Waste motor oil as bar oil

[PP4218]

I can't think of a single pro wood cutter in my area that uses used oil in their saws as they depend on them daily and recognize the theory of the old saying of " a dime fXXXing up a dollar"

I have certainly heard that before, but as "a penny holding up a dollar".

Having said that, I think your point of pro wood cutters is the most important. If it's your means of income, you want to minimize risk to that revenue stream. Others that don't depend on that bar and chain to make them money can certainly do things differently depending on circumstances (no money, frugal, hurricane cleanup, forgot to buy some bar oil that day, supply issues, etc.)

This topic is fraught with opinions, but to sort through the noise requires re-framing the question for the circumstance and the courses of action available. When times are good and money is flowing, I would think more people buy bar oil. When times are tougher, I would think more people think of "reduce, reuse, recycle" and use whatever seems the best for their circumstance.

All of this is a great read though and full of interesting information and tidbits!

 

[Cantdog]

drama queen overreacts does she?

No drama here Ken......just stating the facts concerning people's choices from the prespective of someone who at times is asked to deal with others poor decisions concerning B&C lubrication choices. I simply choose not to deal with these particular saws in the course of my days work......Sorry if that offends some folks but they make thier choices and I make mine......simple as that.....

 

[farmguywithasaw]

It’s not just the bar and chain. It ****s up the oil pump and the plastics as well

 

[WNC435]

For the 15 yrs I have been using Canola oil have to keep in truck if it's below zero outside, have had alot better chain and bar wear since I have been using. clutch drivers last longer It will make smoke from your bar and chain the first time you use it. I will not use bar and chain oil anymore. and have destroyed way too many chains and bars with used engine oil. Besides that I need my used oil for my Diesel tractors cleaned and mixed with E-85. Do some research before you all go stupid and over react about the use in a diesel engine.

 

[Farmer_Nate]

It’s not just the bar and chain. It ****s up the oil pump and the plastics as well

Maybe the plastics are an issue with chemistry somehow, but many have said it messes up an oil pump. How?

I still don't understand the notion that oil from a large diesel engine, constantly filtered, which just finished lubricating a massive engine under high heat and pressure is somehow unable, minutes later, to lubricate a small gear and worm drive operating under almost no pressure and very little heat, with larger clearances than it had inside the engine. How does that compute?

The only potential issue I see with pumps is perhaps running out of oil due the oil being thinner than the recommended bar oil, thus running the bar and chain without oil
or
getting sawdust into the oil reservoir when opening the cap, which has little to do with the type oil used.

You guys have a lot more experience. There must be something more to it.

 

[Campbellcontractlogging]

My question is on synthetic 15-40 that comes from a drain of an engine.. I wanna use it,, but more than try not to.. Sure feels like bar oil.. Sticky and yucky.. My Detroit turns it black 20 miles after an oil change... An oil change equals 13 gallons of it..

I wouldn’t use the black sht in a newer saw I have in 2 different saws and it chewed the worm gears up in the oil pump I will use the oil out of my dirt bike and my wife’s Lexus and it’s got a light brown but I will not use it out of my diesel if that helps any I know of other people that have used it but don’t expect a saw shop to warranty it if you do clean the case with diesel fuel before you bring it in because a saw with black diesel oil run through it is dirtier than anything you ever saw lol.

 

[Farmer_Nate]

I wouldn’t use the black sht in a newer saw I have in 2 different saws and it chewed the worm gears up in the oil pump I will use the oil out of my dirt bike and my wife’s Lexus and it’s got a light brown but I will not use it out of my diesel if that helps any I know of other people that have used it but don’t expect a saw shop to warranty it if you do clean the case with diesel fuel before you bring it in because a saw with black diesel oil run through it is dirtier than anything you ever saw lol.

Maybe "newer saw" is the key here. I use 40-year-old metal saws.

