I think you would have to be completely insane to use used motor oil as chainsaw bar oil. If you have to use petroleum oil, at least use virgin bar oil with a tackifier in it. That is non-detergent oil as well. Most motor oil has detergent in it, which not only makes the oil fling off the bar faster, but it also pollutes the environment in serious ways. Never mind the added toxins and heavy metals in the used oil, and the smell. I have bought used saws with used motor oil in them. No longer. They are a mess to clean up, never really clean up completely and they smell like crap. I switched to filtered veggie oil from my fryer for bar oil and I have had no issues in several years of use. No buildup, no rot, no clogged oil pumps, no chain or bar rail problems, or any other problems. If I spill some, so what? Its fully biodegradable and non-toxic. If the dog licks it off my shoes, so what? If I get it on my clothes, so what? If the kids get it on them, so what? It washes out. If it gets all over my yard from cutting rounds here, so what? It is tested to be 5,000 times less toxic than petroleum oil. 5,000 times! That is a serious difference. Veggie oil is also 'free' as I have no other use for used fryer oil. If I run out of that, virgin veggie oil only costs $5 a gallon. That is half the price of bar oil here which is $10 a gallon. Less cost, no issues, non-toxic. No brainer.
Sthilhead-Maybe you'd have to be completely insane not to try used motor oil for bar oil? Seems all the responses that warn against the destruction of my oiler doesn't necessarily relate to motor oil. Not if you have to mod an existing factory oiler to do a better job. Like I said previously, maybe those oilers that failed were because of a faulty oiler?? http://firewoodhoardersclub.com/forums/threads/modding-oilers.8776/ I think I usderstand the need of "tacky" oil for the bar oil, but again, wouldn't that also aid in the gumming of the oiler too?
Yoop, its not the saw oilers I really care about. Its the toxic oil you are spraying all over the place. But hey, you wanna pollute the UP with that crap, go ahead. My family left that place a generation ago. Why you want to file down your oil pumps and B&C with motor oil filled with fine metal grit an blowby... or expose yourself to that toxic shyte, makes absolutely zero sense to me. I have been around chainsaws my whole life, and I have never heard of an oiler gumming up because of a tackifier added to bar oil. And as I said above, I have never had an oil pump, bar or chain gum up using veggie oil, nor have I had any problems using it. And its cheaper, works great, and its completely non-toxic. I fail to see how using toxic and smelly used motor oil with fine metal grit and sludge in it is good to use in any way, shape or form in anything. The only thing I do with that stuff is to properly recycle it. If you use petroleum bar oil, at least use non detergent (ND) virgin oil. Even better would be virgin bar oil with a tackifier in it.
I use sthil bar oil. I use the summer blend year round and never had any problems I warm it up before using it. Most of the time I have my truck and put it in the cab with the heat on when going to from cutting. Never had any problems
I use bar oil in whatever flavor I grab. My Stihl dealer had some on sale (not much of a sale compared to other oils), so I picked up a couple jugs there. I have some Huskee oil from TSC that I've used off and on for years. I recently picked up a jug of Husqvarna winter weight, and still have a half jug of Stihl winter weight. My conclusion; TSC/Huskee oil is very thick. Pretty much only use this when it's hot out. Stihl silver jug is a nice viscosity. I could use this all year round and never have an issue. But, it's expensive! Stihl winter weight pours very nice when it's damm cold out. I haven't even opened the Husqvarna winter weight jug yet. When it's cold out, I think once oil is in a saw and the saw warms it up, it doesn't matter what bar oil you poured in there. The different thicknesses just make it easier to pour in the cold temps. However, I wouldn't use winter weight in high temps though.
I've cut with people that use drains oil for bar oil. It doesn't seem to work very good for 32" or longer bars. It doesn't stick to the chain good enough. The mess it makes all over the saw is enough for me not to run it. I've not seen any oilers with bar oil gum up. Veggie oil can get thick and gum up. The motor oil in the pump that failed was nasty hard crusty mess. It left some of that in the tank and the little groove where the oil travels.
WOW! 5 pages of discussion on bar oil. Lots of what to do (and not what to do) Thanks to everyone that replied
