Hydralic fluid for bar oil?

[Billy_Bob]

I done repair work in the past on all sorts of gizmos and was trained to "fix things right" by the manufacturers. I went by the manufacturer's service manual when making repairs.

For lubricating mechanical parts, some products will sometimes specify 5 different types of grease/lubricant for different parts of the product! So use one type of grease here, use a certain oil there, etc.

I learned there are all sorts of different oils and grease out there and each has a specific use. And I learned there is a reason the manufacturer says to use a specific lubricant rather than another.

The products I "fixed right" stayed fixed. But there was another guy in the shop who used any old oil for every moving part. His repairs were frequently returned because the repairs did not hold up.

I'll go with what the manufacturer says...

 

[TonyG]

I was just...

informed by our local Stihl dealer that as of Aug 1st, there bar oil is jumping to $14 per/gal. Up from the current price of $7.50.

I bought 14 gallons to hold us over...

 

[046]

veggie oil works great!!!

only drawback is... winter use will clog up until saw warms up

 

[sdt7618]

Will second the veggie oil, been using it in my MS260 for about a year now and no effect on the saw that I can see, and no oil flying all over the country side.

 

[Engineeringnerd]

Yes most hydraulic systems have o-rings and seals, but they are designed for hydraulic fluid. Normal rubber and plastic can degrade very quickly if not designed for that application. To put it into perspective, I used to work for an aircraft tire manufacturer and if hydraulic fluid came in contact with a tire in the factory on the flight line, the tire had to be scrapped immediately. No if, ands, or buts. This could mean chunking a $1,000 tire for a few dribbles.

Perhaps the seals in some saws has rubber resistant to hydraulic fluid. I don't know but I wouldn't chance it.

 

[kevin j]

I would disagree with some previous posts. Most anti-wear hydr oil is petroleum based, same as motor oil and bar oil. The major difference is the additive packages, and they are similar chemically, just used in different proportions for different use.
Most plastics and seals that would resist any of these oils would act the same all of them.

Nitrile rubber (Buna N) is by far the most common seal material.
viton is used sometimes for chemical resistance, but most often for higher temperature resistance. Buna N maybe 225 to 250 F max. Viton can go 300+, say at the lip temperature of a rotating shaft seal. Viton not so good at cold temps, say below 0F.

fire resistant or aircraft hydr fluids (phosphate esters, water glycols, etc) whole different story. Phosphate ester fluids attack seals, paint, coatings, skin, etc, but most people will never see those.

good AW industrial hydraulic is not cheap. We pay 10 to 13 $USD per gallon in drums on skid lots. At my local farm store the odd brands are 8-12/gallon.

That said, none of the other oils have tackifiers in them to keep it stuck on the bar around the end, yet still penetrate the oil grooves into the chain line pin area.

I'd not use anything but a good bar oil. Clean motor or AW hydr in a one tank pinch maybe but NEVER used dirty motor oil.

I'm sure there are plenty of people who swear for years with no problems, but I suspect they have very little use, or nothing to compare to for life of chains and bars.

k

 

[SWI Don]

I have used clean hydraulic oil - used but clean, in the winter. It has about the same apparent viscosity as Stihl winter grade and the price is free. When it is warm, regular bar oil is the norm.

As far as veggie oil is concerned unless you are an everyday user be cautious as the veggie oil will oxidise and turn to a waxy consistancy if allowed to sit too long. I have a good friend that had a saw that gummed up to the point it would no longer oil. This experience was with Husqvarna oil so other brands and newer blends may be better now.

 

[ray benson]

Try canola oil.

 

[Stihl 041S]

the hydr saws I've used took oil from the hydr system to lube the bar. condtant trimming and got great life on the b&c. In other saws I use bar oil. The o-rings in tractor valves...............Buna N. Last for years.
Rob

 

[Bruce Hopf]

I recently stopped by a logging crew that is working in our area, I clean up all the pieces cut off the ends of logs at the knuckle boom before they load the trucks(and get some nice wood too!) and noticed one of the guys pumping hydraulic oil from a drum into a one gallon container. Then he sauntered over to his saw on the tailgate and filled up the oil reservoir. I asked him about it, and he said hydraulic oil by the drum is far cheaper than bar oil, and works just as good. Anyone use this stuff, or know if its as good as genuine bar oil?
I buy my stuff from Walmart, the cheapest place in town. they have one gallon jugs for 5 bucks and some change, and seems to work just fine. Wondered if hydraulic oil is really cheaper by the drum?

