Premixed Gas

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markvanzee

markvanzee

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yeah it's good stuff in europe we have this premixed fuel called 'aspen' it's about double the price but it does not contain ethanol and lubes everything very well. some people over here swear by it.

you can leave it in saws for months and it stays good.
 
mikefunaro

mikefunaro

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There have been many reports of people using 50fuel, etc, with good results. No reports of failure, etc. Stihl motomix has also hit the shelves.

The problem is that they are all upwards of $12/gallon, at which point it only becomes worthwhile if it is a machine that is used sporatically for short bouts of time. I think of them as being better for a weed whacker used on a 1/4 acre lot, where at best you're going to go through a few tanks a season.

I think there are relatively few problems to using the ethanol fuels in machines that go through a lot of gas. The ethanol, at least at the E10 and below levels, are problematic more with storage than with use of fresh mix.

If you do not do a lot of cutting, or are cutting with a machine that you think is particularly vulnerable to the effects of ethanol, it may be worthwhile.
 
ChrisF

ChrisF

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yeah it's good stuff in europe we have this premixed fuel called 'aspen' it's about double the price but it does not contain ethanol and lubes everything very well. some people over here swear by it.

you can leave it in saws for months and it stays good.

I second that, Aspen is awesome, and the only thing we use at work.
 
Motorsen

Motorsen

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Alkylate

Normaly I only use alkylate fuel. Same as aspen just other brand mixed with my choice of oil. Last week I by accident ran out of the alkylate. Heck i´ll just mix some from the gasstation. What an eye opener! I am used to the rather neutral smell of alkylate fuel. The pump gas smelled alot more (normally I like the sweet smell of proper gasoline). But being used to the other stuff I got that peppermint sort of taste i my mouth and could taste it the whole night (did cut alot on a sunny day with no wind).
Now I really appreciate the expensive fuel. The pump gas fumes can really not be good for you. Not that alkylate is harmless by any means. But you don´t have the benzene, olefins etc.
The premixed aspen I do not like for the smell of their oil (some say it´s biodegradeable) and besides I do not know which oil it is. It´s probably all good just me being odd. But going back to old school gas was not way forward for me. And the fact that it can stay for a year or more in a saw seems atractive. No gum.
But yes it is expensive.
If you run an arborist biz you should be able to deduct your expenses from fuel etc. If you cut firewood you save alot of money and should invest a bit of that in your health.
Maybe there is a problem of obtainability in some pagan and undevoloped parts of the world. But eventually the new tech will hit your shelfs in the future. So look out for it and try it. I don´t think you will go back.

Cheers Motorsen
 
saxman

saxman

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I was at a Stihl training seminar recently and they discussed motomix fuel. It was stated that they didn't expect people to run that in their saws all the time but prior to storage to dump out all the fuel and use motomix to flush out fuel lines and carb and leave it in stored saws. I think that makes sense and I play on doing that.

Steve
 
BloodOnTheIce

BloodOnTheIce

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I was at a Stihl training seminar recently and they discussed motomix fuel. It was stated that they didn't expect people to run that in their saws all the time but prior to storage to dump out all the fuel and use motomix to flush out fuel lines and carb and leave it in stored saws. I think that makes sense and I play on doing that.

Steve

We've been selling 50 Fuel for about two months now, and advising people use it the same way. I'm using it in the shop for some repairs also, and haven't had any issues. There's a lot of handheld stuff we repair only gets used a couple times a year, and this is a way to prevent comebacks for fuel issues.
 

TK

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I have had no issues running 40 and 50fuel, but would be interested in hearing about VP's version - along with their unmixed fuel that is also available. Pricing and performance.
 
mikefunaro

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I have had no issues running 40 and 50fuel, but would be interested in hearing about VP's version - along with their unmixed fuel that is also available. Pricing and performance.

I have run through 5 gallons of unmixed SEF 94 (I added my own oil at ratios I wanted). I found it to provide reliable starts many months after the fuel was initially put into a machine.

Getting a good price through another member here I was able to get 5 gallons for $60. Local retailers wanted like $80+ for a 5 gallon drum.

Again it's not really priced competitively for day to day use. It also doesn't smell particularly great and doesn't seem any less toxic than normal fuel.
 

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