Small engine gurus, I need assistance

[hog slayer]

My wife asked me why I check the oil in my 30+ year old snapper before each mowing, this is exactly why. I told her the reasoning but does she ever check the oil before mowing....nope. She also likes to engage the blades at full throttle and also likes to stop and pick up sticks and trash but insists on leaving it at full throttle with no load on the engine. She says that I'm making it too complicated and it just a mower and she knows how to use it It's the same mower that I learned how to mow on and it's 95% original parts and I swear she's going to kill it. But then maybe I'll get the Gravely zero turn that I've been eyeing..LOL

Sorry I didn't have anything else to add that hasn't been said

Mowers of today are designed to have the blades engaged at full throttle.

 

[CountryBoy19]

It has rotted the fuel lines in my '07 MD trimmer, '11 earthquake edger, '08 earthquake auger, unknown year Poulan blower....all have been replaced numerous times, usually every 2-3 years. The lines get hard and brittle and break in half, usually right where they go through the rubber grommet into the fuel tank.

First of all, those are all bottom barrel OPE, most of them made by MTD (horrible-quality OPE giant that sources most of their crap from China). So we're talking apples to oranges, it would be plausible (although still unlikely) that MTD or similar companies may have incompatible fuel systems.

Second, do you have any evidence that it was ethanol based fuels that degraded the lines? Can you please provide that evidence? I suspect more than likely it has nothing to do with ethanol and more to do with very low quality materials that degrade from other factors.

But then again, that's just a hunch based upon a lot of experience with fuels, engines, and such with the knowledge of knowing how all of those things interact with the background to approach these questions/problems scientifically.

Mowers of today are designed to have the blades engaged at full throttle.

I would say follow the directions for your mower. Mine (2006 Exmark) says specifically to engage at half-throttle.

 

[HubertGummer]

First of all, those are all bottom barrel OPE, most of them made by MTD (horrible-quality OPE giant that sources most of their crap from China). So we're talking apples to oranges, it would be plausible (although still unlikely) that MTD or similar companies may have incompatible fuel systems.

Second, do you have any evidence that it was ethanol based fuels that degraded the lines? Can you please provide that evidence? I suspect more than likely it has nothing to do with ethanol and more to do with very low quality materials that degrade from other factors.

But then again, that's just a hunch based upon a lot of experience with fuels, engines, and such with the knowledge of knowing how all of those things interact with the background to approach these questions/problems scientifically

I understand that the manufacturer is cheap, but I haven't been replacing the lines with the same OEM brand. I just haven't found a clear hose that doesn't rot yet.

I have no evidence that it is ethanol based fuels causing this, but knowing how alcohol is hard on some plastic parts and having plastic fuel parts on multiple machines fail over and over, I just put 2 & 2 together.

 

[CountryBoy19]

I understand that the manufacturer is cheap, but I haven't been replacing the lines with the same OEM brand. I just haven't found a clear hose that doesn't rot yet.

I have no evidence that it is ethanol based fuels causing this, but knowing how alcohol is hard on some plastic parts and having plastic fuel parts on multiple machines fail over and over, I just put 2 & 2 together.

Not very conclusive... I wouldn't be able to "put 2 & 2 together" with any amount of certainty on that one.

Are you using clear vinyl you get at a hardware store? That isn't fuel rated. If you want clear you need to be using Tygon, but even then, my experience with Tygon is that it will deteriorate (with or without ethanol) much faster than flouro-elastomer fuel-lines (often black, but can be colored). Of course you're going to pay more for flouro-elastomers so you won't find them on cheap stuff. The manufacturer of cheap OPE doesn't care if it fails in a year, they don't care if the customer has to pay to fix things they cut corners on, they ONLY care about profit and keeping costs down means more profit. OTOH, quality manufacturers have a brand to uphold, they have demanding customers, and they will happily choose to use quality products, even if it means choosing to pay an extra $0.05 to put on a fuel line that will last 15 years instead of 2 years.

 

[Gary119]

To add to what CountryBoy 19 has posted, Tygon is a "family of tubing". Different compositions for different applications.

Read here,

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tygon_tubing

 

[churchmouse]

Mowers of today are designed to have the blades engaged at full throttle.

Read the post....his is 30+ years old....

 

[ruger1800]

I suggest letting someone besides yourself explain this to her. She will most likely listen.

Works for me. Just saying.[/QUOTE)

wish someone one would tell mine, that gas engines don't run well on diesel, wife was wondering why it was blowing smoke like a freight train and running ruff until it died 15 minutes later

 

[femurphy77]

I was hoping we were going to be talking about something like this:


[video=youtube;s1xGVtMMF14]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1xGVtMMF14[/video]

 

[HubertGummer]

Not very conclusive... I wouldn't be able to "put 2 & 2 together" with any amount of certainty on that one.

Are you using clear vinyl you get at a hardware store? That isn't fuel rated. If you want clear you need to be using Tygon, but even then, my experience with Tygon is that it will deteriorate (with or without ethanol) much faster than flouro-elastomer fuel-lines (often black, but can be colored). Of course you're going to pay more for flouro-elastomers so you won't find them on cheap stuff. The manufacturer of cheap OPE doesn't care if it fails in a year, they don't care if the customer has to pay to fix things they cut corners on, they ONLY care about profit and keeping costs down means more profit. OTOH, quality manufacturers have a brand to uphold, they have demanding customers, and they will happily choose to use quality products, even if it means choosing to pay an extra $0.05 to put on a fuel line that will last 15 years instead of 2 years.

I use stuff labeled as fuel lines. I like the clear so I can see the fuel returning from the primer bulb.(also had a few of those break apart, but not near as much as the fuel lines). Can you find flouro-elastomers in stores or is it special order stuff?

 

[actaeon277]

I suggest letting someone besides yourself explain this to her. She will most likely listen.

Works for me. Just saying.

wish someone one would tell mine, that gas engines don't run well on diesel, wife was wondering why it was blowing smoke like a freight train and running ruff until it died 15 minutes later

Women live with their spouse, see them to stupid things, therefore think their spouse is maybe... not so smart.

When I've taught guns to couples, I've usually brought along a brother, such as repeter1977, and split the couple up on different aisles.
I explain that there is a tendency to get mad at each other, or ignore each other.
So, this way, if they get mad at me... who cares. No one is going home with me.

 

[churchmouse]

I was hoping we were going to be talking about something like this:


[video=youtube;s1xGVtMMF14]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1xGVtMMF14[/video]

That is UBER cool.
I love the way he keeps a load on it.

 

[CountryBoy19]

I use stuff labeled as fuel lines. I like the clear so I can see the fuel returning from the primer bulb.(also had a few of those break apart, but not near as much as the fuel lines). Can you find flouro-elastomers in stores or is it special order stuff?

You should be able to get it at an auto-parts store, but if you go in asking for flouro-elastomer they will look at you like you're speaking vietnamese or something and say, "I don't think we have that". Flouro-elastomer is an entire family of plastics/rubbers that are resistant to numerous solvents/alcohols/chemicals/etc.

That being said, I really don't know, I haven't bought any locally in a long time. I haven't had to replace any of the fuel-lines on any of my more modern OPE (mid-2000's and later, all high-end stuff like Stihl, Echo, etc) and I run plain pump gas (with ethanol) in most of it.

 

[HubertGummer]

Thanks CountryBoy