Aspen@AAOIL

1 hour ago, Stubby said:

So could it be possible that other company's product ( Husqvarna " power " Stihl " motomix " and this other " Murphy " one ) could come from the toppish part of the same refinery as the Aspen fuel ?

Hi Stubby,

Yes that's correct, petroleum alkylate which is the main ingredient in these fuels are all produced in similar ways.

Sourcing the raw alkylate product is the first step but other additives are needed for your machinery to perform at their best. The quality of the 2-stroke oil and the accuracy of the mixing ratio is extremely important as not only does this effect the emissions which the machines produce but also the reliability and service life of the components.

As far as I'm aware, Aspen is the only producer which keeps track of each batch it produces on top of randomly testing the fuel throughout its stages in production to insure that the customer receives the best product. 

Just now, Stubby said:

Does Aspen have its own refinery ?

Hi Stubby, 

Raw components are sourced externally but the all important steps of testing the materials and blending/packaging is done in house to maintain the highest quality control.

On 09/07/2020 at 07:10, Conor Wright said:

Murphy power equipment galway.

I'd hazard a guess it's the very same stuff with a different label. 

 

100% not the same, Aspen is the original alkylate fuel and produces all of its products in house.  It is a common misconception that Aspen produces fuels for other brands but this is not true. 

On 09/07/2020 at 06:51, Ian C said:

 

Why did I think you did? Did you leave for a while and comeback ?

 

Perhaps you are thinking about Eddie who used to work for us and was active on the account for some time?

On 06/07/2020 at 20:45, Ian C said:

Axel left years ago.

I'm Still here

take a look on our website, you can find the bulk pricing here which can be offered by all dealers. 

Any issues, give me a call and i will point you in the right direction/organise with a stockist who can help. 

01929 551557 (ext2) [email protected]

Have you checked that you are getting enough oil onto the chain? a simple test by running the chain above a piece of paper should be enough to signal if you have any problems with the oil feeding system on your machine. Having the oil feed set to max and not getting sufficient lubrication could signal that there is a problem.

We have not had any complaints from any customers in the UK running Aspen bio chain oil in the past

53 minutes ago, Mik the Miller said:

Shouldn't be that hard, Oil (your raw material) is currently around $25 a barrel whereas 2 years ago it was almost 3 times that and 5 years ago 4 times .... basically the price has been dropping since 2008 when it was way over $100.

 

Duty is £0.5795 per litre (which should, IMO, not be applicable).

 

Have you a comparison of your prices from 2010 until today ?

Hi Mik,

We wish it was this simple! whilst the cost of crude plays a part of the cost to produce a can of Aspen fuel there are so many more steps involved before it reaches the end consumer which all add cost. Todays crude price is exceptional but if it stays this low then perhaps we could see a decrease in the future  

Fuel duty is one thing which we hope to be able to eliminate in the future which will help bring down the price considerably, we are constantly working on this but right now given the current climate its not a priority to the UK government. When the time comes, we will once again be asking members of this forum to help us with petitions etc.

11 hours ago, AJStrees said:

Okay thanks. Yeah I have had quotes and looked at the prices online previously. I am guessing its not going to get any cheaper. Once the funds look a little better than present I will see about getting a mixed pallet. 

Good stuff,

in regard to pricing, these have been maintained for approximately 2 years and i'm hoping to be able to keep them as is for the foreseeable future. 

2 hours ago, AJStrees said:

Who buys bulk Aspen, where from and how much and what cost? Just trying to find the best deal on a pallet load it all seems pretty pricey but obviously better to buy in bulk than a few bottles at a time. 

Hi AJStrees,

we have a section on our website dedicated to providing information to business' about buying in Aspen fuel bulk 

Here you can also find the current bulk pricelist.

if you have any questions, feel free to send me a PM or give us a call on the number on our website.

BR
Axel

16 hours ago, NickPC said:

I bought some 4T and mixed Stihl HP red with it as normal pump fuel.

