True fuel premix- worth it or am I wasting money

[a. palmer jr.]

Apply for one of their credit cards. If approved, they will give you a $25.00 credit voucher. You can apply and know if you are approved in 3-4 minutes, literally.

You can apply for up to a total of five cards. Each and every can of Tru-Fuel I have, was free. I'm down to about 14 cans now.

I've been hounded to death from credit card companies to get one of their cards..I finally relented and applied for one. It wasn't approved because I haven't used any credit for several years, cash only. I still get hounded by the companies. I think I finally got a credit card from my bank which I haven't used..

 

[Boomer 87]

OPE was never designed to run on ethanol fuels and thats a fact. Homelite used to stamp right on thier machines do not use ethanol fuels i can take a picture of my 330 as proof. Poulan had that figured out as early as 1976 i have a printed TSB (technical service bulletin). From poulan giving warnings over using gasahol in their OPE, why would that be? Its pretty simple they were tired of doing fuel system repairs under warranty. Due to ethanol in fuel. In fact take your brand new stihl to the dealer for covered service, you know what the first question they ask you? What kind of fuel do you run? If you dare say pump gas and that saw has a fuel system issue WARRANTY NOT COVERED. That came from my stihl dealers mouth. That canned fuel may seem like "snake oil" to some of you, the reason its here isnt to trim you out of you hard earned money, its bc dealers are gettin tired of warranting their equipment bc of s*** fuel.

 

[a. palmer jr.]

We don't have a Home Depot within 40 miles of where I live. Guess I'll be buying my gas by the gallon..

 

[Boomer 87]

heres the TSB i stand corrected it was 1979

 

[Cycledude]

Took my 562 in for a new carburetor under warranty, one of the first things the dealer is required to do is test your gas , I use premium which around here is supposed to be ethanol free, mine passed the test and I got a new carb under warranty, my saw runs quite a bit better with the new carburetor. My old saw ran fine on regular ethanol gas for the past 35 years but I switched everything to premium when I got the new 562 two years ago.

 

[echomeister]

My chainsaw gas can seems to seal up on its own. It's one of those you have to push in the nozzle to gas to come out of. On top of that I put an empty plastic bottle over the snout. Can is stored in a well sealed metal building. I can't see how much moisture could get in there.

 

[2dogs]

I live a mile from the ocean in a city where the humidity is high all year long. I like running 40:1 Home Depot canned fuel in every tool that does not get used much and in all my yard tools. I would run canned fuel in everything but for the price of the fuel. Like most people, instead of mixing 4-8 gallons of fuel at a time now I mix 1-2 gallons. I have also gotten into the habit of turning my saw upside down and shaking the last teaspoon of fuel out before I refill. I don't actually know if it helps get the water out but it does keep my fuel tank cleaner. I buy fuel filters by the dozen and change them out when ever my saw starts to sound funny.

 

[LoveStihlQuality]

I live a mile from the ocean in a city where the humidity is high all year long. I like running 40:1 Home Depot canned fuel in every tool that does not get used much and in all my yard tools. I would run canned fuel in everything but for the price of the fuel. Like most people, instead of mixing 4-8 gallons of fuel at a time now I mix 1-2 gallons. I have also gotten into the habit of turning my saw upside down and shaking the last teaspoon of fuel out before I refill. I don't actually know if it helps get the water out but it does keep my fuel tank cleaner. I buy fuel filters by the dozen and change them out when ever my saw starts to sound funny.

I shake saw before starting and shake fuel can before filling saw.

Sent from my SM-N900P using Tapatalk

 

[LoveStihlQuality]

I have labels with wire ties. Label cans date and mix. Even with e free fuel, I dump in my truck after 3 months. Do same with straight gas for mowers at end of season.

Sent from my SM-N900P using Tapatalk

 

[2dogs]

I shake saw before starting and shake fuel can before filling saw.

Sent from my SM-N900P using Tapatalk

Yep! Good practice.

 

[Boomer 87]

About the only fuel outside of canned gas that has any ammount of storage time is 100LL avgas..... that stuff is still usable long past a year

 

[1Alpha1]

I've been hounded to death from credit card companies to get one of their cards..I finally relented and applied for one. It wasn't approved because I haven't used any credit for several years, cash only. I still get hounded by the companies. I think I finally got a credit card from my bank which I haven't used..

