How often do you run your saws?

[Coldfront]

I guess this is my dilemna, at what point should I run dry and which point leave them full.

I always leave them full, I never seem to have had a problem with it over 20 years. That includes my 2 cyc. power auger for ice fishing, and my lawn mower. One thing for sure though I never use gas with ethanol in my 2 cycles, premium no ethanol.

 

[alleyyooper]

Come mid Sept. I run mine nearly every nice day. I mix up a 5 gallon can of gas for them when the season starts and use it like that till I am nearing the end of my cutting for deer season then I put a small amount of gas/mix in a gallon can and add stabil to it. Some time after deer season after the first of the year in Michigan I'm back cutting swo it is just plain mix till I finish up for the year around thre end of Febuary. My saws get the stabil mix then for storage. Never store any engine with out a stabil mix full tank and carb.
My bil is a store dry guy and every year he has to take a engine to a small engine repair shop to get the carb worked on.

Al

 

[zogger]

Varies too much and have a lot of saws now. I rotate them around, run them dry sometimes but not all the time. The echo powerblend plus no E fuel seems to hang in there OK.. I guess, on an average, a few times a week, sometimes several tanks a session, sometimes only like ten cuts. then I try out new rebuilds and tuning in the scrap log/bummer round pile.

If I am not planning on using this or that particlar saw anytime soon, I drain it back into the jug, because I need it for some other thirsty machine! hahahaha.

I am actually right now hovering-thinking about it seriously- on switching from mixing two gallon batches to a full five gallon can. I cut a lot more than I did before I joined this site....

And I just got another project saw that I can combine with another similar and make one good one (started on that one already, few more afternoons spare time it should be a runner), and another even larger wood chewer coming soon, big boys...I *can't wait* ....I'll be burning some mix.... (pics when it happens of course)

Here's one of the big boys done! Just finished it a few minutes ago. Fired on the third pull, two to get some fuel up in the lines on choke, pushed choke off, one more yank, running and idling smooth. Echos are known for easy starting, this one sure is. This is an 80cc Echo cs-8000 I built from two diffferent junkers. The engine is one of the old white colored echos from a fireman's saw a "quickvent". That one I got some months back off of CL, it had bad road rash smashed up everything. All the outside orange parts are from a more modern one with a toasted p/c (I found out why it toasted, someone had crushed the carb rubber boot and it was obviously leaky and running lean, it was in chunks, no carb seal in other words). Got that one from an AS member. That's 36" bar on it. It takes the same bars as my old mag case poulans, d176 mounts, so I have plenty of different sized bars for it, 16 to 36. I pulled one restrictor out of the muff so far, need to grind it open at the spot welds to go further on opening it up. (just a pic, didn't go out cutting with it yet)

 

[Mac88]

That's what I need, Zogger.

 

[zogger]

That's what I need, Zogger.

That's a two bowl of wheaties for breakfast model! It's stout... Sounds good so far. Has a manual oiler as well as the auto, too! I'll try it out this weekend on something, do the final tune then, but I don't think it will need much tweaking. The quickvent engine off that firemans saw seemed to be in good shape and no limiter tabs on the carb either. It was proly tuned pretty well as it obviously was used for the intended purpose, cutting through shingles and whatnot. The drop nose bar and carbide chain on it when I got it were pretty used and gunked up with like tar looking stuff, which I will assume was rom asphalt shingles. Took awhile to get it clean. That three foot bar on the rebuild in the pic came from the roached donor firewood saw. 116 links...that's gonna take me awhile to sharpen tomorrow...

 

[Mac88]

That three foot bar on the rebuild in the pic came from the roached donor firewood saw. 116 links...that's gonna take me awhile to sharpen tomorrow...

Good lookin' saw. Have fun sharpening that chain.

 

[redheadwoodshed]

I always leave them full, I never seem to have had a problem with it over 20 years. That includes my 2 cyc. power auger for ice fishing, and my lawn mower. One thing for sure though I never use gas with ethanol in my 2 cycles, premium no ethanol.

After 20 years you should have ran out of gas if you run them any at all!

 

[KenJax Tree]

If your gonna store a saw full filling it with TrueFuel or SEF94 would be a better option than gas.

 

[Arbonaut]

What's the low down on running your saw dry? I thought it was bad because it ran your cylinders lean.

Hi, Groundup. Those pics you posted of the hogs you guys cook was bad to the bone. How ya been?

It is what Stihl recommends I run them dry and they last forever. Cracked fuel lines will create a lean condition, though.

 

[groundup]

Hi, Groundup. Those pics you posted of the hogs you guys cook was bad to the bone. How ya been?

It is what Stihl recommends I run them dry and they last forever. Cracked fuel lines will create a lean condition, though.

I got a little 50 pounder cooking as we speak, I do one just about every weekend all summer long.

 

[BarkBuster20]

i never drain the fuel out of my saws. if they sit a long time ill dump out whats in it and pour fresh in before i start it, if they cant handle that then F it.

 

[Arbonaut]

I got a little 50 pounder cooking as we speak, I do one just about every weekend all summer long.

Note to Self: Going to Maryland. Ha Ha.

 

[redheadwoodshed]

i never drain the fuel out of my saws. if they sit a long time ill dump out whats in it and pour fresh in before i start it, if they cant handle that then F it.

If you have eth. in your gas you are killing your fuel lines.

 

[Mac88]

There are probably more opinions than there are saw owners. Do whatever works for ya'.

 

[DSS]

I have a lot of runners. 30 plus. I take 4 or 5 with me every time I go cut and try to run at least a couple of tanks through each of them. If I know they are going to sit much more than a month, I dump the fuel and idle them dry. I've never had a fuel line or carb issue.

Old gas is bad, stabil or not, and a gallon of gas is cheaper than a piston.

 

[Bucko]

Old gas is bad, stabil or not, and a gallon of gas is cheaper than a piston.[/QUOTE]

X2....galded the piston in my 575xp couple of days ago...my stihl saws have been much more forgiving:msp_wink:

 

[Mac88]

Old gas is bad, stabil or not, and a gallon of gas is cheaper than a piston.

X2....galded the piston in my 575xp couple of days ago...my stihl saws have been much more forgiving:msp_wink:

If my saws set for very long I give them a good shake before starting. I might be wrong, but I'm thinking
that makes sure the oil is still in suspension in the gas.

 

[missouriboy]

If my saws set for very long I give them a good shake before starting. I might be wrong, but I'm thinking
that makes sure the oil is still in suspension in the gas.

I do they same thing. My 455 rancher sit all summer a few years back with almost a full tank of gas and started just and ran just fine. It doesn't sit that long anymore i run it about 20 hours a week now. But going to be running it everyday for the rest of mouth then going to buy a 372 and move to a new area full of nice ash trees that need to be cut down and worked up into firewood. Cant wait

 

[groundup]

Note to Self: Going to Maryland. Ha Ha.

I'll have one ready for you

That goes for everyone coming through the Mason Dixon from AS. just PM me first

Yeah it seems like I will try to keep running them as often as possible and prob run em dry when sitting for a month or more. I always run Stihl Ultra which has stabilizers in it.

Should I run Stabil as well?

 

[Jakers]

every chance i get. usually start one or two each weekend im home. sometimes it just to play the lumberjack song by jackyl