What oil to lubricate the chain of a chainsaw?

chain lubrication for chain saws. what chain oil to use for STIHL (STIHL), how to lubricate and what to replace the chain oil for Husqvarna

To date, such a tool as a chainsaw takes pride of place in our work activities. After all, think about it yourself, how can you do without it, for example, in the suburban area, when you need to cut down a dry branch or make firewood for the winter? Today there are a huge number of different models of this tool (see the “Lubricator” on page 41). rating of the best chainsaws), from simple ones for household needs to professional “giants” that are used to cut down huge scales of trees. Yes, the choice is significant, and as they say: there is a place to speed up. But to choose and buy a tool is half the battle, so it is also necessary to know how to properly care for him. In this article you can find answers to questions about chain saw oil lubrication. Here will be presented the best producers of lubricants, which are better to use, and in general, what they are needed for. But first things first. Here we go.

Now we are going to “dive” into the core of the tool, so that you could understand, at least in general terms, what your “helper” consists of, in order to be able to determine the defect of this or that detail in case of problems with the chainsaw. In fact, this kind of tool can be responsibly attributed to the mechanisms of the classical direction, which work through the involvement of the internal combustion engine.

It is no exaggeration to say that this type of tool is the simplest of all other mechanisms, because the saw has no gearbox and is equipped with a conventional two-stroke engine, which has one cylinder and runs on gasoline. The main advantage of a chainsaw is that it is arranged quite simply, which contributes to increased reliability, as well as the trouble-free operation in heavy and difficult conditions. Next, let’s look at the design of the saw in more detail, so:

• motor;
• clutch;
• ignition system;
• carburetor (see. carburetor tuning);
• fuel system (see: clutch; lubrication. gasoline to oil ratio);
• air cleaning system;
• starter;
• chain (see chain. how to sharpen the chain with your own hands);
• bar;
• circuit brake;
• the chain tensioning mechanism;
• chain lubrication system.

In essence, the device is disassembled, but now the most important issue is the lubrication of chain saw parts. Many people don’t understand what it’s for at all? The answer is simple enough, like all mechanisms, the chainsaw, especially its individual parts, require special care, including periodic lubrication.

It is necessary that your tool served you for many years, as during work gasoline saw parts make movement, which should be smooth, smooth, so as not to damage nearby spare parts.

So, as everyone knows that the force of friction breaks the surface, and here, if you do not by necessity lubricate a chainsaw, the parts will simply wear out quickly and the tool will be out of LADA. You need it? I don’t think so. That is why it is necessary to take care of your chainsaw so that it “has strength” to serve you for many years.

Features of Chainsaw Oils Selection

A chainsaw is a versatile tool that is designed to perform sawing work of wood materials. You can use it to cut firewood, cut down a tree, or even trim a tree. Every self-respecting craftsman wants the tools in his arsenal to serve long and well. This can be achieved by following the instructions for use. To keep your chainsaw working reliably and for a long time, it is important to use high-quality chainsaw oil.

Choice of oils for chainsaws and electric saws

Everyone knows that chainsaws require consumables. Analogue of chainsaws are electric saws, which function by means of electric motor. They do not come with a lot of power, so they cannot be compared to chainsaws, but in addition to being identical in appearance, these tools also require the use of oil for chain lubrication.

When choosing chain oils for chain saws, it is important to note that they are divided into two types: engine oils (intended for the preparation of fuel mixture) and for chain lubrication (poured into a special tank on the side). When choosing oil for a chainsaw chain, it is important to take into account the fact that this consumable is intended to lubricate the cutting element during the sawing work.

Good to know! Electric saws use only oil for chain lubrication, which prevents excessive overheating of the cutting element and also increases the efficiency of the working process.

These types of oil have significant differences, so they should only be used as intended. It is worth noting that it is not necessary to save on motor oil for a chainsaw, as this will lead to a reduction in operating life. If you save on chain lubricant, it will reduce the service life of the chain. Which is not as bad as breaking an internal combustion engine, but not as bad.

Good to know! Use of waste oil for chain lubrication is categorically contraindicated, because the presence of metal particles in its composition has a negative impact on the operation of products.

Engine oil

On what oil to use for his tool, asks more than a hundred chainsaw owners. It is recommended to fill only special two-stroke oil in a chainsaw, which is sold exclusively in specialized stores. Special lubricants for two-stroke engines come in two types:

Synthetic oil is recommended by specialists, despite the fact that it is somewhat more expensive than mineral oil. The advantage of synthetic oil is the fact that there is less fouling in the cylinders during operation. That means that the engine can last much longer than with mineral oil.

If after reading this you have a desire to change to synthetic, do not do it if you previously used mineral oil. In fact, after 100 hours of chain saw operation, mineral oil promotes the formation of carbon deposits.

