What Oil To Use For The Chainsaw Chain

All About Choosing Chainsaw Oil Oil requirements for a 2-stroke chainsaw engine. Review of the best two-stroke oils from Stihl, Husqwarna. Fuel mixture, gasoline and oil ratio table. What oil to use to lubricate the saw chain.

Choosing engine oil

An oil intended for a 2-stroke engine must meet the following requirements.

1. The lubricant must form during combustion minimum ash. Ideally, it should burn completely.
2. The lubricant must have good solubility in gasoline and a high degree of purification from various impurities that can cause clogging of very narrow channels of the carburetor.
3. The oil must have high anti-corrosion, anti-wear and lubricating properties.

There are certain standards for oils intended for 2-stroke engines: TC-W3 and 2T. Lubricant appropriate TC-W3 standard, used for water-cooled engines (outboard motors, jet skis). Oil 2T used as an additive in gasoline for 2-stroke air-cooled engines (lawn mowers, mopeds, chainsaws, etc.).

Motul Outboard Tech 2T Oil

When using poor-quality lubricant, the entire piston group of the engine can fail due to the formation of carbon deposits under the piston rings. As a result, they will not be able to compress, and scuffs will form on the cylinder walls. Also, improper lubrication of the bearings of the crank mechanism leads to overheating and, ultimately, to seizure. Important: it is forbidden to use diesel oil to prepare the fuel mixture, since it does not correspond to any of the above parameters.

Stihl HP

The grease was specially developed for the engines of Stihl equipment. She has mineral base, possesses high lubricating and cleaning properties and can be used at ambient temperature not lower than 10 ° С.

The grease is red in color and can be stored for no more than 4 years in a closed container. The latter can have different capacities, both large and small (for one-time refueling). For example, there is a 20-gram container on sale, the contents of which are added to 1 liter of gasoline. This is a very convenient option for owners of chainsaws who use them occasionally. Important: a mixture of gasoline with this oil cannot be stored for more than 1 month, since it will already lose its lubricating properties during this time.

Choice of oil for chain lubrication

Remember to check the amount of oil in the oil tank after each refueling of the chainsaw. In a chainsaw, an oil pump is responsible for delivering lubricant to the tire on which the saw chain slides. Normally, refueling of both tanks. Fuel and oil. Should be done simultaneously. Chain oil must be poured into a suitable tank up to the neck. Otherwise, it may run out before fuel, which will lead to overheating of the chain and bus.

Chainsaw chain oil must be designed specifically for this purpose. The use of other lubricants is ineffective and reduces the service life of not only the saw, but also the tires of the machine. This is due to the fact that chain oil contains adhesive additives, thanks to which the lubricant literally “sticks” to the chain. This property of the oil reduces its consumption, as a result of which the lubrication of the chainsaw bar and the saw chain is improved, and their service life increases.

Also an important parameter of chain lubrication is its density. If you are going to use a lubricant that is not intended for chainsaws, you may notice that oil leaks during operation or after stopping the unit. This fact suggests that the grease is too liquid. In addition, the liquid lubricant will quickly scatter in all directions and, accordingly, quickly run out.

Leading petrol tool manufacturers such as Stihl, Husqvarna, Makita, Bosch and the Oregon chainsaw accessories manufacturer recommend special highly adhesive oils, including biodegradable. But oils of well-known brands have only one drawback. The price of 300 rubles per 1 liter and above. In addition, the grease in the reservoir can thicken over time and clog the channels. For this reason, it has to be drained, and this already increases the consumption. But despite this, we have to admit the fact that only the use of special lubricants can extend the service life of the chainsaw.

Chainsaw sprocket lubricant

To increase the service life and reduce friction on the drive sprocket, the manufacturer equips this mechanism with a needle bearing, which must be lubricated periodically. Stihl multipurpose grease can be used for lubrication.

If you do not want to overpay, it is better to use an inexpensive, but no less high-quality option, Litol or Litol 24 grease. Due to its viscosity, Litol will easily replace the original one.

It is possible to lubricate the chain saw tire sprocket with the same lubricants as the leading one, using a special filler for this. This allows the lubricant to be pressed in, through the technological holes in the tire, to the sprocket bearing.

Stihl adhesive oils

The company’s website contains the following adhesive oils intended for various operating temperatures and having a good lubricating performance:

• Forestplus adhesive oil. Recommended for operation at temperatures up to. 15 ° C, shelf life under storage conditions is 3 years. Supplied in 1 liter or 5 liter containers;
• Bioplus. Its feature is a vegetable base, which allows it to decompose quickly when it enters the soil. Used up to minus 15, supplied in three, five and one-liter containers;
• The latest SynthPlus oil is distinguished by its ability to maintain performance at minus 25 ° C.

Husqvarna oils

The company offers its customers Husqvarna Bio Advanced oil for use in normal and extreme conditions. The oil is made from plant components and is environmentally friendly, supplied in one liter and five liter containers.

