Greasing sprocket tips?

[paccity]

moronmountain. don't worry about greasing them. if your oiler is pumping enough it's all good. i have never greased any of mine with no ill affects. as for why it works ?, i don't know don't really care. tips are a disposable so not a big deal.

 

[GASoline71]

Gary - Haven't heard from you in a while, nice to see you are still around.

Mark

Thanks Mark... I wish I had more time to participate... Someday soon, life will slow down a bit so I can get back to tinkering on saws.

Isn't Gary a married man now??

He did!

You need to dial it down a notch. If all you're looking for is "an answer that was convincing to me" you're probably looking for somebody to validate what you've already decided to do. After you've been here awhile you'll realize that that probably isn't a good idea.

You've been asking questions in several threads here and I've read most of them. You've received a wealth of information and the collective knowledge of a lot of very sharp people. People have been, for the most part, polite and generous with their time and their advice.

We were all new at one time or another and we all got razzed a little when we asked questions. You might get kidded a little. Deal with it. Or not. Everything you would ever want to know about saws is available to you here. Use it or don't. Your choice entirely.

Try the Search function, there's a ton of information available there on greasing bar tips. What it comes down to is that some people do and some people don't. It's one of the longest running arguments on AS.

If it makes you feel good to grease your sprocket tip then go ahead. Grease it often if you grease it at all. Or just don't grease it. Most of the guys I work with don't grease.

Good post Bob... a lot of cats come on forums (not just this one) and have no idea a "search" function even exists. If people that frequented said forum wanted to answer the same questions day in and day out... then there would be no "search" function on forums. I do understand that most search functions don't work worth spit. However... all forums have an archive of vast amounts of knowledge. This site for example goes back to what.... 2000? 2001? So there is litterally eons worth of info available.

This is in now way meant as a dig at the OP. But when people ask a question on a forum, they for the most part want to see answers to THEIR question. Not answers to the same question asked by someone else 3 years, 3 months, 3 weeks, or hell... even 3 hours prior to theirs. They want to feel as they are participating. Lots of new cats take offense that people don't want to answer their "frequently asked" question. They feel they have been treated rudely.

But on the other end of the spectrum, the general populayion of mainstays on the forum veiw it as being rude by new cats not at least trying the search function first or doing a little digging on the internet themselves. I know this doesn't primarily pertain to this particular thread... because the OP did say he used the search... but only after saying he was treated rudely. Forums on the internet have been around since the internet has been around. So you would think proper forum ettiquette for new and old useres alike would be better. But sadly it is not. A lot of times... a simple Google search will find most answers. Hell, most of the Google searches about chainsaws link right back to this site. But what fun is participating on a forum when you can do a Google search for the info you need? It's not. However... asking basic maintenence questions about equipment that can be found in a service manual, or calling a saw shop WILL get you a few OFF comments. I also belong to a forum that deals with old trucks. At least once a day... there is a question about... What spark plug gap? Or... How do I tighten a fan belt? Or... how do I set my timing? All very basic things that are covered in service manuals. But the posters get miffed when someone says RTSM (Read The Stinkin' Manual). Because they want THEIR particular question answered.

Again... I'm not trying to throw digs at th OP of this thread. Just all new cats to a forum have to understand that there comes a time when basic questions might get a little "negative" feedback. It's just the way it is.

Gary

 

[Jimmy in NC]

Stick around..there are some "which saw should I buy", "how do I cut this tree", "my saw won't start, and a couple of "is Stihl better than Husky" threads you can help us with.

Might even find an oil thread for ya. :msp_biggrin:

Can't we get an AV Gas thread too? :msp_scared:

 

[moronmountain]

Thanks Mark... I wish I had more time to participate... Someday soon, life will slow down a bit so I can get back to tinkering on saws.



He did!



Good post Bob... a lot of cats come on forums (not just this one) and have no idea a "search" function even exists. If people that frequented said forum wanted to answer the same questions day in and day out... then there would be no "search" function on forums. I do understand that most search functions don't work worth spit. However... all forums have an archive of vast amounts of knowledge. This site for example goes back to what.... 2000? 2001? So there is litterally eons worth of info available.

This is in now way meant as a dig at the OP. But when people ask a question on a forum, they for the most part want to see answers to THEIR question. Not answers to the same question asked by someone else 3 years, 3 months, 3 weeks, or hell... even 3 hours prior to theirs. They want to feel as they are participating. Lots of new cats take offense that people don't want to answer their "frequently asked" question. They feel they have been treated rudely.

But on the other end of the spectrum, the general populayion of mainstays on the forum veiw it as being rude by new cats not at least trying the search function first or doing a little digging on the internet themselves. I know this doesn't primarily pertain to this particular thread... because the OP did say he used the search... but only after saying he was treated rudely. Forums on the internet have been around since the internet has been around. So you would think proper forum ettiquette for new and old useres alike would be better. But sadly it is not. A lot of times... a simple Google search will find most answers. Hell, most of the Google searches about chainsaws link right back to this site. But what fun is participating on a forum when you can do a Google search for the info you need? It's not. However... asking basic maintenence questions about equipment that can be found in a service manual, or calling a saw shop WILL get you a few OFF comments. I also belong to a forum that deals with old trucks. At least once a day... there is a question about... What spark plug gap? Or... How do I tighten a fan belt? Or... how do I set my timing? All very basic things that are covered in service manuals. But the posters get miffed when someone says RTSM (Read The Stinkin' Manual). Because they want THEIR particular question answered.

Again... I'm not trying to throw digs at th OP of this thread. Just all new cats to a forum have to understand that there comes a time when basic questions might get a little "negative" feedback. It's just the way it is.

Gary

I do appreciate your response, but I said I found info using search in my very first post, not after saying I was treated rudely. That is part of the reason I got as offended as I did, but I digress.

"So I've read here whilst doing a search that some peeps don't like to grease the sprockets on their bars. Why is that, and is that really the general consensus?"

 

[lumberjack48]

I remember when Stihl was running the test on their bars, grease or don't grease ? This is why Stihl bars don't have a grease hole, they learned the bars last longer when there not greased.

Reason, when there greased the grease forms a film like barrier on the out side of the bearing. So when its being greased no chain oil can get in to the bearing to lubricate it. On the kind of chain speed were running the grease in the sealed bearing only lasts a few cuts, so your running a dry bearing half the time.

I learned this back in the mid 70's, the bars i didn't grease lasted, and lasted, the bar its self wore out.
The bars we greased would seize up or fly apart in a couple weeks, this is cutting 20 to 40 cds a day.

 

[deye223]

So I've read here whilst doing a search that some peeps don't like to grease the sprockets on their bars. Why is that, and is that really the general consensus?

I think this says it all

 

[GASoline71]

I do appreciate your response, but I said I found info using search in my very first post, not after saying I was treated rudely. That is part of the reason I got as offended as I did, but I digress.

"So I've read here whilst doing a search that some peeps don't like to grease the sprockets on their bars. Why is that, and is that really the general consensus?"

My apologies on that. I just reread your initial post. :msp_blushing:

Here's what I know from many years of runnin' saws as a faller and a homeowner... Once you grease 'em, you have to keep greasin' 'em. Said grease will attract fine wood chips, and dirt, and draw it into the sprocket bearings. So you have to keep adding new grease to push all the crud out. If you never grease a tip... there will be no grease to attract the bad stuff. Not sayin' that some stuff won't still get in there with just bar oil... it will. It just won't be sucked into there via heavy lubricant like grease. I have been using Stihl ES bars and Oregon Powermatch bars for 30 years... and stopped greasing tips probably 25 years ago. My bar tips last just as long as when I used to grease them.

This also equates to one more piece of maintenence gear you have to haul into the woods. When you're packin' a saw, fuel, bar oil, an axe, wedges, and maintenence stuff... it's just a PITA when the bar oil lubes up the sprocket just fine.

Even bars that have a grease hole... don't need the grease.

Gary

 

[Gologit]

Can't we get an AV Gas thread too? :msp_scared:

Hang on Jimmy, I'll transfer you to Search...let me know when you want back out. :msp_biggrin:

 

[groundup]

Thanks Mark... I wish I had more time to participate... Someday soon, life will slow down a bit so I can get back to tinkering on saws.



He did!



Good post Bob... a lot of cats come on forums (not just this one) and have no idea a "search" function even exists. If people that frequented said forum wanted to answer the same questions day in and day out... then there would be no "search" function on forums. I do understand that most search functions don't work worth spit. However... all forums have an archive of vast amounts of knowledge. This site for example goes back to what.... 2000? 2001? So there is litterally eons worth of info available.

This is in now way meant as a dig at the OP. But when people ask a question on a forum, they for the most part want to see answers to THEIR question. Not answers to the same question asked by someone else 3 years, 3 months, 3 weeks, or hell... even 3 hours prior to theirs. They want to feel as they are participating. Lots of new cats take offense that people don't want to answer their "frequently asked" question. They feel they have been treated rudely.

But on the other end of the spectrum, the general populayion of mainstays on the forum veiw it as being rude by new cats not at least trying the search function first or doing a little digging on the internet themselves. I know this doesn't primarily pertain to this particular thread... because the OP did say he used the search... but only after saying he was treated rudely. Forums on the internet have been around since the internet has been around. So you would think proper forum ettiquette for new and old useres alike would be better. But sadly it is not. A lot of times... a simple Google search will find most answers. Hell, most of the Google searches about chainsaws link right back to this site. But what fun is participating on a forum when you can do a Google search for the info you need? It's not. However... asking basic maintenence questions about equipment that can be found in a service manual, or calling a saw shop WILL get you a few OFF comments. I also belong to a forum that deals with old trucks. At least once a day... there is a question about... What spark plug gap? Or... How do I tighten a fan belt? Or... how do I set my timing? All very basic things that are covered in service manuals. But the posters get miffed when someone says RTSM (Read The Stinkin' Manual). Because they want THEIR particular question answered.

Again... I'm not trying to throw digs at th OP of this thread. Just all new cats to a forum have to understand that there comes a time when basic questions might get a little "negative" feedback. It's just the way it is.

Gary

Yeah but the answer the OP got was for the most part the opposite of what a dealer or the manual says, so RTSM is not an okay response to a question like this.

 

[moronmountain]

Yeah but the answer the OP got was for the most part the opposite of what a dealer or the manual says, so RTSM is not an okay response to a question like this.

Oh heck, I lost my owners manuals 20 years ago. The reason I asked the question is because I just cleaned the sprockets out really well, and had already greased them. I have NEVER greased the tips before now, and I just thought I was doing something better for once lol. So..... I thought I would asked a quick question, so I could clean the grease out and replace it with a squirt of bar oil instead if that's the better option. Make sense? Heck I only just bought a little grease tool for my saws, simply because they were near the counter when I was picking up some chain and an axe. I've never greased before, and it looks like that was probably the better option.

At any rate, thanks for all the responses.

 

[tdi-rick]

Oh heck, I lost my owners manuals 20 years ago. The reason I asked the question is because I just cleaned the sprockets out really well, and had already greased them. I have NEVER greased the tips before now, and I just thought I was doing something better for once lol. So..... I thought I would asked a quick question, so I could clean the grease out and replace it with a squirt of bar oil instead if that's the better option. Make sense? Heck I only just bought a little grease tool for my saws, simply because they were near the counter when I was picking up some chain and an axe. I've never greased before, and it looks like that was probably the better option.

At any rate, thanks for all the responses.

Don't sweat it mate.

Tsumura tips for example come heavily packed with a white grease that looks around an NLGI #2 consistency right from the factory, yet some blokes never ever bother greasing them thereafter and don't have a problem, others continue to grease. Whatever floats your boat.

I don't buy into the "if you grease, you must grease forever" argument and only some greases form a harder outside shell, usually only those formulated for open bearings and gears in industrial use to protect from the elements.
A normal roller bearing grease will stay fluid and the soap base doesn't separate and centrifuge out.

Oils aint oils and grease aint grease and that's all I'm saying on the subject

 

[Toyboy]

I just can't get it in my head how oil can get into the nose bearings when you have a centrifugal force working against that theory. Anything spinning at that speed, naturally wants to throw everything away from center, not draw it in. Especially when the oil is being applied to the outer edge of the sprocket. Sorry, I don't get it. :msp_unsure:

 

[ernurse]

I just can't get it in my head how oil can get into the nose bearings when you have a centrifugal force working against that theory. Anything spinning at that speed, naturally wants to throw everything away from center, not draw it in. Especially when the oil is being applied to the outer edge of the sprocket. Sorry, I don't get it. :msp_unsure:

I was going to ask the same thing

 

[ernurse]

I was going to ask the same thing

Guess that's why we're just junior members

 

[Philbert]

I just can't get it in my head how oil can get into the nose bearings when you have a centrifugal force working against that theory.

