Scrounging Firewood (and other stuff)

[JustJeff]

I use Stihl or Husqvarna oil depending on which dealer I’m closer to when I need oil. I feel a quality oil is called for in an engine that turns 13000 rpm. Just as much or more importantly, quality fuel. I run premium non ethanol in all my small engines. I mix at 50:1

 

[panolo]

Yamalube at 40:1 here. In whatever version I have. No difference in the watercraft vs outboard. Got a few cases when they rebadged the bottles and blew it out. Burns very clean. But I am also a paranoid guy and I run clean fuel with stabilizer in every can. Whether it be the weed whip or a saw I haven't seized a two toker yet.

 

[woodchip rookie]

I use Stihl or Husqvarna oil depending on which dealer I’m closer to when I need oil. I feel a quality oil is called for in an engine that turns 13000 rpm. Just as much or more importantly, quality fuel. I run premium non ethanol in all my small engines. I mix at 50:1

Ya. Ethenol free 90+ octane premix. My saws have never seen ethenol.

 

[rarefish383]

I've just read of a brand new 365, sold with a free one shot bottle of stihl green, seized in a few tanks. That is how I picked this up.



Ah but, ms180, simple OEM carb, no hi screw. Remove the screen and it will run lean.

Neil, no disrespect, I know you are passing on info you read. But, I've been running saws for just about 50 years. From the straight 30 oil days to Stihl synthetic. I cooked one saw, and it was my fault. It had a screw stripped in the top of the carb and was sucking air, and I kept running it. Then I had an XL700 I got on ebay and the PO had been running it on ether. Neither actually seized, but the rings melted into the pistons. So, when I hear of a brand new saw melt down, I wonder if we are getting the whole story. A while back someone came on hear ranting how the dealer would not honor the warranty on his saw because of driver error. He swore up and down that he had used nothing but the oil mix that came with the saw. After many people telling him his story didn't add up, he finally said he ran out of mix and figured one tank of straight gas wouldn't hurt. I take care of my equipment, but I DO NOT take it easy on them. I'm not a builder or racer, virtually all of my saws are set/tuned as they were at the factory. I have no problem throwing my 40+ year old Super 1050 on the mill with Stihl 50:1, Homelite called for 32:1, and running it for 8-10 minutes at WOT, and it shows no sign if tiring out.The chain is sharp, and I don't put my 230 pounds on it. It must have many billions of RPM's on it. I just wonder what people do to kill new saws?

 

[rarefish383]

Ya. Ethenol free 90+ octane premix. My saws have never seen ethenol.

Unfortunately, I don't know of a source of E-free fuel here in MD. I can get it in WV, and I used to get 5 gallons every time I went up, but I didn't like switching back and forth, so now I stick with the same fuel I get at home. It never really has a chance to get stale, I go through about 5 gallons a month, and mix mine in 5 gallon batches.

 

[MustangMike]

I use AMSOIL Saber at 40:1 with Hi Test (93 oct) fuel and I've ripped down engines and can tell you it oils well. Even had a builder comment on the oil in one of my engines he ripped down, so it works so I keep using it.

 

[panolo]

Used to see it all the time with powersports. Guys running things 100-1 like the bottle says or guys that mixed there tanks heavy but when you dumped the carb into a ratio rite the fuel was clear so they knew they straight gassed it but tried to trick us for warranty purposes. Most newer equip burn down is oil/fuel related and ingestion. Crazy what happens when you introduce dust, dirt, chips, etc through an intake into a combustion chamber.

 

[Bobby Kirbos]

How did the scrounging thread turn into an oil thread?

 

[James Miller]

Unfortunately, I don't know of a source of E-free fuel here in MD. I can get it in WV, and I used to get 5 gallons every time I went up, but I didn't like switching back and forth, so now I stick with the same fuel I get at home. It never really has a chance to get stale, I go through about 5 gallons a month, and mix mine in 5 gallon batches.

Iv never had an ethanol related problem and the 011 and ms250 used to sit with fuel in the tanks for 6-8 months at a time. Iv learned a lot since joining the forum. Now if my mix makes it 30 days it goes in the car and I make new.

 

[James Miller]

How did the scrounging thread turn into an oil thread?

Theres always room for another oil thread right .

 

[Philbert]

Scrounging for new topics to divert this straight-and-narrow thread.

Soon we will be back to 'favorite gun to use when shooting a moose stealing your F150 . . . '

Philbert

 

[LondonNeil]

Thanks guys. I'm being a worrywort. I'll use my current oil up, likely at 32:1 though. And clean the spark arrestor if it needs it.

 

[chipper1]

Thanks guys. I'm being a worrywort. I'll use my current oil up, likely at 32:1 though. And clean the spark arrestor if it needs it.