 

[thenne1713]

This is one of those "I just don't get it" threads. You can spend serious money on a saw and accessories and then you want to go "cheap" on the bar oil? Really? What am I missing? Bar oil isn't free, but it's certainly quite affordable. The same goes for el cheap-o 2 stroke oil. Buy a nice saw and then go cheap on the oil? The "life blood" of the saw? No thank you. Stepping over dollars to pick up dimes.
JQ

My first Craftsman/ Poulan saw called for 30w OIL for the bar in 1970s. Bar Oil was unheard of, not available. Cottonseed/ Canola and others were not used. My engine oil was filtered during its entire use, and I would have had no engine fears for extra 500, 1000, 2000+ Miles, had I NOT been unable to change. I have zero confidence that today's BAR OIL at $13-$30/gal is any better than the $7/gal I bought (x6) at TSC a few years ago, that now sells for $15..... nor any better than the gallons of used oil I have stored. I recently change OP/VC gaskets on my 3.8 w/ 134k miles and found ZERO GRIT/ GRIME in heads, or amazed, in OIL PAN, and I ran my hand/fingers thru it to see... I was truly AMAZED. OILS are so much, much better today (and 5k-6k miles on that oil above)

 

[lobsterlogger]

My question is on synthetic 15-40 that comes from a drain of an engine.. I wanna use it,, but more than try not to.. Sure feels like bar oil.. Sticky and yucky.. My Detroit turns it black 20 miles after an oil change... An oil change equals 13 gallons of it..

I have a slightly different question on using15/40 for bar oil. The reverse gear (trasmission) in my boat takes 1540 synyhetic. 4 gallons per oil change. When it comes out, it looks perfect. It has the color and viscosity of brand new oil after 500 hours of use in the gear. I am.thinking of using it for bar oil. I have a very old and tired 460 rancher and i will try the experiment this weekend. I will report.back

 

[.358 win]

Old man here..This question is like tossed salad. Pick out what you like toss the rest away. So first..HOW much bar oil do you use? Do you run a saw everyday or not all that frequently? Do you SELL or have a vested interest in selling Bar oil?
I've tested all kinds of Used oil for Bar oil. I will not go into all of the details BUT..I've devised all sort of ways to filer it. One thing is Multi grade thins better COLD for filtering.. HOWEVER,, I no longer filter my oil. I put it in a gallon Jug (free from my friend) as many as I need. Date them..Let the OIL sit up and all the sludge will go to the bottom. Keep the top toss the bottom junk. NOW.. lets talk about cold weather and Multi-grade oil thinning.. NO more need to add a thinner to bar oil for cold cutting. NOW for the sweet part..I ADD a small amount of the CHEAP STP oil addative. It's like 3 bucks in the blue bottle.. TO test the viscosity I use a wire look dipped into the oil. I made mine from old Coat Hanger. The loop is 1/16 by 1 inch more like a bent rectangle.. It's angled like a saw bar so I dip that, lift it out and see IF the oil hangs in the small crack..For weather temp I adjust by the amount of STP added per container.. I pour off just over half a gallon of aged oil into a clean container and add my STP and shake the bottle well..FOR years I've used the oil from my Tractor and other equepment.. It's like everything, TRY IT see IF you like it. For testing use an old bar. Dress it well clean the groves and oil hole well, toss a well used chain on and Have your wife cut a few trees while you watch. Smile..

That is a way cool thermometer.. me thinks the squaw would rather use the saw on me and not care about lubing the bar.. I will probably continue to use half n half, cause I'm a cheap +×÷=. Hats off to ya.

 

[Farmer_Nate]

That is a way cool thermometer.. me thinks the squaw would rather use the saw on me and not care about lubing the bar.. I will probably continue to use half n half, cause I'm a cheap +×÷=. Hats off to ya.

What was that?

 

[farmguywithasaw]

Maybe the plastics are an issue with chemistry somehow, but many have said it messes up an oil pump. How?

I still don't understand the notion that oil from a large diesel engine, constantly filtered, which just finished lubricating a massive engine under high heat and pressure is somehow unable, minutes later, to lubricate a small gear and worm drive operating under almost no pressure and very little heat, with larger clearances than it had inside the engine. How does that compute?

The only potential issue I see with pumps is perhaps running out of oil due the oil being thinner than the recommended bar oil, thus running the bar and chain without oil
or
getting sawdust into the oil reservoir when opening the cap, which has little to do with the type oil used.

