Chain saw lube

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ekcutter

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Local Farm & Fleet has Oregon bar oil on sale for 8.99. Oil seems fairly thin in the jug, no info on the outside of the container suggesting only for cold weather use. My brother and I for the last 30 years have only used Husqvarna bar lube. Any body have ant experience with this or the Echo brand. They are both quite a bit thinner than the Husky lube.
FYI, I'll be using this in and older Jonsered 2077 and a fairly new Echo 59cc saw. I replaced the oil pump external plastic parts years ago in the 2077 with Partner replacement pieces. Old molded piece that drove everything was one piece.
If it is believed to be too thin could I mix in some 85-140w gear lube to help it adhere to the bar better.???? I don't do a lot of cutting anymore, just help out with friends firewood or removing blow downs from farm tractor access paths.
 
I would just try it and see how it works for you. I am using $5.99 a gallon Rural King bar oil and I have no complaints. I have only bought "saw brand" bar oil once in my life because that's all they had st the store I was at.

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I would just try it and see how it works for you. I am using $5.99 a gallon Rural King bar oil and I have no complaints. I have only bought "saw brand" bar oil once in my life because that's all they had st the store I was at.

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Farm and fleet by me also has Mystik brand bar oil in the auto dept for $6.99
 
I bought a jug of the new stihl bar oil in the darker orange almost red jug after using the last case I had I bought. Tut is super thick. Thought maybe it was just cold because it was 45 degrees out. Brought it in the house overnight and it still is super thick. Anyone else have this issue?
 
I'll check out the Stihl lube. Maybe I could mix with the thinner lube.
Anyone else use the Oregon brand bar lube? Opinion? How does it compare to the Stihl or Husky brand, warm weather type.
 
I read somewhere back in the day people would use used motor oil. I bet that wore out a lot of bars. I never really gave the bar oil a second thought myself, I’ve just always assumed they’re all the same but I’m glad you stirred the thought in my mind. My pa-in-law just gave me a jug and it does seem thinner than my usual brand (husqvarna I believe) which has never failed me.


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I have ran wal mart brand, tractor supply brand, and currently running Stens brand. All seem about the same. The Stens stuff is a bit thinner but still seems to work just fine. I have even run 10w30 in a pinch.

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I bought a jug of the new stihl bar oil in the darker orange almost red jug after using the last case I had I bought. Tut is super thick. Thought maybe it was just cold because it was 45 degrees out. Brought it in the house overnight and it still is super thick. Anyone else have this issue?
Its likely a summer weight bar oil. I know Sthil offers oils designed for summer (thicker) and winter (thinner) use.
 
Think about how bar oil is used, It's a one time use that only stays on the bar for a few moments and is replaced with new oil from the oiler. It has no time to degrade or break down before it slings off and replaced with fresh oil from the oiler. A bar doesn't need a copious amount of oil to do it's job. I always use the cheapest off brand I can find and in over 10 years and thusands of cords, I have never worn out a bar. Most name brand oils your paying for the name not the quality of the oil. I have even used used motor oil with no issues at all.
 
How many saws did it take you to cut thousands of cords? I’ve got a husqvarna 257 that I bought new in 94’ and I’ve changed that bar at least twice.


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How many saws did it take you to cut thousands of cords? I’ve got a husqvarna 257 that I bought new in 94’ and I’ve changed that bar at least twice.


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I started burning wood in 1986 and stopped in 2000. I had one saw, 1985 model 50. I don't know how many cords I cut, but I burned wood about 5 months a year on average. I completely wore out one bar, should have been replaced way sooner than it was, the replacement bar is worn but I still use it for cutting stumps after storms and such. I have used all types of bar oil in that saw, from cheap bar oil to new motor oil, used motor oil, transmission fluid. I don't ever remember the bar getting hot or smoking with whatever oil I was using at the time.

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Its likely a summer weight bar oil. I know Sthil offers oils designed for summer (thicker) and winter (thinner) use.
It is summer oil but it’s twice as thick as the summer oil that use to come in the orange jug. I ended up mixing it with half a jug of winter oil (blue jug) to get it thin enough to use
 
Think about how bar oil is used, It's a one time use that only stays on the bar for a few moments and is replaced with new oil from the oiler. It has no time to degrade or break down before it slings off and replaced with fresh oil from the oiler. A bar doesn't need a copious amount of oil to do it's job. I always use the cheapest off brand I can find and in over 10 years and thusands of cords, I have never worn out a bar. Most name brand oils your paying for the name not the quality of the oil. I have even used used motor oil with no issues at all.
The town where I live uses motor oil but they buy a wax additive to mix in it.
 
I’ve used the Echo bar oil and it seems to be super sticky stuff. However I’m in the camp of trying to find the cheaper stuff when possible.
 
Really doesn't matter much. Just use it.

The one main rule is use dedicated bar and chain oil. Brand doesn't matter much. If it's REAL cold...like below 0, then try to find winter blend. I use the summer stuff down into the single digits and it seems to work just fine. Usually Stihl orange bottle or Husky orange bottle because that's what they sell at the places I shop. I wouldn't be opposed to using cheaper off brand stuff though.

If I were in a pinch and all I had on hand was new/used motor oil, or ATF, or even gear oil, I would use it. However, if I have the choice, I will use B&C oil every time.
 
The town where I live uses motor oil but they buy a wax additive to mix in it.

I don't use motor oil that is really old and black. I use motor oil that is lightly used. I raced motorcross and changed the motor oil after only about 5 or 6 hours and it was still almost clear. I don't use motor oil out of a diesel motor. If it's supper black I don't use it.
 
I don't use motor oil that is really old and black. I use motor oil that is lightly used. I raced motorcross and changed the motor oil after only about 5 or 6 hours and it was still almost clear. I don't use motor oil out of a diesel motor. If it's supper black I don't use it.

The problem with motor oil isn't it being dirty, it's the lack of tackifiers. They're probably adding some sort of tackifier agent to the oil to make it stick better. Motor oil slings 95% of the oil off at the tip because it doesn't stick like it should which is why it isn't recommended for use on bar/chain.
 
The problem with motor oil isn't it being dirty, it's the lack of tackifiers. They're probably adding some sort of tackifier agent to the oil to make it stick better. Motor oil slings 95% of the oil off at the tip because it doesn't stick like it should which is why it isn't recommended for use on bar/chain.

I understand that but I have been using it for 15 years without any issues. I'm still on the original bars that my saws came with. Tackifiers don't mean squat when the oil is dragged off by the wood chips as you cut.
 
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