If you then pour in synthetic oil afterwards, it will wash away the fouling, resulting in damage to the internal parts of the machinery.

Each manufacturer recommends for its tool to use only branded and quality types of oil, so these recommendations is better not to violate, because it will only harm themselves. In addition to the use of oil, it is important that the correct proportion of oil and gasoline is maintained. The ratio between petrol and lubricant is 1:50, i.e. 20 ml of 2-stroke oil should be added to 1 liter of petrol. In the technical documentation for each chainsaw, you can find the exact proportions that are recommended by the manufacturer, so any deviation from the norm will only harm your tool.

Important to know! Do not leave the fuel mixture you have prepared for a long time, because already after 5-7 days its quality drops considerably, which can also have an adverse effect on the performance of the tool.

chain oil for chainsaw chain lubrication

No less relevant is the question of what oil is better to use for chain lubrication chainsaw? This material is used to reduce the friction between the tire and the chain links. To lubricate the chain, you can use lubricant for cars, that is, motor oil. It is an excellent analogue of special brand materials.

When selecting chain oil for chainsaws, it is important to consider the time of year it is used. In summertime, mineral liquids are recommended, but in wintertime synthetics are better. Compliance with such recommendations allows you to work with the tool even on winter days at temperatures up to.40 degrees. Semi-synthetic oils, which can be used in temperatures from.30 to 25 degrees.

If there is a sufficient level of lubricant in the oil can, but when you check it, it is found that the chain is lubricated in small amounts, it is recommended to diagnose and find out the reasons. It is strictly forbidden to operate the tool with less lubricant on the cutting element, because it can cause overheating and chain breakage.

How to lubricate a chainsaw chain with used oil

Everybody knows what used oil is. Unfortunately, the majority of chainsaw owners, in order to save money, pour such waste oil into the tank of their tools. This allows you to save significantly on the purchase of new lubricants, especially since car owners have plenty of such lubricant.

Plug fouling from poor quality oil

However, if you use waste oil for chain lubrication, you should be aware of the consequences. They are naturally unfavorable, not only for the tool, but also for the person. After all, a broken chain can cause serious injury, so you should not ignore the recommendations of manufacturers and experts. After its use the engine oil contains in its composition a lot of metal particles that cause excessive friction and overheating of the chain, accelerated blunting of teeth, as well as accelerated stretching.

Chain oil for chainsaws

Chainsaws are very widespread in households and industry. Their design features mean that you have to periodically lubricate the chain and many other elements to ensure a long service life. Lack of lubricant can adversely affect tool performance, efficiency, and durability.

Chain oil

Almost all chainsaws come with an instruction manual. Such a guidebook indicates that in all cases, chain oil with a high adhesive effect must be added.

Adhesion is a measure of the degree to which a lubricant adheres to the surface of a chain bar.

Adhesive oil is required for chain operation for the following reasons:

• The chain is travelling at high speed when the machine is in operation. If an oil with a low adhesion value is used, it will be scattered by inertia during operation. It is possible to check it by yourself, and for this purpose it is enough to add an ordinary lubricant to the surface and add gas.
• The oil must have high lubricating properties. At high travel speeds the bar can become very hot, which makes the metal used in the manufacturing process soft and less resistant to wear.

It is worth bearing in mind the fact that with prolonged use of the chainsaw a large amount of oil will be required, as it quickly wipes off the surface of the tire. A variety of companies are involved in the production of substances for chain lubrication.

What chainsaw parts need oil?

A modern chain saw is a complicated mechanism that consists of many different parts. The following elements require lubrication:

• The chain is the element that secures the blades for sawing wood. It consists of a large number of individual elements that are movably connected to one another. At the time of operation, the surface of the device can get very hot. The metal can rust because of moisture, which reduces the service life considerably.
• The engine. the part of the chainsaw that transmits the rotation to the bar. Modern engines also need a lubricant that can significantly extend their service life. Different lubricating products are used for chain and motor lubrication, which is worth considering.

Your Instruction Booklet is also designed to tell you which parts of your chain saw need oiling.

When to use special chain oil?

Manufacturers recommend the use of special oil for chain lubrication whenever you use the chain saw. This recommendation is related to the points below:

• The oil pump can fail. This is due to the special properties of the lubricant.
• The use of waste oil or other lubricants for different purposes can reduce the cutting tool’s high RPM capability.
• If the bar is badly worn, do not put a new chain on it. This is connected with an increased wear of the surface. It is recommended that a minimum of four chains be purchased if work is to be carried out frequently.
• It is strictly forbidden to operate without oil in the tank. When filling up the chainsaw with fuel it is absolutely necessary to lubricate the bar.

When using special oil to lubricate the chain, you need to pay attention to its quality, as its composition should not contain various impurities or debris. Otherwise the oil pump can fail quickly.

