Bar and Chain Oil!

[Brian72]

It's true. The cleanup is a little messy. Not scraping nice clean oil/wood chips off the front. Just a little darker gunk. But I do the math with the help of my smarter than me phone, and figger I save about a "C" note every chain. And that is why I like being an American. I don't think I'll put gas in the truck because I crashed it yesterday, but I did save my dirty clothes to grace my appearance after my shower this morning. I don't mean to be sh*TTY, just feeling froggy. I've been told I'm pretty nice, just opinionated. And OLD! Goes hand in hand.

That's just funny! Love it![emoji1]

Sent from my Moto E (4) using Tapatalk

 

[sundance]

Greetings and hallucinations, all -

This is my first post, but I'm by no means a greenie to the logging industry. Right to my issue:

After exclusively using Stihl bar and chain oil in the orange bottle for decades, I have finally run out of a massive stash of gallons. Now, I refuse to pay the astronomical price for their B&C oil. It's ridiculous.

What are your guys' favorites for a good price? Don't get me wrong - I don't plan on using the cheapest crap on the market (nor will I assume vegetable oil will do the job), as I only cut firewood and downed limbs from storms and such using a Stihl MS250 and RS chain. I no longer cut every day. Maybe once a week for an hour or so. So what has been a reliable oil at a fair price for ya'll? A buddy of mine swears by Motion Lotion he buys on Bailey's, but I'd like some secondary opinions.

Thanks in advance, fellas!

Once a week for an hour or so.....and the cost of Stihl B&C oil is an issue? I use Stihl (pricey, but my dealer deserves to stay in business; Husky from Lowes (better price) and sometimes TSC. But realistically the cost of B&C oil for my firewood supply really isn't a major factor.

 

[Beetlejuice]

I used to get this stuff at Auto Zone, in a green jug, I think it was Itasca brand. It was real tacky, I liked it a lot and also used it as air filter oil in my enduro bike.

Does anybody use hydraulic oil or maybe drain oil? Does drain oil really clog the oiler?

Drain oil won't hurt a thing.. I filter it through either a tee shirt or coffee filters.. Depends on viscosity. Every 9-10 gallons I fill up on ATF.. Has detergent in it.. Don't know if it does any good. But doesn't hurt. I can't tell any difference, except I pump the oiler a bunch so gotta fill up oil way before fuel. But im ready for a beer by the time I run out of oil. Beats the **** outta $10 gallon stuff

 

[windthrown]

Cheapest bar oil here is $8.99a gallon, usually its a lot more. Far cheaper (and non toxic) is Canola oil at Walmart for $5.99 a gallon. Been using that for years now. Only issue is that the chain may get sticky after a few months on the shelf without use. Free it up, it runs fine again. If I spill it? Dog laps it up, no issues. If I get it all over me? So what. If I spray it around my yard and it seeps into the ground? No problem. No sudsing and foaming up the water runoff either.

Drain oil is about as toxic as you can get. Metals, detergent, blowby hydrocarbons, benzene, 10,000 times more toxic than canola. But hey, its your saw and your health. Good luck with that. My dad used drain oil for all kinds of things... until he died of liver cancer at age 66.

 

[Andyshine77]

No I wont pay Stihl oil prices, but I also won't work on a saw that's been ran on foul smelling, black nasty saws ran on waste oil. Not to mention the **** isn't that great on the skin or lungs, the mist coming off the gets everywhere. IMHO it make no sense to save a few bucks, while you're making a mess of your saw and harming yourself and environment. But it's a free country.

 

[Andyshine77]

Cheapest bar oil here is $8.99a gallon, usually its a lot more. Far cheaper (and non toxic) is Canola oil at Walmart for $5.99 a gallon. Been using that for years now. Only issue is that the chain may get sticky after a few months on the shelf without use. Free it up, it runs fine again. If I spill it? Dog laps it up, no issues. If I get it all over me? So what. If I spray it around my yard and it seeps into the ground? No problem. No sudsing and foaming up the water runoff either.

Drain oil is about as toxic as you can get. Metals, detergent, blowby hydrocarbons, benzene, 10,000 times more toxic than canola. But hey, its your saw and your health. Good luck with that. My dad used drain oil for all kinds of things... until he died of liver cancer at age 66.

Exactly! you posted while I was typing.

 

[sundance]

I'm just a 3-4 cord a year firewood hack. A gallon of the $10 stuff lasts me long enough it isn't worth the effort and risk to play with drain oil and ATF. How long does a gallon last you?

 

[sundance]

I'm just a 3-4 cord a year firewood hack. A gallon of the $10 stuff lasts me long enough it isn't worth the effort and risk to play with drain oil and ATF. How long does a gallon last you?

