Who's Thinning Their Bar Oil For These Winter Months?
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CRE1992
ArboristSite Operative
I use the Stihl Bar oil as I get it pretty cheap. I was using the orange spring summer fall mix but it flows like molasses during the winter. They have a blue jug of it for winter usage. It flows a lot better when cold. But I am almost positive it would almost flow straight out of the saw if it was 90 degrees outside its so thin.
04titanse
ArboristSite Operative
I usually just run winter grade bar oil.....I am sure lighter weight motor oil would suffice. I know some chainsaw manf. recommend there brand bar oil and as an alternative 30 wt motor oil. So you could use 10w30 in the winter so its not so hard to pour.
There is 10 wt and 30 wt chain oil. Local hardware store has gallons of Huaqvarna chain oil for $10.50 either way. That and the non synthetic pre mix nothing else husqvarna. Get a chainsaw with a catalyst in the muffler and you might not have to thin it, awful fluid looking in and tipping the saw. I think diesel or kerosene is what I have heard if you didn't get the lighter weight and you think you need it.
fran
fran
Most all my old magnesium turds work well on 30w Wally World bar oil thinned 5:1 with kerosene or diesel.
It is a bit of a bother to mix 5 cups of bar oil and 1 cup of kero but, I hijacked a big measuring cup from the kitchen.
Please don't use gasoline.............................................................:msp_scared:
It is a bit of a bother to mix 5 cups of bar oil and 1 cup of kero but, I hijacked a big measuring cup from the kitchen.
Please don't use gasoline.............................................................:msp_scared:
Wagnerwerks
The underdog..
I thin summer husky oil with ATF. I always end up with some from something and then I know its thinned just by the color. Handy when its in a saw.
What is winter again? The last 6 weeks here have been t-shirt weather. We are going to be begging you guys for water come July.
dingeryote
Blueberry Baron
Don't use gas. Ever.
Those occaisional sparks ya get flying out of the Kerf, and exhaust, are enough to make woodcutting look more like an 80's Heavy metal rock video than you might wish for.
Diesel or Kerosene works well. I just add a glug or three to half a jug of cheapo TSC bar oil, shake, and check the flow rate, then adjust with more oil or diesel from there.
Used Hydro (UTF) works pretty well too. Mixed 3-1 it flows nice down to 0 with the TSC oil. 1-1 with the bloody looking Poulan oil is about right IMO.
As for how thin... think proper maple syrup at room temp.
Stay safe!
Dingeryote
I just buy a jug of lighter bar oil if I'm cutting in the winter. They are all priced the same.
In Canada the Stihl stuff comes in Heavy, Medium & Light. To justify the "light" you need to be cutting in REALLY cold weather. Most winter days, the medium works just fine. I used the medium stuff at -25 Celsius this winter and it still worked.
In Canada the Stihl stuff comes in Heavy, Medium & Light. To justify the "light" you need to be cutting in REALLY cold weather. Most winter days, the medium works just fine. I used the medium stuff at -25 Celsius this winter and it still worked.
Trx250r180
Saw polisher
The blue bottle stihl oil has been working good for me
Years ago, I would use a little gasoline to start the brush pile burning. I considered it on the dangerous side for it would go up all at once in the area where I poured it. Whoop!
A couple years ago I had been using #1 kerosene to start the brush fires and to clean chainsaw parts in. Kerosene works much better than gasoline for starting fires as the fire starts just where you have the kerosene.
One day I had drained some gas mix from a big chainsaw and I mixed it with some kerosene that I had been cleaning parts in. I think there was a little bar oil in it to? A few days later I poured the waste mixture on the brush pile and threw a match at it. That was a bad start. The mixture burned all over at combustion (explosion) and set everything in the brush pile on fire at once. The gas/kerosene mixture spread itself all over the brush although I had just put it in one area.
So I consider gasoline mixed with Diesel, Kerosene, ATF, bar oil, or motor oil to be some dangerous stuff. I would never run any gasoline in the bar oil tank. Not even just a little bit!
