Question On Greasing A Sprocket Nose...

I was brought up to always grease the sprocket on the bar on and during every use. I'm sure it was a necessity 40 years ago when I was taught but, I think things have changed. After recently joining here, I too now believe, that with the quality of modern bar oils it may no longer be necessary, but a detriment. Unfortunately, I've come to this conclusion after greasing a new Cannon Super Bar for the first time. Am I doomed to an eternity of continually greasing the bar, can it be satisfactorily flushed or should I switch out the sprocket? Yeah, I can be old school to a fault. Thanks in advance.

Yeah, that bar is ruined now. Might as well send it my way and buy a new one!

IMO, they put a grease hole in for a reason...to grease it. You can flush yours out with carb or brake cleaner - they dry without a greasy residue - and then blow with compressed air. Repeat several times!

Thank Four Paws. I was teetering on the fence about this issue. However, somebody stole my handy little push/pump type grease gun. Everything I've found so far has been sort of cheesy looking compared to what was stolen. Obviously it was old school too. It was all steel with a threaded end cap to keep all the stuff in, instead of on, everything in the box. Anyway,I couldn't find one so I went to my friendly dealer and he didn't either. He did extol the benefits of never greasing a bar. However, the part that got me the most, was his opinion that you could get twice the use out of a bar without grease as opposed to a Properly greased one.

I grease mine also. If it was not needed, why would most of the quality bar manufactures make provisions to grease them? However I have never had a problem with the stihl bars with no grease provision. I do not grease whenever I fill with bar oil. I try to grease before I start the day and anytime I change bars or chains. If may not help, but I can not see it hurting. The only possible way I could see it hurting is if it was causing dirt and debris to stick in the sprocket area, but I think that bar oil would cause the same problem.

Check out the grease gun a Bailey's. I ordered on and three tubes of grease. It works very well, much better that the kind that you push the whole unit.

Jim

Get the grease gun from bailey's, and grease away...

How could it hurt? The reason for the grease hole is to grease the nose for crying out loud!

Maybe I am old school too, but hey it works for me...

Here is the grease gun:

http://store.baileys-online.com/cgi-bin/baileys/7?mv_session_id=urAEELqw&product_sku=17225

Here is the grease:

http://store.baileys-online.com/cgi-bin/baileys/1508?mv_session_id=urAEELqw&product_sku=17215

Now that is neat! Modern improvement. Around 30 years ago I bought a mini lever action, tube fed, gun then had to also add a needle nose tip to the bill. Seems that ran to around $20 at the time. Works great, lever even acts as a hook to hang on my tool box (milk crate).

Harry K

I grease the tip when I change chains/flip bar.

There is a lot of centrifigal force on the grease, and no mechinism to hold it in place (rubber seals). Blurp the throttle a couple times and it's gone. I stopped greasing about 5 years ago, no problems.

I believe tip wear is in relation to how much you bore-cut. Little wear if you do not bore-cut.

Fred

I can't remember the last time we greased a bar. By the time the tip blows apart usually the bar is ready to be replaced anyway because a rammy employee bends the bar.

-Matt

Just a dumb question - are all stihl bars greaseable? I didn't notice a grease port on mine, here's a picture of it.

Nope, no grease hole.

Nope, you aren't blind, no grease holes on Stihl bars. I've done it both ways over thirty years...when bars came with grease holes, I greased the sprocket every day when I cleaned up the saw and filled the bar oil and etc. before putting it away. Religiously. Now, running Stihl bars, I never grease. I have noticed no difference [zero] in bar life, sprocket life or performance. Who knows. I don't worry about it too much. Unless you are running the saw in sandy conditions, cutting up trash, etc., don't see how it could hurt to go ahead and lube the sprocket. Whatever.

Grease Hummm
The way I was told about greasing a sprocket.
If you start greasing keep greasing because the grease builds a wall so the bar lube does not get to it.

like Mr. said if you bore cut alot I would grease. also a over tightened chain would cause bearing heat up.

Standard practice would be add bar lube add grease. What one pump maybe two.

Urbicide said:

Here is the grease gun:

http://store.baileys-online.com/cgi-bin/baileys/7?mv_session_id=urAEELqw&product_sku=17225

Here is the grease:

http://store.baileys-online.com/cgi-bin/baileys/1508?mv_session_id=urAEELqw&product_sku=17215

Click to expand...

Now thats something I should get, I just have a little plastic POS with a steel tip that came with my 2186. It works ,but I'll probably have it broke B4 long.

bike grease gun

There are several available, but the nice thing is that you just screw on your tube of grease and let 'er eat. It is also perfect for greasing the clutch bearing.

http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/FK707Y02-Manitou+Grease+Gun+Head.aspx

A good local bike shop would be able to get one if they don't have one in stock. Shops that are more mountain bike oriented would be the place to go.

Jake

Got this from Dad

Whenever I refill the saw with bar oil, my Dad taught me to lay the saw on its side, pour a teaspoon or so of oil on the bar over the grease port, and then work the chain back and forth a few times. You can see the oil being drawn into the port when you do this. Then work more oil toward the port and repeat. If the bar has ports on both sides, I do it with both though I think one is enough.

Never had any problems with sprockets, but our usage isn't heavy duty commercial. Did have one stiffen up when I deliberately did not oil it for awhile to see if the 'Old Boy' knew what he was talking about. It came right back when I worked some oil into it.
Bob