[SwardmanGuy]

What kind of fuel do you use? 87, 89 or 93 octane? Did you ever have any troubles with some kind of fuel and engine? What problems? And What are the best engines (brand, type) for you? (still according to lawn mowers/reel mowers)
Thanks

 

[Mightyquinn]

I use 93 octane with Sta-Bil fuel stabilizer. I have a Honda GX120 engine on my greens mower.

I think most people will say that Honda small engines are some of the best for mowers with Kawasaki and Subaru up there with them. I also think Briggs and Stratton engines are a step below the other 3 I mentioned.

 

[pennstater2005]

Whatever the manual calls for.

 

[dfw_pilot]

I use 87 in my GM1000. The manual says not to use premium.

 

[Mightyquinn]

I use 87 in my GM1000. The manual says not to use premium.

Does it say why NOT to use higher octane?

 

[dfw_pilot]

Generic warnings:

 

[Ridgerunner]

Whoa, a flashback to my street rod days.
TMI:
Octane is an indicator of detonation reduction. A rating system. In high compression engines, if the octane wasn't high enough, you could get engine knock (or sometimes dieseling). Low octane fuel could pre-ignite just from the action of high compression and then when the spark plug ignited the rest of the fuel, the two shock waves would meet creating the knocking sound that could damage the engine. Lawn equipment engines are low compression and are designed/engineered to use lower octane fuels for efficiency and performance.
Follow the advice of pennstater2005 and dfw_pilot.

 

[high leverage]

Guys please don't waste your money on high octane gas. It will not make it run "better" or add "power". 87 octane goes in my mowers and 89 octane goes in my stringer trimer, blower, and edger because the manual says to use 89.

 

[Sinclair]

I use 87 Octane E10 in my Briggs & Stratton (Toro).

 

[massgrass]

I use stabilized 87 octane in all of my lawn care equipment. I also exclusively use Top Tier detergent gas (usually Shell or ExxonMobil).

 

[monty]

My local mower repair guy told me to use higher octane gas. So since then I've always done that. Anyone have any good references discussing octane and small engines?

 

[j4c11]

My understanding is that high octane is for high compression engines, which is not the case for lawn mowers.

 

[ken-n-nancy]

My local mower repair guy told me to use higher octane gas. So since then I've always done that. Anyone have any good references discussing octane and small engines?

In general, one of the best things to do is to follow the manufacturer's recommendations for your small engine. For example, Briggs & Stratton has Fuel Recommendations on their website if you have a Briggs & Stratton engine. I'm sure the other small engine manufacturers have similar information on their support sites, too.

Personally, I use 87 octane automotive gasoline (which now has up to 10% ethanol) in my 4-stroke Briggs & Stratton lawn mower.

In my 2-stroke equipment (Echo leaf blower and Toro snowblower), I use 89-octane (as recommended by Echo for the leaf blower) with the appropriate 50:1 mix of 2-stroke oil. It is common for 2-stroke engines to need slightly higher octane in the gasoline, as the gasoline is diluted a tiny bit when mixed with the 2-stroke oil. If I'm buying gas in early winter, so that it will be used up before spring when I switch back to the leaf blower instead of the snow blower, I'll use 87-octane in the Toro snowblower, as that's all that Toro says is necessary.

 

[gene_stl]

I have always used Amoco/BP Ultimate. I fell for the water clear extra refining step. It is listed at the pump as 93 octane.
I know the octane rating is irrelevant. But the note quoted above is probably a case where an error sneaked into an instruction manual. You cannot harm an engine by using higher octane gasoline although you may be wasting your money.
https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/1996/09/amoco-settle-ftc-charges-over-crystal-clear-ad-campaign

BP claims lower sulfur content which could reduce corrosion and exhaust system deterioration. They also claim four times the detergency of "other"gasolines. When they first advertised this gasoline I saw the glass of clear gas and imagined maybe it would take an extra length of time to turn into the dreaded varnish. This all could be imaginary. I am sure I never poured gasoline more than 18 months old into a tank. In Australia Ultimate doesn't have ethanol in it but here I think it has some. I wonder if the increased detergency (BP InVigorate) is just the same ingredients as Stabil added at refinery. Anybody remember Techron injector cleaner. One of the gas companies added it to their fuel. (In the 80s iirc)

I have just filled my four JerryCans with 100LL (Low Lead) avgas for the second time. (about 15 gallons) So far so good. I wanted to get the ethanol out.

Regarding the engine question I don't think that anyone ever got fired for buying any Honda product. But before dismissing Briggs and Stratton remember that they have multiple product lines. They have motors to put on lawn mowers that retail for $120. Somebody bought one of those for the university where I work and the replacement plastic carburetor retails for $20. But actually it runs pretty well (mowing a large environmental sciences ag plot WAY more than it was designed to do and living in a shed.) They also have Industrial/Commercial and Rental grade engines that seem pretty bullet proof.

I had a 9 hp Tecumseh throw a connecting rod through the crankcase side wall, but that happened a decade after I started wondering when that chipper shredder was going to fail catastrophically. I had instructed my sons not to stand in line with the flywheel effect of the impeller thinking it might seize and start spinning down the driveway. It threw the rod instead. It had been eating large quantities of gumballs for decades. (Note to younger forum members If you have a Sweet Gum tree[Liquidambar styrax ] on your property just bite the bullet and have it removed. I wish I had done that in 1982. We had six of them. Live and Learn :lol: )

My 1998 Scotts Tractor built by Murray has a Kohler Command engine (they would have put a cheeper engine in it but Kohler had not yet come out with the second tier Courage engines yet) That tractor has lived outside for pushing twenty years, including about three years without running. I had someone go through it during my move and it still runs like a champ. I think they kitted the carb and stuck a new fuel pump on it.

