I am using the sthil bar oil now and i was wondering if anyone uses the summer oil in the winter ? We dont get below freezing very often here in eastern pennsylvania mostly in the 20 to low 30's here. What brand of oil are you using ? Or am i over thinking this summer and winter oil question. Thaks .
Winter or summer bar oil?
- Thread starter sgrizz
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bruiser 1
ArboristSite Operative
Yeah, your probably over thinking it GRIZZ. When these 2 strokes warmup(Which is not very long) the viscosity of the oil seems to flow pretty good. I wouldn't worry bout it! Used to live in Stoudsburg PA, don't know how close to you.What I do is let it idle for a minute or two when I first start her up, never WOT when cold. Just my 2
Farmall Guy
ArboristSite Operative
never ran into a problem running summer weight in winter up here but then I dont cut when it drops much below 10* either. As said above once the saw is warm it seems to flow alright
I did run into an issue this summer with some winter wt oil dad bought, he didnt have any problems with it in his 028 or 046. I was all out of summer oil so I topped off the 880 with the winter stuff, no problem with a 30" bar but when I switched over to the 47" I noticed the oil wasnt making it all the way out to the tip and the chain was heating up more than normal. Shut her down and went and got some summer wt oil, problem solved. Only thing I could figure was the thinner oil was getting thrown off the long bar before it got all the way around, didnt seem to bother the shorter bars though.
I did run into an issue this summer with some winter wt oil dad bought, he didnt have any problems with it in his 028 or 046. I was all out of summer oil so I topped off the 880 with the winter stuff, no problem with a 30" bar but when I switched over to the 47" I noticed the oil wasnt making it all the way out to the tip and the chain was heating up more than normal. Shut her down and went and got some summer wt oil, problem solved. Only thing I could figure was the thinner oil was getting thrown off the long bar before it got all the way around, didnt seem to bother the shorter bars though.
Thanks you farmall guy and bruiser 1 for your opions on this. Thats what i was going to do was to let the saw warm up before i start cutting. I am about 90 minutes from stroudsburg , i am close to north east philly. The only time i will be cutting wood in that cold wheather would be for a tree that fell from a storm.:biggrinbounce2:
smokinj
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i have cut when it was cold as hell add a little kerosene to it, if it look like a cotton candy machine
jburlingham
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I have successfully used summer weight in the winter for years in most of my saws ( I live in coastal CT), however my little Jonsered won't push summer weight oil very effectively in the winter (as mild as they are) so I tried winter weight it worked much better, but you can just thin out summer bar oil with kerosene or diesel.
Trigger Man
Addicted to ArboristSite
I live in Eastern Canada "The Maritimes" I have run Summer oil or (Heavy) all year long no problems, IMO winter grade or (light) is a scam unless maybe you live in the arctic.
dingeryote
Blueberry Baron
+1 on letting the saw warm up, but not just in the cold.
Give it a Min. or two for everything to warm up to a uniform Temp. before givin' her hell in any weather.
If it's below freezing, you should be fine with most GOOD Summer weight Bar oils untill it gets down around 20 or so from what I have seen.
Just watch the 'House brand" stuff. If it's as stiff as 80-90 gear lube when it comes out of the jug, forget it, or thin it out with diesel or motor oil.
If ya don't cut much in the cold, a quart of winter weight on hand, to thin down the summer weight stock is cheap enough. Just in case ya have a buddy call ya in January with a tree on his house or somethin'.
Stay safe!
Dingeryote
Give it a Min. or two for everything to warm up to a uniform Temp. before givin' her hell in any weather.
If it's below freezing, you should be fine with most GOOD Summer weight Bar oils untill it gets down around 20 or so from what I have seen.
Just watch the 'House brand" stuff. If it's as stiff as 80-90 gear lube when it comes out of the jug, forget it, or thin it out with diesel or motor oil.
If ya don't cut much in the cold, a quart of winter weight on hand, to thin down the summer weight stock is cheap enough. Just in case ya have a buddy call ya in January with a tree on his house or somethin'.
Stay safe!
Dingeryote
Spotted Owl
ArboristSite Guru
If it's thick cut it a bit. We have always just added a splash of gas. Works good when cutting really pitchy/sappy wood also. We use it more for wood condition than anything, it has to darned cold for oil to not flow well from a saw that has been working.
Owl
Owl
TreeClimber57
Addicted to ArboristSite
I am up in Central Canada, and run same oil all year long.
I am using stihl summer grade in it now so i thin it with kero. if i need to . I have seen the lowes and homedepot oils and was alittle leary about how good it was so i will use what i have.
When i bought the 290 the salesman put echo bar oil in it so i will use that as a seconed option.:greenchainsaw:
When i bought the 290 the salesman put echo bar oil in it so i will use that as a seconed option.:greenchainsaw:
Gypo Logger
Timber Baron
The best bar lube is transmission hydraulic, regardless of the climate. 20 litres at Walmart is around 38 dollars in Canada. Who needs that gooyey stuff? Old fables died hard.
Gypo
Gypo
dingeryote
Blueberry Baron
Gypo,
38 bucks for 5 Gal. of Hydro?
CRAP!!!
I just paid 47 bucks U.S. for 5 Gal. of Universal for the Harvester.
Looks like I gotta start smuggling hardwood into Canada, and smuggling out hydro on the return trip. LOL!!!
Stay safe!
Dingeryote
or I cut regular bar oil with 5w30 or 5w20 synthetic motor oil at 25%. We cut most of our firewood in January and February, and we think we get better results with the better flow.
smokinj
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I never herd this one sounds good
Austin1
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Ya that Walmart oil is the best deal in Canada, I bought my atf for my splitter at walmart. I have even run it in my saw's as bar lube I use Canola now but might switch back to what ever oil Walmart has on sale, as Canola is getting pricey. I know the oil threads are hated here but I have never been to keen on Sticky bar oil, I do really like the Husky Bio oil but it is priced $6.00 bucks a litre here. I will run any clean oil from 10W/30 to atf and Canola, I really never found any difference for the little bit of wood I cut.ATF is the best for keeping the saw clean. Since you are up North have you ever seen a plastic oil pump drive component break due to thick oil on a saw? I have seen bent push rods in all makes of vehicles due to trying to start em during -40 and even had a Steering wheel blow up in side of a old ford in the NWT when it was like -51 outside scared the h*** out of me.
Chris Crouse
ArboristSite Operative
The extreme cold made an air bag deploy? Yowza
Austin1
Addicted to ArboristSite
Nope it made the Plastic in the steering wheel break off the metal ring with a bang. My old 68 chev would have big gaps, 1/4'' in the Bakelite wheel but when it was -30 or colder the gaps in the plastick would shrink to .020 like a spark plug gap. The wheels are not covered in them old trucks just hard plastic and the gaps are for a reason lol.
gallegosmike
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I use el cheapo walmart purchased poulan green bottle chain oil. I use it year round. I the coldest temps that Ive used it as was about 5 dergees. I only thing I did different was put the oil jug on top of the truck cab to keep it in the sun. Once in the saws oil tank, the mag case kept it nice and warm.
it is getting close to 5pm MST! :monkey:
it is getting close to 5pm MST! :monkey:
