SuperTech brand Chain and Bar oil labeled as 30W ? ? ?

[preventec47]

I always thought the chain and bar oil I have bought was very thick like syrup or more like 90W or 100W ?

Likewise I bought 90W-100W gear oil instead of "chain and bar" oil which was 20 percent less anyway.

The current outside temp for cutting is in the 60s and 70s if that factors into chain oil thickness.

What is your opinion of the viscosity of Bar and Chain oil ?

While we are talking about it, on a few occations in my lifetime when I ran out of Chain and Bar oil, I have substituted USED motor oil as chain and bar oil
and it seemed to work ok in the chain saw.... Actually a little better perhaps as there appeared to be more oil on the bar and chain in comparison to
regular chain and bar oil and I attributed that to the used motor oil being thinner in viscosity. There have never been any apparent harm done to the chain saw
and that would be a good way to save some money as used motor oil costs nothing compared to todays high price of chain and bar oil. I wouldnt want to be
penney wise and pound foolish and screw up my chainsaw. Remember that while used motor oil appears to be dirty, there are no sizable solids or particles
that could clog the workings of an oil pump etc.

 

[NorthernMaverick]

If you run 80-90 gear oil for bar oil, you're going to have major problems with your gear driven oiler ie: burn it to toast.
B&C oil is usually 10wt for winter grade and 30wt for summer, will "all season" falling somewhere in the 15wt - 20wt range.

 

[TheJollyLogger]

Bar oil has "tackifier" additives that help prevent it just being slung off the bar at the nose, to aid in lubricating the bottom of the bar, where you need it most. These additives can make it seem more viscous than the weight of the oil would suggest. Money spent on bar oil is saved on bars and chains, less wear and stretch.

 

[cscltd]

Bar oil has "tackifier" additives that help prevent it just being slung off the bar at the nose, to aid in lubricating the bottom of the bar, where you need it most. These additives can make it seem more viscous than the weight of the oil would suggest. Money spent on bar oil is saved on bars and chains, less wear and stretch.

i keep telling people chain oil really only has one ingredient to make it "chain oil" -"tackifier"
other than that-chain oil is usually reg lube oil some use what they call "line wash" when the switch from making/bottle 5w30 to say 20w50 they have to run oil threw system to get rid of the previous oil type to one that they want and they used that oil as chain oil and add tack to it. however i am sure now they can do that without doing that as that was 30 years ago a oil supplier told me that

 

[REJ2]

Most if not all the bar and chain oil I’ve bought in the last 13 years have all been marked 30w in small print somewhere on the container. I’ve used name brands to discount house varieties.

 

[TheJollyLogger]

As far as gear oil or used motor oil goes... yeah... poor saw...

 

[cookies]

Bar oil is a straight weight oil containing tackifiers without heat activated thickening polymers, detergents, powdered metals like zinc and other additives engine/transmission/hydraulic oils contain.

 

[ElevatorGuy]

A buddy of mine has used elevator gear oil in his ms271 for 12 years, I thought he was nuts. He’s never had an issue and it’s free from work lol. I refuse to do it my saws, They cost a lot more than a 271. It’s thick stuff but he’s cut around 8-10 cords a year with no issues.

 

[preventec47]

Bar oil is a straight weight oil containing tackifiers without heat activated thickening polymers, detergents, powdered metals like zinc and other additives engine/transmission/hydraulic oils contain.

If I am not mistaken when the "weight" of an oil is referred to, it is strictly a reference
to viscosity or resistance to flow .... what I think of as the word "thickness" I have a gallon jug of bar oil that is "thick" like STP oil treatment. I dont in any way see how that could be 30W same as 30W motor oil. If indeed there is an additive that functions as
a tackifier ... ( could we say stickier ? ) and that makes the oil seem thicker than I would think of that as a viscosity modifier and the oil is no longer 30W.
Sticky to me implies adhesive or adhesion and I cannot see how that is possible with
lubricants. Does anyone have the specific term "tackifier" on any bottle of bar chain oil or have ever seen a reference to tackifier in a safety data sheet ? I am not arguing about the thickness or weights of bar oils ... I am just surprised when reconciling with what I see and feel with motor oils of a known viscosity

 

[cookies]

If I am not mistaken when the "weight" of an oil is referred to, it is strictly a reference
to viscosity or resistance to flow .... what I think of as the word "thickness" I have a gallon jug of bar oil that is "thick" like STP oil treatment. I dont in any way see how that could be 30W same as 30W motor oil. If indeed there is an additive that functions as
a tackifier ... ( could we say stickier ? ) and that makes the oil seem thicker than I would think of that as a viscosity modifier and the oil is no longer 30W.
Sticky to me implies adhesive or adhesion and I cannot see how that is possible with
lubricants. Does anyone have the specific term "tackifier" on any bottle of bar chain oil or have ever seen a reference to tackifier in a safety data sheet ? I am not arguing about the thickness or weights of bar oils ... I am just surprised when reconciling with what I see and feel with motor oils of a known viscosity

Your on the right track..30 weight oil is used as the base oil, The tackifier reduces the oils ability to free flow and increases its ability to cling and reduces its ability to be thrown off moving parts. Bar oil is no where near a 30 weight engine oil in behavior to pouring or cling, it requires mechanical pumping to flow and chain movement to carry it through the bar. Plain 30 weight engine oil is designed to be pumped under pressure and drain/flow back into the sump to be re pumped to lubricate under pressure or by splash. Bar oil is designed to be pumped to a well then carried away to never return yet cling and stay on moving parts as a cling lube.

 

[TheJollyLogger]

A buddy of mine has used elevator gear oil in his ms271 for 12 years, I thought he was nuts. He’s never had an issue and it’s free from work lol. I refuse to do it my saws, They cost a lot more than a 271. It’s thick stuff but he’s cut around 8-10 cords a year with no issues.

I guess sometimes it's easy to forget the difference between homeowner and pro use sometimes. He's probably still running the original bar, lol.