There are 2 functions of chainsaw oils. The first is to lubricate areas of the chainsaw to prevent wear and tear. The second is for powering gas chainsaws.
There are a few different types of chainsaw oils on the market, but what is chainsaw oil, and how do you use it?
What is chainsaw oil, and what does it do?
Chainsaw oil is a lubricant that is designed specifically for chainsaws, more specifically for chainsaw bar guides. It protects chainsaws from wear, corrosion, and rust.
Lubricating your chainsaw is essential to extending the saw’s life and properly maintaining your saw. The chainsaw bar and chain could become unstable or harder to work with if it isn’t properly maintained and is the main area for chainsaws to go wrong.
How many types of chainsaw lubricants are there?
Altogether there are 4 types of chainsaw oil that you can use depending on your chainsaw make and model and the outcome you want it to achieve. In addition, you need to consider the time of year when you will be using your chainsaw.
The four types of chainsaw oil are as follows.
- Standard (the most common type) – This type of chainsaw can be used on almost all chainsaws, including Stihl and Husqvarna. It has medium veracity and extends the life of your chainsaw guide bar and chain.
- Biodegradable – Biodegradable chainsaw oil lubricates and protects chainsaw chains and bar guides sustainably. It reduces oil consumption and improves a chainsaw’s pump ability at low temperatures improving sustainability and stability. It also has high veracity.
- Hydraulic chainsaw oil – Hydraulic oil is perfect for heavy-duty chainsaws, stump grinders and wood chippers. The oil is specifically formulated to prevent rust, corrosion, and oxidation. Temperature does not affect the viscosity of this oil, which is of high quality.
- 2-stroke chainsaw oil – This type of chainsaw oil helps to improve the longevity and improve the performance of 2-stroke engine chainsaws. It is cost-effective and ensures that the engine performs smoothly and reliably.
Which chainsaw oil is best to use?
Now depending on what part of your chainsaw you want to lubricate, what make and model your chainsaw is, and if you need to use it on heavy machinery. Your costs could also play a part in informing your decision.
Lubricating bar and chain
As well as being used as fuel, the best chainsaw oils to use to lubricate the guide bar and chains will differ between standard and biodegradable oil. Both of these effectively lubricate the bar guide and the chain, however, it depends on what veracity you want.
Standard vs Biodegradable chainsaw oil
High-veracity chainsaw oil, like biodegradable oil, is best used when maintaining your chainsaw at low temperatures to reduce the wear on the bar and chain. Additionally, biodegradable oil reduces your oil consumption, thereby reducing your expenses. It also helps protect your chain and bar from rust and corrosion.
Standard chainsaw oil is run at medium veracity, making it the perfect middle ground at both low and high temperatures. It may not be as efficient as biodegradable oil but, it is more suited to ensuring the longevity of your chainsaw.
One of the best things about standard oil is that you can use it with more or less any chainsaw make and model. So no matter what chainsaw you have, you can use standard chainsaw oil to manage the wear and tear of your chainsaw guide bar and chain.
Engine Types
Now, there are mainly 2 types of engines, Standard combustion engines and 2-stroke engines. You can use standard, hydraulic and biodegradable oil for standard combustion type engines. For 2-stroke engines, you need to use 2-stroke engine oil. 2-stroke engine oil is designed to improve the longevity and performance of 2-stroke engines. The best thing is that it is a self-lubricating oil to prevent wear and tear.
Heavy Duty
Now for heavy-duty machinery such as wood chippers and stump grinders, You should use hydraulic oil. Heavy machinery requires hydraulic oil that is high-quality and specifically designed to withstand wear and tear. It is also not affected by temperature so it maintains its veracity. It also prevents corrosion and rusting of heavy-duty machinery as well.
How long does chainsaw oil last
It is important to know exactly how long chainsaw oil lasts and how long you can keep it stored. It’s better to worry about chainsaw oil running out rather than it going bad or going bad.
Most chainsaw oils have a lifespan of 4-6 years depending on how you store them. Also, chainsaw oil doesn’t go bad or off. In addition, some oils keep well in cold weather or at low temperatures. Furthermore, the composition of chainsaw oil and the chemicals added to it. This ensures that it doesn’t stick to its container or go bad. However, it does depend on how you store the chainsaw oil.
How to store chainsaw oil
There are a few things that you can do to make sure that your chainsaw oil is properly stored away. So that when you next use the oil, it is still just as effective as when you bought it.
So here are a few ways to best store your chainsaw oil:
- Keep it in a dry area – When your oil is kept in a humid area, it may become oxidized. If chainsaw oil is left in a damp or humid area too long, it can greatly increase the chance of spoiling your oil.
- Keep containers properly sealed – This is essential to storing your chainsaw oil in good nick. Properly sealing your container for your chainsaw oil will prevent it from oxidation. The last thing you want is for your chainsaw oil to be exposed to the atmosphere.
- Restrict exposure – if your chainsaw oil is exposed to rust and dust, it can cause the chainsaw oil to degrade very quickly. This leads to the oil being completely unusable and wasted.
What is the best way to oil your chainsaw ?
So what is the best way to oil the chainsaw without causing damage to the saw? Well, there are some easy steps that you can follow to make sure you oil and lubricate your chainsaw properly.
- First, remove the nuts from the socket of your chainsaw and set them aside. Then simply remove the chainsaw’s chain guard.
- Next, thoroughly clean and scrape any built-up dirt, muck and old oil in the bar and chain. Do the same for the chain guard as well.
- After everything is clean, reattach the chain and bar guide and tighten the nuts of the socket until everything is tightly secured.
- The next step is to mix your gasoline and motor oil. Make sure you check your chainsaw’s manual to get the correct ratio of oil to gasoline.
- The final step is to fill up the chainsaw’s fuel. Open the gas cap and add the correct amount of fuel to your chainsaw making sure it doesn’t overflow. Then open the chainsaw oil cap and add the lubricant in as well. Put both caps back on and you should be good to go.
When your chainsaw fuel needs to be replaced, you should also replace your chainsaw oil.
How to check chainsaw oil
Checking your chainsaw oil on a regular basis should be part of your chainsaw maintenance routine. If you don’t check your chainsaw oil, this could lead to your chainsaw overheating and ruining your saw.
- The first thing to do is check the oil level on your chainsaw. It should not be overflowing or sputtering as this may cause overheating issues with your saw.
- Once you have checked your chainsaw oil level, rev your chainsaw near a trunk to check the revs are running smoothly.
- Finally, once you have checked the revs take it close to the trunk. If you can see oil forming over the tree trunk then your chainsaw will be fully lubricated and ready to start cutting.
Where can I get chainsaw oil?
There are a number of types of chainsaw oil available from us, so you don’t have to look anywhere else. We provide premium quality chainsaw oil for all types of saws, wood chippers and stump grinders. We provide:
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