Aspen 40:1 mix

[gary112]

18 minutes ago, Will C said:

I remember my dad just tipping a “sploge” of super universal tractor oil in a can of petrol when I was a kid. I asked how he knows how much was needed the answer was “just a sploge” the 2stroke lawn boy mower and homelight saw he had lasted for years.

Things have Changed in the last 35 ish years but have we really come on and moved forward? Now having to carefully measure 2 stroke oil and worrying about getting it right doesn’t really sound like progress ? 

 

that said you could smell the saw going nearly as far away as you could hear it ?

I,m pretty sure my dad used GTX as his mixing oil,your right things have changed a hell of a lot,and as you say stuff seemed to last for years

[Paddy1000111]

I guess that's where modern competition comes in. You used to have a 130cc engine that weighed about 25kg and could put out about 5hp. It was slow running, large tolerances and wasn't really "pushed" doing the work. Now we have 120cc saws that weigh 10kg and put out nearly 9hp. They have super high revving engines, really tight manufacturing tolerances and because of the emissions regulations they have to be super picky on fuel not just to meet regs but to be more efficient than the competition as numbers on paper sells saws now, not the name. No longer does a company have loyalty to a company or product but rather a purchasing department takes over and buys what's best on paper (and what company supplies the best doughnuts during a demo)

[peatff]

We used to use JLO 2 stroke mowers that would run on just about anything you put in them as long as it was oil and petrol and they started no trouble and just kept going. They beat Flymo hands down. I run a couple of saws that say 25:1 on Aspen 2 and they are working fine with it so why add any more ?

[Paddy1000111]

8 minutes ago, peatff said:

We used to use JLO 2 stroke mowers that would run on just about anything you put in them as long as it was oil and petrol and they started no trouble and just kept going. They beat Flymo hands down. I run a couple of saws that say 25:1 on Aspen 2 and they are working fine with it so why add any more ?

The reason the older saws ran on 25:1 and 32:1 is because the tolerances weren't great and neither was the oil. Modern fully synth oil will provide far more lubrication than any of the older stuff. Why run more oil? Why not? The only reason we are pushed to run less and less oil isn't so much because oil has come on a long way or its super protective but more because the saws need to meet emissions regulations, to do that and to reach the specs on paper and be "compliant"  you must run the saws on a 50:1 oil mix. A lot of guys run ported saws, modded mufflers, they remove spark arrestor screens or gut the muffler if it has a cat. Why wouldn't you run more oil? Especially as the new stuff is clean burning, doesn't wax up etc It only has positive effects on the engine unless you take it too far. There's only negatives from running less and less oil.

 

Modern cars can go 20,000 miles/2 years between services with new oils. They did this to make ownership look nicer and to reduce carbon footprint and be "green". It doesn't mean I wouldn't change the oil at 10,000 every year like I've always done. I bet if you compared 2 engines, 1 serviced every 10k, one serviced every 20k like the manufacturer states there would be stark differences. Bit like saws, take two saws put them on a test bench and load them up. Use the same fuel and oil, feed one 50:1, feed the other 40:1 and leave them both running flat out until one pops, I guarantee it will be the 50:1 saw. For the sake of 5L of fuel using £2.40 of oil instead of £2 of oil it makes me happier and from what I have seen from my saw during services and teardowns, my saw is happier too. 

[difflock]

Paddy, while accepting your impeccable logic that cleaner/low ash oils allow for running at lower mix ratios, without fouling the plug etc., I simply know that the 2 blokes who looked after the Cemetery were very particular about mixing their red 2stroke at 50:1 to run in the 2S Suzuki engined lawn mowers, which ran 5 days a week, for a solid working day(these 2 blokes were honest and hard-working and genuinely worked the hours they were paid for) for years and years and years. Like when 2s engines were discontinued they preferred to hold onto their old mowers way past when they should have been replaced.

Without ever missing a beat.

So that and my own limited experience in running an 026 from 1997 until present, at 50:1 on red Stihl 2s, without issue(admittedly little more than heavy hobby use) tells me there is no reason to overoil.

[peatff]

8 hours ago, Paddy1000111 said:

take two saws put them on a test bench and load them up. Use the same fuel and oil, feed one 50:1, feed the other 40:1 and leave them both running flat out until one pops, I guarantee it will be the 50:1 saw.

 

I'd dispute this until I saw it with my own eyes, all I've found with over oiling is they make more smoke. You keep doing what you are doing and I'll stick with mine. ? Ask the pros on here if they spend more than they need to, someone who has actually worn a saw out not us weekend warriors.

[Stubby]

I would dispute it as well . My guess , and it is only a guess ( not a guarantee ? )  would be that if you did conduct the experiment neither would go pop but the 40 : 1 saw would gradually lose power  as its plug slowly fouled up .

[ESS]

 When i started back in the 70s everything was run off 2* fuel. We used to mix with engine oil and no problems.

From memory i think things changed with the introduction of unleaded fuels .

[bmp01]

I wonder what Stihl, Husky think the safety margin is on running 50:1.... I'll punt at 100:1 on their synthetic oil ?

 

And I bet they do some sort of durability sign off at say 75:1

 

 

 

 

 

 

[peatff]

33 minutes ago, ESS said:

 When i started back in the 70s everything was run off 2* fuel. We used to mix with engine oil and no problems.

From memory i think things changed with the introduction of unleaded fuels .

 

I worked on a council gardening team and we used to mix with straight 30 grade and give it a good shake before you top up.

Edited November 22, 2020 by peatff
spelt gud rong