Rear tires with more traction

[Auto Doc's]

I run nothing but 87 octane 10% ethanol, and never have fuel related problems. One of the most over hyped controversies is ethanol in fuel for small engines.

Hello TSE.,

I think the over hyped controversies come from people who were raised to neglect their equipment and blame it on the machine rather than the person honestly admitting their stupidity/laziness. (It ran fine when I parked it)

With newer plastic body carburetors, I can say ethanol blend fuel is not too much of a problem unless water has collected in it, and even then, they are easier to clean in just a few minutes.

I have pulled apart very many old aluminum body carburetors that have sit for a couple of years. There are some that I have opened up that literally had nothing but metal bowl rust and white aluminum powder inside the bowl and I have boxes of those old junk ones that I keep around for small parts and screws, but they will never be put on a running machine again.

I also use E-10 (mid-grade) fuel, but I also add stabilizer and usually run my equipment empty at the end of the cutting season.

What gasoline I drain or pump out, I pour in the tank of one of my cars. (Why let it just sit for months?)

 

[Forest#2]

In the past 30 years we have become a nation that overproduces fuel related crops (dry corn and sugar beets) more for ethanol production than regular food for human consumption. Soybean crops have also become popular in recent years to produce bio diesel to mix with regular diesel.

Both of these industries for profit approaches have been destructive to both the environment and the longevity of equipment that relies on these fuels.

Ethanol blend gasoline is hygroscopic, so it collects moisture out of the air and forms water droplets that sits in the bottom of fuel tanks and fuel bowls when left sitting for long periods. In the short term it will stay suspended in gasoline and burn without issue. It is the sitting for long periods that causes it to degrade, especially in hot climates. Moisture and aluminum carburetor housings do not play well together.

The best solution is to drain all the gasoline from your equipment and put it in your vehicles to use instead of letting it go bad from sitting for long periods.

With bio diesel the problem comes with gelling and loss of lubrication properties that are natural in diesel fuel. Older mechanical injection pumps require a heavy dose a lubricity additive to keep it operational. (I know this the hard way after 2 injection pumps locked up within a year on my old backhoe)

Go buy a EV and have a charging station installed at your house. (when the warranty expires see if you can see the light at the end of the tunnel)

 

[Auto Doc's]

Hello F.,

I could care less about owning an EV. At the very least I might tolerate a Ford hybrid just because I have worked on a couple of them and they are pretty reliable for the most part.

What many people don't realize is that electric vehicles were even developed back in the 1800s but people preferred combustion engine vehicles more.

 

[Skippydiesel]

What many people don't realize is that electric vehicles were even developed back in the 1800s but people preferred combustion engine vehicles more.

Yes electric vehicles have been with us for a very long time.
Not sure I agree with "...people preferred combustion engine vehicles more" There has always been a large section of the community who are only intersted in the vehicles ability to carry them from A-B - What motivates it is of no interest at all.
Range & charging station has always been a concern.
At least one large (influential) car maker made a point of apposing electric vehicles, to maintain their investments in IC engines.