GardenKit

Dealers would never buy any less than a pallet, and they (just like you) would pay no carriage on that quantity, (except for highlands and islands) And all dealers, no matter what their turnover, all buy at the same price from AAoil. So its a level playing field. But some dealers are not happy with the relatively low profit margin, so mark up the price. They are perfectly within their rights to do this. I sell at the RRP and accept the profit margin for what it is.

Maybe let us know what make of trimmer, and which bearings have failed

Me!

but it does have a price of around £150 plus vat!

yep, i imagined that to be the case

Think that is a slightly different problem Stubby, the rotor spool has shallow sides and will not accept too much cord, or cord that is too big. The OP's problem is that the spool will not spin freely on the spindle as the spindle appears to have increased in diameter.

This is something I see quite often, not only on that saw. I do not have a definate answer for this, but I put it down to the moisture content of the plastic having increased. This sounds like BS, but it is a little known fact that some plastics absorb up to 12% moisture from the ambient air. This is bound to cause them to swell. In the absence of a better explanation this is the one I run with!

The numbers are rising, albeit very slowly. To be honest, this petition alone is unlikely to bring about the removal of the Road Fuel Duty. But please keep on signing, it is still a very good way for the government to judge the depth of feeling. There are various other ways in which the goverment ids being lobbied on this issue. If any of you are keen to use Aspen please dont let the price stand in your way. When you take all things into consideration the real cost is actually not that great and a small increase in your charging will easily cover it. Certainly dont wait for a price reduction before switching, just treat it as a bonus when it happens. Thank you for your continued support.

Very welcome comments Morten. I was visiting Sweden along with 6 other UK dealers for 2 days as a guest of Aspen. Our purpose was to see, first hand, how Aspen is used in Sweden and to find ideas to boost its sales in the UK. We found that the 5 litre cans do in fact sell in large volume at the price shown. When you consider the extra costs involved in getting the product into the UK, and the extra "fuel duty" it is quite amazing that our UK prices are as low as they are. Seeing the production line in the Aspen plant also makes you appreciate the extra costs in production that Aspen has over pump fuel. But what I found most amazing was the universal acceptance of Aspen as the fuel of choice. We met with 3 different sales outlets as well as a service centre. When we asked the dealer personnel the question "why do people buy Aspen?", the reply was along the lines of "why would they not buy it?" "why would anyone want to use pump fuel?" We spotted a pro user buying some Aspen and we took the chance to interview him. He was amazed that we should have to ask why he used it, and was totally shocked when we asked if he would ever consider using petrol and gave a very firm NO. Their health is foremost in their mind. We asked users, and dealers alike, if there were any mechanical problems with using Aspen, and once again the answer was a very positive NO. The Swedish users (as well as other Northern European countries) are very much converted to Alkylate fuels, and have been so for over 20 years. I am confident that in a few years we will have the same acceptance in the UK.

It has often been stated that Aspen is much cheaper abroad than it is in the UK. In fact the real price is extremely similar. I took this picture in Sweden yesterday and the conversion rate was 11,7 krona to the GBP, making this £14.44, some £5.40 cheaper than the UK. But there is no tax on this product in Sweden, making the actual fuel price just as expensive as here.

Haha, thats what I meant, "NOT AGAIN!"

Haha, not again!

I imagine thats why you do.

You are going to busy tomorrow then Eddie. Don't be late for our date:biggrin:

There are many factprs that influence the degradation of fuel. The primary one is exposure to oxgen (oxidation) Obviously sealed containers, especially when full, keep this oxidation to a minimum. Exposure to heat also encourages degradation, even without oxygen. So a steel jerry can stored in the open or near a window will degrade faster than one under the bench. Exposure to moisture also degrades fuel, but like oxygen, a sealed container will minimise this. Garage tanks are vented so oxidation and moisture can pay a part. Other chemical reactions also take place within fuel, from the day it is made. This is why the petrol held in distribution tanks is sold off cheaper to supermarkets as it approaches its sell by date.

Crikey, the RRP for Aspen2 is £18.98 per 5litres

Remember the glycerine in Tesco petrol a few years ago?

Mountain man No, it was not harsh at all. Just good contribution to the debate.

True, you can treat your gear really well, but stale fuel will kill it quicker than fresh fuel when the going gets tough. This is a fact that is beyond question.

Watts that all about then Shavey?

Then you probably have a good method of fuel managemant. Or you do not work your kit too hard. Or you are just lucky. Or all of the above. There is no doubt that 80% of small engine repairs are due to fuel problems.

Firstly, neither Stihl or Huskie will invalidate warranty if Aspen is used. Nor will any other manufacturer. I have spoken directly to both Stihl and Huskie on this matter. In fact I even had one seized engine passed under warranty purely because, as it had been used solely on Aspen there was no question of incorrect fuel. The dealers who make these claims of invalidated warranty really need to get themselves educated, firstly on their warranty terms and secondly on identifying the real cause of failures. They also need to learn about Aspen. The fact is, that Alkylate fuels are much purer than pump petrol, so much less likely to cause any engine damage than the rubbish petrol that is used generally. The Scandinavian countries and the Netherlands use alkylate fuels as the norm in this type of kit, do you think all their saws are invalidated from warranty? Secondly, what happens when petrol ages? Many, many things happen due to chemical reactions. These are just some. The oil is intially 'bonded' with fuel, or 'disolved'. After a while the oil seperates from the fuel so that the oil particles are suspended, rather than disolved. Sure, they are still there, but pass through the engine in the form of smoke rather than being totally used during the lubrication process. The result can be a seize due to lube deficit if the machine is worked particularly hard. This separated oil does not rebond with the fuel when shaken. The fuel loses its octane rating as well as its calorific value as it ages. This effectively means there is less usable fuel in relation to the amount of air in the mix, so the engine runs lean. This causes a much hotter run temperature which results in a 'lean sieze' when worked hard. Remember, both of the above are happening at the same time, which makes matters far worse. Because of the ethanol content, the petrol is soaking up water from the atmosphere. After awhile the ethanol/water mix undergoes a reaction called 'phase seperation' where the mix changes into a clear jelly like material, clogging the carb. Other 'varnishes' are also formed in the fuel, coating the insides of the carb The above changes are all happening together, and only take months, rather than years to occur. Of course, we know that not all machines fail after using stale fuel, but many do. Some of you have been lucky and believe there is no problem, but you are wrong. Just lucky.

Haha, only because I read it first Steve:big grin: Glad you got it sorted Darkslider, shame you pulled it all apart first though!

The best stabilizer by far is the B3C Ethanol shield, but the Briggs will be OK. I would not bank on 24 months though, with any stabilizer, 12 months at most. As you say, Aspen is the ideal solution for you, apart from availability. As you are an occasional user the cost should not be an issue, its certainly cheaper than repairing the effects of stale fuel.

The screws come out and contact the raised areas on the back of the flywheel, preventing full rotation. This is common and very easy to fix. If this is not your problem then it will be much more expensive.