Almost all chainsaw and accessory manufacturers make lubricants. Chain oil for chainsaws protects the metal from rapid wear and corrosion. In addition, chain oil lasts a long time on the surface, even when the unit is used for a long time.

A little about chain saw chain lubrication with used oil

Used oil is oil that has already served its useful life in an engine or gearbox. It is often used to save money, including for chainsaw maintenance.

Keep in mind that waste can lead to rapid wear and tear.

This can be attributed to the following points:

• Often the failure is associated with a large amount of metal shavings in the composition. It gets there when the engine and gearbox are in operation and then accumulates in the sump.
• Metal chips on the guide bar become like abrasives. This considerably accelerates surface wear. Wear on the sprocket and bearing.
• Operating oil also has a negative effect on the moving chain links. Severe wear increases the likelihood of chain breakage during operation.

The above information shows that in all cases a special product must be used that has been designed for this purpose. Oils previously used in engines and gearboxes are not compatible with chain saws.

How an oil chain lubrication system should work?

To ensure reliable operation of the chainsaw, a special chain oiling system is installed. The following information is an example:

• The size of fuel tanks should be chosen so that not much oil will be left over when the fuel is completely used up. It is also important to set the carburettor correctly so that the fuel does not go out fast.
• If the oil is slowly reduced when the saw is in use, the lubrication efficiency is reduced several times, the conductivity of the channels is also reduced. Over time a fault may develop which is rather difficult to correct.
• It is advisable to check the condition of the oil pump from time to time. If necessary, the output can be adjusted with a special screw.
• You can check the pump yourself to see if it is working properly. To do this, the bar has to be held in front of a lighted surface. If oil splashes appear on it, the design is working properly. The lubrication requirement is adjusted according to the particular situation.

How to lubricate a chainsaw chain?

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

Every modern chainsaw has an oil pump. The chain oil in the oil reservoir is pumped by the pump immediately after starting the machine 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.

The bar is under tremendous pressure when sawing, because it is in contact with the material to be sawn. However, the oil gets on the bar top, goes all the way around the bar, and then through the curve at the end of the bar hits the bar 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 as little oil as possible comes off the bar, 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 should be thick enough and have good adhesion (in simple words. stickiness), so that it is less likely to fly out on the tire curve, and it should not contain any particles, so that it can pass freely through the oil channel without clogging it, and so that these particles do not create unnecessary friction.

Specialty chain oils have all of these properties. They are thick enough, 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 essentially do not touch each other.

The properties of these oils can vary a little among the different manufacturers. Those that are more expensive, usually have more adhesion. But in any case, any specialized chain oil is better than any that is intended for other uses.

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

Re: chain oil

Re: Chain oil

Here is a description of one of the brand chain oils:

-Viscosity kinematic at 100 degrees Celsius 14.pour point.28. flash point 228.application range from.10 to 40

It looks suspiciously like 15w40, doesn’t it?

Chain oil

So as not to be unsubstantiated, the saw itself

Not a single word in the Russian manual about the viscosity of chain oil, but in the English manual clearly and unambiguously

In winter dilute 20:1 with gasoline or kerosene

Leftover 5W-30 Delo 400 LE went to hell, now quietly eats 14W-40 Delo 400 LE for the cultivator. But the gasoline on the grass trimmer and chain saw diluted 30:1 instead of 40:1. diluted 40:1 for some reason crankshaft broke down immediately, now the third year of 30:1. everything runs like clockwork

So all those brand name chain oils go where they belong

Chain oil for chainsaws

Oil for chainsaw chain lubrication

The other day I started my own experiment in chain oils. The main question I’m looking for is whether the chain needs special chain oil or whether any lubricant, up to and including waste and sunflower oil, will do.

A little bit of theory: What does lubrication do for the chain and what does it do?? It lubricates the chain and bar. The lubricant should flow slowly but surely through a special channel to the bar and into the saw’s groove, reducing chain friction on the bar. Everything. Insufficient lubrication can lead to local overheating, bar deformation, chain jamming or breakage, which can lead not only to chain breakage, but also to injuries. too much oil makes the saw fill up with oil-soaked cuttings and the chainsaw shoots forward a meter or more, which is unpleasant and inconvenient at the minimum. A number of saws have a regulator for oil flow to the chain, but mostly the oil pump is simply tied to the engine and has no adjustments. The saw is working. the oil is flowing. Stopping the engine-stopping the feed. In these saws (and they are in majority) it is possible to reduce-increase the oil flow only by changing its viscosity. What are the recommendations of the producers?? Today the leading chain tool manufacturers STIHL, Husqvarna, Makita, Bosch and the main sawmill fitting manufacturer Oregon recommend special, in particular biodegradable, chain oils. Specialty chain oil has improved adhesion (stickiness), stays on working surfaces; and biodegradable, made from plant components (linseed, hemp, rapeseed, etc.д.) are almost or entirely safe for people, the ground and greenery. Besides special adhesive additives chain oils contain antiwear, extreme pressure and other components prolonging life of chains and bars. A significant disadvantage of specialty chain oils is their cost per liter or more and the need to drain oil that has not been used for a long time or to run it out. t.It can thicken and dry out in the system, clogging supply ducts and ruining expensive tools. If you have no special oils or don’t want to spend money on them, hobbyists and professionals use all the variety of oils at hand: motor oils of all viscosities, gear oils, compressor oils, etc.д. In addition to proven over the decades M8 and M10, used oils like used oil, sunflower oil and any relatively liquid greases, which are diluted to the desired consistency with diesel fuel. I don’t take extremes and frankly cheapskate variants, as well as exotic experiments with boiling of graphite grease.

