Henry Rifle Forums

I have a little Stihl MS180 chainsaw. I use it around the house and for another suburban property I have to maintain. I use it sporadically. I may run a couple tanks through it a season. I have been using it more often this year, as I let things get out of hand on the other property. Sometimes I don't need it for 6-8 months.

I don't have easy access to enthanol free fuel, although I can get it if necessary. I got tired of trying to keep a small can of mixed fuel on hand, and worried about it going bad. I also don't like running 2 strokes dry for storage for a couple reasons. Last year I switched to canned premix fuel. I bought a can of Walmart's brand as a test and it lasted the better part of a season and the saw ran well on it. I got a can of Tru-Fuel recently, and my saw doesn't seem to like it, mainly hard starting issues. I've thought about getting some Ethanol Shield (highly recommended by Chickanic) and premixing a half gallon and storing it in the nice little metal quart cans I now have. The other option would be to switch to a better brand of premix.

What do ya'll use and recommend.

I don’t concern myself with non ethanol gasoline, I just add 1/2 ounce of Stabil Marine fuel stabilizer to any two gallons of gasoline I use for my outdoor equipment.

I switched to a battery powered one and it works great for small jobs. Even my logger neighbor has one. Granted he also has a half dozen large gas ones too. I’ve switched to battery on everything except my leaf blower. I use premixed Stihl gas for it and a gallon will last me two years and not go bad. I don’t run it dry but do my gas powered lawn mower. I don’t run the diesel mower dry.

We switched to battery powered, too. I use a Ryobi 18" chainsaw and an 8" pole chainsaw for all my trail maintenance duties and that's a lot of work, given it's all forest, up here. I don't have the strength to start gas powered, anymore. The battery stuff always starts and battery is much quieter.

I have a Stihl chainsaw and a DeWalt battery saw. We have non-ethanol at most gas stations and that's all I use in the boat, garden tractors and other small engines. It can sit forever and start first time. The DeWalt is a 12" blade and handles the bulk of what I need a chainsaw for. It's more than paid for itself by now.

Miss Tina buys the Premixed stuff in the cans at ACE, non-ethanol after having to have the small portable genny, chainsaw and weedeater rebuilt. The small engine guy told her that the ethanol eats the gaskets and other rubber components in the engines, including gas lines. Hard to start? He showed her the fuel line in the portable generator... The inside of the line had turned gummy. When it would start, the vacuum created by the demand for fuel would pull the weakened fuel line flat, pinching off the fuel flow and shutting off the genny.

The non-ethanol gas premix is a bit more expensive, but clean burning and the weedeater, blower, and the rest start every time. We tried the battery stuff, but for us on the farm, just not enough power.

My chain saw is only about 4 years old with few hours. Barring theft, or unexpected major breakdown, it should be the last chainsaw I ever buy. At the time I bought the saw, I looked at the battery models. They weren't very powerful and were rather expensive. It might make sense if I were in the market right now, but I will stick with what I have for now. Plus replacement batteries are pricey and I doubt even the newer types last more than 6 to 8 years.

I've been watching a bunch of videos by Chickanic on Youtube lately. She works on this stuff every day. She's not a big fan of the premix canned fuel. Although she thinks it's a good idea to fill a tank with it prior to storage, then run it long enough to get the canned fuel through the system before long term storage. She thinks that two strokes should be stored wet. It helps keep the diaphragms in carb and fuel lines from drying out and getting hard. I respect her opinion, but I like to get other views and experience.

Non-ethanol gas is all I keep on hand. I use it for the saw, lawn mower/snow blower, and generators. It is also what I use in the 69 pick up so I keep plenty with stabilizer.

clovishound wrote: ↑

Sat Sep 06, 2025 9:32 am

I have a little Stihl MS180 chainsaw....
What do ya'll use and recommend.

I also have a MS180 as well as a longer bladed Husqvarna. I also have a Milwaukee battery operated 6in.
I mix 2 gal at a time with 2 stroke oil. It last's until I use it up. 2-3 years. I've never had any problems with at the pump gas and I don't use stabilizer. I don't have any start problems with an older mix. I do shake it up before putting it in a saw. My only complaint, even with the Milwaukee, is with the chain oiler. They seep even when not in use. So I store them on a rimmed cookie sheet.

What Percentage ethanol? I use what we call E10 here in Aus in all mine, it can contain up to 10% ethanol.
At those levels it can be treated just like regular gas, mine never go into long term storage but some might end up going 6 months without being used. Sometimes they might sit empty other times with a partial tank, I mix all my own fuel and rarely would it sit for more than 1 month, I just top up the tanks with fresh gas and away they go.

Have a couple of ms170/180's and an electric, the electric have come a long way in the past few years the one I have is on par with the 170, not quite as good as the 180 but for little jobs that would be less than a tank of gas just much more convenient.