Used (not engine) oil as bar lube

[bwalker]

Not quite that simple, but let me confess that I didn't do enough checking, either. I should have checked my formulas with Wikipedia, which is quite detailed and complex.

I thought I was working off the kinesthetic viscosity, but ...mistakes were made. Let's just say that gear oil is just about always considerably "thicker" than motor oil.

Given your suggestion to quote my references, I have decided that I did it wrong.

While each product has its own unique viscosity with in a range, in general 75w90 is about the same weight as a 10w30 motor oil as this chart shows.
This comes from Amsoil btw.

 

[bwalker]

Guy's worrying about harmful effects if any of bar oil running a saw... Yet these same guy's ignorantly consume in their diet copious amounts of Canola oil daily

Canola is not fit for human consumption. Hydrogenated VGO the same story, which is a few steps removed from plastic.

 

[bwalker]

I guess I must remember that when posting on the internets one must remember everyone has a different view of things. We use a lot of 140w+ gear oil, even some 250w in certain things. That is considerably “thicker” than 10w-30 or 75w-90. We were mentally starting in different places. Gear oil is better suited for bar oil than engine oil as it’s made for applications where extreme pressure is more present than extreme heat thus it sticks to the bar better. Plus I like how it smells and no one ever grabs my bar oil jug so I don’t have to worry about it walking away lol.

There is no extreme pressure in a bar and chain like one would find in a hypoid gear set operated under a heavy load.
If you like the smell of gear oil you are one sick individual,lol.

 

[jblnut]

There is no extreme pressure in a bar and chain like one would find in a hypoid gear set operated under a heavy load.
If you like the smell of gear oil you are one sick individual,lol.

Guess I’m a sicko. It brings back memories of restoring Farmalls with my Grandpa.

Find me an argument and I’ll find you at least two people on the internet that will say they’re right just to see what the other says next. “Extreme” is subjective and not an exact defined number. There is some pretty wild stuff going on between the chain and bar on the tip where it rounds the nose and gets pulled back to the drive sprocket. Unless of course you’re using a roller nose, then that chain and bar have a pretty easy life

 

[pdqdl]

Yeah, and smells are strange things as well. Not everyone has the same impression of an odor.
I just about had a marriage separation when I parked about 2 cords of freshly split red oak underneath my daughter's window. It was late summer, and the windows were open and the attic fan was on.

Wife: OMG! What is that stench? It smells like vomit mixed with dog crap!

Me: No, no, no. That is the smell of freshly cut oak. Just learn to think of it as a pleasant smell. This a great smell.​

Wife: It smells horrible!

Me:

BTW: the not-so-pleasant smell found in freshly split oak, ginkgo fruit, rancid butter, vomit, and dog poop is a 4-carbon carboxylic acid called Butyric acid.

 

[Vintage Engine Repairs]

The cost of bar oil is unreal - it’s literally money slung off the bar and you go through 500mls every half hour… I don’t blame anyone wanting to run used oil through the system, though gear oil i’d pass on due to the sulpher. A replacement oil pump years down the line when it wears is cheaper than buying bar oil

 

[bwalker]

Guess I’m a sicko. It brings back memories of restoring Farmalls with my Grandpa.

Find me an argument and I’ll find you at least two people on the internet that will say they’re right just to see what the other says next. “Extreme” is subjective and not an exact defined number. There is some pretty wild stuff going on between the chain and bar on the tip where it rounds the nose and gets pulled back to the drive sprocket. Unless of course you’re using a roller nose, then that chain and bar have a pretty easy life

EP as it pertains to gear oils is actually a defined number. I have seen it quoted in engineering texts.
But let me re phrase. There is nothing remotely approaching EP in a chain saw bar and chain.
At the end of the day bars and chains are consumable even with the best bar oil. I have noticed no differance in life span using expensive bar oil or cheap bar oil so IMO cheap bar oil is good bar oil.

 

[bwalker]

Yeah, and smells are strange things as well. Not everyone has the same impression of an odor.
I just about had a marriage separation when I parked about 2 cords of freshly split red oak underneath my daughter's window. It was late summer, and the windows were open and the attic fan was on.

Wife: OMG! What is that stench? It smells like vomit mixed with dog crap!

Me: No, no, no. That is the smell of freshly cut oak. Just learn to think of it as a pleasant smell. This a great smell.​

Wife: It smells horrible!

Me:

BTW: the not-so-pleasant smell found in freshly split oak, ginkgo fruit, rancid butter, vomit, and dog poop is a 4-carbon carboxylic acid called Butyric acid.

Green red oak does have a odor.

 

[jdgaborist]

"About the same" isn't exactly true.
Viscosity in oil is measured by what is called Kinematic viscosity. It is measured in centistokes (cSt) at 40°C (104°F) and 100°C (212°F).

