It's time to wake up - and switch to Aspen Fuel

[Stubby]

Seriously? Replace crank seals and hoses to use a fuel many times more expensive.

 

Never had any problem with any of my saws re. Fuel.

 

Empty the tank and run them dry if you're not using them for a while. Problem solved.

 

Yep . Not joking I really did do it . Only to my 395 as it has stood for a long time with pump fuel . All the other saws , 346 , 372 , 390 (all spud ported ) I just changed all the hoses , carb diaphragms and intake rubbers . 560 and 540 I left them as they were as they had not seen that much pump fuel . Belt and braces precautions I know but hey .

[Stubby]

Seriously? Replace crank seals and hoses to use a fuel many times more expensive.

 

Never had any problem with any of my saws re. Fuel.

 

Empty the tank and run them dry if you're not using them for a while. Problem solved.

 

If you " Never had any problem with any of my saws re. Fuel " why did you have to solve a problem ?

[Mick Dempsey]

If you " Never had any problem with any of my saws re. Fuel " why did you have to solve a problem ?

 

Ok problem avoided. For free!

[Haironyourchest]

Ok, so lets try to clear this up.

 

There is some truth in the stories that fuel hoses can cause problems when pump petrol ceases to be used. This does not happen all the time or on all the saws.

 

This problem is not caused by the Aspen, but by the preceding pump petrol and the fuel pipes were certain to cause problems anyway, after all, we all know that fuel hoses fail even on saws always used on petrol.

 

Simply put, the solvents in pump petrol soak deep into the rubber and leach out the additives built into the rubber which are designed to keep it supple and crack free. But the solvents also soften the rubber and keep it supple, whilst slowly dissolving it. Failure is inevitable at some point when using pump petrol.

 

Different qualities of rubber degrade at different rates, for instance the green Stihl hoses last much longer than the old black ones.

 

Remove the petrol and the rubber dries out and starts to shrink and crack. The severity depends on how long the hoses have been exposed to petrol.

 

Put petrol back in and they leak.

 

The same occurs if we add a fuel such as Aspen which contains no solvents. The pipes can sometimes shrink, crack and leak. But yet again the severity depends on the previous petrol exposure and quality of hoses.

 

So, as has been said, there may be no issues at all. There may be very slight leakage or even severe failure.

 

Replacement of hoses will ensure there is no problem and new hoses will never degrade when used with Aspen.

 

Right ok, that makes sense but if one were to start the aspen/pump fuel rotation on a brand new saw, then the tubes would only be exposed to pump fuel for a fraction of the time - Im assuming an occasional use big saw here - and most of the time sitting idle full of aspen. Therefore, the tubes will never have enough time exposure to the pump fuel to be affected by the solvents. Theoretically, the tubes should last forever. So my idea makes sense in a new machine, no?

[Old Mill Tree Care]

Fair enough, but were they old tools or the latest models?

 

 

They were less than two years old at the times of problems so I had the good sense to switch to Aspen many years ago.

[Rob D]

After 10 years I'm still using Aspen 2T. Just so much easier and healthier espcially for milling.

 

 

Worked out for a 12ft by 3.5ft plank 2.5" thick it costs an additional £1.50 to mill it using Aspen over regular...

 

 

Def a marmite product ain't it!

[Mick Dempsey]

If I did milling or day upon day of hedge cutting I would probably consider it.

[oldwoodcutter]

I've often noticed that it's when hedge cutting or tree topping on a still day or cutting in a confined space like beside high hedges that the fumes would be very noticeable with the old pump petrol, occasionally gagging , so you have to stop and have a breather.

With aspen you still can feel the hot gases around your head , but you're not poisoning yourself doing it.

[Rob D]

I've often noticed that it's when hedge cutting or tree topping on a still day or cutting in a confined space like beside high hedges that the fumes would be very noticeable with the old pump petrol, occasionally gagging , so you have to stop and have a breather.

With aspen you still can feel the hot gases around your head , but you're not poisoning yourself doing it.

 

 

Or at least not poisoning yourself as much anyway

[SteveA]

I've often noticed that it's when hedge cutting or tree topping on a still day or cutting in a confined space like beside high hedges that the fumes would be very noticeable with the old pump petrol, occasionally gagging , so you have to stop and have a breather.

With aspen you still can feel the hot gases around your head , but you're not poisoning yourself doing it.

 

That's what I was finding too. It's the difference between ending the day with a headache and burning sensation in the back of the throat.

 

Fortunately most Arb jobs we do aren't in such confined spaces and there's a fair amount of wind *parp* in far West Wales.

 

However I will be doing a fair amount of Alaskan *Chilaskan* milling sometime soonish so I may need to switch back to Aspen for that???

 

How much will an 880 running on Aspen cutting 32" diameter oak empty my piggy bank??

 

cheers, steve