Steve wrote:
On Jun 16, 8:43 am, (Murriel) wrote:
Years ago I was told not to use automotive oil in garden tractors and
lawn mowers but rather oil especially formulated for those devices,
such as brands bearing the names "Briggs and Stratton," "Cub Cadet,"
etc. Now I see that the gasoline at the staion where I deal has 10%
ethanol. Is this acceptable for lawn mowers and garden tractors?

I don't know if I've just been lucky or what when it comes to using
ethanol gas in my small engine equipment??? But I've never had a
problem with it, so far. I have some old equipment as well. Like
about a 1970 vintage Simplicity riding lawnmower that refuses to
quit. I never even run out the gas tank at the end of the season and
it sits through a very long northern MN winter with NO stabilizer
either. It has always fired right back up when I need to use it in
the spring. Same old ethanol blended gas. Amazing. I also use
ethanol in my chainsaws (4 or 5 of them, I lost count) from a 1970's
Stihl to a 2008 Husqvarna. Never run the tanks out of them either. I
also store ethanol gas in 5 gallon plastic containers for up to 6
months at a time and have never had to waste a drop of it due to it
going bad. I could go on and on but I just have not seen or had a
problem using ethanol gas in any of my small engine equipment
regardless of its age. I also use a good quality 2 cycle oil but not
necessarily a name brand oil such as Stihl or Husqvarna. I think some
people who have problems with their lawn mowers, etc. not starting the
next season just blame the problem on the gas and take it in to a shop
and they maby have to put in a new spark plug or clean out the air
filter or something simple and charge a pretty penny and then tell the
customer it was a "stale gas problem." Just my opinion.....
Steve

There is a product on the market now called 50FUEL
It's pure gasoline premixed to 50:1 oil/gas or 40:1
Shelf life of 2 years at least.
For things like trimmers and chainsaws, it seems to solve some starting
and run problems on my equipment. Retails for $4 - $5 /qt