Expert comparison of oils

In order to understand what users choose to lubricate their chainsaws, we analyzed marketplace statistics Yandex.Market and selected the most popular (on sale) oils, reviewed reviews, compared them with the and made a comparative table, which can be used to determine which oil is worth choosing.

As a result of comparative tests we defined 3 winners:

• Caliber. cheap, good adhesion, biodegradability.
• Oregon. average price, good adhesion, time-proven brand.
• STIHL. expensive, time-proven brand, reasonable price, a lot of fakes.

Here everyone chooses what he likes and can afford. biodegradability or price. Editor’s Choice. Oregon is a golden mean between quality and price.

What to replace expensive original oil with and is it worth it??

In situations where there is no possibility to use original oil, it can be replaced by car engine oil. Cheap automotive oils like Autol or diesel variants of grease, due to reduced adhesive properties, are unsuitable for long-term use.

Some owners, despite recommendations, still use analogues, preferring to change tire and chain more often, but here everyone is deciding for himself. This oil can’t have any adverse effect on chain saw’s lubrication system, which means the difference is only as a barrier to chain friction.

Read more about replacement options here.

No oil to the chain, what are the causes?

It is not always possible to see immediately during operation that no oil is being supplied to the chainsaw chain. Signs of lack of lubrication:

• The level in the tank does not drop;
• Cutting is difficult, accompanied by a burning wood smell;
• No oil droplets come out of chain saw bar tip.

If you discover a fault in the oil system, you must determine the cause. There are few such causes. blockage, hose breakage or oil pump malfunction.

Dirt and sawdust clog up the oil inlet more often. Blowing with air or cleaning with a fine wire is enough to correct the problem. The oil tank has its own internal filter. With normal oil clogging is unlikely, but with used oil it’s quite possible. You’ll have to clean.

The oil hose could be damaged or completely ruptured. You can temporarily seal the damaged place, but it is more reliable to replace it with a new one.

And the most serious problem is the oil pump failure. The causes can be different. worm gear teeth worn out, a jammed plunger and others. To remove the pump and replace the damaged part on your own is not easy. It’s easier and more reliable to go to a service center.

What kind of oil to use

There is a widespread belief that quality brand name chain oil for a chainsaw chain should only be used in the petrol and oil mixture of the engine. Nevertheless, choosing an oil for lubrication is not a difficult task. Anything will do, as long as it gets in the right place.

But putting grease on the chain is half the battle. It must be able to adhere to the metal and stay on the bottom edge that is used for sawing the wood. for this purpose agents with high adhesion are used, i.e. ability to stick to the surface and stick to it. Oil with poor adhesion will fly off the rapidly rotating chain, splashing everything around in vain. Of course, some will remain, but it is not known if this will be enough to keep the chain from overheating during intensive operation.

Important! In all-season chainsaw operation, you need to consider the dependence of oil conditions on the time of year and air temperature.

Mineral-based lubricants that keep the chain and bar lubricated in positive temperatures can crystallise and become greasy in cold conditions. This makes it hard to lubricate and increases the load on the oil pump. Its service life is shortened and it may fail prematurely. In winter, you should choose synthetic materials with special additives that provide reliable lubrication in freezing temperatures up to.40 ℃. In light frosts and temperatures near zero, use semi-synthetics.

Evaluations of the use of different chain oil for chainsaws come down to the fact that the wrong choice can increase the load on the engine by up to 10%. The service life of the chain and bar is further reduced.

Due to the recent emphasis on the environment, branded oil products are increasingly made on the basis of decomposing substances. And in the long run, chain oil consumption can be measured in liters. And for people who are not indifferent to nature, this is an extra reason to choose an environmentally friendly product. If you care what you get splashed with and what marks are left on the wood after sawing.

To sum up.

What chain oil to use for a chainsaw chain?? High-quality and unadulterated! The most important thing to remember is that every technique requires proper care. For example, you take care of your health so you don’t fall ill and live long. Only in this case your chainsaw will faithfully serve you for decades to come. Read about chain saw running-in. You can also check the ratings to see what’s the best chainsaw for you.

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