Bar & chain oil: Stihl vs Poulan

[Hermio]

Yes, I think we over think alot of this stuff. Its just to lubricate the chain and bar roller and help with friction heat. Do some have better tackiness or lubricity maybe. But from my own anecdotal experience it matters very little and at the prices the big names charge, it doesnt take long you can buy new bars and chains with the money saved with the store brands. But I am not convinced the big names are better and actually think they are not as good.

Project Farm did a test on that. Harvest King decisively beat the Stihl and Husqvarna oils.

 

[bwalker]

Project Farm did a test on that. Harvest King decisively beat the Stihl and Husqvarna

Its speculation on my part, but I think the thinner oils work better because they penetrate the chain pins/rollers better.
I go through very little bar oil in a year now, but when I logged I went through alot. I always used the cheapest bar oil I could find and I never had any issues with premature wear on bars or chains.

 

[holeycow]

It's easier to turn a thin oil down than turn a thick oil up.

 

[PJwoodcutter]

Its speculation on my part, but I think the thinner oils work better because they penetrate the chain pins/rollers better.
I go through very little bar oil in a year now, but when I logged I went through alot. I always used the cheapest bar oil I could find and I never had any issues with premature wear on bars or chains.

My uncle had a small logging business and he said the same thing. His mind set was the "name" brands were in the bar selling business as well. Sooo the faster you wore one out the faster you would need a new one. He always bought the cheapest and when he found a super deal he would buy every jug of it a store had. We run onto a deal at a flea market for less then a buck a gallon back in the 80's. he bought over 100 cases (12 jugs per case). He kept some and sold some to wood cutters and made money and still sold it cheap.

 

[Matt81]

Just buy whatever is cheap. If i see a real good deal on 20 L (5 US Gallon) drums i just buy them. Even if i don't really need them i know i will eventually. The way the RRP has jumped up in recent years here, if i find a good deal i jump on it.

Sure you can use motor oil in a pinch. I have several times. However it is not bar oil and doesn't have the tacky additives to keep the oil on the bar & chain even after it gets hot. Regular motor oil is better than no oil but will fling off far easier and not work as well.

I will add that even if the premium oils did reduce bar and chain wear somewhat, it is likely that the increased cost of replacing bars and chains would be much less than the extra cost of the premium bar and chain oils. How many gallons of oil do you go through over the life of a bar? I bet many gallons. If, say, you use 20 gallons over the life of a bar (and I bet you use more than that), if you pay $10 more per gallon for fancy oil, that will set you back an extra $200. You can buy several bars for that unless you use a really long bar.

100% agree. I'm sure there are people who actually measure bar wear and document it in a notebook. I have been around Arborist site long enough to know these people exist.

However in the real world using any of even the "cheaper" bar oils you are just not going to notice anything less that an extremely significant difference in bar wear. What you will notice is the hundreds of dollars extra you are spending on the fancy bar oil. Even if they could guarantee a 20% increase in bar life, it doesn't make it worth the extra price.

 

[jblnut]

I have a couple cases of old 10w-30 that I'm planning to use as bar oil

Can I use this oil as B&C oil?

I am “that guy” and have no problem with it so here goes. I drain all my empty jugs into a 5-gal pail and use whatever comes out as bar oil. I also slobber it into any roller chain that needs oil on the farm. It’s a good use for an otherwise discard product. I don’t normally use used motor oil but when it’s butt cold (10f or less) I’ll pull straight used motor oil out of the tote and run that. It flows way nicer than my “mix”.

Here is a sample of what could be in my bar oil mix. There will also be hytrans, 15w-40 and anything else slippery I have around. Between myself and a few neighbors we’ll go through 14-18gal of bar oil a year and only one guy insists on using “name brand” bar oil.


I’ll fill one pail while using out of the other pail. Use whatever you want as long as there is something slippery in it. For the amount of wood most of us cut spending big bucks on name brand bar oil is a waste. If you don’t have a source of new discard oils buying the cheapest bar oil you can find will work just fine. Thin it out in the winter if needed. I have cut bar oil with diesel before and it works well but is frowned upon by certain crowds.

