Chainsaw Bar Oil Question

[gunbunny]

I have what might be a stupid question but here goes.
Bar oil, is there anything special about it?
I went into a hardware store today to pick up some bar oil, they wanted $24.00 for a 2qt jug.I
I'm thinking the bar oil I've ever used was nothing more than maybe 30 or 40 weight oil.
Possibly detergent oil?
Can I just use motor oil?
I need a chainsaw maybe 2 or 3 times a year. I'm not making a living with a chainsaw, but $24 for 2 qt.s was steep.

 

[CFD244]

Bar oil is "clingy" and sticks better to the chain and bar guide. I think you can get environmentally friendly bar oil as well.

 

['68cuda416]

Motor oil is not a substitute for bar oil, the bar oil is very tacky and has the ability to stay in the bar groove and keep the chain lubricated and cool.......if you use motor oil it's not like you will have an immediate failure but it doesn't stay where it needs to and as such overheats the chain and shortens the life of the bar.

 

[Daves69]

..I went into a hardware store today to pick up some bar oil, they wanted $24.00 for a 2qt jug..

Try a different store, Home Depot, Menards. Poulan gallon is 9 bucks @ Menards here.

 

[JDMopar]

Never use motor oil for bar oil in a saw.

 

[gunbunny]

So, I was talking to a buddy of mine tonight. Asked him the same question and lo and behold, he's worked for an arborist (of course he has, dude changes jobs like I change underwear) and said that the entire time he worked for them, they used canola oil.
He said its sticky, it the right weight, and it's eco-friendly.
I'll give that a try I guess.

 

[diymirage]

Walmart has it too, 10 bucks a gallon


On a side note, I have found lowes is the cheapest place to get a gallon of hydraulic oil (in case you need to run a log splitter, after the chainsaw)

 

[jbc426]

I ran out of bar oil once, so I used some Redline synthetic 90wt gear oil I had left over. My chains began lasting 5 times as long without adjustment to compensate for stretch. It lasted significantly longer before needing to be topped off too.

Impressed with how well it worked on my chain saws, I started soaking my engines timing chains in it for a day or two before installing them. They stopped stretching on break-in too. Been using it ever since.

 

[Slap Stick]

If you think that bar oil was expensive the canola oil is about the same. Go to Wal Mart, or any home improvement store for bar oil.
BTW, chains don't stretch, the rollers wear and that is what causes what we like to call, "stretch".
The Red Line "Shock Proof" gear oils are very clingy like bar oil. They remain so after use, also. I use it in my M/C transmissions and bevel drives. We used it in a friend's dirt stock cars. It was hard to remove diff gears because they were hard to grab. But, it is very pricey. If you cut a lot it may pay for itself.

 

[S'cuder]

I used to sell a bit of it. It had "anti-sling" additive, whatever that was. Probably something similar to the stuff in that Lucas crap in the little crank sprocket gizmo on the counter at the parts store.

Ours was discontinued. I never had first hand knowledge why. But it was a low volume product and the pushback was already growing against the pollution factor. I wouldn't be surprised if before long all products sold as bar and chain oil will be required to be biodegradable.