I obtained my first credit card at about age 18. I've had so many over the years, it would be hard to give an accurate number. I'm down to about 8 or so active (open) credit cards right now. The rest I closed at one time or another.

There are some great offers out there in regards to cash back or account credit offers. I like the ones where they offer you $250.00 account credit if you make a purchase of at least $1K within three months of receiving your card. That's how I went about buying my MS-461R.

Yes, you do need to be responsible when it comes to credit cards. Those that aren't, can and will find themselves in a world of hurt. For those that are responsible & savvy, there are great benefits to be had.

While going to college way back in the dark ages, I worked part-time at a major brand credit card processing center. I learned a lot about credit cards from inside the industry.

Right now, the credit card companies are being very choosy about who they issue cards to. The good ole days of giving them to everyone and their pet dog, are over. If you have a good to excellent credit rating, some of the offers are outstanding.

Whenever I'm in the market to buy a new piece of O P E, I look for the best credit card offers being presented. Between the credit card offers and 10% off from the Stihl dealer, I come out smelling like a rose.

 

[Ted Jenkins]

This debate on types of fuel used and octane required by different saws seems a bit ridiculous. Most people know that most saws are not high performance machines in any stretch of thought process. Right? Saws require for most part about 87 octane rated fuel. Most saws can run just fine with a small amount of ethanol mixed with petroleum based fuels. Fuels with percentage approaching 20% of ethanol should be concerned. For most part race fuel, aviation fuel and straight gas fuel is available in most cities through out the world. When involved in the race world it was a common practice to buy a six month supply of fuel to mix with the most common available fuel for daily use. Some times 1 gallon of race fuel with 4 gallons of pump gas was more than sufficient to meet high performance demands. Of course using high quality metal cans are good means of storing fuel with out much risk of contamination. One thing that seems to keep coming up with the use of premixed fuel that can be purchased at Home Depot and local hardware stores is that these fuels certainly are not the best because of many issues. One of the biggest problems with these premixed fuels are that they are very old. If the retailer orders a pallet load of premixed cans of fuel and if they happen to sit in their store room for six months and then they go home with the consumer and sit another six months it is sludge not fuel. So a consistent means of mixing fuel with what ever type of oil desired it is almost mandatory that no more than a month ahead of time fuel should be prepared. I have used very high percentages of ethanol including 100% with astounding results, but of course there are many related issues with using 100% ethanol. It should be common knowledge that with any fuel used the motor needs to be tuned for that fuel or tuned constantly if fuels are changing. Ethanol is a very good fuel period. It is high octane, burns clean, produces little carbon, burns cooler than gasoline. There are negatives also. It is difficult to keep it dry, it will tear up hoses, destroy seals etc. So pretty much every one knows these facts and that they need to do what is necessary to keep the ethanol into a reasonable range to keep their smile going on. Thanks

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

View attachment 570389 heres the TSB i stand corrected it was 1979

Homelite had a similar TSB. Some saws even say "no gasahol"

 

[Benjo]

Just to clear up some misconceptions some of us may have, the "canned fuels" are alkylate fuels, not just ethanol free fuel.

Alkylate fuel is much "cleaner" in that it lacks the benzene and aromatic hydrocarbons in pump gas (pump gas is made up of many different chemicals and varies by region, season, and availability). It smells very different, last much longer, is less carcinogenic (benzene is not fun stuff) and produces fewer emissions. In the US, it's not widely known outside of the canned fuels and 100LL airplane fuel (which would be super for small engines, except it still has lead in it), but in Europe a brand called Aspen is ubiquitous. My friends in Europe do not use anything else for small engines, and the price isn't much more than their pump gas (their pump gas is pretty pricey.) It's required by law in some areas because of the reduced health risks to people nearby.

Ethanol free pump gas doesn't really exist near me, so I use freshly mixed ethanol 93 if I have a full day or more of cutting/trimming/blowing to do. But all my small equipment sits with alkylate fuel in it, as I never really know when I'll use it next (especially with CAD! There's no way I'll ever have enough time to regularly use 12 chainsaws...)

