Hey Goran a little bit of a disaster here for me. Of the once FOUR different places I had been able to walk in and buy Aspen fuels the last one dropped out for a Kawasaki canned brand. I do not have enough Aspen 4 left to put to winter bed all of my four-stoke engines. And I will use up the last of my Aspen 2 this year on the 2-strokes. I can maybe only buy now in lots of 12 through an E-bay seller.
One not considered very important factor is the smell; and aromatics sensitivity to operator of brands of canned engineered fuels and especially to storage extender additives for pump gasolines. My body hates the exhaust fumes from Sta-Bil.
The Aspens exhausts are fine with me; and others around me. Here is a now an older video that does address the power, deposits, and wear of four canned fuels. AND the operators breathing smell preferences in the end evaluations. Aspen was not tested:
I hope DavidP watches this one to see a real guy (a bit slack on safety equipment!) working speed cutting for winters firewood. Only a good gas saw can do this kind of get-it-done kind of working.
Truck ran out of gas on the steep hill coming back from the garden today. Gas gauge said quarter of a tank. It’s pants were on fire. Haven’t stocked up yet with prices the way they are so all I have is gas I bought last October. E-10 with ethanol shield and stabil for preservatives. I was a little leery of it but it fired right up in the truck. I don’t use treated E-10 in my tools or generators but non-ethanol here is almost two dollars a gallon more.
I think gas prices will start coming down this week. I heard the refinery in chicago was back online yesterday which is 264k/barrels a day and had been down for 2 weeks. The one in indiana 440k/barrels was back online after a week maintenance on the 22nd.
yeah. im waiting on lawn and other errands. It will be alright. I believe it will be over after the election, we are caught in the midst of global banking and other global billionaires trying to push their might around. Hard to see being a grunt on the ground.
Hi SteveU, sorry late answer. I wish i could help out more, but im only have experience with aspen fuel, and some box store brands sold around here, wich i believe is made from the same alcylate fuel supplier, only mixed in oil difference.
As for the four-strokes i started winter prepare with aspen2 on them too, because i mostly have that available, and i haven’t noticed any trouble, a little oil can’t do any harm i think?
As for the smell you are “spot on”, much less from alcylate fuel. In my experience, working hard with a chainsaw, pump fuel and standard 2stroke oil, a hot day,=headache at the evening. I never got it when working with alcylate fuel, and many others agree. That is in my opinion worth the extra cost (and i am a cheapskate), and absolutely worth it when it comes to cleaning carbs, and replace diaphragms.
This is ofcourse from a Swedish perspective, our pump gas is terrible, and not just because of the ethanol mix-in, our gas “rots” as soon air come in contact with it (carburators), not as much a problem with fuel-injected engines.
Our oil companies only takes responsibillity for fuel, proper stored, max 1 month after purchase, and not for older vehicles (carburetted).
If i find out some more about alcylate fuel suppliers, possibly “international”, i will post it here.
And by the way: i started one of my “collection chainsaws” the other day, started on second pull and ran good. Had been standing, with aspen fuel, for 6 years.. not so bad.
I lent a saw to some people; the borrowers used Aspen fuel, and I got what was left in the container. The saw ran very poorly—I had a lot of trouble getting it to work—and I didn’t like the smell of the exhaust either; I haven’t used Aspen since then.
I wonder if the Aspen cleaned out deposits that then got stuck in the carburetor?
Aspen fuel loosen up some stuff, and carb diaphragms that has been running in pump gas long time may became “to soft”.
Also it is very important when shifting fuel (chainsaws) to run it to operating temperature and re-set the fuel jet screws, for best performance.
If not it is a risk it’s running lean, and seize.
This is something that happened a lot when alcylate fuels was introduced, and gave aspen and like a undeservedly bad reputation, that still is around.
When someone asks me to fix their saw, my first question is what fuel they use, often the answer is: not the bad, expensive fake fuel that ruin saws and is sold in ready mix cans. Then they have to find someone else to fix their saw…
Sorry to say: pump gas has really became bad nowadays, sometimes it works, and runs and runs, sometimes it’s eating fuel lines, corrodes carbs, collects enormous amounts of water, stiffens diaphragms and so on…
Some of this may be a case of contamination in tank trucks delivering fuel, small amounts of diesel fuel, with RME traces, mixed with gasoline may corrode even brass..
They sell it but it is expensive. it is mainly iso-octane which is made by
Isobutane + Butene ->Acid Catalyst → Isobutane
Some companies replaced the acid catalyst with a fixed bed catalyst.
regular gas only contains 10-15% isobutane and how-stuff works is claiming stuff overlaps too closely to distill out. (which isn’t a great idea don’t get me wrong since it is stuff like benzene), but then gave 3 example that were over 10C apart.. Which makes it sound -possible- but it is still a don’t try this at home. if it was that easy, the akylate fuel would be cheaper.
I mean if I were to try to run the saws on acrylate, it seems to be a bit healthier anyway, how should I avoid having problems when I start with the aspen?
they make a pre-mixed 2-cycle engine fuel. it is 92 octane, I wouldn’t think there would be many issues. Is that not working for you? Or are you just curious?
Hi Jan, best, or safest way to change fuel would be: lift cylinder and clean out carbon deposits (from piston top and inside cylinder)
Clean exhaust port and muffler.
