Bar and Chain Oil Preference

I finally found a Dolmar dealer close (35 miles) to my house and had the privilege of picking up a real live 5100S. It looks like a mean machine.

Anyhow...

The Dolmar dealer had a sale on Dolmar B & C oil and I was wondering if any of you have an opinion on Dolmar's oil. While I'm at it, do any of you have preferences for B & C oil you use in your saws? I read in a previous post that someone uses Tractor Supply Co. Bar and Chain oil during cold weather because it seems thinner than others. Funny but I had noticed the same thing...I thought it was just my imagination but I guess not. I have tried Husky oil, TSC, and Poulan oil in my 455 Rancher and I have found the Poulan oil seems to work better in the fall...and its 2 dollars cheaper. The Husky seems thicker. How about you?

I go with TSC oil year round. Can't beat the price and the quality is excellent compared to others in the same price range. I buy it two gallons at a clip and try to catch it on sale.

The worst B & C oil I ever bought was from Home Depot about 5 years ago. The stuff smelled like #6 heating oil. Lord knows where they got that stuff.

I had been using Stihl oil, but at 14.00 a gal it got to be old hat fast. Bought a jug of Emak oil at Menards and it wasn't too bad, 11.00 a gal was a better deal and nice and tacky too. But last month a local saw repair guy sold me 4 gal for 6$ a piece. I think the brand is Pro Chain??? It's kinda thin for my liking but have not had any issues yet, but I think it would make great winter oil. I have tried that TSC oil and it was fine, but not really the bargain I wanted. I see walmart has I think it's Hightec, their own brand, b&c oil for 7 a gal. I'll get some next time and give it a try. As much as I have been cutting lately I need a price break on the stuff. JJ

I have been using canola oil the last few years and only occasionally Dura Tac(quaker state) bar oil. If my saws are going to sit for a few months I make sure the canola is emptied and replaced with the quaker state oil.

ray benson said:

I have been using canola oil the last few years and only occasionally Dura Tac(quaker state) bar oil. If my saws are going to sit for a few months I make sure the canola is emptied and replaced with the quaker state oil.

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Ray, is it safe to mix canola oil 50:50 with a good petroleum-base B & C oil? I've thought about it many times to help support the "green" movement. A couple of my older saws look like they could pump about anything.

I'll use TSC in the summer, but it's too thick for me in the cold. Below 40°F, I start to mix winter weight B&C oil into regular weight B&C oil (about 50-50). Below freezing, I'll use straight winter weight B&C oil (Stihl or Husqvarna--whichever is less expensive at the time).

I use the Poulan oil that I buy at Walmart. It seems to work ok for me but I usually don't cut in cold weather. Most of my wood opportunities seem to come at the hottest times of the year.

Got a heleva buy on some no name oil last yr from my Dolmar dealer at 12.00 for a case of 12qts. Wish I had bought a semi load now. Still workin on what I bought but the next load will cost 3-4xs as much.

The TSC is on sale right now for $5.99 per gallon. Picked up two this morning. Now I'm good for the next couple of years. The Chain Pro from Menard's is good stuff if you pick it up on sale. It's a bit thinner and it pours well in the winter. About as good as the blue Stihl winter grade jug. Except at half the price.

Wood Doctor said:

Ray, is it safe to mix canola oil 50:50 with a good petroleum-base B & C oil? I've thought about it many times to help support the "green" movement. A couple of my older saws look like they could pump about anything.

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I have mixed them at times. May try letting some canola sit out, half canola/ half bar oil sit out for a few months to see if they congeal. I did have a half quart of canola sitting in a bottle in the garage for about 6 months and it looked and worked like fresh oil.

Hard to say

My local dealer buys bulk and fills the container(s) I bring him for $5.00 a gallon. He buys it wherever he gets the best deal, so I never know what I'm getting, and so far I've had no issues.

If I run out late on a Saturday or Sunday, then TSC is usually the best bet.

Take Care

I know I'll catch sh:censored:t, but I've always used used (nice grammer) motor oil- I know its supposed to be a carcinogen, but I try to keep my nose away from the bar tip. I've also heard alot of guys talking about its lack of lubricity: do you mean that when you changed your motor's oil that it was- all of a sudden- not lubricating? Sure, it doesn't have the tacky additive, but I adjust all my oilers- Stihl saws and a processor- wide open. I've never noticed unusual bar, chain or sprocket wear. We do about 600 real cords a year.opcorn:

i use tsc except for winter time. then i switch over to husky winter oil. its like 5 bucks cheaper than stihl oil here.

I use Stihl oil, but I loaded up when the dealer had it mispriced for $7 a gallon, and it was 11-15 everywhere else. After I bought them out they changed their price. So for a while I run Stihl.

