uses for used motor oil?

[GaryCrowell]

I use it to burn brush piles and I pour it on a section of road on my place that stays dry and dusty, it helps to settle the dust and keeps it from washing as bad when it rains. For those that don't like that, too bad. I'm sure some of you guys would faint outright at some of the stuff I do with used tires.

What I would not do with it is run an engine off of it or put it in my hydraulic system. There was a time many years ago when that was probably okay, but with the newer diesel injection systems and tractor hyd. systems they're just too complicated and expensive to repair to risk harming them. You'll not save nearly enough money to risk the expensive damage that could be done from it.

 

[D7E]

I use it to burn brush piles and I pour it on a section of road on my place that stays dry and dusty, it helps to settle the dust and keeps it from washing as bad when it rains. For those that don't like that, too bad. I'm sure some of you guys would faint outright at some of the stuff I do with used tires.

I get through a lot of truck and equipment tyres /few bales of straw and a few gallon of diesel a day

 

[Mr Dieselcraft]

See dieselcraft.com for centrifuge info.

 

[Ford tractor]

Diesel burns hotter than gas. He is cleaning up the valves and pistons of carbon deposits doing this. Old trick but can do damage also if used wrong.

Chris

Sorry to burst your bubble, but you have it backwards. Gasoline burns hotter than diesel. Here's one link.

WC Engineering : Diesel vs. Gasoline Turbo Design

From the article...

Diesel burns at low temperatures and exhaust temps are typically in the range of 500-800ｺF and the volume of exhaust gases is quite high.

From memory gasoline flames are in the 1500-1600 F range.

But try this to see for yourself. Put a quart of gasoline in an old steel paint can and a quart of diesel in a second one. Separate them by at least 20 ft and light them both at the same time. You'll see the gas will burn up quicker and MUCH hotter.



Adding diesel to gasoline will increase knock prevention because it is drastically less volatile. it's also a lubricant and mild solvent so it will clean the system some. But in general, it's best to keep gas in the gas tank and diesel in the diesel tank.

 

[Dead Horse]

I used used motor oil as bar oil in the chainsaw. worked well. Used two gallons in 4 years. Recycled the rest at Autozone Fuel systems and hydraulic systems have many very expensive parts compared to cost of a few gallons of new oil and a little time and gas to recycle used oil.

Agreed. I haven't bought bar oil in several years and I personally fell buck and put up 20+ chord of firewood a year.

As another poster mentioned, it also makes a great wood preservative. Especially in ant of termite prone sills and such around my farm.

I also pour it (sparingly) in the cracks that open up in my ashfault drive and road. it kills any grass growing there and softens up the pavement such that it somewhat heals itself in the warm summer sun.

 

[Jamming]

x 2......

I would not put it back in any machinery....besides why are we changing oil anyways?...Perhaps to cleanse it from contaminates?..:confused2:...why put those contaminates back in.....

as far as dumping it along fences and/or ground, that is illlegal AFAIK

burn pile would be a good idea though

Not to mention it will pollute your ground water and has been proven to cause cancer in drinking water. NEVER DUMP OIL ON THE GROUND !

 

[muddstopper]

I use my old motor oil mostly for chainsaw bar oil and bonfire starter fluid. After I did my last full tractor service, I gave away the 14 gallons of old oil I had (10 hydraulic oil, 4 motor) to a friend who works for the railroad - they use old oil to lube track switches. If I had a decent filter to run it through, I wouldn't think twice about dumping it into my fuel oil tank, and I really should've done that with my old hydraulic oil, but I wouldn't put old motor oil in my tractors fuel tank and/or hydro system.

JayC

I have worked for the railroad for over 35 years. I can guarantee you that used, or even new, motor oil is not an acceptable track lubricator. In fact, if your friend is working for a major railroad company, I can just about bet you that if they get caught using it, they will be taken out of service and possibly fired for thier actions. Why, because the EPA regulations, as well as the FRA, (Federal Railway Administration) will not allow the use of oil in that manner. Besides all the rules, used oil doesnt work verywell as a lubricant on metal that can heatup to over 130degrees on a sunny day. It tends to evaporate and then leave behind all the dirt and dust that was sucked up by the oil, and actually makes throwing the switches harder.

 

[Jimbo16720]

It's good for undercoating your car, chain oil, oil furnace and burning anything.:thumbsup:

 

[bulldog69]

Besides all the rules, used oil doesnt work very well as a lubricant on metal.

DING DING DING :confused2::laughing::thumbsup: We have a winner for the best quote of the day.

Dirty, nasty, burnt black, stinky used motor oil for a lubricant, That makes about as much since as making a sandwich from rotten meat. Sure it will work but what is the true cost.

 

[Jimbo16720]

I get through a lot of truck and equipment tyres /few bales of straw and a few gallon of diesel a day

I agree with you 100%...the EPA in the US is what tells us it's illegal but I'll do it at nite and all is well. Stupid goverment!:thumbsup:

 

[D7E]

I agree with you 100%...the EPA in the US is what tells us it's illegal but I'll do it at nite and all is well. Stupid goverment!:thumbsup:

Its how we light brush piles and windrows on bush clearing . Tyre stuffed with straw then soaked in diesel ..(big firelighter) ..

 

[Surshot]

On the pine tree farm we use old oil as the base mix for burning debris and piles of brush. We also use it and diesel with gasoline in our drip pots for our controlled burns. Usually a 3/1 or 2/1 mixture. Old oil is pretty cheap compared to 3.60 gasoline or off road diesel. We never reuse old oil and we do not pour it on the ground.