Replace crank seals and carburetor diaphragms.
Basic set hi/lo jets, “run-in” saw, and when hot tune carb, hi jet under load.
This is how “professionals” do it, and i forgot: clean out “gunk” from fuel tank, and replace fuel filter and lines.
Basically a big service.
How i often do it: replace diaphragms, re-set carb, run it gently for some time, check carb settings from time to time, be sure it don’t run lean. (Lean running with alcylate fuel will loosen up carbon deposits, if one is lucky, they blow out the exhaust way, more often they mess up cylinder wall and piston rings)
Hey! Good news for me. I found a logging supply outfit that had dragged out their old stock of Aspen selling for their original cost. Only $4.50 USD a quart (.946 mL). Only $45.00 USD for a case of 12 = 3 US gallons. Be about $16.00 USD a gallon by the time I oil mix it. Cheap, cheap for any canned engineered engine fuel. So I’ll have enough for about three years. Shame, there was no Aspen2; the best value as the same priced here as the Aspen4. So you then get the mix oil for free.
So I’ll have to oil mix myself. Now why did I not keep any of those Aspen2 red “Value-size” 1.3 gallon jugs!?
Since I am not actually hours and hours; tanks after tank working with the Aspen I cannot vouch for fuel changing over problems. I’ve had no problems switching back and forth for 3-4 years now. I can vouch for long term sealed can; then use, storage. The only one of the previous Aspen4’s marked says packaged 4/10/2020. I had not problems using it up this Spring.
This new stuff not quite as old . . . marked 7/8/2020. Already maybe 6 years old. It will be ~9 years by the time I use up the last of it. I have no fears.
All. These white plastic containers are #1 PET. The blue are #2 PE-HD. It appears on-line for sale into the US the new stocks will now be in metal containers. Metal will certainly have recycling possibility. Plastics having contained chemicals and oils are land-fill buried.
Aspen is on the California P65 advisory label is listed as having “chemicals including benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and n-hexane”.
The exclusion of the aromatics like benzene, etc. are what make it stable. However, there could possibly be trace amounts. Or possibly if they don’t label it someone in Cali would think it was safe to eat.
If I was a manufacturer I would put the prop65 label on everything. No sense in risking a huge fine or lawsuit over 2 seconds worth of work to the package printing.
Yes that is correct. Please do bear in mind that I am only one person in a completely different situation than yours. Washington State special (more Expensive!!) “Cleaner Burning” blended gasoline. Using either Amsoil Saber or Echo Red Armor oil in it. Never ever again using Stihl carboning up Ultra NOT BETTER mix oil!
This forestry brush hog gets much harder ran than my chainsaws. With 10X the hours of usage annually. I clear a full acre area of grass weeds and small brush in about 3-4 hours on fence lines ditches, and trails. Two tanks of fuel. Using a solid metal spool head strung up with two lengths of .170 and .130 line for four cutting tips. The machine is 10 years old now. Running strong once I threw away the Ultra oil it was sold with and cut off the carboned clogged spark arrester. Using Aspen now the last 3-4 years has not “cleaned” clogging with any old carbon. No problems with the carburetor, lines or primer bulb.
Here is a guy I like to watch for his work-learned useing tools and working techniques. Pay attention to his evolved use of a medium sized saw using a long narrow nose bar:
He reminds me much of an independent family logger we used much, 2005-2022 for hazards trees falling. Then small plots harvest logging. Tall. Very lean. But strong with stamina. His two boys, became men and went into logging too. Shorter, smaller, after their Mother. But still with the developed strength and stamina. Thinking loggers have to be big and burly is wrong, wrong. Big, big is hard to maintain. Saw or body.
I feel a little to much as an “advocate” for alcylate fuels, don’t get me wrong.
Im not payed from the alcylate fuel companies
It’s just that i hate how pump gas has become in quality…
Here comes a example, that showed up today, i needed to pick some parts from some spare engines for a friend.
Please don’t take this as one of the silly television commercials (which it reminds of.)
Honda engine, has been standing outdoors (on engine) for 8-12 month’s since last running.
This is what Swedish pump gas can do. (This was cleaned when i got the engine)
Fellas, what should I do to my old JLO two stroke single to make it burn this junkyard gas? I suppose adding a couple of head gaskets would help.
I always heard these, and the Rockwells, Sachs, and the Rotax engines were long stroke low rpm engines. Nothing like the Suzuki/Artic Cat engines of the 1990s.
Maybe a 437 Johnson could handle it? Sachs 303? I dunno.
I know I should find a late sixties Artic Cat with a four-stroke Kohler
Before you do engine modifications BruceJ. try playing around with couple of different brands of spark plugs. The two I’ve been switching over to are Denso Iridium by recommendation on my four stroke generators. And even used, believe it or not, E3’s, #E3.12 in my Stihl 2-strokes. Not a problem loaded running with either. Both seem to help with cold and hot starting. Just hard to find to purchase.
Bosch for the Stihl’s haven’t said Germany for a long time. First Brazil. Now always say China. Stihl dealers supply NGK’s made in Japan.
The old, old now woodsplitter with the cast iron cylinder Briggs and Stratton is my eats bad gasoline machine. Now how the hell did that Champion get in it?! I must have been desperate. I’m off tomorrow for an E3, #E3.20 I hope.