 

Put some in my HT75 pole saw, did not like it one bit..... Ran terrible straight away despite carb tuning, eventually stalled, refused to start and felt low on compression, I tested it to find it was 120psi down from 160 ish. Put standard fuel in and it started, ran normally and the compression recovered.

Tried it in a newly ported 026. Ran and idled ok, started to loose power after maybe six cuts... Killed it, pulled it over and it felt very low on compression..... Yikes. Standard fuel in and it recovered power, felt ok pulling it over and I've just looked into the bore to see it's fine and back to pulling +200 psi!

Bizzarre..... I was interested in it but not that much to risk saws, back to the ethanol fuel. Anyone any ideas? Oil type?

Hi Nick,

Sorry to hear you you have had some issues trying Aspen with your machines

The compression symptoms you are describing don't add up, and i'm sure this has nothing to do with the problems you ware experiencing. if the machines run really bad on Aspen but good on pump fuel, its very likely that the carburetor diaphragms have seen better days and cant cope with the change to using a fuel that doesn't contain any aromatics. 2-stroke carburetors in garden machinery rely on the diaphragms for fuel metering so if this malfunctions, its like having a car with a failing fuel pump.

Understand its an inconvenience when this happens but once fixed, you will be able to enjoy all of the benefits of Aspen fuel going forwards.

As you said, its most likelyt the remains of evaporated fuel/2stroke oil. each batch of petrol from the fuel station contains different chemicals which behave differently when left for long periods of time. perhaps the fuel from your other saws were from the same can?

If it looks like that inside of the tank, you are very lucky that the same thing hasn't happened inside the carburettor blocking the jets.

i'm sure @GardenKit will have seen something similar 

either way, it might be a good idea to pick up a can of Aspen if you plan on using your machinery so infrequently. It definitely wont do that when left in the tank ?

Do you know when you purchased your Aspen chain oil which you are having trouble with?

I'm assuming you are using the old formula which like other bio chain oils will go off eventually and cause sediment build up which can cause blockages in the oil pump.

Our newest formula has been designed to combat this issue so you can use a bio chain oil without these issues ?

23 hours ago, Jack.P said:

Yeah pump stuff smells like a bonfire.i’ve seen I can get 270L for £15.60 for each 5L can.its tempting but don’t really want to buy more than 20 cans a time.

I guess I will also be comparing fuel usage in different saw models .one of the workers said they use 4L a day which seemed alot

Hi Jack,

IMO the best way of working out how much you will spend on Aspen over a period of time is to bulk buy 20 cans to begin with and see how long it lasts. we find that most people we talk to overestimate there usage quite dramatically and end up thinking Aspen is not going to be viable for them when in reality it makes total sense. 

On 30/09/2019 at 20:50, treevolution said:

Just starting to move all saws over to aspen but unfortunately my little 150 does not seem idle, no matter how I tune it but if I put in pump fuel it runs fine again.

 

Could anyone shed some light on the problem.

 

Thanks in advance

Hi Treevolution,

when a problem like this happens, ie when swapping back to pump fuel improves the running of the saw. This normally indicates that one of the non metal components in the fuel system has failed. usually this would be a diaphragm in the carburettor but on some carburettors it could be an oring etc.

once swapped and the machine is running good on aspen, these parts should last much longer as Aspen fuel does not contain any aromatics which attack the rubber components in the fuel system

The Autotune reset procedure will correct the mixture for running on Aspen 2. Search how to do it for your model of saw and this should fix the issue.

On 16/09/2019 at 09:57, Stoke Wood Project said:

On 16/09/2019 at 09:48, Aspen@AAOIL said:

Hi Stoke wood
 
Whilst nothing concrete came about from the meeting, the people i met with did seem much more interested than the people in the same position which i met with 3 years ago. They agree that it is odd that red diesel duty is subsidised but Aspen which has health benefits and should be encouraged does not. Until a brexit outcome is decided, we appear to be in somewhat of a deadlock however as there is a strong reluctance to make any changes in policy until we know the outcome.
 
