Chainsaw Bar Oil

[Ralf11]

what's so great about it over regular 30 wt. or multiwt.?

is it stickier?

 

[4xdog]

It's a LOT stickier -- so it doesn't get flung completely off the chain when the saw's running at WOT.

 

[bob15]

It clinks to the chain much better than regular oil (espicially in the summer), it has different additive packages for helping slow chain and bar wear, better and most consistent flows through the oiler, helps keeping sap from building up on the chain and some oils can help keep the chain run cooler.

Here are what some of the manufacturers say about their oils:


https://www.schaefferoil.com/documents/256-116BC-td.pdf

https://denlube.com/site/wp-content/uploads/Oilzum-Bar-Chain-PDS-1.pdf

https://www.husqvarna.com/us/accessories/grease-oils/x-guard-bar-chain-oil/593152801/

https://www.lubriplate.com/Lubriplate/media/Lubriplate/PDFs/PDS/Lubriplate/7_4_Bar_and-Chain_Oil.pdf?ext=.pdf

 

[GrantCee]

^^ What Bob said.

There's no real reason to use motor oil. Bar & chain oil is cheaper than chains and bars.

 

[ducksface]

^^ What Bob said.

There's no real reason to use motor oil. Bar & chain oil is cheaper than chains and bars.

Yup.
Too easy to just use the right stuff.
Even if you think it's snake oil, the price is right and it works.
I won't hesitate to use any oil if that's all I had and I needed wood to save the family....
Those leaky old model ryobi saws, I just ran them dry. They'd drink a Load in a couple of Minutes. It was more time filling than cutting. 8 inch chains are cheap.

 

[BFBOB]

Easy way to see the difference. Grab a bit of motor oil between thumb and forefinger. Slowly open the gap. Now wipe off and do the same thing with bar oil. See the difference?

 

[seber]

It is also sold a way oil to machine shops but I don't know which way is cheaper. I did work at one place where they bought way oil by the barrel. It was super cheap that way.

 

[Under_Pressure]

I don't think motor oil would result in instant destruction of bar or chain (pretty sure in the earlier days of chainsaws that is what was used as there weren't dedicated lubricants), but as noted bar and chain oil is highly tackified and a better choice. If nothing else it is cleaner. That being said, vegetable oil (particularly canola) is frequently used as a non-toxic substitute for bar oil (when cutting in sensitive areas or when the operator will be exposed to a lot of the oil, like when chainsaw milling) and it seems to work OK despite not being tackified. One think I would say is that this is an instance where oil is oil- I'm not afraid to buy premium stuff where I think it's warranted (for example I'll buy the Stihl Ultra or Amsoil for the gas mix), but as far as bar oil goes I buy the cheapest stuff I can find. Considering it's a total loss lubrication system protecting parts that are ultimately consumable, I don't see spending money for premium lubricants as the best investment there.

 

[Lassen Forge]

You will get more bar wear with motor oil - the chain link are fine, but where it rubs on the bar will wear out both your bar as well as your chain.

We used both at work - the manager was too cheap to buy bar oil, so he used used 15-40 motor oil, and the crews running chainsaws went through chains and bars 3x faster than using bar oil.

 

[2oolhound]

The bar oil is superior. The clinging agent in it is the main thing I liked. You could point your saw at the ground and rev it and watch as the oil got flung off. The bar oil clings onto the chain and comes off in long strings while regular oil get thrown right off.

I've used motor oil in a pinch but I also had a manual oiler on my saws and could pump more oil as well as just use the auto oiler. Bar oil comes in summer and winter weights too.

 

[matt_i]

We used both at work - the manager was too cheap to buy bar oil, so he used used 15-40 motor oil, and the crews running chainsaws went through chains and bars 3x faster than using bar oil.

It also seems like an economic non-starter, I don't buy a lot of bar oil, but I've always found (throwaway) bar oil (protecting a $25 chain) cheaper than motor oil (lifeblood of a 4 figure engine for 5-10k miles)....

 

[gungatim]

last jug of bar and chain oil I bought literally says on the bottle "Bar and Chain/SAE 30 Wt. Oil". Went to use it the other day and thought I bought 30 wt. by mistake until I reread it.

maybe some brands are different, but the cheap stuff is just 30 wt.

 

[seedtime]

I purchased my second jug of bar oil on Thursday. I own a Stihl but I was at HD and all they had was the Husqvarna brand (orange jug), so I bought it for convenience. I was worried I made a mistake not using the mfg’s brand. Phew, glad I didn’t resort to motor oil.


Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[bob15]

last jug of bar and chain oil I bought literally says on the bottle "Bar and Chain/SAE 30 Wt. Oil". Went to use it the other day and thought I bought 30 wt. by mistake until I reread it.

maybe some brands are different, but the cheap stuff is just 30 wt.

It isn't 30wt motor oil. The 30 wt is only a reference number because there are other blends which encompass 20 and even 10 wt for winter oils some manufacturers make (Stihl & Oilzum among others).

 

[johninct]

It is also sold a way oil to machine shops but I don't know which way is cheaper. I did work at one place where they bought way oil by the barrel. It was super cheap that way.

To me, way oil would be too light for bar oil.

 

[toolchaser]

Way oil would be more $ per gallon,Mobil Vactra is around $28 per gallon. I buy it because cheap lube is a false economy. If I damage a $5000 lathe to save $10 I'd be pretty pissed

Stick with the correct stuff, I think TSC runs it on sale every so often for $6 per gallon, just stock up, it's not going to go bad on you