NickC
ArboristSite Member
My 2 cents, back around year 2000 l started getting paid on production cutting timber I ran a saw hard for 6.5 or 7 hrs 6 days a wk.I ran reg husky oil when I was running husky’s and I ran reg stihl oil when running stihls. I got a new saw and ran it hard right from the very first tank. Never even gave a thought to breaking in, later started running stihl synthetic. Then I got a computer about 2013 & started reading about oils & breakin etc & worrying about these things, started using Motul & running half throttle first little bit then stepping it up first few tanks. Long story short I never had a saw fail in any of these scenarios! I serviced them on Sunday,cleaned them, greased needle bearing, kept filter clean as I could.I believe one of the most important things I did was when I got bar pinched I didn’t jerk and wrench back and forth excessively I used a wedge or put on spare bar & got it out or if guy in next strip was close I got cut out, therefore I never caused an air leak and got it running lean. Lean equals saw failure I believe, sorry to ramble on about what was just supposed to be about oil. I still like Motul best because it just feels like it has way more lubricity between your fingers where the stihl & husky just feel thin but I’m not sure it makes a difference because I had luck with both!
Sums it up well!
You wouldn't buy a brand new car and instantly drive it around everywhere on the rev limiter or sit on the drive with your foot flat to the floor needlessly revving it? You're a little gentle, let it rev, make it work but show it a little empathy? Probably...
So for the first tank try and be gentle, no WOT out of the cut etc. You're not going to 'bed' a hardened steel bearing into a hardened steel crank in a few tanks of fuel, I'd imagine it's more to ensure everything has a good coating of oil and moving properly before you expose it to excess load and heat.
I'd imagine that there are as many contradictory threads about oil mix, Stihl have been stipulating 50:1 for how many years? I'm not bothered by it so don't read them but I have glanced on threads saying that more oil is a waste of money and can be detrimental, lowering the octane, excess carbon etc. I use 50:1 plus 10% to allow for any miss-calculation or slight overfill of fuel / under measure of oil, works out about 45:1 on a good day. Still std red as the saws I have were designed to use it, modern stuff synthetic.