The fight continues and we certainly wont give up on this!

Read more  

OK. Thanks for the update. Our local MP is Mel Stride, who is/was a treasury minister. He represents a very rural community (mid Devon) so should be receptive to a letter from my good self!

Great idea! the more people we contact, the higher the chances of finding someone who will help us

1 hour ago, Stoke Wood Project said:

On 12/08/2019 at 17:34, Aspen@AAOIL said:

Great to see so many good posts in this thread, i hope it encourages some of the people who are still sitting on the fence to go out and give Aspen a try.
 
Regular petrol really is nasty stuff ️ and the UK Arb/forestry industry hasn't done enough to educate workers about this up to now. Luckily more and more businesses are seeing the benefits and making the switch. 
 
I have a meeting with the treasury at the end of this month with the aim of reducing/removing the road fuel duty on Aspen fuel, there are some great quotes i will likely use from posts within this thread in my presentation! fingers crossed!
 
 
 
 

Read more  

Any news on the meeting at the Treasury?

Hi Stoke wood

Whilst nothing concrete came about from the meeting, the people i met with did seem much more interested than the people in the same position which i met with 3 years ago. They agree that it is odd that red diesel duty is subsidised but Aspen which has health benefits and should be encouraged does not. Until a brexit outcome is decided, we appear to be in somewhat of a deadlock however as there is a strong reluctance to make any changes in policy until we know the outcome.

The fight continues and we certainly wont give up on this!

20 hours ago, deezyboy said:

Used nothing but Aspen now for about three years and love it, I too hiss when a subbie comes near me with a 2 stroke saw as I now notice the fumes far more then before. When my 26 month 560 blew up they said they’d never seen such a cleanly burning saw before. One thing though, I have a husky 538 strimmer (or something) which I have run on aspen since new and I’ve had to have the fuel lines replaced, and now the fuel primer bubble has cracked and split. I can’t explain why as the saws and trimmers love it but the strimmer runs like a stihl (poorly) 

Hi Deezy,

thanks for the great feedback!

about your strimmer, unfortunately there seems to be a huge variance in the quality of rubber used in machinery fuel systems. sometimes this can vary from batch to batch even. if they failed on Aspen, it is highly likely that they would have failed even sooner on regular fuel which is much more aggressive. If it doesn't run right after replacing these bits, i suggest you get it looked at by a dealer as it should run fine on Aspen

BR

Axel

On 23/08/2019 at 22:18, Stere said:

How about  4 stroke alot  more healthy than 2 stroke?

 

From the blurb:

 

Hows does that compare to reduced aspen 2 stroke emissions?

 

 

 

Downside in performance & weight though with 4 stroke....

 

 

 

 

 

4 stroke machines emit much less un-burnt fuel particles in the emission mix so 4-stroke emissions are much cleaner than 2-stroke emissions.

4-stroke emissions can still be improved by using Aspen 4 however.

i'm not sure what the performance is like on those makita machines but there is a reason why 2-stroke engines are so popular in these types of uses.

On 20/08/2019 at 19:16, Dan Maynard said:

I absolutely respect anybody's choice to use Aspen, for me at the moment cost and the thought of stripping all the carbs is putting me off changing. I guess if I seriously thought the pump fuel was going to give me cancer I would change tomorrow, same as I don't smoke, so its an important question. Bacon, toast, pvc are carcinogenic but we tolerate those risks.

What I am trying to do is scratch the surface of the manufacturers claims and see what evidence is there. My dad worked with asbestos as a marine engineer, his lungs aren't great but the guys who were pipe laggers working full time with the stuff died young. Likewise miners lung was terrible, none made old age.