I was going to ask the same thing

Really? You guys never spilled oil on something? It goes everywhere and gets on everything! I once dropped a bottle of Mazola in the kitchen and it took me half a day to clean it up. Still found more the next day.

Think about how the chain gets lubed: oil is pumped to the bar groove, then gets pushed along by the drive link tangs directly toward the sprocket.

My chain is probably only moving 60 to 75 percent of the time that the motor is turning. Chain stops > More oil drips > Falls off the end of the bar groove > Seeps down between insides of bar and sprocket > Voilà! The oil reaches the bearings! It may not be the same as an oil bath, but enough to coat the slippery little things. Same thing happens when you hit the 'kill' switch.

When the sprocket is spinning, so are the bearings, like planets around the Sun. Oil spins off, hits the inside of the sprocket, splashes back onto the bearings. Might be different for the oil on the sprocket tips. Might be different if they were not re-lubed every time the chain stops.


Philbert

 

[ft. churchill]

To the op, I grease. Never had a failure.

 

[ernurse]

Really? You guys never spilled oil on something? It goes everywhere and gets on everything! I once dropped a bottle of Mazola in the kitchen and it took me half a day to clean it up. Still found more the next day.

Think about how the chain gets lubed: oil is pumped to the bar groove, then gets pushed along by the drive link tangs directly toward the sprocket.

My chain is probably only moving 60 to 75 percent of the time that the motor is turning. Chain stops > More oil drips > Falls off the end of the bar groove > Seeps down between insides of bar and sprocket > Voilà! The oil reaches the bearings! It may not be the same as an oil bath, but enough to coat the slippery little things. Same thing happens when you hit the 'kill' switch.

When the sprocket is spinning, so are the bearings, like planets around the Sun. Oil spins off, hits the inside of the sprocket, splashes back onto the bearings. Might be different for the oil on the sprocket tips. Might be different if they were not re-lubed every time the chain stops.


Philbert

Explained that way I get it. I was thinking that it was implied that the bearings were being bathed in oil. Thank's

 

[Toyboy]

OK, so what your saying is that every time you stop the chain for any length of time the surplus bar oil will seep into the sprocket bearings and add some lube. That's entirely possible, and a plausible explanation, IF, you have a "juicy" oiler. If your oil holes become blocked or you have a stingy oiler, we're back to square one on this.

I'll leave it at that and go by the assumption that if the bar comes with grease holes in the tip, it was meant to be greased. If it doesn't, don't fret it. OR, just do what has worked for you (grease/no grease) and gives you that warm fuzzy feeling. 80% of the people on this site probably cut more wood in a day than I do in a year, and have probably forgot more about chainsaws and tree cutting then I'll ever know. Interesting subject though.

We need to send this to Myth Busters to get sorted out.

 

[SawTroll]

Really? You guys never spilled oil on something? It goes everywhere and gets on everything! I once dropped a bottle of Mazola in the kitchen and it took me half a day to clean it up. Still found more the next day.

Think about how the chain gets lubed: oil is pumped to the bar groove, then gets pushed along by the drive link tangs directly toward the sprocket.

My chain is probably only moving 60 to 75 percent of the time that the motor is turning. Chain stops > More oil drips > Falls off the end of the bar groove > Seeps down between insides of bar and sprocket > Voilà! The oil reaches the bearings! It may not be the same as an oil bath, but enough to coat the slippery little things. Same thing happens when you hit the 'kill' switch.

When the sprocket is spinning, so are the bearings, like planets around the Sun. Oil spins off, hits the inside of the sprocket, splashes back onto the bearings. Might be different for the oil on the sprocket tips. Might be different if they were not re-lubed every time the chain stops.


Philbert

:agree2:

 

[roberte]

If it has a grease hole, grease it , if don't move on.