Yes you are!.
I've got a shindaiwa trimmer and a redmax backpack blower, used 50:1 for 10 years, now use 40:1(5yrs) because I run a bunch of ported saws. I should do a video with me cold starting them, the trimmer starts the second or third pull and the trimmer starts on the first . I've done nothing to these two pieces of equipment except changed out the filters and lines and the recoil on the backpack blower twice because water gets in it when it's sitting outside on my trailer.
Oh most of the fuel that's been ran through them has been ethanol fuel too .
The biggest issues I have seen on small equipment/ kids dirtbikes and such is from them just sitting whether it's with ethanol or e free. When I have a choice that is reasonable to my situation I still buy ethanol free because it is better fuel and will last longer and you will have less problems.
Keep oil in them at 50:1 or better and a stock saw will run for a long time, run it with 50:none and they will run for a half a tank or so(depending on your previous ratio ), but not without restarting them a lot .
Scrounge on guys.

 

[Cody]

We have some borer here, south of here has it bad so it’s going to get worse. Lots of Dutch elm as well. Dead elm in every fencerow. I have a couple decent dead standing elm waiting for when it cools down. Plus a multi trunk twisted monster ash. Not that huge but taking it down is going to be like playing jenga.

Talked to my dad yesterday afternoon and he told me that a guy claims EAB is on his place that's only a few miles south of here. One of the places that I trimmed some trees up is right between us, and he's got over half a dozen Ash trees near his house that he wants to keep. I've mentioned it before too but the town I bank in is probably half ash trees, and it's only 4-5 miles away through the air. DNR has said it's been in this county for well over a year so maybe it's starting to spread more, don't know for sure.

32:1 is recommended for ported saws, older saws, and ones in heavy service ie milling.

I run 40:1 in everything. The only piece of power equipment I’ve ever burned up was that little Poulan that was old and cutting way more tree than it should have been.

Quality synthetic oil I run 40-44:1, I suppose if I were using the cheapest 2 stroke oil I could find I'd maybe run more but then it just gums up the muff more IMO. I popped the muffler off my 661 and it had been at least a month since I used it, ran the piston up and down and noticed plenty of oil on the piston skirt as it moved up the first time. I'm definitely not going to worry that I'm not using enough at 40:1 in that saw after that visual.

Yamalube at 40:1 here. In whatever version I have. No difference in the watercraft vs outboard. Got a few cases when they rebadged the bottles and blew it out. Burns very clean. But I am also a paranoid guy and I run clean fuel with stabilizer in every can. Whether it be the weed whip or a saw I haven't seized a two toker yet.

Ya. Ethenol free 90+ octane premix. My saws have never seen ethenol.

Same here, if I run pump gas it's an oz of seafoam per gallon, otherwise I try to grab a gallon of VP's straight SEF. Saws start much easier with canned fuel IMO.

How did the scrounging thread turn into an oil thread?

Well, I was posting pictures of Acorn squash from the garden a few pages ago. I've got a list of trees I'm going the scrounge this fall that I could share but otherwise it's the "offseason" for me.

 

[JustJeff]

When I was picking up the junkyard homelite, I also spied a piece of 4x4 angle. So I scrounged it too. Made for a nice trailer, trailer hitch. Now I won’t have to make two trips to bring my boat!

 

[James Miller]

My scrounging picks up in September. 3 big oaks on the list already just waiting on the call. Then God knows how much will come off the farm the maple was at. Theres a lot of trees to come down over there yet.

 

[husqvarna257]

Nice work. What's the stacking arrangement you're using there? Sorta looks like you're cribbing the whole lot from you second pic. Or is it crib around the edges and loose toss into the middle?

My wife stacks it all. So it is all a neat precise stack up to 6' or so. She couldn't take my random tossing in of wood so she does it for the exercise and time spent outdoors The only tossing of fire wood is over 6', that is the weird twisted wood or the two or three way tops that shear apart rather than splitting. That is all overnight logs for the OWB. Had my boss standing behind me today as I cut, must have been cutting to slow.

 

[woodchip rookie]

Unfortunately, I don't know of a source of E-free fuel here in MD.

I dont buy E-free gas at the pump. VP fuels in gallon jugs 90+ octane ethenol-free 50:1 premix. TSC, Rural King and other places all have that. It's $3 cheaper than the Husky premix stuff per quart.

 

[stillhunter]

My brother brought his new/used splitter to my house today and we split the wild cherry in a 1/2 hour, It is apparently a 2008 NorthStar. The splitter needs a few modifications but it functions perfectly. You can see we work in a climate controlled work space! and the fan also blows the mosquitoes away.We parked the splitter beside my woodpile and took turns, putting the split pieces right on the stack as soon as they were split, it was very quick and easy.

 

[Jeffkrib]

My wife stacks it all. So it is all a neat precise stack up to 6' or so. She couldn't take my random tossing in of wood so she does it for the exercise and time spent outdoors The only tossing of fire wood is over 6', that is the weird twisted wood or the two or three way tops that shear apart rather than splitting. That is all overnight logs for the OWB. Had my boss standing behind me today as I cut, must have been cutting to slow.View attachment 669555

Husq257,
You’ve just invented an excellent way of checking for chain sharpness, just buy a wet black dog and get it sit behind you while cutting. The black contrast will show up your chips. This may end up being the gold standard in chain sharpness testing .