As an economical solution, the company has Vegoil oil, according to the manufacturer, its consumption is reduced by 40% compared to others. Supplied in a liter container.

The company also manufactures bearing grease, which it recommends for lubricating the bearings of the drive sprocket and the sprocket on the saw bar.

Less common, but popular with chainsaw owners, are:

• Polar Lube mineral. Oleo-Mac;
• Adhesive CHAMPION, sold in containers up to 10 liters, which is convenient for use in forestry;
• Makita Biotop;
• Anchor.

You can get acquainted with some oils for chains by looking below, in it a seller of a large network of tools, comments on the use of adhesive oils from various manufacturers.

How to replace expensive oil

Special branded chain lubricants have the disadvantage of their high price. Buying a liter of other expensive oil is not burdensome. And if work is coming, requiring several liters, or even tens of liters, thoughts of saving will certainly arise. The main thing is not to go to extremes when considering options. You can save on oil to such an extent that you will have to change the chain several times, or even the tire itself or the oil pump.

There are three replacement options. Firstly, you can use specialized products of little-known manufacturers for chain lubrication. But such oils still need to be looked for. In addition, there is a risk of stumbling upon a low-quality product.

Application of oils for automobile engines. They can be used as a temporary replacement, but they cannot boast of high adhesion, so the quality of their work will be clearly worse than special ones. For this reason, it is not recommended to use spindle and diesel oils. The worst in adhesion.

And we must definitely say about one more option. Working off. This is the name of the oil that has worked out its life in the engine, and is drained from it during replacement.

In fact, this is not an option at all. Metal particles are always present in mining. And if they may not damage the chain itself, then they certainly will not damage the oil pump and the entire lubrication system. On forums on the Internet, you can find a “killer” argument in favor of working off. That the Soviet Druzhba chainsaw had no chain lubrication at all and worked. So you can pour anything. And so it will do. Well, Stihl will also work with a working off or even with a non-lubricated chain. The question is how long it will work and how many chains will have to be changed during this period.

Caution for those who have a chainsaw within the warranty period. Masters of warranty workshops are able to identify cases of use of low-quality chain lubrication. Especially when using mining. Repairs under warranty will be denied immediately.

When and how to fill

Where to fill the chain oil is clear. There is a separate container for this. In most chainsaws, the size of this container is calculated taking into account the volume of the saw’s gas tank. When both tanks are full, they empty at about the same time. Therefore, it is recommended to fill the full volume of the oil tank at the same time as filling the fuel tank. Then you don’t have to be distracted by topping up twice.

Before starting work, it is useful to check if oil will flow to the chain. To do this, simply point the end of the tire on a flat surface. Some of the grease will fly off the edge of the tire. If droplets enter the surface, the system is operating normally.

At high negative temperatures, summer oil thickens and its lubricity deteriorates. Therefore, it is worth using brands designed for winter conditions. If this is not possible, then it is worth taking the time to dilute the existing oil to reduce its thickness. It is best to dilute with kerosene in a ratio of 1 to 4.

Some models have an adjustable feed rate in the lubrication system. It is useful for correcting when changing the type of grease.

If the oil from one manufacturer has run out, and the same type is available, but from a different company, then their mixing is allowed, provided that they are used immediately. Leaving such a mixture for a long time is not worth it.

What kind of oil should you use

It is widely believed that quality branded chainsaw oil should only be used in the engine’s gasoline-oil mixture. However, the choice of oil for lubrication is a simple matter. Anyone will do, as long as it gets to the right place.

But adding lubricant to the chain is half the battle. It is necessary that it hold on to the metal and remain on the lower edge, with which the tree is sawn. For this purpose, substances with increased adhesion are used, that is, the ability to adhere to the surface and stay on it. Oil with poor adhesion will fly off the rapidly rotating chain, splattering around uselessly. Of course, some part will remain, but it is not known whether this will be enough so that during intensive work the circuit does not overheat.

Mineral materials that provide chain and tire lubrication at freezing temperatures crystallize and thicken in the cold. This will cause the lubrication to be difficult to feed and the load on the oil pump will increase. Its service life is shortened and it may fail prematurely. In winter, it is necessary to choose synthetic materials with special additives that provide reliable lubrication in frosts down to 40 ℃. In low frosts and temperatures near zero, semi-synthetics are used.

Estimates of the use of different oils for lubricating chainsaw chains boil down to the fact that the wrong choice can increase the engine load by up to 10%. The service life of the chain and guide bar is further reduced.

Due to the fact that in recent years great importance has been attached to ecology, more and more branded oil products are made on the basis of decomposable substances. But during long-term operation, the consumption of chain lubrication can be measured in liters. And for people who are not indifferent to nature, this will be another reason to choose an environmentally friendly product. If not all the same, what your area is sprayed with and what marks remain on the wood after cutting.