How much 50:1 do you mix at a time?

[SCOTT S.]

There is 128oz in a gallon.......

for 50:1 = 128/50....2.56oz of oil to 1 gallon of gas.

for 32:1 = 128/32....4oz of oil to 1 gallon of gas.

If you have a 2.56oz bottle of oil, then you need to use 82oz (0.64gal) of gas to achieve 32:1 mix ration. (2.56 x 32 = 81.92oz or 0.64gal).

or

simply 2.56/4 = 0.64

That's what I'm talking about. So I guess my new answer to this is that I mix 1.28 gallons at a time.
Thanks BB for the heads up on the mix. And thanks jrhawk9 for the math lesson makes perfect sense. I learn something new every time I come on this site.

 

[Sprinter]

The stihl mix oil in the grey bottles say they only last a couple of weeks once mixed. I read it in one of there catalogs. I don't know if anyone else has seen this I was surprised.

I was also surprised at this when I saw that in the Husq manual (they said a month, though). I wondered if it had anything to do with the expectation of up to 10% ethanol in the gas or something else. That's what prompted my original post. I'll go with the recommendation, but I was curious about why it is.

Also interesting that nobody seems to have a problem with 32:1 or so. I always figured it may cause plug fouling or something. I'll start doing a richer mix.

 

[JRHAWK9]

Also interesting that nobody seems to have a problem with 32:1 or so. I always figured it may cause plug fouling or something. I'll start doing a richer mix.

If you use a good clean burning oil you won't have any issues. I use Bel-Ray H1R.
You may have to re-tune your high side a bit as you will be running a tad bit leaner when you run more oil. More oil means less fuel with the same amount of air...

 

[Sprinter]

Well, this FAQ part of Stihl's website answers a lot of questions. http://m.stihlusa.com/faq/products/fuel/

I seems like the reason that a commercial premix can last 2 years and they recommend for users not to mix more than a month or so ahead does have to do with the ethanol. It may indeed be a good idea to find an ethanol-free gas if you can (or use the commercial product if it's not too expensive). For light users like me, it may be a good idea. I don't really like messing around with gas and mixing, etc. I had no idea that the stuff can last two years.

One of the reviewers of the premix said the Stihl doubled his warranty if he used the premix. Maybe a marketing thing, but interesting.

They do say that 10% is okay to use, but that you should empty tank and then run the carb dry if over a month old. That sounds pretty conservative, but It's making me look into buying some premix from my dealer.

 

[heavy hammer]

As Woodhog73 states my father has an 039 that he has done the same with since purchased brand new years ago. He will use then once cutting it sits, never drains it never uses stabilizer. Then when ready to use a couple pulls, and she fires up. He only recently started using the added caps of motor oil. I don't think he lets his mix sit very long but I'm not sure. I do know he only mixes a gallon at a time.

 

[Sprinter]

This website details stations that supply ethanol-free gas in US and Canada. I had no idea that all gas in Alaska was ethanol-free.

(broken link removed to http://www.pure-gas.org/index.jsp?stateprov=WA)

I remember using it several years ago but forgot about it. You can bring up a map to make it easy.

 

[AmbDrvr253]

I only mix what I am going to use as ethanol free is not available. Unless I buy the pre mixed stuff for 5 bucks a quart.......LOL

 

[SCOTT S.]

I only mix what I am going to use as ethanol free is not available. Unless I buy the pre mixed stuff for 5 bucks a quart.......LOL

Does anyone know why some places you can get ethanol free and some you can't? It's got to be some lobbyists putting cash in someone's pocket. I try to run my stuff dry when done for the season but honestly it doesn't always happen and with the ethanol free I haven't had an issue.

 

[BrotherBart]

I seriously doubt that a lobbyist is concerned about what filling station in your town is selling what gas.

 

[Sprinter]

I seriously doubt that a lobbyist is concerned about what filling station in your town is selling what gas.

Does anyone know why some places you can get ethanol free and some you can't?

The problem as I view it is that ethanol-free is not high on most people's radar, so is not in great demand. If a retailer wishes to sell E-free, the demand will be low. Most retail tanks are around 4000 gallons, and it has to be sold fairly quickly, both for freshness and business concerns. And that creates a potential freshness problem. Any purchaser who wants E-free is also going to be concerned about freshness, which is an issue regardless of the ethanol content.

I'm a casual biker and this issue is hot among motorcycle riders. I've heard about retailers that would like to supply E-free but can't justify the problems.

 

[BrotherBart]

Having spent most of my career with an oil company I can tell you that they need to empty that tank to get the cash to pay for the next load. They used to be able to get 8,000 gallons delivered and have the float to wait for an invoice three or four weeks later and then another week or two for the check to clear. Then IT jerks like me installed systems that let the driver enter delivery information when the load is delivered and we debited their bank account that night.

Freshness isn't even on the radar. If that gas stays in the ground long enough to go stale the station was in bankruptcy a year before it.

 

[Sprinter]

Does anyone know why some places you can get ethanol free and some you can't?

