What oil to pour into the chainsaw for the chain

Price peculiarities of the offered assortments

European chain oils of high price group are recommended for professional chain saw equipment operating in severe and even extreme conditions.

Domestic chain oils are mostly produced with the use of their own raw materials, imported additives and with the application of modern technologies.

By quality and operating characteristics the Russian range is not inferior to similar products of European brands, but costs much cheaper.

Chinese medium-class saw headsets are inferior to their European counterparts in durability and service life. This imbalance is partially eliminated by the use of manufacturer-recommended chain oils developed by Chinese experts.

According to the assurance of consumable suppliers, the presence of special additives in Chinese chain oils has a positive effect on the performance of standard bars and saw chains, as well as on chainsaw equipment in general.

All of the above applies only to the products of major companies. The advantages of using chain oils of small private companies are not proven in practice.

A choice for the engine

To make the tool work as long as possible, it is necessary to buy lubricants with low ash mass fraction.

It is easy to get lost in the wide range of lubricants. Many companies insist on using the same oil for their saws. STIHL or Husqvarna garden tools, for example, are best suited for lubricants from these same brands.

Saws manufacturers do not guarantee that their machines will work properly with oils from other brands. But that doesn’t mean that the saw will immediately break down after using the wrong oil.

In this matter, it is better to trust the manufacturer’s recommendations. If the manual mentions a specific brand, use it. If there is no specifics, fuel can safely be mixed with any two-stroke oil. Judging by the experience of many sawyers, it is better to buy materials from famous manufacturers like Makita, Husqvarna, Echo, STIHL. Also the companies that specialize in production of fuel and lubricants like Ravenol have good quality products.

How to choose chain saw oil. helpful hints

At the heart of chainsaws are two-stroke motors that run on gasoline and oil. The design of these units provides for 2 tanks, one of which is filled with fuel mixture, and the second with lubricant to lubricate and cool the saw headset. What chain saw oil to choose for dilution with gasoline and for chain lubrication, let’s understand in detail.

Oils for gasoline and electric saws

In addition to chainsaws, electric saws are also used for sawing wood, the operation of which is based on the conversion of electrical energy into mechanical energy. The electric motor does not need oil, because it runs on electricity. Electric saws do, however, require oil for chain lubrication.

Filling up the tool with lubricants

Chain oil for chainsaws is poured on both gasoline and electric saws, in a separate tank. From the tank, the lubricant flows to the oil pump, which then sprays it onto the chain and bar of the machine. Chain lubrication is important, because in the absence of lubricant flow, not only the chain, bar and sprocket will wear out quickly, but also the engine of the machine.

Before you apply lubricants, you need to choose them for your tool. You can choose them at any hardware store, but only on this choice will depend on the performance of the tool and the life of its parts and components.

How the chainsaw chain is lubricated?

To understand further information it is advisable to understand how the chain is lubricated in general, if you do not already know it.

Every modern chainsaw has an oil pump. The chain oil in the oil reservoir is pumped by the pump immediately after startup and flows through the oil channel to the oil inlet on the bar. Through it, the oil enters the bar groove and is spread by the chain over the entire working length of the bar, both on top and underneath.

When sawing, the bar is under the main pressure because this is what is pressed against the material to be sawn. The oil, however, hits the bar nose first, goes all the way around the bar, and then through the curve at the end of the bar hits the bottom. Naturally, when making such a curve some of the oil simply flies out of the bar and chain due to inertia. This is why it is important that it comes off as little as possible, that the underside of the bar is well lubricated, and that there is as little friction as possible between the chain and the bar.

Therefore, knowing this information, we can conclude that the oil for chain lubrication must be thick enough and have good adhesion (in other words, stickiness) so that it is less likely to fly out on the curve of the bar, and it must not contain any particles so that it can pass freely through the oil channel without clogging it, and that these particles do not create unnecessary friction.

Special chain oils have all these properties. They are quite thick, have special adhesive additives in their composition, and of course do not contain any particles. They also form a kind of film between the chain and the tire so that the chain and tire don’t really touch each other.

The properties of these oils can vary slightly from manufacturer to manufacturer. Those that are more expensive usually have more adhesion. In any case, any specialized chain oil is better than any other oil that was designed for other purposes.

