saw gas deteriorating

Canned fuel is good, but $$$. Good for casual consumers, but even my level of use makes it cost prohibitive. Couldn't imagine logging with it using big boy saws that gulp fuel, with every fill being the better part of a 1qt can.
 
Whatever way ya slice it the motomix IS more expensive than mixing your own no doubt ! That being said it’s all a matter of local fuel quality and maintenance habits imho ... we’ve all heard the “Ive been doin it that way for 50 yrs without a hiccup” and the “I’ve got to rebuild my carb again cause the gas went sour “story many times ... For a guy like me the motomix is convenient as I might use a few saws and then not run em for weeks ... I can get 10-15 face cord worth out of a gallon of MM no problem - most trees are about 1.5 face cord so fig almost 7-10 trees dropped, bucked per gal ... That being said if KNEW I was going to be using the big boys ALL DAY I wood def use the best non-ethanol fuel and mix oil I could get me paws on ... definitely have to retune on carbureted saws when switching fuels ... I’ve found MM makes run leaner ... guess what I’m sayin is the xtra $25 a gallon ain’t gonna break me (but then again I’m runnin the show and not working for another guy so ...) coupled with the flexibility it affords (lasts long time , no ethanol, superior combustion imho)and ZERO problems makes it an excellent option from my perspective ... your mileage may vary lol
 
Thinking about it, I've used ~20G 2stroke mix over the last year. That's my chainsaws and brushcutters. At $20/G walmart prices on SEP(VP's cheapo brand), that's $400, or ~$300 more than buying corn free fuel and quality oil. A bit less than $1/day delta. I could swing that, but $300 buys a lot of chains, cheap saws, and/or parts/shop time.
 
this is curious...around here 98 and oil separate after 30ms,we do Stihlmotomix in all our machines...
I have destroied engines cause of bad/old/separated mixs...
I use to smell like a gas station after work and wife complaint a lot...
I have better sense of smell...
I would also buy aspen if I could get it here
 
Different fuels are different... The types and composition is always different.
Then you have the oils and their properties as well as mix ratio's.
If you look at different premixed alkylate fuels they are never the same.

For us here the gas in stations are pretty crappy and no fun to run saws on.
Very few run saws on it here as its too much hassle with fuel system.
 
I used to order Aspen for customers here on barrels. Some split a barrel and some used a lot of fuel and got it by barrel.
If stored out of weather and no direct sunlight it lasts for decades...
Most customers bought what they use for a week or two.
Those who ran 372's in beech ran 5-6 liters/day, those with 357's used up around 6-8l/day
Most ran 6 day weeks in fall and spring 65 hrs about.. 30-35 in winter and summer with 4 weeks vacation.
Now Aspen is about 25SEK/l, a bit cheaper on barrel and pump. Around 30SKr/5l.

I don't sell fuel at all now.
 
We went through 4000 liters of Motomix last year.
Gotta figure that in when deciding what price per boardfeet i'll bid on a logging job.
 
4000litres ? That’s over 1000 gallons of Go-Go juice ! Man that’s ALOT of cutting
 
Much ado about gasoline .Much ado about the oil ratio .Much ado about the brand of saw .For some reason I've never had a problem running ethanol gas with 32 to 1 oil ratio using nearly every brand of oil one could imagine .Maybe I'm just lucky ?
 
I am with you Al. I have an old 3400 Echo top handle that runs but is pretty whooped. Once a year or so I give it a little exercise. Been doing that for several years. I just loaned it to a bud and he says it dies when you turn it sideways. Told him to take a look in the tank.

Antifreeze is the same by the barrel as it is by the jug also. Used to be, and still should be, a lot cheaper by the drum. I don't get it.
 
I've been running my saws for about 20 years now, and until 5 years ago, was just using 89 octane (ethanol mix) from the local pump. I always emptied them/ran them dry to avoid any ethanol related degrading issues. I was also using the same 50:1 mix in my blower and weed whacker, and lo and behold, upgraded the weed whacker to a new model and left the old one as a spare/trainer for my son. It sat for about a 1.5 years, and dummy me forgot to empty it. When I went to start it, it sputtered 2x, blew black smoke out the exhaust, and then would not even sputter. I brought it to the small engine place guy I buy most of my saws from, explained the issue and he immediately asked how long the gas had been inside it. It was thankfully an old homeowner cheapie from Home Despot, so I wasn't that broken up about letting it go (repair cost exceeded what I paid for it)....

Anyway, the guy at the shop, knowing how much I had been buying from him and seeing my despair at losing old reliable, recommended I go to the local small airport and get airplane fuel. 100 octane, leaded fuel, refined so it will stay fresh for 10+ yrs and not attract water like ethanol (part of it's "corny" issues). I currently go to one of 3 small ones near me and get 3 5 gallon cans filled, and am only paying about $4-$5/gallon. Mix it all w/the corresponding oil, and I've now had saws or others sit for 1-2 years with full tanks, and start up like champs. They also seem to run stronger the more this fuel mix goes through them. With my usage, those cans will last me at least 2 months, but with business going full time soon, that cost may increase...
 
I had a lawn tractor and a PoulanPro die giving them real gas after using corn fuel for years. Might have been a coincidence, but the timing was interesting. Couldn't begin to explain what might have happened. Assuming it was fuel related, my best guess is the real gas loosened some crud, and caused the issues, but it's only a guess.
 
Leaded gas? I think a chainsaw operator is way closer to the exhaust than an airplane operator.

Chainsaws are cheap machines to repair and replace. Lead poisoning?
 
It takes a really serious amount of lead to get actually poisoned. Like the lead workers eating their lunch years after years without taking the time to wash their hands for example.
Not saying that the leaded gas is harmless, but I'm way more worried by the other molecules present in the exhaust smoke, CO coming in first place.
 
In any case, I'm good at holding my breath, whether from saw chips/dust or saw exhaust, when I can, and playing the wind, when I can. Driving the mini in reverse puts the exhaust out the back, instead of in the drive-path.
 
You can recover much more easily from CO poisoning/exposure than Lead I would think.

I hate how the exhaust on my mower points straight out the front. I too hold my breath alot and try to work into the wind.
 
Marc-Antoine said:
It takes a really serious amount of lead to get actually poisoned. Like the lead workers eating their lunch years after years without taking the time to wash their hands for example.
Not saying that the leaded gas is harmless, but I'm way more worried by the other molecules present in the exhaust smoke, CO coming in first place.
Click to expand...

And the fuel I get is actually low lead, as I believe the airplane fuel manufacturers were mandated to lower it....
 
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