A couple years ago I had been using #1 kerosene to start the brush fires and to clean chainsaw parts in. Kerosene works much better than gasoline for starting fires as the fire starts just where you have the kerosene.
One day I had drained some gas mix from a big chainsaw and I mixed it with some kerosene that I had been cleaning parts in. I think there was a little bar oil in it to? A few days later I poured the waste mixture on the brush pile and threw a match at it. That was a bad start. The mixture burned all over at combustion (explosion) and set everything in the brush pile on fire at once. The gas/kerosene mixture spread itself all over the brush although I had just put it in one area.
So I consider gasoline mixed with Diesel, Kerosene, ATF, bar oil, or motor oil to be some dangerous stuff. I would never run any gasoline in the bar oil tank. Not even just a little bit!
roostersgt
Addicted to ArboristSite
I thin my Stihl / Poulan/ dolmar bar oil with some Chevron 5-30wt that was given to me. About 75/25. Works well. Shake it up in an old dish soap dispenser. Makes refilling the saw less messy.
Thnx for everyones input. I especially noted the inputs for -23C temperatures for I considered 10W30 to be on the stiff side at those temperatures.
Personally, I have some extra old style Dexron ATF (not Dexron II or III) laying around and had been using it to thin my summer time bar oil. It doesn't smell as strong as the kero. Years ago, I just used 10W30 on those cold days.
It is nicer outside when the ground is frozen solid.
I didn't realize that different weight bar oils were so readily available from sources other than Stihl?
I don't cut much in the winter any more and -10C would be about my limit and that wouldn't be for but a tank or two.
In my old age I tend to play out about freezing. If I'm going to be out in the woods all day I'm better off with the temperatures +10C and above.
It is different out in the woods than in town or in the back yard.
Personally, I have some extra old style Dexron ATF (not Dexron II or III) laying around and had been using it to thin my summer time bar oil. It doesn't smell as strong as the kero. Years ago, I just used 10W30 on those cold days.
It is nicer outside when the ground is frozen solid.
I didn't realize that different weight bar oils were so readily available from sources other than Stihl?
I don't cut much in the winter any more and -10C would be about my limit and that wouldn't be for but a tank or two.
In my old age I tend to play out about freezing. If I'm going to be out in the woods all day I'm better off with the temperatures +10C and above.
It is different out in the woods than in town or in the back yard.
bcorradi
Arboristsite.com Sponsor
I've used regular stihl and other regular non stihl brand bar oils in my saws even when they were -20 to -30 below and they worked fine. Just let the saw warm up just a bit before you cut with it and u don't have to worry about using so called light weight winter oils. Once the exhaust is up to temp resting over the bar oil tank it flows just as freely as running it in the summer imo.
kmcinms
ArboristSite Guru
Itasca when it's hot. Super tech 30w, winter.
Philip Wheelock
Finis Origine Pendet
Dealer suggested diesel fuel or kerosene.
timberland ts
ArboristSite Operative
I run huskys winteroil, i buy it by the case at a woodsman day in boonville ny for 8 a gallon usually go thru 4to 5 cases a winter. Keeps the bars cleaner and no oiler problems.
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Termite
Time To Launch
If it is so cold that I need thinner oil I don't cut.
origionalrebel
ArboristSite Operative
just a lil tip on auto trans. fluid
some atf has seal swellers in it. if the seal in your oiler is not compatable with the particular atf you put in it you're asking for trouble. i've seen power steering systems ruined by atf. some steering systems actually use it from the factory(Ford does). unless the system is designed for the additives you may be asking for trouble. i remember the old type F fluid had friction modifiers in it for metalic clutches and required special bushings in the drums and such. not worth risking a $1000 saw jmho
some atf has seal swellers in it. if the seal in your oiler is not compatable with the particular atf you put in it you're asking for trouble. i've seen power steering systems ruined by atf. some steering systems actually use it from the factory(Ford does). unless the system is designed for the additives you may be asking for trouble. i remember the old type F fluid had friction modifiers in it for metalic clutches and required special bushings in the drums and such. not worth risking a $1000 saw jmho