With my pines I am never at a loss for debris from the trees to burn, it is a constant battle to keep the underbrush clean enough to cut.
Ed

 

[Diamondpilot]

All I can say is I am glad me, my better half and 2 children don't live anywhere near most of you guys.:confused2:

I am no tree huger by any means but pouring it in water or on the ground? WTH

Chris

 

[Ford tractor]

Not to mention it will pollute your ground water and has been proven to cause cancer in drinking water. NEVER DUMP OIL ON THE GROUND !

I didn't even know that water could get cancer....:laughing:



You guys do know why the roads are dirty in the center of the lanes, right?

 

[crashz]

The names in this story are changed to protect the innocent, the dimwitted, and the spiteful devious jerks.

A few years ago, the father of a member here, lets call him Bob Sr. (therefore the TBN member that you all know and love is called Bob Jr.) had an excavating business. Bob Sr. is a good man, but collected a lot of old trucks and junk to supplement his fleet. His 1 acre yard, next to the Poopville city airport, looked like a junk yard, and was very much an eyesore. However Bob Sr. was always very careful to prevent any leaking or draining of fluids, as Bob's property, neighbors and family were supplied with water from the aquifer beneath his land.

The city of Poopville was interested in expanding the airport to attract new business. In no spoken words, they saw Bob's yard as a detracting eyesore that needed to be removed. Bob was reported to the DEP (Department of Environmantal Protection) by an anonymous person or entity. Bob was required to have 5 soil samples at random locations and elevations within the property, as well as a pump test and aquifer test perfomed. Tests were for typical petroleum impacts and heavy metals found in contaminated junkyards. The site was also required to be visually inspected by an LSP (lisenced site professional) and potential hazards were to be listed.

Bob was required to pay for all site investigations and any remediation that would be required. AKA - Guilty until YOU prove that you are innocent. Entirely on YOUR dime.

Fortunately, Bob was very careful for the 25 years that he was on the property. Soil and water tests indicated no detections for metals or petroleum signatures. The results were well below DEP limits and even below the reference. Bob did get a minor slap on the wrist for fire code issues, but only minor upgrades were needed and no penalty.

Bob was also lucky. He worked with a company that does these inspections and had a LSP on staff. He was able to get it all done and completed with DEP approval for under $20K. On a clean site like his, it can be much more expensive. If issues are found... watch out!

Bob later sold the property through eminant domain, with a clean bill of health, to the City of Poopville and was able to re-coup some of the loss he took for the environmental investigation.

Lesson learned though. All it takes it to ruffle some feathers and their quick call to the DEP or EPA and you are on the hook for thousands of dollars before they even start combing your property for violations. God help you if you have any.

Ironically, Bob Jr. now works as a civil engineer for a company that is involved with these types of investigations, reporting to DEP / EPA, permitting and design/build of the clean up efforts.

Even though I tried to spare you the long winded story, I hope "Bob's" story is helpful in the decision with what to do with your drain oil from now on.

 

[wdchyd]

All I can say is I am glad me, my better half and 2 children don't live anywhere near most of you guys.:confused2:

I am no tree huger by any means but pouring it in water or on the ground? WTH

Chris

x 2.......isn't the reason why we have all these strict laws because of some poluters from laziness or greedyness, we all have to pay to have it cleaned up after the guilty party declares bankruptcy......:confused2:

It costs nothing but time and effort to dispose of it properly, if not, we all pay one way or another

 

[Dr_Zinj]

Bar oil??? As high as a new Stihl bar and chain cost, I'll pay a few dollars for bar oil. You might get by with used oil if you only went thru a gallon or two every few years. We've went thru 4 or 5 gallons of bar oil in the last few months. My Stihl dealer said not to use even new motor oil for lube. It just doesn't have the correct additives to lubricate propperly.
That's just my 2 cents anyway.

You do know that just the regular dirt from ordinary cutting does more damage to your chainsaw bar than the contaminates from filtered used motor oil would ever do, don't you?

 

[Dr_Zinj]

Kinda like those who don't like the security/screenings at the airport.......those folks can use the airports without any security and leave the safe travel to the rest of us.....:laughing:

I don't like the security/screenings at the airport because:

1. They are a violation of the 4th Amendment.
2. They are useless.

I spent 22 years in the USAF and I can assure you that there are dozens of ways to sneak stuff past these "heightened security measures".

The first, last, and best security for air travel are people willing to do whatever it takes to subdue a threat in the air. Unless there's a convention of terrorists flying, you'll outnumber them at least 10 to 1.

I'd use airports without any security if there were any, which there aren't. And if you think you're traveling safely with all that screening, you are either ignorant, or delusional. It's just a matter of time....

 

[crazyal]

When I was a kid my father showed me how to do an oil change. To do one you would find spot of dirt and dig a small hole. Then you just needed to line up the drain plug with the hole and fill the hole with the used oil. Times have changed, oil has changed, and I like to think we are a little smarter.

I'm lucky. Next to my work is a landfill that takes the oil for free and not too far away is a chemical depot that's also free for residential wastes. As it is enough oil (and other things) leak out of vehicles and into the drinking water via the ground that I really don't need to be adding more to it. I've replaced the oil pump on my husky chainsaw and have seen how they are made. There's not much to them and they are not made out of high quality materials.

I'm not going to tell anyone what they should or shouldn't do but is the few dollars you save now really worth what it could cost you or a loved one down the road. To me I'll just recycle it.

 

[dusty3030]

One way to look at it is when you recycle it you are kind of giving a middle finger to foreign oil. It will go to an American refinery and come back to be sold by Americans to Americans, for what it is worth.
Grandpa used to put it on dogs to cure the mange and poured it on the road for the dust, but that was then.