Now with this information you can answer questions about the use of other oils.

The cutting part of the chainsaw is in direct contact with the material to be machined. Because of this, the grease will wear off quickly. Without it, the working unit of the tool is subject to rapid wear, which is expressed in the form of pulling the chain, mismatch of its pitch to the interval between the teeth of the drive gears.

The saw becomes difficult and unpleasant to operate. Increases the risk of injury due to chain rupture. Important components fail when operated at high RPM and without lubrication.

To prevent these situations it is recommended to use a special oil. Always check that the chain is properly lubricated before each use.

The purpose of oil is not limited to the lubrication of the chain surface. Apply it to the tire, the sprocket, and the guide bar. This kind of maintenance keeps the whole cutting mechanism in working order.

Benefits of higher-priced oils

Brand chain oils are formulated with useful antioxidative, anticorrosive, stabilizing components and additives that help preserve oil performance and increase wear resistance of working equipment under severe operating conditions.

The quality of brand-name consumables is the benchmark. Most of them are products of leading manufacturers STIHL, Husqvarna, ECHO, DAEWOO and others. Over the past few years, the quality of Chinese chain oils produced by state-owned enterprises has improved noticeably.

Owners of chainsaws are the ones who decide what oil to use for chainsaw chain lubrication. In the best case, it is adapted to the climatic characteristics of the region consumable recommended by the instruction manual for this model.

Which mineral or synthetic oil is better to add to gasoline?

Two-stroke oils can be mineral or synthetic. Just like in cars, synthetics are always more expensive than mineral oil. Its most important advantage is that it doesn’t leave a residue inside the chainsaw cylinder. It extends chain oil’s working life. So if you want your saw to last as long as possible, use synthetics.

But it is worth to note that if you have been using mineral for a long time (not less than 100 hours), you should not use synthetic. This is because synthetic oil, with its cleaning properties, will wash off the layer of carbon deposits accumulated on the cylinder walls, and its pieces that fall off can cause damage to the cylinder walls. So, if you have been using mineral oil for a long time, use it.

The consequences of unjustified savings

Many owners of budget gasoline saws with simple constant output lubrication systems are worried about increased oil consumption. The average price of a quality product is three times less than the cost of its motor analogues, however the cases of using different oil substitutes are not uncommon.

The heather oil, diesel oil and motor oil used in various proportions are not suitable for the complete lubrication of the cutterbar by their working properties.

It is not difficult to calculate how much you can save by using a surrogate. Unfortunately, the profit gained cannot compensate for the accelerated depreciation of the old one and the cost of buying a new one.

Constant use of substitutes reduces service life of expensive saw headsets by 30-40. Wear is considerably forced if you fill in the chainsaw lubrication system with used oil.

For proper lubrication and cooling of the chain or pouring it into the gearbox, none of the compositions proposed by users is suitable. Not the best variant to replace the winter motor oil M8, which was used to fill up Druzhba chain saws and their prototypes in the conditions of general deficit.

Consequences of using low-quality oil

Serious chainsaw manufacturers indicate in the instruction manual of their products, which oil to use with the device. Naturally, the accompanying products will have the same brand. This is not only a marketing ploy, but also a sound recommendation. Companies that have been making saws for many years have sufficient production capacity and make really good oils.

There is no such advice for many home-use chainsaws. The user equips the gas tank at his discretion. Here too, it’s best to choose a quality product tested by thousands of gasoline-powered unit owners. Even an inexpensive saw can last more than a year with the right modes of operation and competent selection of consumables. Vice versa: a no-name oil of unknown composition can kill even a good Stihl or Husqvarna piston group.

If your chain saw’s exhaust system becomes clogged with soot and carbon black, you will inevitably lose power. Flushing the combustion chamber can no longer be carried out as intensively, most of the exhaust gases remain in the cylinder and the fuel pump lacks the power to pump the required amount of mixture.

Incomplete combustion of the oil component in gasoline creates soot and carbon deposits in the cylinder and piston head. Poor fluidity values lead to overheating of the cylinder and piston group, during which scuffing may occur on the surface of the working parts. After several cycles of such work, it may be necessary to replace the piston.