How NOT TO straight gas your Saws

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I only fill my big fuel cans at the station and then fill my 2 stroke fuel can gets filled at home as I do the mix. That way I don't leave the fuel can with straight gas in it. Granted I don't cut that much or run a business. I've cut way more this year but it's only me filling up stuff.
 
If one were designing a new color for saw mix, orange would be too close to red. Plastic containers can fade over time and red and orange could look too alike. A lighter purple might work. White might work. White would look uber different. I guess purple would, too. Yellow-lime green might work. I am also surprised nobody ever made one.

The blue 2-stroke oil or fuel dye is good prevention.

Another thought I had was to use a Trufuel 40:1 1-gal can for self-mixed, which is a green can. The 50:1 is red, not good.

An ideal might be to use one of the mix / bar oil containers (two spouts) and settle on coming up with a different color. Actually, the chain oil should be a separate color from the mix. That would make it even more different.

BTW, this below is the Husky container I recently bought; haven't received yet but looks like a great container and reasonable priced for all it has, including two no-spill spouts! And... it's ORANGE. I still think orange is too close to red. A bi-color one of these, using odd colors, would sure make it different... maybe white for mix and purple for oil?

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00T031DAE/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 
This type of spout only on the two stroke mix can, only mix in this can, only filled by me, only used by me. You touch my fuel can at severe risk to limbs, ask and permission will be granted, never grab that can without asking first.

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Ribbons or any other tie on junk can get torn off, put a pour spout on the dam can and its dedicated as a two stroke mix jug, just make sure only mixed fuel is all that ever goes in these jugs, problem solved...LOL
 
From what I have seen...
  • Blue = water (usually)
  • Red = gasoline
  • Yellow = diesel
(All of the primary colors, I never actually noticed that)

Dedicated mix container colors....
  • Purple would be cool and gets my vote.
  • Green cans would blend in and get lost in the woods.
  • Orange maybe.

Either way, the cans would need to be able to accept aftermarket spouts.

A different color will only solve the problem of grabbing the wrong can. Forgetting to put oil in the mix is a totally different problem.
Red Flagged tape is as close as it gets to a different color for mixed.
I've actually spray painted fuel cans.
Flagging can be purchased but mine is free.
I like flagged better because the Flagging can be removed and the dedicated can used for something else.
I've never straight gassed anything because I grew up mixing fuel and my Daddy would have beat me half to death if I messed up. We had dedicated containers and we're cautious. If I'd ever straight gassed you betcha I'd fess up. That's another thing. You lie you almost die. My Dad would go to jail now days. Piss him off and he'd attack and you knew not to fight back. I was running a crew by age 13 and repairing equipment. My baby brother and I learned early. My original post was to demonstrate how smart and easy it is to mark a container and train people how NOT to straight gas.
Good day.
 
What is that? Looks like gasoline / chain oil jug. Or...?

I just bought a Husqvarna gasoline / chain oil jug from England a few days ago, it looks awesome, will arrive in a week or two.

I've got one of the Husqvarna gas jugs, your really going to like it!! Its one heavy duty type jug!! I had mine 5 day's after i ordered it.
 
I'm just busting your balls...glad it works for you, was going to ask what if the worker is color blind (but I guess they could see there was a ribbon just not the color)!! I just simply use specific containers for mix...kids and wife know to ask me to mix more if/when when they are empty.
 
From what I have seen...
  • Blue = water (usually)
  • Red = gasoline
  • Yellow = diesel
(All of the primary colors, I never actually noticed that)

Dedicated mix container colors....
  • Purple would be cool and gets my vote.
  • Green cans would blend in and get lost in the woods.
  • Orange maybe.

Either way, the cans would need to be able to accept aftermarket spouts.

A different color will only solve the problem of grabbing the wrong can. Forgetting to put oil in the mix is a totally different problem.


A can of spray paint will solve that problem. You can chose what ever color you want. I still like to mark with a sharpie the type and date on all my cans. It's easy to remove so you can change the info when you change what fuel is in the can.
 
The old Straight gas demon is always lurking about and "it'll never happen to me", attitude is the weakness that makes it happen.
Yesterday my helper used one of my small gas cans normally containing mixed gas to transport Strait gas.
He left enough fuel to fill a saw but I poured the fuel into a Riding Mower instead because I was alerted. Something I normally do with mixed fuel cans is tie red plastic flag tape on the handle. When my helper put straight gas in the can he had wisely removed the red flagging which alerted me to the strait gas.
Small wise habits prevent big stupid problems and alerting helpers to the system saves saws.
I ALWAYS, mark my fuel containers and teach helpers about my system. At home, I use plastic bags with Red strap ties at the top. After the bags are filled and tied off I cut the tie not needed and stuff that in my pocket. Later I attach those to the gas can handles with Mixed fuel.
If Straight gas is put in that can I remove the red flag. It's quick and easy to mark fuel containers. Doing so is my method of NOT straight gassing a saw. Hopefully, it'll never happen to me.

I do almost the exact same thing with a piece of yellow surveyor's tape. Before I make some new 2-mix, I empty the can. Then put yellow surveyor's tape on handle. Then add straight gas, leaving surveyor's tape on handle. When I add oil to the gas, I remove the surveyor's tape from the handle and tie it around the spout for next time.

I've considered adding the oil first, but since I'm only adding 3 oz. of oil, I was afraid I would confuse 3 ounces of oil for 3 ounces of 2-mix remaining, or possibly forget that I had put the oil in the can and double-dose it. So now it's:
- Start with empty can.
- Yellow tape on handle, which means "This can needs gasoline and/or oil, and in that order." (If there's a gallon of liquid already in the can, then I know the only thing missing is the oil.)
- Add 89 octane non-ethanol gasoline. Gasoline always goes into the can first.
- Add 2T oil. Oil always goes into the can after the gasoline.
- As soon as I add the oil to the gas, I take the tape off handle and re-attach it to spout.
- Lather, rinse, repeat.
 
A can of spray paint will solve that problem. You can chose what ever color you want. I still like to mark with a sharpie the type and date on all my cans. It's easy to remove so you can change the info when you change what fuel is in the can.

I do that, silver paint on both sides of plastic can, plus i've used sharpie to write down the fuel to oil ratio as well as date mixed.
 
Does Wallyworld sell those?
I may buy one.

Around here Walmart does not carry them in their stores but they do have them available online.
My Local Husqvarna-Stihl dealer carries them.
The two I own were bought from a Fleet Farm store.
As long as you screw the cap on properly they never leak, you could leave it laying on its side for months and it won’t leak one drop. But some folks do have trouble screwing the cap on straight, a place I used to work at some folks were not capable of screwing it on straight so it pretty much became my job to install the caps so they wouldn’t leak.
 
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