When ever I purchase a vehicle I generally change the fluids quite early. Spending a large portion of my life in production machine shops I know that chips and grinding dust are a part of life so I intend to change all the tractor fluids including the udt oil at 50 hours. I would not consider using engine oil but the udt oil should still be pretty clean. So I was wondering if I strain the oil can I use it in my chainsaw for bar oil? Has anyone done this? what would the downside be?
using 50 hour udt for chainsaw bar oil?
- Thread starter top gnome
- Start date
Coming from a machine shop, you should be familiar with way oil such is used on sliding surfaces of machine tools. Bar & chain oil has many of the same properties as way oil...sticky, tacky, somewhat high viscosity, things that make it suitable for its intended application. I’m not sure that UDT possesses similar properties but as the old saying goes, any oil is better than no oil.
Likely too thin. Of course it will work for a while, but bar and chain oil is very tacky for a reason.
85Hokie
Moderator
Staff member
Lifetime Member
Equipment
BX-25D ,PTB. Under Armor, '90&'92-B7100HST's, '06 BX1850 FEL
As mcfarmall mentioned, the viscosity is way different between the two and the ability to "stick" to the bar/chain would be huge.
I have known people that would use old car oil for bar oil.............. I would always think to myself, if it isn't good enough for your car, why you placing it in the saw?
I find that all that used oil works well for heating systems designed for it and or using it to burn brush piles.
It takes me a damn long time consume an entire gallon of bar oil ...... so that 15 bucks hangs around a while!
I have known people that would use old car oil for bar oil.............. I would always think to myself, if it isn't good enough for your car, why you placing it in the saw?
I find that all that used oil works well for heating systems designed for it and or using it to burn brush piles.
It takes me a damn long time consume an entire gallon of bar oil ...... so that 15 bucks hangs around a while!
What's the downside of breathing in dino oil mixed with god know what? If you ingest a lot it would probably give you the runs to start. Nobody knows the long term effects of ingesting the stuff.
I think it would work fine as bar oil. I'm on well water so I don't like the idea of polluting the water I drink. I use Canola oil from the grocery store.
I think it would work fine as bar oil. I'm on well water so I don't like the idea of polluting the water I drink. I use Canola oil from the grocery store.
Lil Foot
Well-known member
Lifetime Member
Equipment
1979 B7100DT Gear, Nissan Hanix N150-2 Excavator
I worked one summer at a saw mill owned by an old retired RR engineer. All of his saws had used motor oil in them for bar oil, and so did my first one. I saw no excessive wear or other downsides to used oil.
But then I began finding unopened bottles of car motor oil, small engine motor oil, ATF, and such at estate & garage sales for cheap, usually .25/qt.
Over the years I have probably squirreled enough away that I will never have to buy bar oil again.
I prefer a mix of motor oil & the red ATF, it is a little lower viscosity, and easy to see how much oiling (sling off) I'm getting.
I still have my second saw, bar, and chain, and they are over 40yrs old, and still get used a few times per year.
But then I began finding unopened bottles of car motor oil, small engine motor oil, ATF, and such at estate & garage sales for cheap, usually .25/qt.
Over the years I have probably squirreled enough away that I will never have to buy bar oil again.
I prefer a mix of motor oil & the red ATF, it is a little lower viscosity, and easy to see how much oiling (sling off) I'm getting.
I still have my second saw, bar, and chain, and they are over 40yrs old, and still get used a few times per year.
I have an old, large Homelite saw that just won't pump the thick bar & chain oil so I use 10w-30. I think you gave me a good idea and will try the UDT2 next time. Just yesterday I pulled a sample from a used implement to see what was in it and compared it to UDT2, I was impressed with the slickness and staying power and believe it may work well in all my saws.