 

[Hermio]

I am “that guy” and have no problem with it so here goes. I drain all my empty jugs into a 5-gal pail and use whatever comes out as bar oil. I also slobber it into any roller chain that needs oil on the farm. It’s a good use for an otherwise discard product. I don’t normally use used motor oil but when it’s butt cold (10f or less) I’ll pull straight used motor oil out of the tote and run that. It flows way nicer than my “mix”.

Here is a sample of what could be in my bar oil mix. There will also be hytrans, 15w-40 and anything else slippery I have around. Between myself and a few neighbors we’ll go through 14-18gal of bar oil a year and only one guy insists on using “name brand” bar oil.
View attachment 1216157

I’ll fill one pail while using out of the other pail. Use whatever you want as long as there is something slippery in it. For the amount of wood most of us cut spending big bucks on name brand bar oil is a waste. If you don’t have a source of new discard oils buying the cheapest bar oil you can find will work just fine. Thin it out in the winter if needed. I have cut bar oil with diesel before and it works well but is frowned upon by certain crowds.
View attachment 1216158

Do you filter the oil before use? Dust in the shop can get into an open container, and it is probably not good for the oil pump.

 

[jblnut]

Do you filter the oil before use? Dust in the shop can get into an open container, and it is probably not good for the oil pump.

Not really. Most of what I use that is new is either from jugs I have used or started as full jugs from someone that doesn’t want them for whatever reason. I drain a few jugs at a time in my bathroom where there is very little dust.

The used stuff I never filter. It was ran through a filter up until it went into the used tote so I figure it’s as clean as it needs to be to be ran through a chainsaw. I have saws that have been in the farm for 40yrs and have only had minor repairs. Most of the older saws have had the oil pumps rebuilt but they were done as a preventative “as long as I’m in here” type of deal. I can rebuild a ton of oil pumps for the $$$ saved using the oils I do.

 

[MacAttack]

I'm in the same boat, I have dozens of mostly-empty bottles of various oil lying around. I might start a bar-oil jug and start dumping them in together.

 

[NSEric]

I save used transmission oil and used oil from my bikes and car then mix it 50/50 with thick summer bar oil for my saws.
I've tried straight used motor oil, it's fine when it's below freezing but too thin the rest of the year.
I dont buy the bs about used oil hurting the pump, It came out of a running engine, it cant be that bad, it just looks dirty because of the color.

 

[bwalker]

Used motor oil is a known human carcinogen, so there is that.

 

[bwalker]

Do you filter the oil before use? Dust in the shop can get into an open container, and it is probably not good for the oil pump.

I'd be less worried about the oil pump than I would breathing aerosolized used motor oil and getting the same on my skin.

 

[holeycow]

 

[Wood Doctor]

Just for the record, a guy I knew a few years back was always short on cash, so he used waste cooking oil from a local bar and grill restaurant for his chainsaws. He salvaged that for free. He said, "Well, the price is right and I love the smell it produces as I cut. My saw never seems to complain." Gasp!

 

[StihlsawuserMS361]

I guess even the wrong oil is better than no oil...........

 

[Chainsaw Pete]

It's easier to turn a thin oil down than turn a thick oil up.

You could always add STP

 

[Chainsaw Pete]

Just for the record, a guy I knew a few years back was always short on cash, so he used waste cooking oil from a local bar and grill restaurant for his chainsaws. He salvaged that for free. He said, "Well, the price is right and I love the smell it produces as I cut. My saw never seems to complain." Gasp!

Sawdust probably smelled like french fries.

 

[bwalker]

Just for the record, a guy I knew a few years back was always short on cash, so he used waste cooking oil from a local bar and grill restaurant for his chainsaws. He salvaged that for free. He said, "Well, the price is right and I love the smell it produces as I cut. My saw never seems to complain." Gasp!

Better than used motor oil.