Chainsaw question

[HenryFan]

Ethanol free (91 or 93 octane?) pump gas is readily available in my area. I guess it is because so many boat owners buy it because of nearby lakes.

In any event, I use only ethanol free gas in small engines and in my outboard motor and I add a squirt of Stabil marine to the cans. Also, when I return from a fishing trip to Florida, I dump any remaining fuel into a five gallon can and use it in my lawn mowers. That way, I start the next trip with new ethanol free fuel. I never have trouble with water separating out of the fuel or fuel going stale.

That said, as far as my two-stroke engines, I buy cans of Husqvarna pre-mix ethanol free because of convenience. It's just easier than mixing oil & fuel.

I don't think adding ethanol to gasoline is a good idea, in my uneducated opinion.

Also, I keep a small Dewalt electric chain saw in the bed of the Kawasaki Mule because it is so much more handy than my bigger Husqvarna gas engine saw.

[Sir Henry]

Ethanol free (91 or 93 octane?) pump gas is readily available in my area. I guess it is because so many boat owners buy it because of nearby lakes.

In any event, I use only ethanol free gas in small engines and in my outboard motor and I add a squirt of Stabil marine to the cans. Also, when I return from a fishing trip to Florida, I dump any remaining fuel into a five gallon can and use it in my lawn mowers. That way, I start the next trip with new ethanol free fuel. I never have trouble with water separating out of the fuel or fuel going stale.

That said, as far as my two-stroke engines, I buy cans of Husqvarna pre-mix ethanol free because of convenience. It's just easier than mixing oil & fuel.

I don't think adding ethanol to gasoline is a good idea, in my uneducated opinion.

Also, I keep a small Dewalt electric chain saw in the bed of the Kawasaki Mule because it is so much more handy than my bigger Husqvarna gas engine saw.

E10 was really a bad idea when it first came out because most cars weren’t designed for it. About 99% of engines made before 2003 will have seals go bad. Engines made after 2010 car burn up to E15 without damage. My Flex-Fuel Transit can burn E85 although they have problems with the gas if sits for more than a few days. Fleet use is where E85 gets used the most. I only burn E10 in mine because I get better mileage. Ethanol has fewer BTUs and the mileage is reduced 20%. Of course it’s 25% cheaper so the fleet gets an advantage.

Science has resolved the corrosive problems but using food as fuel is more of a political and economical issue that I won’t comment on.

[HenryFan]

using food as fuel is more of a political and economical issue that I won’t comment on.

I concur.

[Hatchdog]

I’ve had/have two MS 170’s. First one ran great for years with lots of hard use. Finally lost compression so I replaced it with the at that time current model. It was a POS from the get go and now won’t hardly run. My last purchased gas saw is a Husky and it’s great. I did buy an electric and it’s been great for light work.

I’m thinking I’m pretty much done with Stilh products.

[The Wiz]

On the subject of chainsaws:
"Do you have a backup plan?" - Commodore Wolf

"No, but I have lots of guns and knives and a machete. I'm still looking for a chainsaw."- Shewolf (daughter)

From the series "Black Tide Rising" by John Ringo and others

[Mags]

I’ve had/have two MS 170’s. First one ran great for years with lots of hard use. Finally lost compression so I replaced it with the at that time current model. It was a POS from the get go and now won’t hardly run. My last purchased gas saw is a Husky and it’s great. I did buy an electric and it’s been great for light work.

I’m thinking I’m pretty much done with Stilh products.

My Stilh works great. Better than the 2 Huskys I have. My larger Husky is very temperamental when it comes to starting. It has a compression release that needs to be used when starting. Between that, getting the choke released quickly and reving the saw a little just right, it dies and won't start The smaller Husky I have I consider dead. Very few hours on it and the clutch smokes horribly. Taking the cover off, it looks like the brake ring even when released is rubbing the clutch. The whole cover and or motor mount in the case appears to be misaligned. Doesn't look like there is any adjustment to fix that.

[GFK]

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.

Is the fuel a 40:1 or 50:1 or both mixture. I used a 40:1/50:1 mixture with my Poulan. And, it can be hard to start at times. A 40:1 mixture seems t o work better.

[clovishound]

It's 50:1. That's what my saw calls for.

[220]

It's 50:1. That's what my saw calls for.

If you read the Stihl fine print they recommend 50:1 but only if using their proprietary branded 2 stroke oil. Any 2 stroke oil other than their own they recommend 25:1, I am sure there are other brands of 2 stroke oil the meet or exceed the properties of Stihls own but even with them Stihl recommend 25:1.
Safe to say you wont damage a saw at 25:1 it may perform a little less than optimum but totally safe.

[clovishound]

After the first tank of TruFuel to see how it ran, I went ahead and added some extra 2 stroke oil to the rest of the can.

Having said that, the current manual says "If not using MotoMix, use only STIHL two-stroke engine oil or equivalent high-
quality two-stroke engine oils that are designed for use in air cooled two-cycle engines." There is no recommendation for 25:1 ratios. I believe the 25:1 recommendation is from older Stihl manuals when 2 stroke oils were not up to the standards they are today.