Alkylate fuels

rumination

rumination

Migratory Hippie Arbolist
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OK, this question is probably beating a very very dead horse, but I'm pretty ignorant on this subject so maybe you guys can shed some light on it for me.

I've been looking at a thread on ArbTalk about Aspen alkylated fuel, and have heard Magnus mention it a few times. It sounds like there are a lot of benefits to using this type of fuel.

Is there anything like this available in the US? Or are there other alternative fuels around that might be better than standard pump gas?
 
From what I understand there is nothing like it in US. Closest you come I guess is AV-gas.

In Canada there is Aspen and others.

Great benefits from using this. It is a rare sight to see saws run on the crap we have in commercial grade here. 98 of 100 of saws I get here use Alkylate fuel, more than half use Aspen, some use Stihl Motomix and other brands.
USA is not so environmentally concerned yet if you see it on a global scale, but it might come.

Seals, gas lines etc hold a lifetime as it is not rotted or dried from fuel. The benefits from this fuel is much greater than the costs.
It saves user a bunch of service and failures. Only downside is that I get less work of it, but on other hand I have happier customers.
It is constantly same quality, long storage time and won't smell or make you sick. I run saws with it indoors in the shop.

Here warranty fail if you use commercial gas in a saw. It is clearly stated in manual that it is Aspen or other Alkylate that is to be used.

Husqvarna was in on developing of Aspen fuel and owned a large part of it up until last year.
When Aspen was developed it was called "gas from grandpas day's". As it has very little additives and no benzene, aggressive fat acids etc it is a huge benefit to run in saws.
You can get it almost any were and many dealers have it in bulk on pump. I sell by the barrel.
 
When William Greene was here I showed him this and we tested a couple different things.
Funny thing is the green floating in the gas is "Biodegradeble" packing William got in US to do good when packing stuff he sent.
I still have it as it is not biodegradable or easily taken care of in any solvent.

Left is commersial grade, regular pump gas. Right is Aspen fuel at the time, it now is a bit more brown as it has a different oil in it now.

 
Here in Canada both my Husqvarna and Stihl dealers sell cans of this fuel. I've never tried it but am now curious, a 1 liter can is perfect for the homeowner who uses a saw not very often.....also good for the dealers warranty claims.
 
Lots of people that reacted on fumes from fuel are doing well now. Some react to oils, bar oil or fuel oil, most of these use it as the oil agree with them anyway.
Some have a special oil in fuel for a specific reason they use 4-stroke and mix them selfs.

Keep in mind that all fuels are different and use different settings. Even a change of oil can make your saw want a re setting.
You should not throw it in a saw that has run on gas oil mix unless you make sure there is no carbon buildup or lots of crap in it.
Is so this will burn and if it can't get out it could damage saw. Here this was neglected as the product was introduced and many had problems with it first ten years.
It is same with all changes in fuels, re set and make sure it runs OK. Shifting back and forth is not a good idea either as sooner or later it can go
 
I've been running Aspen fuel for a few years now. I really like the ease of use, clean burning, very low smell and how well it keeps. I don't use my saws for work, but even if I was, I feel the added cost is worth it.
 
They sell this at my local shop. I may have to inquire about the cost and if they do bulk or not.

Interesting info. I'm all for saws lasting extra long!
 
Costly stuff, but well worth the price IMO.
Doesn't go bad as gas does. You can hang your saw up and when you pull starter a year later, it'll fire right up.
Try that with the quality of gas we get these days.
 
Nechako said:
I've been running Aspen fuel for a few years now. I really like the ease of use, clean burning, very low smell and how well it keeps. I don't use my saws for work, but even if I was, I feel the added cost is worth it.
Click to expand...

Welcome to the TreeHouse!!! :beer:
 
I was wondering that myself.

I've got the Husky version that I bought to get the extra warranty on my saws. It is 95 octane and apparently keeps for three years. There is nothing mentioned about it being an alkylate fuel.

pre-mixed-2-stroke-fuel-oil-2b858b27.png


The exhaust does smell quite different from the Aspen fuel.
 
I did the calculations and I figured that I could buy a new saw almost every six months if I were to buy the pre mix gad in a can. I don't know if that is amylated gas, that would be the Stihl mix. Maybe better for the saw but I might as well just run bad gas and buy new ones when they burn out. My saws rarely sit too long with gas in them.
 
I dont know of any one who uses it all the time. We use it at the fire dept. because we rarely use the saws and av gas has a long shelf life. It is designed to not leave a varnish or gum. I have used it in my old Mac that calls for leaded gas. I dont think you can hurt a saw with av gas, but some say it wont make full power owing to the formulation. Av gas has NO ethanol in it and only a small ammount of lead, but how much lead does one want to breathe in exhaust fumes?
 
kevin bingham said:
I did the calculations and I figured that I could buy a new saw almost every six months if I were to buy the pre mix gad in a can. I don't know if that is amylated gas, that would be the Stihl mix. Maybe better for the saw but I might as well just run bad gas and buy new ones when they burn out. My saws rarely sit too long with gas in them.
Click to expand...
You would not run a saw 3 months here on the fuel we have if you work full time in Forrest here. It would be toast regardless of brand.

I have a test saw, Husqvarna 44 that sit on the shelf with a bit more than half a tank gas in it. I started it every year now for 9 years. This summer will be 10 years.
Will be interesting to see how many more years it starts on this fuel. Even more interesting to see if i find it this summer...

I had a guy run two barrels of Alkylated Army fuel that was 50 years old, found in a old bunker. He ran it over a two year period in a old 254.
 
It looks like Aspen Alkylate is sold already mixed with 2 stroke oil 2%. The stuff without the oil is meant for 4 stroke, is what i read. is that how you buy it, Nechako, already mixed?

Welcome to the Treehouse.
 
It's bad here but not that bad. I sometimes buy a can here and there almost as a treat for my saws when I feel like they have been working hard for me. I think it's 17$ per gallon when bought in cases. Vs. 5 $ for premium + mix.
 
Kevin, you didn't think I bought it in cans, did you?
We are a logging outfit, you know.
We buy it by the barrel, and always at least 2 barrels at the time, to save on shipping.
Last year we went through 8 barrels of the stuff.
 
No I didn't think you bought it in cans. I think for me my only option is buying gallon cans by the case. It may be possible to buy a barrel but than storage would be a real issue in my situations. Why would switching back and forth be bad? I really want to use it. Its just really really expensive.
 
I think I may buy some and use it just in my big saw which gets used rarely. At present we drain it after every use and then run the carb dry. The carb still messes up at least once a year. This would be money well spent not to deal with that hassle...

:tomcat:
 
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