashed gas in it and it cleaned out.

 

[KiwiBro (deleted)]

Never had the problem with Canola but some will run a tank of regular bar oil through before putting the saw away for a long time, so it's out of the system if the saw won't be used for a while.

Regarding bar temps, wasn't terribly scientific, just took a few measurements when bucking logs for firewood. Even though Canola is thinner with no tackifier, bar ran cooler. The cheapest bulk canola here is the stuff fast approaching its use-by date that suppliers need to quit.

 

[jakethesnake]

It's interesting to me how many people bug out about tackifiers or tack in bar oil.. as soon as that stuff warms up it flings anyhow. I personally see no purpose in it. Canola oil served me fine but I let saws sit around for months on end in the summer . It almost turns a chain waxy in a strange sort of way. It most certainly does work though and works fine .
I would use it again but I know I'd forget to run regular oil through one of the saws and have a hella mess again

 

[Al Smith]

The price you pay in bulk orders might be up to the dealer as far as Stihl branded oil

They tell me in the higher impact logging regions of Oregon,Washington,Idaho ,Northern California Stihl is very competative as far as pricing .Here in the middle of a giant corn field of Northern Ohio where it's a very small amount of logging so they don't have to be less pricey .

 

[danimal]

What price are you getting on gallons at TS?

Uh. 5 bucks.

I just gots me 2 cases-8 gal. From a buddy(ex dolmar dealer)
fer turdy tu doll'rs.

Perty gud deal i spose.

 

[DSS]

I buy for a fleet of close to 100 pieces of heavy equipment and vehicles of all sizes. Motor oil is considerably cheaper in bulk, Rotella is a bit over half compared to jugs. But some things aren't. Windshield washer fluid in a drum is like 3 cents cheaper a gallon compared to buying plastic jugs. DEF is a bit cheaper but you have to buy the pump and unless you're using high volumes it's not really worth it. John Deere hydro oil is a little over a dollar a gallon cheaper in bulk.

I think stihl bar oil is 17 a gallon here. I have in the past gone to Walmart and bought 5 gallons of cheap hydraulic oil and used that. There's different weights, 68 is considerably thicker than 32.

 

[Dustin4185]

One of my suppliers deals in industrial/mining equipment. He also caters to the loggers in the area. He buys tractor trailer loads of lubricants at a time. I believe it is Smittys Inc. he gets it from. Their bar oil isn't bad. I have ran a lot of it and can get gallons for $6.00. They show it in drums as well. They will also do private labeling. It is the Super S branded stuff. They make about everything. I use their hydraulic oil (in older tractors), bar oil, grease, and 000 grease at work.

Here is the spec sheet
http://www.smittysinc.net/images/products/files/129_Super_S_ChainOil_No_Tack.pdf

 

[Stump Shot]

55-gallon drum of semi-synthetic Amsoil for $1058.85, plus shipping I presume. You're welcome.

http://www.amsoil.com/shop/by-product/motor-oil/2-stroke/semi-synthetic-bar-and-chain-oil/

With a twenty dollar yearly account should knock that price down to $701.25 for a 55 gallon drum not including tax and shipping.

 

[jake wells]

i can get a 55 gallon drum of oil for around 270 before tax but i got to order a minimum of 4 barrels and im not doing that
cheapest oil i can locally is 5.29 after tax per gallon.

 

[danimal]

I have a hard time beleevn that anyone spends 17 to 27 buks a jug fer stihl bar erl..
THEIR DOPES GONE BAD!!
At least thats da price locally.
PT BARNUM said, one is born every minute.

 

[Al Smith]

I have a hard time beleevn that anyone spends 17 to 27 buks a jug fer stihl bar erl.

I' m with ya on that .The same guy I talked about could get "leakers" from his BIL who worked at a packaging place for nothing .Fact at one time I had about 20 gallons and still have 3 cases of DextronII in quarts .His splitter and my splitter both have about 8 gallons in each of the freebie tranny fluid .He doesn't like the bar oil,go figure .

 

[Al Smith]

They claim in tests that used crankcase oil,black oil has shown to be as good as chainsaw bar oil .I'm not going to use it because it makes hellva mess .

I save all my used oil in a drum which goes to another buddy with a black oil burner used to heat a 60 by 105 feet shop with an easy half million dollars worth of Corvettes,classic Chevys etc .He's got one Chevelle with an over bore stroked 454,671 blower with over 40 thou in the engine .Too rich for my blood .

 

[jake wells]

used oil gets saved for starting fires in my stove but i do have a little tank plumbed to the stove and it drips into it while im burning . i would NEVER use used oil in my saw.
i do use regular sae 30 or 40 in the summer for bar oil works just fine.

 

[jakethesnake]

I use burnt / black oil to clean up equipment before I put it in the shed for winter keeps equipment chains and tightened from seizing up. Seem to always have too much of the stuff around

 

[kingOFgEEEks]

Used motor oil gets drizzled onto the barn cleaner chain to keep it quiet and not so rusty. Even though we don't have cattle any more (for now...), it's still handy to clean up my workshop/barn floor by just sweeping into the drop, and run it out into a waiting pickup bed for disposal.

As far as cheap oil, around here it's TSC all the way. It's a little thick in the winter, but I just warm it up on the dash of my truck when cutting, and it flows into the crankcase well enough. I would love to be able to buy a 5 gallon bucket of bar oil though. It would probably last me a year, and I would have another 5 gallon pail for using around the farm when it was empty.