Having spent most of my career with an oil company I can tell you that they need to empty that tank to get the cash to pay for the next load. They used to be able to get 8,000 gallons delivered and have the float to wait for an invoice three or four weeks later and then another week or two for the check to clear. Then IT jerks like me installed systems that let the driver enter delivery information when the load is delivered and we debited their bank account that night.

Freshness isn't even on the radar. If that gas stays in the ground long enough to go stale the station was in bankruptcy a year before it.

So it's mostly a business problem I guess. How long does it usually take to sell a tank of low-demand fuel like maybe 92 or ethanol-free, etc? I've always wondered how fresh (as a consumer) the gas is in some places that seem low volume, especially in rural areas. Freshness is always on my radar. Should it even be a concern at the pump?

 

[BrotherBart]

No.

 

[Sprinter]

Well, I do like brevity. Thanks.

 

[JBinKC]

I mix one quart at a time most of the time using ethanol free premium.

 

[firefighterjake]

One gallon with regular ethanol fuel ... never had any issues in my chainsaw or sled which cost a lot more than my saw. I do use a fuel stabilizer in the sled during the summer and I think I read once that some manufacturer's oil for the mixed gas contains a stabilizer.

 

[SCOTT S.]

What I don't get about that theory is that I can get e free in either high or mid grade at the stations in town that have it for the same price as the gas with e in it. So why would there high and mid grade be any more low demand then a station with ethanol? Also every fleet farm and kwick trip in the area have e free but if you go 100 miles south a line is drawn and these same stations don't have it. That's why I thought maybe some thing political was involved.

 

[D8Chumley]

One gallon with regular ethanol fuel ... never had any issues in my chainsaw or sled which cost a lot more than my saw. I do use a fuel stabilizer in the sled during the summer and I think I read once that some manufacturer's oil for the mixed gas contains a stabilizer.

I have 3 different brands of 2 cycle mix in the garage. Black Husky bottle, orange Stihl bottle ( got both of these from work ) and Echo Red Armor and all 3 bottles claim they contain fuel stabilizers. The Echo even claims to keep fuel good for up to 2 years lol. I still put a capful of StarTron in every can of gas/oil mix

 

[Sprinter]

The Echo even claims to keep fuel good for up to 2 years lol.

All of the premix brands I've looked into so far claim two years. I'm not sure if we can get two years if using ethanol-fee high octane with a stabilizer and good stabilized oil. It sounds like that's all the commercial premixes are. I've always heard that normal gas is still only good for one year with a stabilizer. Unless the ethanol component is the deciding factor.

I havent had a problem mixing at least a six-month supply at a time until now, when I'm getting some bogging down problems and that's why I'm looking into all this.

 

[D8Chumley]

If my gallon hasn't been used up in 3ish months it gets dumped into my work truck. I wouldn't dream of trying to use 2 year old mix in my saws

 

[Wildo]

I mix 5 gallons of 100LL with Amsoil at ~40:1 in spring and fall. My Dolmar likes it so much it starts with no choke up to 3 weeks later after a couple pulls.

 

[FTG-05]

I mix a gallon whenever my 2.5 jerry can starts getting low. I use an old one gallon veggie oil container to mix the no-corn gas and one of those grey Stihl ultra mix-oil, then pour it into the jerry can. Stabil is added to the five gallon jerry gas can when I get the no-corn gas.

 

[sportbikerider78]

Okay, I'm sure I can find a source of non-ethanol from a marine place somewhere. And as long as it doesn't cause problems, I'm fine with a richer oil mix too. The one-month rule still concerns me though. I'm starting to see some bogging down problems with my saw at the higher end. It helps to adjust the "H" on the carb, but I'm wondering if it the carb needs attention.

There sure are a lot of opinions on this stuff... Pretty confusing for us ordinary guys...

Running a richer mix will increase your ethanol problems not improve them. The ethanol absorbs water and causes the oil to move out of the gas.

I run what the manufacturer recommends as far as gas to oil ratio. I've never had a problem and see no evidence to change. Besides, piston and ring kit is super cheap on a small engine.

 

[Sprinter]

Running a richer mix will increase your ethanol problems not improve them. The ethanol absorbs water and causes the oil to move out of the gas.

I run what the manufacturer recommends as far as gas to oil ratio. I've never had a problem and see no evidence to change. Besides, piston and ring kit is super cheap on a small engine.

Thanks. I'm a casual rider myself (a tricked out Sportster), and I know it's a hot button topic there. But lately I've been riding less and proper fuel is becoming a more important topic lately besides the saws and such. I also have a 25 year old car that's important to me but gets little use now. I have a few stations locally that supply E-free and I may start using it more, especially in my less-used equipment. I'm getting the impression that the most important issue is how quickly the fuel gets used.

I've really never been concerned about ethanol-laced fuel until recently.

 

[sportbikerider78]

I run whatever the pump has in my motorcycles...and I don't own anything newer than 2004, but they are all fuel injected. They don't have gas that sits in bowls or anything of the sort like you might find in a built Harley.
There are a lot of factors, but pretty much everyone agrees that ethanol free is always a better fuel.