Bio bar oil for all weather

[Oldtoolsnewproblems]

I live in new England, so the temp goes from 100 to -10. No one local sells biodegradable bar oil and I was about to order some online but I'm suddenly wondering if there might be a reason for that. Is the eco stuff good enough for frigid temps? Between milling and firewood I'm going thru enough oil that I want to be mindful of my well, as well as use the chips around the house as mulch, so I'd like to go green year round, but I don't know if I might expect problems

 

[DND 9000]

Normally biodegradeable oil is made from rapeseed. I also use this here in Germany. It`s good, I don`t have problems with it up to now in the saw. If a chain was used with it and is hanging over the summer, the chain can get a little bit hard. But this is no real problem, you can still push it by hand and use it immediately. Non biodegradeable oil is strictly forbidden here in the forest and sometimes this is also controlled if you work in the forest. No matter if you are a professional logger or a hobby firewood cutter.

 

[Maintenance supervisor]

Normally biodegradeable oil is made from rapeseed. I also use this here in Germany. It`s good, I don`t have problems with it up to now in the saw. If a chain was used with it and is hanging over the summer, the chain can get a little bit hard. But this is no real problem, you can still push it by hand and use it immediately. Non biodegradeable oil is strictly forbidden here in the forest and sometimes this is also controlled if you work in the forest. No matter if you are a professional logger or a hobby firewood cutter.

Wow !, strictly forbidden. I didn't realize that. Can you even buy regular bar oil?

 

[Ryan'smilling]

Canola oil works great. It's also very cheap. Only issue is that it will go gummy and rancid if it sits in the saw for long. So, if you are using it regularly it's fine. If the saw is gonna sit for a couple weeks or more, I'd dump it and run some regular bar oil through it before storage.

 

[DND 9000]

Yes you can still buy regular bar oil.

 

[OM617YOTA]

I've used vegetable oil with no issues. Different kinds of oil will gel at different temps, I think Canola was one of the lower ones.

Wish there was a bio bar oil that didn't harden. I don't use my saws frequently enough to keep that from happening, so stick with normal stuff.

 

[Oldtoolsnewproblems]

I plan to use real stuff meant for saws to avoid the rancid issue. Anyone have favorite brands then? Otherwise I'll probably just buy whatever tree stuff sells

 

[Mad Professor]

I've had the Stihl bio-gunk polymerize in a saw that sat a while. I needed a screw driver to pry the chain free of the bar and no solvent would free up the links on the chain. I tossed the chain but the cutters still had 1/2 a life left.

The oil and sawdust inside the bar and clutch cover did the same thing. Paint came off along with the sludge.

 

[Bobby Kirbos]

FYI - Rapeseed oil = canola oil
I mix canola oil and dino bar oil 50/50 for winter use. It's less expensive than running winter weight oil, and easier for me to get my hands on. I've not had any issues with the chains getting stiff or the oil lines getting gunked up. I have noticed that when I run this mix, it does leave a bit of build up on the chain, but it's not caused issues.

 

[toppers]

Been using canola all year in all temps and it's great., but there is a learning curve. On small saws with no adjustable oiler it seems to fling tons of oil (Echo 3510 size). On pro saws and such with adjustable oiler, have to turn it all the way up to keep up with the viscosity gain.

Also, since I run .325 and 3/8 on my 261CM I noticed it oils much better with the Oregon bar and 3/8 chain. I don't know if it has to do with better channeling or what but the canola does not flow as well on a stock Stihl bar and .325 chain.