Some relevant numbers for you to compare:

• SAE 0W-20 oil: 5.6-9.3 cSt at 100°C
• SAE 5W-30 oil: 9.3-12.5 cSt at 100°C
• SAE 10W-30 oil: 9.3-12.5 cSt at 100°C
• SAE 15W-40 oil: 12.5-16.3 cSt at 100°C

The typical viscosity range for 75W-90 gear oil is:

• At 40°C (104°F): 90-150 cSt
• At 100°C (212°F): 13.5-24.0 cSt

EDIT: Plenty of bad math has been deleted. This is what can happen when you don't cross reference your sources.

Now I have never looked into viscosity numbers like this before, so if anyone finds a mistake in my analysis, kindly let me know.

If you don't mind me asking which bar oil do your recommend?

 

[jdgaborist]

I have a much better use for used engine oil, gear oil, brake fluid and any other flammable substance related to automotive or farming fluids, I use all of it in my Kleen Burn waste oil furnace in the shop to offset the winter heating costs. The Kleen Burn gobbles up all of it and then some (take my neighbors fluids as well and the Kleen Burn has a built in centrifuge that eliminates any water that may be in it as well..

I usually make enough to last me a couple months so I need to hit my neighbors (farmers) for theirs as well.

 

[jdgaborist]

Which Klean burn furnace do you use? Are they expensive? I like the idea that it spins the water out and probably particle also.

 

[SS396driver]

I just changed the trans fluid on the Kubota . The used stuff was pretty clean with no odor. Wonder if it will work

 

[pdqdl]

If you don't mind me asking which bar oil do your recommend?

The cheapest I can find. Gear oil sounds like a winner, used motor oil sounds like a huge mess.

Many years ago I was trying out bulk vegetable oil from Sam's Club (5 gallons of liquid frying oil) as bar oil. We didn't notice any significant wear, but the saws all accumulated a film of oil that mixed with wood fibers and gummed up on all the exterior of the saw, including the cooling fins. It was hell to get off the machines, particularly in cold weather.

Prior to trying out the veggie oil, I was never aware of how much the bar oil got turned into a fog in the work zone , and that has pretty much convinced me that I don't wish to be inhaling a fog of grungy used motor oil.

I have a pretty good supply of used hydraulic oil, and am contemplating getting a tackifier for that, thanks to the references in this thread.

Just remember guys: you will be inhaling and getting covered with whatever bar oil you are using.

 

[bwalker]

The cheapest I can find. Gear oil sounds like a winner, used motor oil sounds like a huge mess.

Many years ago I was trying out bulk vegetable oil from Sam's Club (5 gallons of liquid frying oil) as bar oil. We didn't notice any significant wear, but the saws all accumulated a film of oil that mixed with wood fibers and gummed up on all the exterior of the saw, including the cooling fins. It was hell to get off the machines, particularly in cold weather.

Prior to trying out the veggie oil, I was never aware of how much the bar oil got turned into a fog in the work zone , and that has pretty much convinced me that I don't wish to be inhaling a fog of grungy used motor oil.

I have a pretty good supply of used hydraulic oil, and am contemplating getting a tackifier for that, thanks to the references in this thread.

Just remember guys: you will be inhaling and getting covered with whatever bar oil you are using.

You might try it with no tacifier. I bet it works just fine for you.
And you are spot on with your last comment. Something lost on the tight wad/broke azz crew using drain oil for bar lube.

 

[Mike Van]

Back in '65, right out of 8th grade, I bought my first chainsaw - I used 10w oil in winter, 30w in the summer. Manual oiler on that old Homelite, but I cut a lot of wood with it -

 

[bwalker]

Back in '65, right out of 8th grade, I bought my first chainsaw - I used 10w oil in winter, 30w in the summer. Manual oiler on that old Homelite, but I cut a lot of wood with it -

Sure they would work fine today.

 

[GeneralKayoss]

Why use this when you can real bar oil at Rural king or tractor supply for under $10?

You aren't getting bar oil at TS or Lowes for less than $15 unless you catch a sale.

 

[GeneralKayoss]

The cost of bar oil is unreal - it’s literally money slung off the bar and you go through 500mls every half hour… I don’t blame anyone wanting to run used oil through the system, though gear oil i’d pass on due to the sulpher. A replacement oil pump years down the line when it wears is cheaper than buying bar oil

This. You can replace a typical bar for the cost of just a few gallons of bar oil.

 

[buzz sawyer]

You aren't getting bar oil at TS or Lowes for less than $15 unless you catch a sale.

https://www.ruralking.com/all-season-bar-and-chain-oil-1-gallon-80565-17431

 

[bwalker]

https://www.ruralking.com/all-season-bar-and-chain-oil-1-gallon-80565-17431

Harvest King and Mystik ar both $12 locally. I see mystik for sale online for $8.99.