Hydraulic Oil is a lot cheaper by the drum. Hydraulic Oil is not as thick, or as tacky as Bar Oil though. Even I have Hydraulic oil in the drum in the shop for my Tractors, I still use, and recommend you keep using Bar Oil. I won't run any thing but the proper oil in my saws. Remember that Hydraulic Oil is for moving Hydraulic Cylinders back and forth, where not much lubrication is not needed. Your Bar and Chain need to have lubrication, because of the high heat caused by the intense friction of the running chain at high speeds. Bruce.

 

[spencerhenry]

bottom line is bar oil is bar oil, hydraulic is hydraulic. the best bar oil i have found is poulan from walmart. it is sticky and stringy when its cold, its like melted cheese. stihl oil is also very good oil, but the poulan costs $5.83 a gallon at wally world, and stihl oil is around $8. if i thought stihl oil was better, i would pay the extra. i make my living with my saws and with that, i dont need problems. i use about 20 to 30 gallons of bar oil a year even if i could get hydraulic oil for less than $6 a gallon, the savings would be very slight. so if some of you are using a couple of gallons a year what do you save? a dollar or two per year?

 

[Bruce Hopf]

bottom line is bar oil is bar oil, hydraulic is hydraulic. the best bar oil i have found is poulan from walmart. it is sticky and stringy when its cold, its like melted cheese. stihl oil is also very good oil, but the poulan costs $5.83 a gallon at wally world, and stihl oil is around $8. if i thought stihl oil was better, i would pay the extra. i make my living with my saws and with that, i dont need problems. i use about 20 to 30 gallons of bar oil a year even if i could get hydraulic oil for less than $6 a gallon, the savings would be very slight. so if some of you are using a couple of gallons a year what do you save? a dollar or two per year?

I agree with you totally. Another thing to look at is that Hydraulic Oil, does not have a very high Viscosity Rating as compared to Bar Oil. Therefore, there will be a lot more wear on the Chain, and Bar. For what you will save on Oil, You will Definitely Spend More Replacing Your Bar, and Chain. In my opinion any way. Bruce.

 

[abohac]

I recently stopped by a logging crew that is working in our area, I clean up all the pieces cut off the ends of logs at the knuckle boom before they load the trucks(and get some nice wood too!) and noticed one of the guys pumping hydralic oil from a drum into a one gallon container. Then he sauntered over to his saw on the tailgate and filled up the oil reservoir. I asked him about it, and he said hydralic oil by the drum is far cheaper than bar oil, and works just as good. Anyone use this stuff, or know if its as good as genuine bar oil?
I buy my stuff from Walmart, the cheapest place in town. they have one gallon jugs for 5 bucks and some change, and seems to work just fine. Wondered if hydralic oil is really cheaper by the drum?

I don't know what kind of Hydro oil he's using but we buy it by the 55 gal drum and it is not cheaper than bar oil. Also, I'm not willing to wreck an oiler on my saw so I'm going to stick with what I'm using. I have had a problem with Husky oil not doing the job in the summer and hydro oil is alot thinner than regular bar oil so I'm pretty sure that you'd have trouble with anything big (wood) with your bar getting hot.

 

[abohac]

bottom line is bar oil is bar oil, hydraulic is hydraulic. the best bar oil i have found is poulan from walmart. it is sticky and stringy when its cold, its like melted cheese. stihl oil is also very good oil, but the poulan costs $5.83 a gallon at wally world, and stihl oil is around $8. if i thought stihl oil was better, i would pay the extra. i make my living with my saws and with that, i dont need problems. i use about 20 to 30 gallons of bar oil a year even if i could get hydraulic oil for less than $6 a gallon, the savings would be very slight. so if some of you are using a couple of gallons a year what do you save? a dollar or two per year?

I have to agree with you. I put hydro oil in the hydro tank. Bar oil in the bar oil tank.

 

[avalancher]

Well, I am glad that everyone seems to agree with me on this issue. Trust me, I never once really considered switching to hydralic oil, even if its cheaper. I was just curious about the fact really.
In reality, I would spend years going through 55 gallons of oil for the bar. I really dont know how much bar oil I use in a year, a lot depends on how much time I get to cut, how much wood I locate for the year, etc. I have always bought my oil at walmart, it does the job, cheap enough, and I havent experienced any premature wear to bars and chains to warrant switching to the more spendy brands of oil.
Besides, its always been a whole easier to have the oil delivered right to my house. I add it to the wifes grocery list and it shows up on the backporch within a day or two. I reckon I would have to go get the drum myself!