What bar oil is best and stuff?

[jakethesnake]

So what do you use. I’m running some synthetic gear oil cut down with diesel fuel. No additives/tackifiers. Why am I wrong? I was running a 32” bar today. Plenty of oil on the chain. So what’s all the voodoo of using real bar oil? I’m notorious for using automatic transmission fluid as well.

Why should I buy bar oil? What do y’all use. I’m cheap

 

[Stevetheboatguy]

Heck yeah different kind of oil thread!

Both gear oil and diesel fuel are more expensive than fvp or cam2 from Menards when it's on sale. I think I got 15 gal at 3.50 a gal a while back. (Sale and 11%)

But if you're uber cheap just use drain oil. Tons of people do it. I can't wrap my head around it but they do.


Steven

 

[Roadfxr]

I use tractor supply bar and chain oil. Picked a bunch up last year for 4.99 a gallon on sale. All I’ve used for the last 3-4 years. Use it in the summer and the winter. Little thick in the winter but it works. I’m satisfied with it and it’s pretty cheap.

 

[jakethesnake]

Heck yeah different kind of oil thread!

Both gear oil and diesel fuel are more expensive than fvp or cam2 from Menards when it's on sale. I think I got 15 gal at 3.50 a gal a while back. (Sale and 11%)

But if you're uber cheap just use drain oil. Tons of people do it. I can't wrap my head around it but they do.


Steven

I should add. People bring me stuff and just leave it at my shop. I believe they think I’m pretty. So for real I have 15 ish gallons of synthetic gear oil. I don’t like synthetic gear oil. So I keep it in buckets for maybe the ol leaky gearbox Or for bar oil. Yeah I didn’t buy the stuff. It’s too thick to pump so I cut her with diesel. My diesel isn’t free but it’s there Gasoline seems like that may be a bad idea

 

[JonCraig]

I don’t like synthetic gear oil.

Everything you own have bronze in it? Gear oil is one of the best applications for Group3+.

 

[jakethesnake]

Everything you own have bronze in it? Gear oil is one of the best applications for Group3+.

Come again?

 

[Lightning Performance]

Finally a coolool oil thread.

Guy I worked for always ran that used motor oil mess, um no thanks. Wally world sells bar oil for 7-8 gallon. Supertec or Poolon green gallon. Same oil, little tac quality but gets it done very well. I see little bar or chain chassis wear.
I add STP oil treatment on hot days or warm weather with long bars. That gets the strings a hangin. Stuffs like slim with penetrating oil mixed in. Very heavy with zinc. Wwwicket shtuff! Three bucks per little blue bottle cut into two gallons. Mixed one to one for big stump cuts. My super wally world clearances poolon every winter @four bucks a gallon.

I hear that TS has good oil in five gallons on sale, once a year?

Cut your muck with kero or high sulfur oils.

 

[Moparmyway]

I add STP to Raisman bar oil

Super cheap

 

[PissRev]

I'll run the cheapest bar oil with a tackifier. Usually Tractor Supply on sale or Itasca.

 

[JonCraig]

Come again?

It’s a de-rail of this thread, but synthetics are a perfect match for gearboxes. High shear strength, etc.

The Bronze reference is to the fact that some older gearboxes with certain bronze alloys don’t get along too well with certain GL5 additive packs.

So basically, unless you have bronze or cork, synthetics are better in every metric except price.

 

[JonCraig]

That said, I run whatever bar oil is on sale when I need it.

The TSC stuff is way darker than others... I wonder if it’s recycled...

 

[Ryan Browne]

I'm running FVP from Menards right now. $4.49 a gallon after the rebate. I picked up a couple cases last fall. I like it okay in my bigger saws. It's really thick. Almost snotty in cold weather. I've been meaning to thin it down with some diesel, but haven't gotten to it yet.

In my small saws I prefer the Stihl bioplus. Yeah, it's expensive, but for limbing or thinning I really don't like breathing in the dino oil. When the light is right you see how much oil is floating around in the air. For bucking with the bar buried I don't really care, but if it's spitting oil all over the place I prefer a less noxious oil.

 

[jakethesnake]

It’s a de-rail of this thread, but synthetics are a perfect match for gearboxes. High shear strength, etc.

The Bronze reference is to the fact that some older gearboxes with certain bronze alloys don’t get along too well with certain GL5 additive packs.

So basically, unless you have bronze or cork, synthetics are better in every metric except price.

10-4. I copy. This stuff looks to have some moisture in it. I wouldn’t trust it on anything super expensive. I’ve used it in some old 6 wheeler rears and the sort. I’m sure it’s fine but I buy new gear oil when I’m in an expensive gearbox. Basically I just have this stuff laying around.

 

[jakethesnake]

That said, I run whatever bar oil is on sale when I need it.

The TSC stuff is way darker than others... I wonder if it’s recycled...

Most bar oil is recycled is the info I got in the stuff. That’s how they make a petroleum oil based bar oil cheap.

 

[JonCraig]

10-4. I copy. This stuff looks to have some moisture in it. I wouldn’t trust it on anything super expensive. I’ve used it in some old 6 wheeler rears and the sort. I’m sure it’s fine but I buy new gear oil when I’m in an expensive gearbox. Basically I just have this stuff laying around.

Ah—I gotcha. Then yeah, bar oil it is.

Someone gave me a qt of Lucas a while back, I’ve been adding it to bar oil. (All Lucas is is tackifier & cheap multi-viscosity add. anyway.)

 

[jakethesnake]

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.

 

[jakethesnake]

Ah—I gotcha. Then yeah, bar oil it is.

Someone gave me a qt of Lucas a while back, I’ve been adding it to bar oil. (All Lucas is is tackifier & cheap multi-viscosity add. anyway.)

I can see adding it for the tack factor that’s some stringy stuff. I use a little bit of that stuff in my work pickup. Thick as hell. And stringy

 

[JonCraig]

I use a little bit of that stuff in my work pickup. Thick as hell. And stringy

It shears down to a straight 30W viscosity in probably 10 miles, and it has next to no lubricity. It’s snake oil, just like all the “thick junk in your crankcase” additives.

 

[jakethesnake]

It shears down to a straight 30W viscosity in probably 10 miles, and it has next to no lubricity. It’s snake oil, just like all the “thick junk in your crankcase” additives.

Never seems too thick when I drain the oil out so probably true. Dirty snake oil.

 

[jakethesnake]

I did try the veggie oils a while back. Worked fine really. Rotted in my tank and plugged my Oiler up. Smelled like a dead cat in there. Flushed it out and ran some straight diesel or gas in there and it started pumping again. Just no go for sitting all summer in there