The reason I mentioned smoking is that a good proportion of the working population would have smoked at work so it may be difficult to point at exactly what caused any lung problems which now exist, if the benzene risk is low then it may be masked. Even smoking was argued about a great deal before mainstream acceptance that it was harmful, not sure where we are with benzene.

Ideally perhaps we could check this out in medical journals but just thought we might have enough people on here who are or know old cutters that could share experiences.

Hi Dan,

Don't let the cost of potentially replacing a few components in fuel systems put you off switching to Aspen as the chances are most will be fine anyway and require nothing changing. If any bits need changing after switching to Aspen it is very likely that these parts were about to fail anyway so in reality all you are doing is servicing them a little bit sooner. One of the biggest Arb companies in the UK with 100's of equipment recently switched without any reports of any problems.

Benzene emissions from chainsaws causing cancer is not something which Aspen has come up with, this is scientific fact and is the reason that Aspen as a company exists! There are European rules which aim to reduce workers exposure to carcinogenic substances and this includes benzene in pump fuel. Whilst there may not be people from HSE going round and checking 

This thread has derailed slightly by some anti-aspen members who appear to pick faults at a product which improves the working conditions and lives of so many. Aspen might not be for everyone but there are a lot of people on this forum who seem to want to do their best to stop others from trying it and seeing the benefits first hand.

There was a time when Smoking was seen to be good for your health but this seems crazy now! Most people don't realise how bad the exhaust fumes from a chainsaw are as they get so used to the smell but just like the person who originally started this thread, once they have tried Aspen for some time and then go back to petrol, it is easy to see just how bad it is. 

If you have thought about trying Aspen fuel for any of the benefits it offers, all i can recommend is that you give it a try. By this i don't mean to go out and buy a 5L can if you consume 10L a week in your business, but try it for 3 months and then decide based on your own experiences. Worst case you don't see the benefits it brings to your business but you can always switch back and this way you have given it a go and at worst its cost you a small amount of money. 

Great to see so many good posts in this thread, i hope it encourages some of the people who are still sitting on the fence to go out and give Aspen a try.

Regular petrol really is nasty stuff ☠️? and the UK Arb/forestry industry hasn't done enough to educate workers about this up to now. Luckily more and more businesses are seeing the benefits and making the switch. 

I have a meeting with the treasury at the end of this month with the aim of reducing/removing the road fuel duty on Aspen fuel, there are some great quotes i will likely use from posts within this thread in my presentation! fingers crossed!

On 08/05/2019 at 19:04, jamez654 said:

Hi Axel,

 

Just to confirm that I popped in to Keswick Garden Machinery today and they had both Aspen 2 and 4 in stock.

 

James

Great to here James 

No probs James, if you have any problems in the future please let us know. 

probably worth calling ahead just to be sure

Hi James,

I have just spoken to Ambleside Forest & Garden machinery who tell me they have Aspen in stock. Seems strange you were told that they do not have any. Maybe you could try again but please get in touch if you have any issues.

Husqvarna XP is not Aspen 2 in a re-branded bottle unfortunately and Aspen has never produced fuel for anyone else or has any plans on doing so in the future. 

Any dealer can have fuel sent but the cost of shipping makes it uneconomical unless you are buying 54 cans or more.

BR

Axel

07738642550

Hi Jack,

It is highly unlikely that the blend ratio would vary enough to visually make a noticable difference on the amount of smoke produced between batches of Aspen 2. The way that the oil is blended into the fuel ensures that the mix ratio stays super consistent, much much better than you or i could achieve when mixing using traditional methods.

Possible thoughts:

1) Has the machine been used on regular fuel since the last time it was run on Aspen? i ask this because Aspen can have a cleaning effect where it gets rid of the carbon build up from previous fuel/oil mixtures in the exhaust.

2) Has anything been changed on the machine since it was last used? if it runs fine apart from the smoke it is unlikely to have any issues.

3) perhaps the temperature was much colder when the machine was used this time which can make it look like it was making more smoke? consider how you can see your breath on a cold day.

Axel@aaoil