The "PowerCare" brand at Home Depot is $3.98/32oz when you buy 8 or more (i.e. $16/gallon). For most homeowner types, pre-mixed alkylate is absolutely worth the price. In a few years battery powered equipment will complete its takeover of the consumer segment, but for now I always recommend canned fuel for regular folks. I'm assuming it won't be long before I get my first "my chainsaw/trimmer/blower battery is dead and won't charge after sitting in my shed for 2 years" question from a neighbor/friend/family member.

 

[7sleeper]

I might add a comment about pricing in Europe about alkalyt fuel and pump fuel. I would give a thumb estimate that alkalyte fuel is double as expensive.

7

 

[Benjo]

I might add a comment about pricing in Europe about alkalyt fuel and pump fuel. I would give a thumb estimate that alkalyte fuel is double as expensive.

7

That sounds about right, it's almost 9x the price of pump in the US (TruFuel is $5.99/32oz, 93 premium is $2.70/gal in my town)

 

[Philbert]

I have labels with wire ties. Label cans date and mix. Even with e free fuel, I dump in my truck after 3 months.

^This^

But I mix it in with the gas in the car's gas tank after 30 days. Don't have to worry about it. At worst, I am 'wasting' a small amount of mix oil. I can get ethanol-free fuel at a station a mile from my house (search on Google) - costs a bit more, but I don't use that much. Again, peace of mind, if nothing else.

Some of the volunteer storm cleanup groups I work with buy the canned fuel to minimize the risk of straight gassing, and to have it ready in the equipment trailers.

Took my 562 in for a new carburetor under warranty, one of the first things the dealer is required to do is test your gas , . . .

So be sure to swap out your gas for the good stuff before taking anything in!

Philbert

 

[1Alpha1]

Just to clear up some misconceptions some of us may have, the "canned fuels" are alkylate fuels, not just ethanol free fuel.

Alkylate fuel is much "cleaner" in that it lacks the benzene and aromatic hydrocarbons in pump gas (pump gas is made up of many different chemicals and varies by region, season, and availability). It smells very different, last much longer, is less carcinogenic (benzene is not fun stuff) and produces fewer emissions. In the US, it's not widely known outside of the canned fuels and 100LL airplane fuel (which would be super for small engines, except it still has lead in it), but in Europe a brand called Aspen is ubiquitous. My friends in Europe do not use anything else for small engines, and the price isn't much more than their pump gas (their pump gas is pretty pricey.) It's required by law in some areas because of the reduced health risks to people nearby.

Ethanol free pump gas doesn't really exist near me, so I use freshly mixed ethanol 93 if I have a full day or more of cutting/trimming/blowing to do. But all my small equipment sits with alkylate fuel in it, as I never really know when I'll use it next (especially with CAD! There's no way I'll ever have enough time to regularly use 12 chainsaws...)

The "PowerCare" brand at Home Depot is $3.98/32oz when you buy 8 or more (i.e. $16/gallon). For most homeowner types, pre-mixed alkylate is absolutely worth the price. In a few years battery powered equipment will complete its takeover of the consumer segment, but for now I always recommend canned fuel for regular folks. I'm assuming it won't be long before I get my first "my chainsaw/trimmer/blower battery is dead and won't charge after sitting in my shed for 2 years" question from a neighbor/friend/family member.

I haven't seen the "PowerCare" canned fuel at my Home Depot. It's price is very appealing, vs. the $5.96 HD gets for Tru-Fuel.

Next time I'm there, I'll look further or ask someone about it.

 

[LoveStihlQuality]

^This^

But I mix it in the car's gas tank after 30 days. Don't have to worry about it. At worst, I am 'wasting' a small amount of mix oil. I can get ethanol free fuel at a station a mile from my house (search on Google) - costs a bit more, but I don't use that much. Again, peace of mind, if nothing else.

Some of the volunteer storm cleanup groups I work with buy the canned fuel to minimize the risk of straight gassing, and to have it ready in the equipment trailers.


So be sure to swap out your gas for the good stuff before taking anything in!

Philbert

Had hometown volunteer fire department change to Trufuel for ventilation saws. No more carb problems, old gas issues, question of whether properly mixed. Easy starts and never doubt of grabbing wrong can and straight gassing. A 6 pack of Trufuel takes less space than round can.

Sent from my SM-N900P using Tapatalk