Do you grease your bar tip or no?

[exSW]

We used to do rotational grazing on the farm. It works well if set up properly.

Setup is everything. Personally I hate alleys so I have a sacrifice paddocks with four paddocks perpendicular . Then another sacrifice with three perpendicular planned. Figuring out how to loop the juice gets challenging. Low impedance fencers work best wired in series.

 

[RIDE-RED 350r]

I grease mine every fillup. Not a crazy amount, just enough to see a smidge just start to ooze between the bar nose and chain link. Then I roll the sprocket a half turn and repeat. I admit, I do not know if there is a bearing in the nose or some sort of bushing. But heat and friction is what wears rotating parts out. And parts that rotate at high speed generate more heat due to friction. Add to that that a saw bar gets quite hot under normal operation to begin with. Grease helps reduce friction and wear and I contend it will whether it traps a bit more debris or not...

I don't know about you fellas, but I don't dig trenches to lay cable with my saws, so I'm not sure why some of you have so much dirt in your tips.. Most times under normal operation, there shouldn't really be much more than a little bit of wood chip debris getting in there...

 

[jakethesnake]

Looks like a type of needle bearing in there to me like a cross of roller bearing needle bearing I've got one seizing up but it don't owe me anything I greased this one cause it's gonna fail you ask 16 farmers if they grease planter chains or no it'll be split similar to this thread

 

[RIDE-RED 350r]

Looks like a type of needle bearing in there to me like a cross of roller bearing needle bearing I've got one seizing up but it don't owe me anything I greased this one cause it's gonna fail you ask 16 farmers if they grease planter chains or no it'll be split similar to this thread

Very true.. But you are talking about something that is always run directly in the dirt right?? I've done some farm work in my younger years, but I'm not very familiar with the exacts of how a planter works...

But if that's the case, IMHO it's comparing apples and oranges. No saw was designed with the intent to be run directly in the dirt.

I could be way off base with my understanding of a planter though.. Ready to stand corrected by those who know better...

 

[fearofpavement]

I never grease bar tips.

 

[stihl saws]

I've never saw a need to grease one.

 

[jakethesnake]

It's the dust w a planter the chains are above ground but loads of dust

 

[fearofpavement]

Very few Stihl bars (if any) have any provision to grease the bar tips. As far as construction, I'm not sure they're much different than other bars. I've had very few issues with bar tips in my lifetime. I think most failures are related to bore cutting and not lack of lubrication.

 

[redtractor]

...so it will be easy to manage in my old age.

Looking at your avatar, I think old age has caught up to you.

 

[tla100]

One of the Husky's I bought from a retired tree service guy, said he has done it from day one. NO issues with me yet. I will pump a couple in when I pull bar and clean out. Stihl bars don't got em, so they don't get greased. I think it is a lot of overthinking. As fast as that sprocket is spinning, it can't hurt. It is a very dirty environment.

 

[so il logger]

I rarely bore cut, from my experience the grease collects grit, which causes bearing/tip failure. Too short of raker's will as well, but only when your bore cutting. A stihl bar which has no grease hole will last me at least a month, and that is under heavy use. I can get the same out of a oregon if it doesn't get greased, and i pull the rails a couple time's. Everytime i have greased an oregon nose i end up replacing it the next day.... May just be here YMMV

 

[jake wells]

i grease mine every time i sharpen never had a failure.

 

[Simondo]

My understanding with Some Stihl bar tips is that they are a "Pre greased ,sealed for life bearing"

 

[jakethesnake]

I would assume the stihl bars are pre greased In my opinion that'd be a better design I run em dry but I feel the grease holes are allowing more trash in than they do good . I think I'll continue to run them dry I have one fail every so often but honestly grease gets hard after a long hot use so I feel in certain circumstances it'll do more harm than good . fun to hear the spread opinions. I figured the mixed results

 

[jakethesnake]

I'd like to try to seal the grease holes but haven't thought of a good way to do this without a tac weld which may do harm

 

[logeeland]

I used to grease when I ran my 266's. But with my Stihl bars they don't have grease holes on the tips. Stihl tells people it adds to dirt collection. I wear a bar out on the rails before the tip.

 

[logeeland]

I'd like to try to seal the grease holes but haven't thought of a good way to do this without a tac weld which may do harm

Cover the back with plastic wrap. It should slide in between the sprocket and the bar and then use JB Weld to fill the hole. Just a thought...

 

[jakethesnake]

Clever thought I may try one I'm in the market for a new bar anyhow it just may get tested

 

[Philbert]

This is what the inside of your nose looks like (er, at least the inside of your guide bar sprocket nose!).



Depending on the type, size, brand, etc. of bar, there might be 15 to 40 little roller bearings in there. Conventional wisdom is to always grease the tip, or to never grease the tip, but not to go part way.

The always greasers keep flushing grease into the bearings, which keeps them lubricated, and pushes out the gunk. The never greasers allow bar and chain oil to drizzle down into the bearings, keeping them lubricated. Sometimes greasing causes a problem , since the old grease can mix with saw dust, creating a dam that keeps the bar and chain oil out, resulting in dry bearings.

Most Oregon and Husqvarna bars (photo above) traditionally come with a greasing hole. Most STIHL bars do not. However, STIHL bars are built with thin shims on either side of the bearing/sprocket assembly to help keep debris out. The newest Oregon Speedcut bars do not have the holes, and are described as 'lubricated for life'.
http://www.oregonproducts.com/speedcut/


I do not grease my personal nose sprockets. If I get a used guide bar with a grease hole, I clean it out with solvent to prevent any dams, then spray it out with WD-40 to prevent rusting until I use it with bar and chain oil. I like to keep my nose clean!

I'd like to try to seal the grease holes but haven't thought of a good way to do this without a tac weld which may do harm

No need. Not much will get in through those small holes that will not get in between the sprocket and the inside wall of the bar.

Philbert

 

[RIDE-RED 350r]

^^^Great post! Thanks for sharing.^^^

What you say makes sense and explains why both sides are so convinced that theirs is the right approach.