Snowblower OCI

[chefwong]

If this was a leaf blower or something I would be cycling more often than not, I don't have a issue with doped fuel. But the reality is, it will sit dormant from mid-late Feb through Early-Mid January of the following year.

I've got some Jerry Cans I pretty rotate the fuel out every 6 months non treated. However, these cans seal so well....that it might actually bulge out the can than breate.

 

[dave123]

Originally Posted By: beanoil
Interesting info. I just bought a Honda snowblower in preparation for the upcoming winter. The manual says to use 5w30. I filled it with MaxLife, and ordered up some VP small engine fuel. No ethanol, long storage life, should be good, even if it is way more octane than I need. I guess we will see come colder weather. Anything, and I mean ANYTHING has to be better than me shoveling.

I have used VPracing ope fuel exclusively since day one in my 13hp simplicity blower nothing beats waking up at 4am to blow snow before work and the smell of race fuel just makes it that more enjoyable. I do purchase it locally from a VP dealer by the 5gallon pail.

 

[beanoil]

Yes the VP fuel was expensive, the snowblower was also. I want it to last a very long time, and I believe no ethanol fuel will help that out. There are options on fuel out there, you do have to know a little about fuels, and do some digging. Sunoco Optima is very close to the VP specs, comes in 5 gal jugs, and is good for 3 years in a sealed container. It's less expensive, at around 10.00 a gallon. I ran a lot of both VP and Sunoco race fuels when my boy raced MX. The Sunoco had comparable performance always for about half the price. Ran a boatload of Sun M02X in the 2 stroke, and M02X leaded in the 4 stroke to help the KibbleWhite valves from destroying themselves.

 

[dave123]

Originally Posted By: beanoil
Yes the VP fuel was expensive, the snowblower was also. I want it to last a very long time, and I believe no ethanol fuel will help that out. There are options on fuel out there, you do have to know a little about fuels, and do some digging. Sunoco Optima is very close to the VP specs, comes in 5 gal jugs, and is good for 3 years in a sealed container. It's less expensive, at around 10.00 a gallon. I ran a lot of both VP and Sunoco race fuels when my boy raced MX. The Sunoco had comparable performance always for about half the price. Ran a boatload of Sun M02X in the 2 stroke, and M02X leaded in the 4 stroke to help the KibbleWhite valves from destroying themselves.

Good info on the Sunoco currently pain 63 dollars out the door for a 5gallon pail for the VP noticed Optima has a slightly higher RVP maybe making it a slightly better winter fuel.

 

[beanoil]

dave123, Don't overlook VP C9 as another option. It's close enough and is 56.00 for a 5 gallon can.

 

[1foxracing]

Originally Posted By: beanoil
It's less expensive, at around 10.00 a gallon.


If you have a local airport close by you might want to try LL100 AV Gas. I got some a couple weeks ago for less then $5.00 a gallon. At my local airport it's a simple matter of walking on the tarmac with your gas can and using a credit card to pay.

 

[nitehawk55]

I change mine every 3-5 years or as soon as it looks like it might be getting contaminated . If it's clear and clean no worries and I use a 5W30 or 0W30 synthetic .

I run 2 cycle mix in it as well from my chainsaw which is a 40:1 Amsoil Saber mix in non ethanol 91 Shell V power and I start and run it to temp 2-3 times during the summer . The 2 cycle mix burns clean BTW and gives the uppers a bit extra lube .

I have no concerns of leaving oil in it multiple years unless the look of the oil tells me different . It's a 10.5 Tecumseh Snow King over 10 years old and doing just fine .

 

[FastLane]

I change mine once a year. Some years it runs lots. Mobil 1 5w30 works well. I run mine in the off season.

 

[Rand]

I change mine once a year ususally after I run it the first time..
to get the oil stirred up and all the junk into suspension again.

I dont start in the offseason. I store either with a small amount of the canned gas or a full tank with double dose of blue stabil.
if they dont have a fuel shutoff.

The 2 cycle I store dry it has a fuel shutoff switch.

All the 2-cycle Yard OPE gets run on canned 40:1 then stored for the winter.

 

[jeepman3071]

I change the oil once a year. Oil level is most important in these machines. Let the oil run low on a Tecumseh Snow King and you will blow a connecting rod.

 

[racer12306]

Since we've jumped into fuel as well...

I just picked up an Ariens Deluxe 28SHO for the new driveway this winter. Very much looking forward to not shoveling the snow.

I think my main concern lies with Eastern MD winters where there is always a potential we will get zero snow, or it could be like the last couple years and we'll get socked with 10-20" a couple times with some 3-4" snowfalls in between.

The Ariens dealer filled the tank with Trufuel 4 stroke so it's good for this tank and/or this winter if for some reason we get zero snow. I'm looking at local options and I can easily get Sunoco Optima for about $13/gal after tax, 100LL from a local airport for $4.75/gallon and of course the normal 87/89/91/93 with marine Stabil. Doesn't look like VP is readily accessible, but for the cost, I'd prefer the Sunoco anyways. There are no 0% ethanol stations local to me, except the place I can get the Optima, according to pure-gas.org

Then the next question, if you were to get the Optima or the Avgas, would you dump marine Stabil in too? Any of either fuel that is left over can be dumped in my mower in the spring so it wouldn't ever sit for more than 5-6 months.

Certainly quite a price jump from normal pump gas to the Optima, but given the infrequency, if it's worth it to keep this snowblower around for a while, I'll invest. Given I just spent $1300 on it, I'd very much like to see it live a very, very long life.

 

[Whimsey]

I just use FRESH 87 octane fuel for my OPE's. During the season if you don't get frequent storms then just run the snow blower for 15 minutes to circulate the fuel every few weeks. Then at the end of the season follow Arein's instruction for long term storage. My manufacture said to run it till it stalled, that's what I did. We'll find if that works shortly. My generator has been fuel "wet" since new for 3 years. I just run it every 3 or so months under load to keep the carb clean and generator operating. I have not used Stabil in the fuel. I treat all my fuel with Lube Control FP 60. It seems beneficial for my various usages.

Whimsey

 

[bmwpowere36m3]

I think the ethanol fuel hype is just that... hype. I've never had issues with fuel (containing 5-15% ethanol) in anything. I'd be more inclined to believe people get a bad batch of fuel from the get go. I always go to stations with high turn-over rates, so you know the fuel is always fresh.

We had a Coleman (I think) generator that sat for years and years with no special treatment and it fired up after a few pulls. Granted we cleaned the carb and tank at some point, but the generator is from the 80's and I doubt its been really serviced, besides oil changes.

You won't ruin your equipment, worst case the carb will need cleaning (not a big deal).