You guys have a lot more experience. There must be something more to it.

a lot of newer saws have plastic components in the oil pump. Your used oil is filtered in the engine but a lot of the carbon and other crap sits in the oil pan. That is not filtered when it goes into you saw. The oil becomes acidic from the combustion gases. That damages seals and plastics over time. Engines that have poor service intervals often have leaking gaskets more so than one that has the oil changed at regular intervals. If you run your saws day after day you will find even the metal oil pumps will have more wear on the components than with clean bar oil. Used oil is changed for a reason in my opinion

 

[.358 win]

Well...farmers are stereotypically frugal and commercial fishermen are the same....not every one mind you.... but certainly enough to form or fit the stereotype. Commercial fishermen are simply ocean farmers. Both generally have access to sizable amounts of used diesel lubricants. I don't know if it's a common statement or not but in my experience with chainsaw work I can say in confidence that 95% of saws I've seen with that ailment can be directly attributed to one or the other of these occupations. I can't think of a single pro wood cutter in my area that uses used oil in their saws as they depend on them daily and recognize the theory of the old saying of " a dime fXXXing up a dollar"

As far as farmers saving enough to help with my grocery bill.......I think you missed what I was saying....there is little savings if you ever have to have your saw worked by someone else or have to replace it because no one will work on it.

That's a good play on words. Also makes good logic

 

[NSEric]

The biggest problem with used motor oil as bar oil is it's not thick enough, it's not that bad when it's really cold out.
The oil gets broke down and thinner when used and 5-30 is pretty thin to start with.
I use used oil out of my car mixed 50/50 with thick bar oil most of the time without issue.

 

[.358 win]

What was that?

That coat hanger thang.. Had to go back and re-read.. Plus, the Detroit I wrote about also uses a bypass filter system.. Oil gets sampled and lab tested regularly.. I don't change it till the test results tell me to.. Not a random mileage number,, it is a serious $$$ saver and a "blood test" of the lube. When the oil is constantly cycled through a 2 micron filter system it remains pretty dog-gone clean.. After all that comes the part about the saw... When the base number comes back a bit low, I drain a gallon, replace with a fresh gallon.... Anyone??

 

[Cantdog]

That coat hanger thang.. Had to go back and re-read.. Plus, the Detroit I wrote about also uses a bypass filter system.. Oil gets sampled and lab tested regularly.. I don't change it till the test results tell me to.. Not a random mileage number,, it is a serious $$$ saver and a "blood test" of the lube. When the oil is constantly cycled through a 2 micron filter system it remains pretty dog-gone clean.. After all that comes the part about the saw... When the base number comes back a bit low, I drain a gallon, replace with a fresh gallon.... Anyone??

Sure thing.... and to take that to the next level...or maybe a couple levels up.....Years ago I used to work the months of Jan, Feb and half of March out on the Great Lakes during "freeze up" That's when the ore boats were down due to ice and going through overhauls. I worked on a 1000 footer....on the main engines......she was powered by two V16 Colt-Pielstik diesels.....three stories tall...in betweet the twin engine rooms was the "oil room" where all the lube oil was re-refined constantly using two stage centrifuges and incredidally fine and expensive mesh filters. Oil is never changed just added to...

 

[.358 win]

Sure thing.... and to take that to the next level...or maybe a couple levels up.....Years ago I used to work the months of Jan, Feb and half of March out on the Great Lakes during "freeze up" That's when the ore boats were down due to ice and going through overhauls. I worked on a 1000 footer....on the main engines......she was powered by two V16 Colt-Pielstik diesels.....three stories tall...in betweet the twin engine rooms was the "oil room" where all the lube oil was re-refined constantly using two stage centrifuges and incredidally fine and expensive mesh filters. Oil is never changed just added to...

Exactly. I first learned of centrifuge oil cleaners on submarines... would you put it in a saw for bar lube ?

 

[Philbert]

Bar oil currently $9/ gallon at Menards (non-sale price).

Philbert

 

[Yukon Stihl]

My waste oil burner in my shop has burned 47600 gallons of waste oil over 26 years.

 

[PP4218]

My waste oil burner in my shop has burned 47600 gallons of waste oil over 26 years.

That is a lot of money saved!