Why is it acceptable to sell ethanol gasoline. Jesus frick if I have to clean another goddamn small engine carboratuer again I'm gonna jump off a bridge. Its bullshit you can buy a $600-$800 lawn mower and a couple years later "oh it gums up, thats normal just take the whole goddamn thing apart and clean the carb." where is the environmental outrage of the common practice of clueless homeowner just buying a new lawnmower every couple years and throwing the old one in a junkyard. not to mention carb cleaner is pretty toxic for the environment.
Why aren't you just buying this?
that shit is expensive, less convenient than a gas station, and I use a lot of gas
Go find a gas station with Rec 90 or buy a goddamn bottle of Sta-Bil. Rec 90 is about the same cost as 93 octane around here and quite easy to find.
Do people actually use this shit? Only way I would ever consider it is if I lived up north and it was the last mow of September or October, but at that rate you might as well dump the few ounces of gas for the winter.
>Do people actually use this shit?
It's the only fuel I use in my mower
Maybe one of you guys can clear this up for me. I have a gas mower, and a couple 2 gallon gas cans. I fill them up every 3 months and whatever remains in the gas cans go in my truck and go fill my truck and gas cans at the gas station. Then after the last mow, I fill it with stabilized gas and run it till it's empty. Is this a pretty good routine, I don't find it troublesome to do. Is there anything anyone would change?
If it aint broke, don’t fix it. But like other anon said, you really don’t even need the treatment in that last tank of gas if you’re going to run it dry. If there’s no gas in the machine, there’s no gas to treat. And running it dry is the best way to store it.
Thanks guys
that shit is about $20 per gallon.
>$20 gallon of gas
Corn gas is labeled in civilized states.
just store your shit with aspen 4 in it or a similar fuel and then continue to run normal gas in-season
also into fuel flushing its super easy
https://www.pure-gas.org
Puregas.org is a great resource, certain brands in Canada still sell ethanol free premium, pretty sure Shell is one. No ethanol free regular though.
Sadly means i have to buy premium as i don't drive my cars often enough and the gas can sit for months at a time before i burn it all.
>Puregas.org
DO NOT GO TO THIS SITE
Pure-gas.org is the correct one.
>not running Grape flavor
I shiggy diggy
by 92 octane gas, add same percentage distilled water to it as ethanol, shake vigorously, let sit 24 hours syphon off gas, ethanol and water will be on the bottom.
voila!
¡burN the cOrnoHol YoU raciST maga FAscISt ANTuSemIte DEpLOrAblE!
You do realize the only reason we have ethanol in the first place are the corn farmers and the sugar lobby right?
From the top to the bottom it’s all conservatives, unless you are implying farmers and Fortune 500 ceos are liberals who care about climate change.
You do realize that it's a uniparty engaging in essentially the same wealth transfer programs from people to lobbiest benefactors right?
And that the whole Dem/Rep, Lib/Con, identity politics bullshit is set up so you can not notice or at least put your energy behind half the program with no effective way to prevent the other half?
I'm betting ~~*you*~~ do. Because ~~*someone*~~ like ~~*you*~~ appears out of nowhere to remind everyone of one of those contexts whenever it seems we're breaking out into the light.
>muh conservatives are behind everything
epic
>>muh conservatives are behind everything
You didnt answer the question, do you believe fortune 500 CEOs and corm farmers are climate change activists backing How Dare You lady?
Yes because they are making a bundle off of our tax subsidies.
In the larger companies we have a generation of people taking over who've been through liberal business schools and have their heads full of climate propaganda and stuff like ESG. They're no longer profit driven. Don't take that for giving a shit about their customers either.
>corn farmers and the sugar lobby
THIS
end farm welfare, stop paying farmers to grow shit we dont need.
95% of people are on welfare making things we don't need. Should we boycott them?
I'm already boycotting everyone but immediate family and coworkers. Feels good.
Based. I work remotely, so I don't even know who my coworkers are, so I boycott them as well.
>care about climate change
Corn is not good for the climate. We still haven't climbed out of the carbon hole that we dug when we started growing corn for ethanol.
Gut the Corn lobby and the uniparty? Oh nnooooo. The only prom is you're a communist
ethanol doesnt gum up cars, fuel injectors arent made out of a magic material
you are buying small engines designed to fail on ethanol, there is a volatile gasket or sealant somewhere, maybe even in the gas tank, that is melting and causing a gummy buildup. ethanol gasoline shouldnt ever gum up unless its contaminated, hence why the much more precise fuel injected cars dont have this issue
Cars don't have an issue because you put in fresh gas every few days to a week. Leave a car for a few months and you will need to drain the tank because the gas will have gone bad.
