How should i leave my chainsaw what could possibly be months.
Dump the gas and run it dry or stabil?
@badbearing
Do you run ethanol-free gas, like rec90? If so, I’d run it dry.
CSA
Mine sits for up to 9 months at a time, 2 cycle with 91 non oxygenated fuel and stabil. no problems yet, though running out of gas would be the best idea along with some fogging oil.
I’ve always subscribed to the “run it out of gas” approach. With a 2-cycle, you could even squirt some 2-cycle oil in the cylinder after and spin the crank before putting it away.
I have a chain saw that’s been in storage for 20 over years. In my case I think it’d need a smidge more work before starting… just a smidge…
My Stihl chain saw is 20+ years old and survived many winters with no problems and all that was done was start it and with the throttle wide open close the choke until it stalled. But then I got a tank full of ethanol and every air cooled engine on yard equipment and a generator failed to start and required serious attention the next spring.
BTW, do any of the remaining candidates for POTUS propose ending ethanol in gasoline?
Let’s hope so.
Try a battery powered chainsaw, they will really surprise you at their power and battery life. I currently have a Ryobi 40V but if I were getting one today, I’d go for that 58V Echo.
I can literally cut down two trees before I even get my gas chainsaw running, and the battery lasts longer than I do. When I got it, I though it would only be useful for trimming branches and light work like that. I haven’t used my gas saw since I got it.
I had one. I had a 3.7 cu. in., a smaller one for limbing, and an electric one for the occasional one-cut need. Come to think of it, the one in the case in my garage MIGHT be the electric one! It’s been a very long time since I packed it away.
Been through so many rechargeable crap will not go there. Sure my cordless screwdriver is driven by 4 aa batteries, the dremel is the best rechargeable I have had, if I am at a remote location, I need a plug or replaceable batteries, been doa too many times on rechargeables.
Rechargables are getting better.
I use stabilized non oxy gas so generally just leave the gas in from one season to the next. It would be best to run it dry provided you can get all the gas out. A little left in the bowl though will still gum the jets up.
My understanding is never put ethanol in a two stroke
I use ethanol gas in small motors, including 2 strokes. I buy mid grade or higher and I immediately treat the gas with marine spec stabilizer. Doing so for about 5 years with no carb issues thus far. I don’t run them dry, but I do try to run each motor every 4 to 5 months.
Even though it is expensive at about $5 a liter, I use the non-ethanol 50:1 mix I purchase at either Lowes or Rural King in my 2 stroke rototiller and my 2 stroke snowblower. When I put the snowblower away for the summer or the rototiller away for the winter, I fill the fuel tank with the mixed fuel, remove the sparkplug, pour in a tablespoon of motor oil, crank the engine over a couple of times and replace the spark plug. Before I start the engine for the next season, I remove the spark plug and crank the engine over to expell the excess oil. I then either put the plug back in or put in a new spark plug. The engines,always fire right up. I don’t like the engine to be stored with a dry fuel tank, so I fill the tank rather than run the gas out.
When I’m diligent, I put Stabil in the tank and run it for a period to get the non-treated gas used up and bowl filled with treated gas. Then shut it down and siphon/drain the tank. Then run the engine down to almost out of gas stalling before using some fogging oil sprayed directly in the intake, which kills it. Push into corner until next year…
I hate to admit this on this board with all you great mechanics out there, but we had a late fall. After I finished mulching leaves, I pushed the mower into the tool shed and didn’t do a thing to prepare it for storage. I would bet, however, that it will start right up when I get it out to mow next month. There have been times in past years,when I didn’t have time to properly prepare the mower for storage in the fall and fired right up when I got it our in the spring. I bought the mower back in 1988 for about $150, so it doesn’t owe me anything. It has a cast aluminum deck, so it never had a rust problem.
I also use my mower to mulch leaves and it gets pretty heavy use into late October. I always treat the gas with marine stabilizer as I buy it so I just put the mower away at the end of the season. It will get a yearly oil change either in the fall or spring and that’s about it.
The same for the snow thrower, but I clean it and wax it to reduce rusting while stored. I pull it out at some point in July to run it for a few minutes and run it forward and reverse and get the auger moving too. Sometimes those parts can rust and get stuck over a long storage that’s why I like to get them moving.
I don’t care for fogging, and I don’t pull the plugs either. I would take those measures if I knew the storage was going to be for 12 or more months. A few months of winter isn’t that long of a layup period. I like to store all these things with a 3/4 to full gas tank to minimize condensation.
The Stihl 50-1 oil I buy has fuel stabilizer in it. At the end of each season I just dump it back in the can. I use it in a rototiller, string trimmer and my small snowblower, I am no longer strong enough to get the big one up on the deck. My chain saw is electric,not cordless. I too have given up on cordless tools.
I had three cordless drills, a 12 volt, 14,4 volt and an 18 volt. The 12 Volt black and Decker 2 spped had the most power and the batteries lasted the longest. The 18 volt Ryobi was junk from the get-go.
Love my 18v Ryobi. I use it all the time. I admit it works a lot better with the li-ion batteries. The Ni-Cads weren’t all that good.
I don't care for fogging...I like to store all these things with a 3/4 to full gas tank to minimize condensation.
I fog when I run them dry. They run super lean for a bit when they run out of gas and I want to prevent overheating of the rings etc during that time. The fogging takes care of that and lubes the whole shebang to boot. But if you don’t run them out of fuel and store for only that amount of time, fogging not really necessary…