Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Pre-Mix 50:1 for Small Engines

this plus I use 100 octane Low Lead airplane gas. My weed eater started on 2nd pull after being hung up last September.

I went to it a few years ago, even mixing with nonethenol with the 50:1 additives, I would still have issues in my small engines. Since using the premixed, i can leave one sitting over winter and it crank right up in the spring. I know its more expensive but pays for its not having to fight with and/or replacing carbs.

If you use a gallon or two of fuel a year get the pre-mix at Walmart... $5 a can.

If you use a gallon or two a week... use 91+ octane (ethanol free) and Echo Red Armor (better than Stihl Ultra (silver) IMHO.

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If you need lots of chain... try these guys... https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/13770145

Excellent idea using premix in last tank of the season. I mix my own. Once season is over I run the equipment empty, drain the residual from the tank and store with the cap loose. Worked out so far but I like your method better. Will try it this fall.

I use it in my weedeater and swear by it. I also use it in my mower. Yes it is more expensive but over the course of the year it amounts to squat . I am even using the tru foil in my 4-stroke mower. Ace hardware is a minute from my house and while the cost is cringeworthy it amounts to maybe an extra ...what...$20 a year in gas ? Squat over the course of a year for me. Good protection for great performance.. I bought a new Honda mower last year and wonder why I didn't sooner. It has cut-off that helps but the tru fuel left in the tank was from last fall. Thing started right up and ran like a bat outta hell

This is good strategy based on your use. I own a part time logging operation so obviously I don't use the pre-mix.

My father-in-law used to call and complain that his chain saw that sees little use won't start or run properly. I would pick it up and run a strong mix of SeaFoam thru it or in one case installed a carburetor kit in it. Problem solved since I bought him 2 quarts of Stihl pre-mix for Christmas for a couple of years. Now he buys it himself.

By the time I run down to the nearest station that has ethanol free (waste $3-$4 dollars driving 20 mile round trip), spend $3 on the gallon of ethanol free to put in the can, and another couple bucks on oil, I’m already $10 a gallon into “mix my own”.

The alternative is to spend $20 on a gallon of premix.

I may go through 3 gallons a year. Used to be, I’d waste the time/energy to save $10 a gallon x 3 ($30 a year) to do that. I’ve since realized I’m getting better gas, less time wasted driving around town, and less time wasted jacking around with clogged carbs/inoperable equipment.

I consider that a worthwhile trade for $30 a year. If I decide to become a lumberjack or open a landscaping/lawn care business, then I might go back to mixing my own....

I appreciate all of the helpful responses. I have always used ethanol-free gas and 50:1 oil with Sea Foam and have never had a problem - my standard line every time the chainsaw starts up is, "If everything worked like that cheap little thing, the world would be a better place". My thought was that, as little as I use the chain saw, it might be better to just buy a quart of pre-mix at a time rather than having part of a gallon of my mix sitting around (even though there has never been a problem).

I drive 20 miles for the ethanol free and buy 10 gallons. Mix it with Stihl 2 cycle oil and stabil. When I finish my coffee I’ll drag out some chainsaws, fuel, and bar oil and try to remove the huge oak blocking the main road to my house. If there’s any good news, it’s that I really do need some more Oak to fill my firewood racks. All the high winds and rain here in central Texas have knocked down a lot of trees. I’m almost afraid to ride fences, worried about what I’ll find. If you guys want to show off your chainsaws, come on over.

No, I don’t use pre-mix. $24 a gallon at the feed store.

I bought a chainsaw off the neighbor three years ago and he gave me the pre-mix gas he used in it. I got short on my regular mixed fuel for the weedeater and put the pre-mix in it. Holy Cow! That thing started to run like a top. I tune up all of my outdoor power equipment yearly, but the pre-mix just made the weedeater run a lot better. I ran out of the pre-mix and went back to my normal mixture, yeah, I'm back to pre-mix now. In AK we don't have ethanol in our gas either, so I have no clue why the weedeater runs better on it but it does. My other equipment that requires mixed gas, I can't tell a darn difference between the different gases.

Love it but had to give up when I got more property. My FS250 Stihl burns half a gallon during a typical weedwacking day. I just drain it over the winter and things have been good. Loved the premix stuff but I'd go broke running it LOL

And dad is still running a cheap Yardman weedwacker I owned since new and gave him that is nearing a decade old and the fuel tank looks brand new. It doesn't stain them like regular gas. He doesn't use it as much so the premix is perfect for him. I have always used premix in it since I used to live in a townhouse and didn't run much through it.

I wouldn't run gas with ethanol in my small engines if it was delivered free to my doorstep. It's worth the drive to an ethanol free station or paying for the premix

I’m going to try it, had issues with mine for about a year.

That's what did it for me. Went to grab old faithful a little Husqvarna 51 I've had for 25 years plus a couple months ago to deal with a couple small trees. As I was walking to the shed I was thinking I didn't drain it last but all good its got some of my buddies pre mix in it from when we were hunting last fall. Dug out the saw opened the fuel tank.... purple. Damn. It was my big saw that got the fancy pre mix this crap gas had been in there over a year


After finally getting it going and confirming it was NOT happy I knew what had to be done and tried my first chain saw carb work. Got it all apart easily and split the carb and there's chunks of oat meal like crud all through the tiny little passage ways. A can of carb spray made short work of it and I started putting it back together. After a temporarily but not very temporary lost tiny screw, a few wrong trail and error attempts and getting the linkages in properly two hours had gone. The next morning I went straight to a saw shop and dropped 30 bucks on a big jug of pre mix.

2 gallons a week! You are one chainsawing son of a gun!

The pre mix is all I use in my weedeater. It's 5.00 for a quart can and I only use 3 cans a summer. Weedeater is 10 years old and still runs like a top and it starts right up every spring.

So far my Echo trimmer has worked fine with Echo's pre mix 50:1 oil and regular pump gas. Long term storage I would drain the tank and run it empty. same mix for the Poulan chain saw. No issues over many years.

My Stihl straigt shaft is hell to start and I'd swear it would run better on estrogen

I'm going electric next time

I have a collection of Black and Decker electric/battery weed trimmers, all work great with the exception of the batteries... Batteries cost more than the dang thing all together. Yours for the shipping if you want.