Gas Lawn Mowers are the most powerful ones because they offer more torque and mobility. If you have thick grass in your Lawn, a Gas-powered Lawn Mower should be your first choice.
Using idea fuel will improve your mower’s performance, and it will also increase the life of your mower.
A lot of people get confused while buying or using gas as they don’t know much about which type of gas should be good or bad for their mower. Sometimes people use fuel that is not recommended for their mower, and when the engine starts to give a bad performance, they blame the brand.
To help with choosing the best gas for lawn mower, we have made this article. You will learn which type of gas is ideal for your mower and what to do if the fuel turns bad. Also, you can learn about the advantages of ethanol-free gasoline.
What is the Best Gas for Lawn Mower?
The fuel should be clean, fresh, and unleaded. You have to look for several compositions in order to get the perfect fuel for your Lawn Mower.
Different Mowers use different levels of octane in the fuel, so you have to see in the user manual for the ideal octane levels. Most of the mower use fuel with 87-89 octane levels. Any fuel with more than 10% of ethanol and 15% of MTBE (Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether) is not recommended.
Some of the small engine manufacturers also provide ideal fuel for Lawn Mowers. You can go to your brand’s website and look for perfect fuel options and buy from there.
In two-stroke engines, you need to mix oil with the fuel. The mix ratio for your Lawn Mower should be in the user manual or brand’s website, but most of the Mowers use a 50:1 ratio to mix fuel with oil.
There is also an option of using pre-mixed fuel, which saves you from the trouble of mixing oil and fuel in an ideal ratio. Using pre-mixed oil will be less time and effort consuming, and it will improve the performance of your mower.
Four-Stroke engines have separate compartments for oil and gas, so no need to mix anything.
You can also use premium gas that has above 90 octane levels and used in cars. This gas is not harmful to your mower, but it also doesn’t offer much advantage; if you use premium gas, you will be just increasing your Lawn Management cost.
You should never try to modify the engine to work with different types of fuel and oil as it can cause damages to the engine, and warranty on the mower can be terminated.
What does Ethanol do to Your Lawn Mower?
Although you can use fuel with the 10% Ethanol in it, I wouldn’t recommend it because it doesn’t matter how much ethanol you have in your fuel it is going to cause damage to your engine.
In Two-stroke engines, the oil always stays bonded with the fuel, but the ethanol separates itself from the engine oil. It leads to less lubrication and causes serious damage to the engine.
Ethanol also absorbs water from the atmosphere that affects the performance of the mower. Reports say that ethanol absorbs 50% more water than regular gasoline.
Ethanol is a great solvent, which means it can dissolve plastic, rubber, and fiber. So you have any of these materials in your Lawn Mower ethanol mixed gas is not the right choice for you.
So you should use ethanol-free gas or gas with only 10% of ethanol for better performance and longer life.
Where to get Ideal Fuel for Your Lawn Mower?
You should buy ideal fuel for your Lawn from a busy gas station because they are more likely to have fresh gas than the ones that have minimal customers. You should only buy gas that you can use in 30 days.
You should check which brands have a respected name in the Pre-mixed fuel industry and which one of them is available in your home town. Brands with a big name in the industry keep their focus on quality control and make sure their product comes with the best quality.
You can go to the market to look for pre-mixed fuel.
Another place you can look at your brand’s website. Even if they don’t directly sell fuel, you can get some recommendations that you can search for in your local market.
How long does it take for Fuel to turn Bad?
The fuel stays fresh for 30 days only; after that is the essential composites in the fuel starts to evaporate. It doesn’t matter if you put the gas in the mower or if you keep it in the fuel can it will evaporate.
As the fuel evaporates, it starts to build a black, thick varnish that can clog your fuel system and carburetors.
Once the fuel system is non-operational, your mower’s performance will decrease, and the mower will take longer to start. There are some ways to know if the gas in your mower has turned bad.
You can know by smelling the gas tank because the sour gas has more strong smell than the fresh one. You can also drain the fuel and see if the color has turned into black. If yes, you need to clean your gas tank and get rid of bad fuel.
Bad fuel is not good for your mower as it can jam the fuel lines, cause damage to the carburetor, and can not provide enough power for mowing, which will result in poor performance. If you have used bad fuel in your mower, you may need to get your carburetor cleaned or even replaced.
How can You Stop Fuel from Turning Bad?
Fuel is going to turn bad in 30 days, but you can do some things to stop it. Let’s see some solutions to your bad fuel problem.
Use Fuel stabilizers
Fuel stabilizers reduce the evaporation of the essential compounds, and it also decreases the absorption rate of gas. If you just bought a new mower, you should add some fuel stabilizers to ensure fuel stays fresh for a long time.
If you are going to store the mower for more than 30 days, you should add fuel stabilizers, so the fuel doesn’t turn bad, and fuel lines don’t get jammed.
Buy enough amount of Fuel
Storing the fuel for more than 30 days is not a good idea; even if you add fuel stabilizers, you can not stop it from turning bad but only extend the time. So buy enough fuel for 30 days.
Buying fuel in small amounts will ensure you always use fresh gas, which will keep the mower at its best performance.
Use Ethanol Free Gas
Ethanol absorbs water and dissolves several materials used to make Lawn Mower. Using it for a longer time will affect your mower’s torque and start time. So use Ethanol-free gas that provides more power and longer life.
All Things Considered
Using high-quality gas is vital for mower’s better performance. Now, you know what factors you have to look for when you are buying gas for your mower, so be smart and only use the best gas for Lawn Mower.
Keep the fuel fresh, and if you have bad fuel in your mower, clean it immediately.
Let me know if this article is helpful, and don’t be shy to share your thoughts; we all learn from each other.
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