What is with all the straight gassing?

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Coloradobum

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I read over and over how people picked up saws to fix that have been straight gassed, and they're on Ebay all the time too. In 30 years of running saws I have never done this in thousands of tanks. It could concievably happen, I am human, but I like to think it would take some crazy circumstance to make it happen. Are there that many clueless saw owners? Seems like if nothing else you would notice the difference in the exhaust pretty quickly and shut down before serious damage occurred. I know a bozo my dad lent his woodsplitter to sent it back with mix in it, and it took about 2 seconds to realize the exhaust was not right for a four stroke. What gives? Wish I could find a 3120 that was siezed, that would be a cheap way to end up with one.
 
I read over and over how people picked up saws to fix that have been straight gassed, and they're on Ebay all the time too. In 30 years of running saws I have never done this in thousands of tanks. It could concievably happen, I am human, but I like to think it would take some crazy circumstance to make it happen. Are there that many clueless saw owners? Seems like if nothing else you would notice the difference in the exhaust pretty quickly and shut down before serious damage occurred. I know a bozo my dad lent his woodsplitter to sent it back with mix in it, and it took about 2 seconds to realize the exhaust was not right for a four stroke. What gives? Wish I could find a 3120 that was siezed, that would be a cheap way to end up with one.

I dont know how they do it either. Its not that hard to premix it.
 
To be honest its actually easy to do. I have yet to do it. But I have left the cap off the oil after filling, left the cap off the gas after fueling and put the chain on backwards. These all happned at different times. Before someone showed me how to fell a tree I cut the felling cut below the hinge. The tree ended up falling backwards. Luckely I was in the woods.
Odds are that one day before I die I will probably straight gas a saw. Point is that its easy to forget. That just means I'm still a normal person. Like everyone else:clap:
 
To be honest its actually easy to do. I have yet to do it. But I have left the cap off the oil after filling, left the cap off the gas after fueling and put the chain on backwards. These all happned at different times. Before someone showed me how to fell a tree I cut the felling cut below the hinge. The tree ended up falling backwards. Luckely I was in the woods.
Odds are that one day before I die I will probably straight gas a saw. Point is that its easy to forget. That just means I'm still a normal person. Like everyone else:clap:

==

Ya left out puting mix in oil tank or other way around...been there them all, plus probaly others that don't come to mind...
oh yea not latching trailer tounge on the ball, towing trailer with 2 5/16 ball reciever on a 2' ball at 70 plus mph for about 50 miles with a a jeep an a four wheeler on it...

Good Lord was watching over me on that one. Had the wife and 2 grand kids in the truck with me and my 2nd daughter and her family following behind...could have wiped out the whole family....scary that one...


be careful out there...
 
:fart:







Oh, you mean 2-cycle engines? I actually straight gassed the family lawn mower as a kid because I thought my older brother was pulling my leg when he told me that I had to put some strange looking oil into perfectly good gasoline.
 
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I have never done it myself, but I have seen it done. Some of them are folks who should not be using a saw anyway, like people who buy their saw at Wal-Mart. I work at Wal-Mart and do you know how many 2 cycle engines we get back that have been straight gassed? Not just chainsaws, actually string trimmers are the most common 2 cycle engines people try to return. Folks that know how to properly use a chainsaw do not shop for them at Wally world. The biggest saw we carry in my store is a Poulan Pro 4218, 42cc with a 18" b/c. A very typical homeowner saw that has little interest to anyone serious about saws. Not saying everyone that buys a saw at wal-mart is a guaranteed to burn it up, but it has been the largest majority of my experience. Things do seem to be getting better now that there is the quarts of 40:1 fuel, that we place right beside every 2 cycle engine we sale.

On a related note. I actually watched my uncle straight gas a new Husqvarna 50 special in the early 90's, it was the second or third tank of fuel. He reached in the truck bed, grabbed the can and filled er up. The ding dong had his mixed fuel and straight gas in identical containers and neither was marked. That is when I learned you bring your mixed fuel and leave the can of straight gas at home. I always keep my straight gas in a 5 gallon can, no matter how much there may be. The mix stays in either a 1 gallon or a 2 1/2 gallon can, depending on how much cutting I am planning to do.
 
I fly.

There are two kinds of pilots; those that have landed with their wheels still up and those that will.

It's remembering this that has kept me in the second category.

Same with mix.
 
We have a term we use for some customers: SNOPE. Yeah, it rhymes with "dope", and it stands for "Should Not Own Power Equipment".

Many people now a days have had no experience with equipment, or anything mechanical in their lives. It's comical with a weed wacker or lawn mower, but it can get kind of scary with a chain saw.

The next generation coming up is going to be far worse. They'll expect to be able to "tweet" their wood, but they won't know how to actually cut it.
 
I have several gas cans and none of them are missing caps.At work it is impossible to find a can with a cap.
Go figure...and for what its worth,we hire from the same general public everyone else does.
 
i have done it ....once.....
went to get gas, forgot to bring the oil, got home brought gas can in garage to put the oil in , got side tracked. week later gas up saw start cutting and 30 seconds later it was all over
 
I have never straight gassed a 2 stroke in my life, but I could see how it could be done, especially on crews w/ different gas cans. If I suspect a can of gas is not mixed, I put oil in it anyway, or toss it. Can't always tell by color, all oils aren't green. Better to have double oil than none at all.

Most folks don't read manuals, and when I was doing repairs, a lot of people (average Joe HO ) brought in siezed saws:

me: didn't you put oil in the gas?
customer: well, I put it in the tank that says "oil", and gas in the other tank.
me: it's not an oil injected engine, you have to mix it w/ the gas.
customer: why? my jet ski and boat don't require mixing.
me: didn't you read the manual?
customer: naw, I never read manuals.
me: :bang:
 
It happens I rebuilt asaw for my dad. He was side tracked picked up wrong jug. It Happens every one makes a mistake. The way i look at it if you never do anything wrong your not doing anything. Some things are just more expensive. I try to learn from every one elses mishaps.
 
Until I got a yard big enough to need a rider all my gas was mixed. The mix never hurt the push mower and if all the cans were mixed my wife could not straight gas another weedeater. Of course I still think she intentionally straight gassed that weedeater because that was the one and only time she has ever ran one since.
 
I haven't done it yet. I always put my oil in the tank before I go to get gas just to make sure. I'm not saying I never will though, not about to tempt fate lol

I also keep all my mix in a 2 1/2 gal can and straight gas in a 5 gallon. Less chance of mixing em up.
 
My last big Mistake was finding this site. Very expensive . This is a illness. CAD.

:agree2:

Have not straight gassed yet. Probably ought to straight gas my 021 just to get it over with.

I prefer to keep my mix in a 2 L soda bottle, that way EVERYBODY knows it not gas but is for the saws and trimmer.

My problem is diesel engines. Been owning and running diesel vehicles since the mid 70's. In great fear that SWMBO or offspring will fuel with gas.

So far all they've done is fuel a gas mower w/ diesel. Darn near pulled my arm off trying to start it.
 
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