My new Hustler Flip Up has a 25 horse Kohler. They like Briggs have multiple lines of engines too now. I don't know where this one sits in the line up. But it is new and seems to run great. The only complaint I have is they have eliminated the choke control on the carb. One time (out of maybe 30 or 40 starts so far) when the engine was warm the "Smart Choke" flooded the engine. It still started but took a little throttle jockeying to get it to blow the flood out. One time only. Briggs used have a Chokeamatic feature that worked in a similar fashion. I didn't care much for that either but I have to say it did work. (the above mentioned cheapo carb on the briggs budget mower has auto chokeamatic).

When I researched the Hustler I found that some folks like Kohler and some like Kawasaki. I have never had a Kawasaki but they make motorcycles and aircraft engines so how bad could they be. I am sure that all the mentioned manufacturers have good and bad models. In the shopping research it seemed that all the professional zero turns have either a Kawasaki or a Kohler.

I have a Billy Goat blower with a Subaru six or seven horse. I think that might actually be an old Wisconsin Robin. I am not sure where it is made. (Edit: Wisconsin Robin is a trademark of Subaru small engines and doesn't seem to have anything to do with the old USA made Wisconsin Engine company that went away ages ago.)

And now you can buy engines from China at Harbor Freight for crazy low prices. I am curious what kinds of experiences folks have with those.

I think in both gasolines and engines , if you are lucky, you get what you pay for. I have to say I have marveled at how bad condition a lawn mower engine can be and still run. For those occasional carb clogs I always keep GumOut and starting ether in the garage. Also teflon penetrating oil which I sometimes spray into the cylinder before using ether. Very few things will fail to start if you have a spark and these three products.

One other thing that I will mention is there is a trend now to run even surprisingly small engines on propane/lpg. This has lots of benefits. The engines seem to love it. Very little deposits. A certifieable genius friend of mine converted all his power equipment. But he has a machine shop in a shed in his back yard and had a career as a product developer. Most of the conversions that you see can only run at one throttle setting usually rated rpm (often 3600 rpm) They are good for generators and compressors that run at one speed. Getting a throttleable conversion raises the cost. Many professional lawn care products are available with propane fuel systems. They raise the cost of purchase. I don't know how the fuel economy is. I am told it is good.

https://golehr.com/propane-powered-lawn-and-garden-products/
They seem to be phasing out propane in favor of rechargeable Lithium Ion batteries. I am going to be an old dog about that.

http://www.allpropanemowers.com/

 

[high leverage]

My local mower repair guy told me to use higher octane gas. So since then I've always done that. Anyone have any good references discussing octane and small engines?

Ridgerunner above posted a great explanation. Unless your mower is forced induction (turbo or supercharger) or a high compression engine using higher octane fuel than what is recommended is a waste of money.

 

[Ware]

I agree with the above regarding octane/compression ratios, but I usually buy 91 octane as that is the only stuff I can get that is ethanol-free around here.

 

[MasterMech]

Fuel varies significantly by region so one mans advice may not apply to you in your area. First priority, get fuel that is ethanol free. If that's only premium and you don't mind a few bits extra per gallon, by all means, help yourself. (DFW - That's the first time I've seen premium fuel explicitly condemned in a manual, huh.) If you are fortunate enough to have a choice between 87 E-Free and Premium, go with the 87. The high-test will not hurt, but it won't help any either.

If you are unfortunate enough to live in an area where all fuel is E-10, do not despair, all is not lost. If you do not use more than a couple gallons a year, canned fuel available from HD/Lowes/TSC/Etc. may be a viable option (it's at least 92 Octane BTW) for you, or you may choose to run canned pre-mix fuel in your handhelds (2-cycle) and pump fuel in the bigger engines. E-10 is not really the bloody-fanged monster it is often made out to be. Practice good storage habits, use some sort of ethanol rated fuel treatment (eg. Star-Tron) and you are unlikely to have a problem.

Some guys like to use 100LL AVGAS in their OPE, after all, it seems like it's nearly perfect for the job. Most OPE doesn't have a catalyst to foul with the lead. 100LL is designed for low-compression, low-rpm engines. It is also designed to keep a fuel system clean, and not damage expensive or irreplaceable components in vintage engines. And it's designed to store well for long periods of time. Plus it's dyed blue, how can it get any better than that? But one thing to keep in mind, the engines on our OPE are not exhausting outside behind us as we cruise down the highway or at 10,000ft+. These engines often exhaust 3-4 feet in front of our face or at least in our immediate vicinity. Food for thought.

 

[gene_stl]

The exhaust is a good point. I was at one of my local lawn mower stores where they were trying to sell me the five gallon drums of VPI ethanol free for $80. (For $80 I could actually have a lawn service mow my lawn and I would say that I use at least three gallons each time if I mow the whole place) I asked him about Avgas and he said he knew customers that did that but that most of the professionals "did not want to breathe that all day every day" and I certainly can see the point of that. But for once every week or two and the amount of time I would find myself straight downwind of the "plume" , the risk is worth it to me. I am 66 and grew up pumping and breathing ethyl. A few more micrograms is unlikely to hurt me. It is definitely something to think about though.

I did make sure to terrorize my two sons to NEVER EVER put avgas in any of the cars or they would get to pay for the new catalytic converter. I similarly showed them the color of it and although we had pretty good fuel can discipline here with respect to 2/4 cycle fuel , it could be confused with 2 cycle mix. Especially since previously in our garage 4 cycle was clear.
But they do seem trainable.

 

[dfw_pilot]

But they do seem trainable.

:lol:

 

[wardconnor]

I only put ethanol free fuel in all my small engines. It's higher octane by nature. Not sure of the number. It's easy to get where I live.