I buy Chain Pro at Menards when it is on sale, $6 gal. It seems very thin but works well. I'm also using up a couple of gallons of hydraulic fluid I drained from a splitter cylinder rebuild. I mix it 50/50 with the Chain Pro. A lot of EP additives in the hydraulic. TSC bar oil works well also.

Woodcutteranon said:

I finally found a Dolmar dealer close (35 miles) to my house and had the privilege of picking up a real live 5100S. It looks like a mean machine.

Anyhow...

The Dolmar dealer had a sale on Dolmar B & C oil and I was wondering if any of you have an opinion on Dolmar's oil. While I'm at it, do any of you have preferences for B & C oil you use in your saws? I read in a previous post that someone uses Tractor Supply Co. Bar and Chain oil during cold weather because it seems thinner than others. Funny but I had noticed the same thing...I thought it was just my imagination but I guess not. I have tried Husky oil, TSC, and Poulan oil in my 455 Rancher and I have found the Poulan oil seems to work better in the fall...and its 2 dollars cheaper. The Husky seems thicker. How about you?

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I have used dolmar before and its good oil but to high for me. I also used poulan from walmart for a while but its way to thick in the cold. When its 0 degrees F around here the wind is usually blowing 30-40 mph and the poulan oil wont pour for S***. I have used woodland pro for the last 2 yrs and love it , motion lotion is the name and it works so much better in the cold. But I think the shipping may have increased so I dont know if Ill be able to run it this yr or not, I have been getting a case at a time. I may try to pick up some of the tractor supply oil you guys like and give it a try!

I also confess to recycling used motor oil, used gear oil, and used hydraulic oil. If recycling is a crime, I plead guilty. The used oil works fine, except for hydraulic oil, which was a bit thin for the chainsaws, but worked OK in the Alaskan mill's oiler.

Otherwise, I buy whatever is cheapest -- usually Poulan brand from Wally's.

Walmart also sells the "Supertech" brand of B&C oil. They keep it hidden in the automotive department, and it is a couple of bucks more than Poulan, but it is tackier than Poulan, if you care about that sort of thing. I like to use Supertech B&C as a way oil on my lathe and mill.

Ohiowoodguy said:

I know I'll catch sh:censored:t, but I've always used used (nice grammer) motor oil- I know its supposed to be a carcinogen, but I try to keep my nose away from the bar tip. I've also heard alot of guys talking about its lack of lubricity: do you mean that when you changed your motor's oil that it was- all of a sudden- not lubricating? Sure, it doesn't have the tacky additive, but I adjust all my oilers- Stihl saws and a processor- wide open. I've never noticed unusual bar, chain or sprocket wear. We do about 600 real cords a year.opcorn:

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I finally quit doing that when disposing of used motor oil became like a big deal in California. At one time my crew was going through like fifty or so gallons a year, and I got to thinking; every drop of that is sprayed around in the woods (or spilled when refilling the tank, ha ha). What would "the people" say if I SPILLED fifty gallons of used motor oil? Spilled or sprayed, it's still in the environment.

What I Do use sometimes is contaminated but new hydraulic oil. You know, someone opens a five gallon jug of hydraulic, dumps about half of it into the Cat, and leaves the rest in the back of their truck fror a few weeks, then it rains... you never really trust it in your quarter million dollar dozer or grader or excavator... Works okay as a bar oil though, a little thin, especially in warm weather, but just run the oiler wide open and it's good. Run it consistently in bars up to 36"; longer than that and I'd prefer to stick with something with tack additives.

Or it might not make any difference.

This in a fleet of forty or fifty saws used by several to numerous people, no abnormal or unexpected bar wear or other issues.

I remember twenty years ago, all tips had the little hole where you were supposed to grease the bearings? It was like, file the saw, lube the tip. Even had special little grease guns (Huskys included one with their saws). I haven't seen one of those tip grease holes on a Stihl bar in over ten years. Back when we had the tip grease holes, I always maintained that whatever grease you shot into the bearings would last until for about five seconds, after which it got sprayed out onto the ground with your oil.

Anything but "Do-It" brand winter bar oil.
That stuff is rejected 80-90 gear lube mixed with Corn syrup by the looks of it. Molassas flows better than that crap when it gets cold.

Poulan ain't bad stuff, and the crap at TSC works fine when it's hot out.

Been thinking about $$$ and the cost of bulk Rotella T though.
It's cheaper than Bar oil, as is the generic 30wt at the Co-Op.

Then I got to looking at Bar oil by the drum from the local petro distibutor.
He says they have it and will get back to me on $$.

Anybody in SW Mich up for a group buy? LOL!!

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

used motor oil. I have 3 55 gallon drums of it.

setup and strain a couple gallon at a time.

if its good enough to run in an engine with a couple thousandths clearance and a filter, it's more then plenty good enough to run on a chain with wood chips and the occasional globs of dirt...