 

[Deleted member 117362]

No I wont pay Stihl oil prices, but I also won't work on a saw that's been ran on foul smelling, black nasty saws ran on waste oil. Not to mention the **** isn't that great on the skin or lungs, the mist coming off the gets everywhere. IMHO it make no sense to save a few bucks, while you're making a mess of your saw and harming yourself and environment. But it's a free country.

I agree 100%, take it somewhere else.

 

[False]

What about Echo oil.


I was thinking a low viscosity would flow more and possibly lube better but guys around here seem to prefer higher viscosity and more sticky.

 

[Cope1024]

No Tractor Supply near me. I have been using Echo for several years. Used to buy Craftsman back when it was made by Poulan.

 

[SchweddyWood]

Years ago, Walmart was closing out some Homelite b&c oil. I bought all that they had left. 1 gal. jugs @ $1.99 ea.

I went home with 8 jugs.

Niiiiiice. Old Homelite stuff was pretty good. Not sure I ever tried the bar oil, but my Gramps liked some of their stuff, so I'm sure there was some floating around the farm somewhere....

 

[Bwildered]

There's nothing wrong with used ATF or hydraulic oil if it's filtered, it hasn't been through the combustion side of an engine & picked up all the nasties. It's reusing a waste product which is a form of recycling & good for the environment.
Thanski

 

[SchweddyWood]

Once a week for an hour or so.....and the cost of Stihl B&C oil is an issue? I use Stihl (pricey, but my dealer deserves to stay in business; Husky from Lowes (better price) and sometimes TSC. But realistically the cost of B&C oil for my firewood supply really isn't a major factor.

Once a week for an hour or so.....and the cost of Stihl B&C oil is an issue? I use Stihl (pricey, but my dealer deserves to stay in business; Husky from Lowes (better price) and sometimes TSC. But realistically the cost of B&C oil for my firewood supply really isn't a major factor.

Hence the reason the second sentence in my 3rd paragraph states that I wasn't very interested in the cheapest crap I could get my mitts on. I don't mind paying more than .99/gal ~ but when Stihl B&C oil was only $14/gal less than 10 years ago at my local dealer, and has now better than doubled - the responsibility of "keeping them in business" is not mine.

I still buy all my parts and major equipment from the same guy as my Gramps bought his stuff from, but as any business owner knows, they need to work with their OEM's and local reps to get better prices for customers that have been frequenting their establishment (in my family's case) for generations. It's bar oil - not liquid gold, for f***'s sake.

 

[dmb2613]

Hence the reason the second sentence in my 3rd paragraph states that I wasn't very interested in the cheapest crap I could get my mitts on. I don't mind paying more than .99/gal ~ but when Stihl B&C oil was only $14/gal less than 10 years ago at my local dealer, and has now better than doubled - the responsibility of "keeping them in business" is not mine.

I still buy all my parts and major equipment from the same guy as my Gramps bought his stuff from, but as any business owner knows, they need to work with their OEM's and local reps to get better prices for customers that have been frequenting their establishment (in my family's case) for generations. It's bar oil - not liquid gold, for f***'s sake.

WE are a Stihl Dealer, we sell the good Stihl Bar & chain oil in the silver jug for $18.95 a gal, If you are paying $28 your Dealer is way too high

 

[SchweddyWood]

WE are a Stihl Dealer, we sell the good Stihl Bar & chain oil in the silver jug for $18.95 a gal, If you are paying $28 your Dealer is way too high

That's an amazing price considering most dealers are charging $30+ for platinum Stihl B&C oil (trust me, I've done my homework...no rookie, here). How many you got on hand, where's your location, and is it all unopened/brand new stock? lol

 

[Deleted member 117362]

Should come in a gold jug.

 

[Deleted member 149229]

The bar oil at Rural King comes in winter grade, all season and standard. $4.99 a gallon everyday.

 

[sundance]

Hence the reason the second sentence in my 3rd paragraph states that I wasn't very interested in the cheapest crap I could get my mitts on. I don't mind paying more than .99/gal ~ but when Stihl B&C oil was only $14/gal less than 10 years ago at my local dealer, and has now better than doubled - the responsibility of "keeping them in business" is not mine.

I still buy all my parts and major equipment from the same guy as my Gramps bought his stuff from, but as any business owner knows, they need to work with their OEM's and local reps to get better prices for customers that have been frequenting their establishment (in my family's case) for generations. It's bar oil - not liquid gold, for f***'s sake.

At $28+ per gallon I'd be shopping to. I haven't priced at my dealer recently as a gallon lasts me a while.

 

[Deleted member 117362]

At $28+ per gallon I'd be shopping to. I haven't priced at my dealer recently as a gallon lasts me a while.

Must be a 5 gallon pail.