I have an 89 truck I do not drive for months at a time and do not have this problem. I used to put stabilizer in it, but found it was not needed.
>stabilizer
Stabil is literally just ethanol lmao. Ethanol mixes with water so if you have an engine sitting all winter water doesn't separate at the bottom and get in the carb when you start it next.
right because way back in the 60's they had psychics that knew that there would be ethanol fuel in 60 years so they made sure to design carburetors to corrode.
twat
no also bullshit.
I had ethanol gas in 5 gallon cans for 5 years (with stabilizer) and when opened smelled like new gas. the only issue is that the ethanol can settle out and corrode some metals.
my brother had some for 7 years that did not have stabilizer and his smelled just like new.
even so old stale gas will still work in most common lawn equipment no problem.
Stabilizer helps.
Being in a sealed can is the only reason it kept, if it was in an open or vented container like a lawnmower's gas tank or an older car it would have gone bad.
Frick you ethanol shill.
You must live in a dry climate, I just got truck going after 6 months of sitting and it had sour fuel with two inches of water on the bottom.
I am not an ethanol shill and have no idea why you would think that. I'm stating facts.
yes I do live in a dry climate.
the number one issue I have found for lawn equipment not staring is water in the carburetor. I have picked up free curb side mowers and bought them cheap from thrift stores, most just needed the tank drained and water removed from the carb, or the carb cleaned and air filter changed because the old one was literally packed solid with dirt.
No I'm all for ethanol free gas and prefer it. but if you know what you are doing it's not the end of the world.
If I hadn't moved to a house with a xeriscaped yard I would be removing ethanol from gasoline myself with this process I posted earlier.
I don't live in a dry climate, ethanol will ruin your shit here and I refuse to put any of that poisoned gas in my equipment.
And to add insult to injury we have some of the best 1267 on god's green earth, but do we get to use any of it? Nope, plus we have to pay extra for them to piss in the import stuff.
where is here? have you looked at this?
https://www.pure-gas.org
I know where to get ethanol free fuel, just sad to see people tricked into using shit fuel.
>just sad to see people tricked into using shit fuel.
not tricked, forced.
the real issue (aside from crap gas) is no one has a dad who knows anything about mechanical devices anymore. I grew up with a dad who worked on his own car and I helped him.
I took a class in 6th grade (twice because it was fun) on small engine repair. helped me out to this day. Also I watch a lot of mustie1 on youtube. learned a ton from him as well.
I live in a dry climate and people here think that it's ok to leave mowers out side 24/7 365. so when they get left on a curb or donated they look like this top.
I make them look like the bottom pic.
sold this one on ebay for $120
here's another one.
or this beauty
Thanks for the heads up.
heads up?
my favorite was a craigslist free curb side where someone bought the mower, took it in to be repaired at some point and then ran it out of oil.
when I got it the cylinder was stuck, I just grabbed the blade and pushed hard it made a click and freed up. It had oil at the below the add line.
added oil. ran it, changed oil, and put gas in it it ran perfectly. gave it to my nephew to sell.
In a weak argumentative sense, ethanol gas is somewhat hygroscopic in comparison to pure petroleum gasoline. Chemically it is more prone to absorbing humidity out of the air than hydrocarbons.
In reality, not only does this take a long time, but the challenge of “stale gas” has more to do with the oxidation and and evaporation of reactive and volatile hydrocarbons which results in hard starting. If you’re always getting water in your fuel, it’s probably because your fuel system isn’t well sealed. It can be encouraged by high humidity and temperature swings tho.
But chainsaw, lawnmower, and other power tool users complain about ethanol gas and its harm to carburetors. A lot.
They’re not 100% wrong, but it’s not because the gas sponged up a boatload of water. It’s because they don’t clear gas out of the lines and fuel tank before long term storage (eg over winter). As fuel evaporates, instead of burning, it leaves behind gums, residual waxes, and poorly combustible oily residue. After a few years (typically 2-4) of poor storage, this progressively builds up and clogs the carburetor and sometimes the fuel lines, especially screens and filters.
Ethanol fuel does seem to be associated with faster build up. A fuel quality engineer said this is because stabilizers added to keep ethanol gasoline in solution also tend to gum up the carburetor faster than pure hydrocarbons. Bad storage will always gum up a carb eventually, tho ethanol gas does so faster.
Source: Used to be a small engine technician, worked for a Stihl repair centre.
>old stale gas will still work in most common lawn equipment no problem
I, being a stupid and generous moron, loaned my lawn mower to my uncle. I sent along a can of my stabilized ethanol-free gas. It came back with a full tank, and none of the gas in the can had been used. "Oh anon, I had some gas in my garage, so I just used that." Turns out it was a crusty old can that had sat for years. He'd run at least one tank through it. I drained it all out, but the next time I ran it, it blew up. It was probably a coincidence, but I don't mind holding a grudge and having an excuse not to loan anything out.
My lawn is so tiny I've ran my lawnmower off nearly 3 seasons without adding gas to the tank, it smoked pretty badly towards the end but still started up after every winter with a couple pulls
It is a Honda engine though
The irony is that this is the same guy who only feeds his cars the most expensive gas in town because "it's better for the engine" even though there is only one fuel delivery company in the area.
Frick off, i the 60s we hade hiher rthanol content mistery fuel because they didnt need to label it yet.
People cry about e10 in old cars, theat drove just fine with leaded e40 decades back
>hiher rthanol
what
>hiher rthanol
you've been drinking some I see.
also maybe so but people knew it had ETHANOL in it and were not forced to use it. drunk.
this doesn't exist in MANY places. I have to drive 88 miles to get no ethanol gas.
all you need to do at the start of winter is dump out the gas, and run the engine till it dies.
>this doesn't exist in MANY places. I have to drive 88 miles to get no ethanol gas.
Sucks to suck. Maybe you should move out of hollywood, around here mid and premium gasoline practically never have ethanol
I don't live in california. my county doesn't allow ethanol free gas. not everyone who is different from you lives in CA moron.
If your county has shitty laws that prevent you from doing what you want, you might as well live in Caligaynia.
cow fricker detected.
until I got ethanol free fuel I just drained the gas from my small engines over winter and wow look at that no more problems.
even so I still drain the gas from equipment in long term storage (more than 1 month).
Not sure if he was bullshitting me, but a small engine guy I talked to said that running it dry, and then running a splash of the 2-stroke premix through it will coat everything with a little oil.
not a bad idea
>carb cleaner is pretty toxic for the environment.
A mower engine throws out a billion times more emissions than a car due to not having to comply with clean air rules. Running a mower for like 8 hours is the same as driving across america.
Get a manual push mower you fat lazy moronic frick
I'm not OP
the average time it took me to mow my law was 20 minutes front and back every 2 weeks for 6 to 7 months out of the year. that's 3.5 hours per year.
no I won't get an electric mower I have yet to find one that can handle cutting grass longer than 1 inch high, or wet grass.
>electric mower I
I said manual you lazy gimp
Lol you are only fricking yourself idiot the lead gas will make you more moronic as if that's even possible which it's not. Might as well start smoking weed too just turn your brain from a shrivelled prune into a walnut.
>I said manual you lazy gimp
yes I have manuel mow my yard... why do you ask?
>Get a manual push mower you fat lazy moronic frick
No, and I'm putting leaded race gas in my ride on mower. Frick you.
Shh, they don't want you to talk about it. I just brake clean the shit out of it. I install a fuel shutoff and drain the carb when I put them away for the winter. So far the worst I've had was a sticky float which was fixed with percussive maintenance.
Are electric mowers viable yet or still useless bullshit? I'm glad I live in a country where I can still stick regular petrol in my vehicles and work tools without worrying about them getting rooted from corn juice.
>viable yet or still useless bullshit
Bought house
Small front an backyard
Bought Kobalt electric from Lowes
Can complete both if grass dry
Also self-propels on the upslope in that same 5A without issue
Blade speed is automatically variable, do it spins faster when overgrown or wet grass
Which means I either have to not self-propel or swap in my 4A trimmer/blower battery to finish the last few strips of yard
So, yeah, I think they're viable in their niche
And I don't miss soaking parts in carb cleaner or scrubbing grease off my hands
>Are electric mowers viable yet or still useless bullshit?
Yes for a small yard.
Wired electric mowers are the best for small-medium yards with few to no obstacles for the cord to get stuck on. You get a powerful light mower, no recharging fuss, and the only drawback is you gotta do a modicum of thought to avoid running the cord over.
My 60 year old mom got a corded mower almost 20 years ago. Still runs like a charm and light enough she can lift it in one hand.
Battery electric mowers are better than corded in small-medium yards with lots of obstacles or irregular shapes that increase cord handling time past what's reasonable. Their main annoyance is battery charging which takes time, forgetting to charge means you might be ready to mow but cant, and also means reduced longevity cause the batteries die over time.
If you've already got power tools using the same battery pack, a battery mower can be sensible, otherwise I say consider a combustion.
If you're at the point where you can use a riding mower without it being obvious overkill, you've left the realm of electric mowing.
Nonethanol only in my small engines because I got tired of cleaning/replacing carbs.
Thanks guys now I remember to clear my lawnmower out before winter this year
Several gas stations around me sell non ethanol gas
This.
If you can’t find it, think of boat launches on rivers and lakes, gas stations near boat launches or maybe ATV trails, or all of the Wawas have it if you live near one. Some Sunocos if you have them.
