do you use unleaded 87 or unleaded 10% eth.

Ive had an ongoing debait with some fellas in my circle on Gas we should use in our lawn tractors, tractors, mowers etc. I use unleaded in all my small engine mowers and my 67 J.D. tractor. THe arguement is that does the 10% eth run as good as the 87 unleaded. and is 10% eth bad for the motors.

Thanks

I've used E10 since it has been available and no noticeable harm to any of my engines. An added bonus is that it is 0.15 cents cheaper than unleaded. Some of the cities nearby must only use oxygenated fuel for pollution control, so only E10 is available.

About 8 years ago I switched to the non-ethanol gas for my small engines, the carbs/and plastic cracking/frosting on a JD400 mower and a kohler engine on a wood chipper. Have not had any problems starting equipment after storage or any other time of year. I also started using Sea foam which also helped.
(also switched to non-ethanol on the cars about 6 months ago - better mileage per dollar of fuel - cost $1.50 more to fill the car but get 50 more miles per tank)

Just a point...it is all unleaded. There has been no lead for years.

Used to use 89 octane (10% ethanol) in my small engines. Then I had carb parts melt, so now have gone to no ethanol in all of them. Just bought a Honda generator (stymulus check) and they guarantee their fuel system will work with up to 10% ethanol. Greg

E-10 in everything ever since it became available. Cars, trucks, lawnmowers, chainsaws, weedeaters, and old Farmalls. Never a problem.

I think all the gas around me is 10% ethanol added. Don't seem to have much problems on things that run all the time. I know my pick-up loved it !
I'm wondering how much water these stations are adding to their tanks ? I heard tales from back in the 70's that they would check it with some chemical on a stick and then add water if it wasn't alot.

all our gas is 10% some is 20%

I have run E10 since it's been available, so has my father-in-law. No fuel related problems whatsoever.

It depends. I have an '85 Chevy pickup that doesn't like E10. If the outside air temperature is over 70 degrees, and if you drive it awhile and shut it off, then try to restart it after about 15 minutes, I can give you a written guarantee it will vapor lock.

If the temp is around 90, it will act up while you're driving.

I'm pretty sure all the gas in Wisconsin is atleast 10% ethanol. I run E20 in my car (95 Olds Acheiva) and it actually picks up 2 MPG. I've tried it over and over again switching form regular to E20 and the results are consistant.

Donovan from Wisconsin

If you measure the ethanol content and if it is only 10%, you should be ok. We recommend to use non-ethonal gas in lawn mowers because, most is not E10, it is usually E15-E20, even long term use of E10 will damage small engines, though, alchohol is a solvent, the solvent will take the oil out of the rubber and plastic parts, make them brittle and break.

There has NOT been any NON ethenal gas of any octain avaible here for years and E85 has not yet became avaible

Bought a new Ford Focus and have really been watching the milage. My wife has a Ford Five Hundred. Both vehicles get better mileage on non ethanol gas. Been buying BP or Shell when we can. Seems to get the best mileage on those two. Have gotten as much as 2.5 MPG more on non ethanol. I also have burned 10% for years, but now I won"t because of mileage difference.

Now to p!!!sss off the farmers, If ethanol is so good, let it stand on it"s own merits without goverment subsidies.

I used to burn 10% all the time to support agriculture, but have changed my mind about it"s validity as an alternative fuel.

I use E85 in my flex fuel Taurus. My mileage goes off about 4 mpg compared with regular unleaded. But around here E85 is $1.00 per gallon cheaper than unleaded. So to me it's worth it. From a performance standpoint you can't tell the difference. And it's helping my fellow farmer.

Like big oil is not subsidized. To the tune of about 50 billion per year.

I"ve used 10% for years and have never had a problem. I use it in the winter in snow blower and have never had it free gas line since. Blower is sixteen years old and never had a tuneup other then a few new plugs.
A few years ago a friend of mine did a little test with his anti-ethanol son.He took it and filled with plain unleaded and told son it was 10%. Son complained to no end that car was running rough and no mileage until his Dad showed him receipt for reg. unleaded. Proves most problems don"t exactly happen--lot of times it in what you want to believe.

I've been using gasohol when and/or where I could get it since 1983. That included, If memory hasn't failed, six vehicles, various mowers and a chainsaw and a string trimmer. The old case hasn't been run enough (Maybe a 100 hrs.) to tell any thing except he wanders a lot at high speed. I can't detect a measurable difference in mileage and I've had no fuel system trouble.

You will be hard pressed to find gasoline that does not have some level of ethanol, as MTBE has been phased out. Unleaded premium in some states has a low ethanol level, but that is not consistent from state-to-state. It's best not to worry too much about such things.

I'm working on a solar powered mower. Well, I'm thinking on working on a solar powered mower. Well really, I wasn't thinking about a solar powered mower until now, but it probably won't go further than that.

Premium grade in everything because of the AC-B and I'm not going to mark cans 87, 89, or 92 octane. I hate the expense, but figure the better burn's an offset in cost. The Echo chainsaw needs 89 octane, but my Stihls, Homelite, and Lombard can use 87, but besides the B, both Harleys need premium. I'd go nuts marking cans.

Mark

As soon as oil & other industrial subsidies are also dropped, I'll put my signature right next to yours on dropping the ethanol subsidy.

It has been reduced 10% in the new farm bill you know?

Most new technologies & industries are heavily subsidied by any govt to get them started. Some day biomass or algea or some similar will be making us fuel in combination with corn starch and the whole process will be much more efficient & productive, and govt subsidies will diminish. But without the subsidies, how do we get there from here?

We need fuel, we have surplus corn. No one is going to plant switch grass & sit on the crop for 5-10 years waiting for that process to start working.... No one is going to build a biomass plant & sit on it waiting for 1000's of acres of switchgrass to be planted & established. The chicken & the egg.

So we start by using what is available & improve & tinker and develop better ideas.

Oil companies of the 1920's got _much_ sweeter deals from the govt to develop & bring on the oil business.

Ethanol is ok to get a tiny push in the rear from the govt to try to compete????

Minnesota has had 10% ethanol for many many years now. We've had 2% biodiesel for almost 2 years. Both of those are being ramped up to 20% and 5%, as markets allow.

University studies have shown the 'sweet spot' for many vehicles is 20% ethanol - they are more efficient, dollar wise, at around 20%.

We are taking baby steps yet to develop different, workable alternative energy sources. I don't think we should turn our back on what is out there & what looks like will work. We need to keep working with it & improve it. We do not have _the_ answer yet, but we are a lot colser than if we just shrug our shoulders and say we shouldn't spend anything on it & shouldn't try anything.....

--->Paul