Cold weather and bar oil

Arborist Forum

Help Support Arborist Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Bushmans

Smoke Dragon Herder
Joined
Dec 29, 2011
Messages
1,156
Reaction score
519
Location
Charlotte, Michigan
Out cutting the other day and it was about 7 degrees when I started and my bar oil was like jelly. I was really concerned about full lubrication.
Any tips on cold weather and bar oil?
I keep it in the house but after a couple hours in the woods it gels right up again.
:msp_confused:
 
Out cutting the other day and it was about 7 degrees when I started and my bar oil was like jelly. I was really concerned about full lubrication.
Any tips on cold weather and bar oil?
I keep it in the house but after a couple hours in the woods it gels right up again.
:msp_confused:

It cut mine with atf ,or gas in an emergency.
 
Don't know about where you live but here in New Brunswick all the stores carry a cold weather chain oil or thin oil. Stays pretty fluid in cold weather like today when it was minus 10 this morning.
Bought some oil at TSC when I was over there about 6 weeks ago and you pretty well need a putty knife to get it out of the container. Looked to see if there were 2 different kinds but couldn't see any. Have to wait until summer to use it I guess.
 
get some winter weight bar oil...:msp_thumbup:

Yup ... winter grade oil from Stihl is the same price (pricey!!) but effective. I use it anytime the temps dip below ~25°f, though my stuff is stored in an unheated garage.
 
mix a little lightweight motor oil say 5w 30 or keroseen in with your bar oil for those cold days. They also make a winter weight in bar and chain oil Ace hardware used to carry it but I don't remember the brand it was.
 
Don't know about where you live but here in New Brunswick all the stores carry a cold weather chain oil or thin oil. Stays pretty fluid in cold weather like today when it was minus 10 this morning.
Bought some oil at TSC when I was over there about 6 weeks ago and you pretty well need a putty knife to get it out of the container. Looked to see if there were 2 different kinds but couldn't see any. Have to wait until summer to use it I guess.

my first year using tsc bar oil yes. i poor it out its like carmel but with a warm saw it degels quickly im in pressed with this oil for $7 bucks during the thanksgiving sale. I've used 2 gals this year and the chains and bar looks good using it at 20 degress here last couple days
 
Like Darktimber stated, cut it with Kerosene, Diesel fuel, any thin fuel would work. I fill up with bar oil and put a splash on mixed gas just for light thinning. You also have to take into consideration that the oil tank is just below the muffler (or near by) so that would help keep it thin.

I don't recommend running motor oil because it does not have the "stringy, or clingly" aspects as regular bar oil has. This I feel this reduces the oil's ability to make it around the sprocket and on the bottom side of the bar where the oil is most needed.
 
Out cutting the other day and it was about 7 degrees when I started and my bar oil was like jelly. I was really concerned about full lubrication.
Any tips on cold weather and bar oil?
I keep it in the house but after a couple hours in the woods it gels right up again.
:msp_confused:

This is a quote from the Stihl FAQ page. I follow their recommendation.

"Summer grade oil is much thicker oil designed to be used at temperatures consistently above 50 degrees F and winter grade oil is much thinner for temperatures consistently below 50 degrees F."

Don <><

attachment.php
 
I now use Husqvarna and Husqvarna lo-temp in winter. For my saw, (Husky 460 rancher) they work much better than the TSC stuff cut with kerosene.
 
I use the TSC stuff straight most of the year. I keep a gallon of Stihl winter weight in the basement and will mix it 50/50 if it's down in the low teens or colder. So long as I can pour it into the saw, it's fine. The saw will warm it up and it will work just fine.
 
If you can get your jug real warm, keep it inside like near the stove or something (mine is on a rack in the room here with the heater) then when you go out, keep it corked up inside an ice chest for insulation. It should stay warm in there. Get an old used plastic one, you can keep like spare chains and tools and whatnot in there as well. Just a small like six or twelve pack size cooler should work. Built in top handle for carrying, you know what I mean.

Another thought. if you could put your oil into a metal gallon can, you could slip it under the hood some place close to your warm truck engine while you are working. That should keep it warm enough to work good for hours. Floorboards on the way to the worksite with the heater blowing on it, then under the hood once saws filled up and parked. If you have to walk in a ways, put it into the plastic cooler.

hmm..you know, and they make cheap plastic one gallon Thermoses as well. Pour hot bar oil in there, it should stay hot then for hours.

That way you can have full strength good bar oil and not thin it with non bar oil stuff.
 
I use medium weight Stihl bar oil year round. It has been -10 to -15C while I have been cutting recently (14 to 5F) and I use almost the same amount of bar oil per tank of gas that I use in the summer so it must be flowing at almost the same rate once the saw is warmed up.
 
Last edited:

Latest posts

Back
Top