Damn, you must shop at Lowe’s.
I think HEET is ethanol, which is for shitboxes in the winter, but I don’t think Stabil is the same shit.
My old boomer neighbors were like that too. I constantly had their equipment in my garage getting fixed because they were stumped if it couldn’t be fixed with a spark plug or starter fluid. Stocked up on fuel lines and primer bulbs because of them.
>Damn, you must shop at Lowe’s
Kobalt chads rise up!
>it's another small engine moron thread that get upset why people don't treat their lawnmowers like a lover feeding it organic gas and sticking their dicks into the gas tank every weekend
Nah OP is just dumb, by your 3rd blower in a decade, it should become common sense to run the thing dry before the winter.
Although I wish more things had fuel cutoff switches. Makes it so easy to run the carb dry in my generator and a little fuel in the tank is no big deal.
Fuel shutoff would be pretty awesome
Forgive me for I have sinned, but the generator has a fuel shutoff and I put that thing away with a full tank of gas and some Sta-bil after Hurricane Irma. Ran it for about two hours the other week when a transformer blew up and it’s fine. And I ran a bunch of that 3+ year old gas in my car, like 60%-70% fresh and 30%-40% old from the cans in my garage and it was all good.
As long as it’s not sitting in the carb or evaporating or sucking up moisture, gas lasts longer than the boomers say with a little treatment.
You probably gave the tank a good mixing before attempting to start it.
water separates out and settles to the bottom.
Miscible additives help that water burn.
Not really at all. I roll it out of the corner of the garage about 10ft to an open space and open up the fuel line.
Gross. Although I’m sure your boyfrienf loves the tile selection at Lowe’s.
>Gross
I'm fully bought into the kobalt line lol
It’s not so much the Kobalt line, it’s Lowe’s in general. That store is for the wives.
I initially bought into the Kobalt line because Lowe's had a 10% veteran discount and Home Depot didn't. Now Home Depot does have a veteran discount, so I've made my last couple purchases there. I cannot tell a difference between the two stores. I actually worked at HD for a few weeks in college.
Lowe’s seems to focus a little bit more on home decor than Home Depot. If I want to fix a plumbing leak or knock down a wall in the house and move it, I’m going to Home Depot. If I want to do a fancy backsplash in the kitchen and hang a cieling fan, Lowe’s has a slight edge. They’re real close though.
Lowe’s pissed me off on a couple things though, like if I want a good saw blade, I have a choice of ok DeWalt or some meme Spyder brand (which might not be bad). If I go to Home Depot, I can snag DeWalt, Makita, Milwaukee, the cheap Anvil shit, or I’ll likely end up with good ol’ Diablo/Freud.
>meme Spyder brand
I got their sawzall blades and they've been good. Whenever I remodel bathrooms at my 4-plex I buy the materials at Lowe's.
it's another shitposter banned from some other board.
move to Alaska, we don't have ethanol
Ethanol requires different timings than gasoline. It doesn’t have the same energy output so engine doesn’t spin as fast. An engine timed for gasoline will have problems.
Flex fuel engines can detect ethanol and adjust automatically.
Hey
Crazy idea
Have you ever tried pressing the other button on the gas pump that says "NO ETHANOL" ?
It's right next to the one that says "10% ETHANOL"
Just a thought
Turn the petwiener off, run it until the float is empty. Now your only consumable is the odd fuel line from petwiener to carb. I have 20+ year old motorcycles and 30 year old lawnmowers, this holds true on all of them. Small engines are simple, don't enrage yourself for no reason. Carb cleaning is also easy as hell so I don't understand the hatred, my man. Just replace the stupid little brass float/diaphragm screws with stainless whenever you take them out if thats your main beef, because that's my personal chucklehead annoyance point with carbs.
Based advice
except he never read OP
the vast majority of marine gas stations sell ethanol free 91. A lot of Valero stations sell it too. Failing that you can dump the tank and run the carb dry at the end of the season.
Have you tried living in a less shitty place? Every station around me has moonshine free gas on tap.
I like 15% ethanol.
It's cheap.
You do know that, at least in the US, specialty gas stations do exist that carry non ethanol gasoline?
Wawa has them for example.
Ethanol gas is not cheap in anyway. It produces inflation every single barrel of it costs more to produce than itbis worth. It literally can only exist in the US because the government pays for it.
This shit pushed me over the edge and I bought an electric mower last year. Best decision I've ever made for my mowing life. I got one with a fast charger and two batteries so I can mow indefinitely. It's also super quiet so I like to mow at 5-6am now to not waste an entire Sunday doing my lawn. Shares the battery with all the other tools, including a passable snowblower, so I feel like I'm getting my money's worth.