Go ahead and use it and don’t look back. I’ve used motor oil and hydraulic oil back in the olden days before bar oil was readily available. Its when you run out of oil that you’ll notice the ugly stuff starts happening
Thank you for all of the replies. My saw is a 1985 stihl farm boss . Once I drain it I will look at it and maybe mix with bar oil in the winter if it is lower viscosity. I like the idea of polluting less so maybe the canola oil is a good idea. One of the main reasons I bought a new tractor is my old one started leaking from more than one area and will take quite a bit of work and time to fix. Of course after using the little tractor it would be very hard to go back to the farmall for any woods work. Squeezing between trees to get logs out. have to love that power steering and four wheel drive My wife bought a bunch of canola oil on sale and we do not favor it, she just told me to take it out to the garage.
Last edited:
I use my old UDT in my chainsaw bar oiler. It’s in fact on a firewood processor. I do upwards of 100 cords a year. Over time, I have not noticed any different bar wear from using good chain oil to using used oil. I draw the line at old motor oil as it stinks and is messier than the UDT. An oil change in the 7060 makes a few 5 gal pails that need to go somewhere….. when its -25° the UDT still flows, unlike even winter grade bar oil. I’ll even mix some chain oil with UDT to thin it, or add old diesel fuel in the slurry mix.
All my bars have lasted on average of about 150 cords of wood before they start getting grooved out. A rail pincher could make them go a bit longer… but it’s not worth the effort. A bar that won’t cut perfectly straight every time on a machine like this is a waste of time.
I ran only bar oil the first while I had the machine and the bars lasted no longer with bar oil vs any other oil/ mix.
I’m switching to cheap Canola oil, maybe even used fryer oil if I can get a few buckets from the local restaurant to try this year. The bar faces me and I likely inhale some of the fine spray and I don’t like that so will try canola! Will likely have a bear problem…..
All my bars have lasted on average of about 150 cords of wood before they start getting grooved out. A rail pincher could make them go a bit longer… but it’s not worth the effort. A bar that won’t cut perfectly straight every time on a machine like this is a waste of time.
I ran only bar oil the first while I had the machine and the bars lasted no longer with bar oil vs any other oil/ mix.
I’m switching to cheap Canola oil, maybe even used fryer oil if I can get a few buckets from the local restaurant to try this year. The bar faces me and I likely inhale some of the fine spray and I don’t like that so will try canola! Will likely have a bear problem…..
Not recommended for reasons already mentioned but any oil is better than no oil.
Your choice.
I save all used oil to use as accelerant on brush piles.
SDT
85Hokie
Moderator
Staff member
Lifetime Member
Equipment
BX-25D ,PTB. Under Armor, '90&'92-B7100HST's, '06 BX1850 FEL
More information than I could imagine ......... and a very interesting fact that Thunder Chicken pointed out!
https://theyardandgarden.com/chainsaw-bar-oil-substitute/
https://theyardandgarden.com/chainsaw-bar-oil-substitute/
fried1765
Well-known member
Equipment
Kubota L48 TLB, Ford 1920 FEL, Ford 8N, SCAG Liberty Z, Gravely Pro.
I use any 30W motor oil, and have for the past 60 years.
Currently am trying to use up some 20W-50 aviation oil, but I have a bunch,..... so likely will not live long enough.
Lubrication purposes will work fine. Chain saw bar oil has an additive that makes it tacky, keeping more lubrication on the chain/bar and less cast off. I only use reg oils in a pinch. For winter use, they make a lighter grade but still has the tacky additive. My 2 cents.
I've been using used oil for bar oil for years and years, from reg car oil to synthetic in my stihl saws with no problems Winter or Summer. It's not a seasonal application, but a life long practice that works. I do run my used oil through a screen to catch anything that would cause a problem. Why buy another lubricant you don't need? Waste not want not, eh!
I used to use waste oil for chain saw bar lubrication. But at some point I realized I was not using my chainsaw that much really, and decided to use Bar and Chain oil, and never looked back.
For me it is bar and chain oil, period.
For me it is bar and chain oil, period.
Thank you. Learning that canola oil is not enviromentally as harmful and can be used was worth the thread to me. Don't like the taste of canola oil and have a few gallons available. Will also be my go to bar oil now. I will be logging wind falls and some for firewood and if the Emerald ash borer gets closer will be cutting more but I am only cutting maybe 5 cords of firewood and a few thousand board feet a year so no where near what most of you are doing. thank you Learned a lot
Last edited: