How to dilute gasoline for a two-stroke trimmer for grass

Advantages and disadvantages of gasoline trimmers

Thus, summarizing the above, it is necessary to note the main advantages and disadvantages of gasoline trimmers. The pluses include:

• The absence of the need to connect to the power supply network;
• They can be used in any weather (even in rainfall);
• higher power, in comparison with electric analogues;
• gasoline models will last longer if operated correctly and the oil for trimmers is changed in time.
• greater weight;
• the amount of noise emitted during operation is greater than that of electric. Despite this, the number of gasoline trimmers in the countryside is only increasing.

How to fill a trimmer for grass

The ready mix of petrol and oil can be stored up to 3 months (pure petrol is stored less). Dilute enough fuel for several uses of the grass trimmer. Generally prepare:

• Gasoline and oil that is suitable for air-cooled two-stroke motors;
• Metal canister and mixing container;
• respirator;
• gloves.

Adding oil to the gasoline

• Pour 1 liter of gasoline into a container of suitable volume and add 1/2 the required amount of oil.
• Mix gently, keeping a good distance from open flames.
• Add the rest of the oil to the fuel and mix everything again.

Grass trimmer fueling process

General recommendations for filling the grass trimmer with a two- or four-stroke engine:

• Place the fuel tank with the lid on top and pour in the required amount of fuel.
• Do not overfill the fuel tank. This will lead to one of the problems: overflow in the intake manifold and fuel filter, fuel ignition or engine failure.
• Try to pour the mixture so that it does not spill. You can use a watering can for this.
• If you do spill fuel, wipe it off immediately. Wiping material should be disposed of, do not put it in the room as it is a fire hazard.
• Start the unit once the fuel canister has been removed more than 10 meters away.
• If there is a long break between runs, be sure to drain off any old fuel.

Rules for mixing with different engines

All of the above applies to two-stroke engines. You do not need to mix and dilute anything in the case of four-cycle engines. the petrol is in the fuel tank and the oil in the crankcase. It is important to know that you should not add any oil to a brushcutter with a two-stroke engine that is designed for a four-stroke engine or for a liquid cooling system. Otherwise, the entire piston system will be disabled or severe overheating will occur.

Important! For the first filling of a four-stroke motor, no more than 90 ml of oil can be poured into a special tank.

The operation of two-stroke engines is different from that of four-stroke engines: the lubrication of friction surfaces in the crankshaft and other parts of the unit is carried out not from the crankcase, but through oil, which was previously diluted with gasoline. The general rule for two-stroke engines is that gasoline is diluted with a certain volume of oil intended for this purpose.

The fuel must be mixed in special proportions.

It is not permitted to mix petrol and oil directly into the fuel tank. If you ignore this rule, the motor operation can be inconsistent, as a result of which the tool will quickly fail. To dilute the fuel mixture, do not use plastic canisters or bottles, because gasoline can dissolve this synthetic material. Order of fuel mixing:

• Pour a liter of gasoline into a container (ideally a metal canister).
• Add half of the required proportion of oil.
• Mix liquids thoroughly, away from open flames.
• Pour the rest of the lubricant into the container and mix the mixture again.
• Pour the fuel into the fuel tank of the grass trimmer.

Wear a respirator and rubber gloves when working. You can use a watering can for easy pouring. Do not keep the mixture ready for more than 3 months, it is better to dilute as much fuel as you need for the planned work in the nearest future. Always choose a quality oil for mixing with petrol, buy it at the certified gas stations.

Oil and fuel proportions

Calculation of the ratio of ingredients for preparing fuel for grass trimmer should take into account the recommendations on the package from the oil. The standard ratio is 1:50. You can use any quality oil for two-stroke engines.

Choice of gasoline for the grass trimmer

For some reason everyone prefers to choose the brand of gasoline for brushcutter at its discretion. This approach is erroneous, because, first of all, you should carefully study the instructions, where the manufacturer’s recommendations are given for the selection of the type of fuel. But this is also not a guarantee, because unleaded fuel can be sold under different brands (which differ in many manufacturers), with significantly different composition. Therefore, it is necessary to be guided by the basic characteristics in order to choose a gasoline for a particular model of grass trimmer.

Manufacturers of gasoline tool manufacturers recommend using gasoline brand AI-92 to work, but for more expensive types will need fuel with a higher octane number. AI-95. Any brand that has a number 90 or less in its label is not suitable for chain saws because it will lead to fast wear and tear. The problem is due to unscrupulous fuel producers who sell a completely different brand under the guise of 92. This situation is as follows:

• In the passport of gasoline equipment there is a recommendation to use gasoline with an octane number not lower than 92;
• The conscientious owner goes to the gas station, where the lowest price and with a clear conscience pours such fuel in brushcutter;
• As a result, the service life is reduced, because AI-80 and AI-76 are often sold under the guise of AI-92.

To avoid this situation, it is necessary to choose a filling station, which sells proven gasoline (this can be determined by the reviews of regular customers). It is also important where to pour fuel after purchase. only metal containers should be used for this purpose (plastic is prohibited).

Preferably, when it is possible to buy gasoline for grass trimmer high clearance specifically for garden equipment. Then you can be sure of its quality and protection against fakes.

Rules for mixing

And now about how to mix the components correctly. However, it would be more logical to start with analysis of common, but absolutely unacceptable mistakes made by many owners of this mowing machine. The following are considered mistakes in mixing the fuel mixture.

• Adding oil to fuel already in the brushcutter‘s gas tank. You will not get a homogeneous fuel mixture in such a way. It may work, but only if you shake the trimmer for a long time afterwards. But this is unlikely to be done by anyone, given the weight of the machine.
• Pour oil into the mixing tank first and then add gasoline. Gasoline has a lower density than oil, so if you add it to the oil, it will remain in the upper layer, that is, there will be no natural mixing. Of course, it will be possible to mix then, but it will take much more energy than if you do it the other way around. to pour oil to the poured gasoline.
• Ignoring accurate measuring tools to take the necessary volumes of ingredients used. In other words, diluting the amount of oil or gasoline by eye is a bad habit when operating motorized machinery.
• Use empty drinking water bottles for the fuel mixture. Such containers are made of polyethylene, which is too thin and can be dissolved by gasoline.

Taking all the above mentioned into account, we recommend to use the following rules when mixing the fuel mixture for the two-stroke engines of your grass trimmer.

• Use only clean containers made of metal or special plastic for storage and preparation of petrol, oil, ready-to-use fuel mixture.
• Use a watering can to pour petrol into the expansion tank to prevent it from spilling and a measuring cup with volume markings or a 5 ml and 10 ml medical syringe to add oil.
• Pour gasoline into the fuel mixture canister first, and then the oil.
• To dilute the mixture, first pour only half of the planned volume of gasoline into a container.
• Next, add the entire amount of oil required for the mixture to the gasoline.
• Thoroughly mix the contents of the fuel canister. It is best to stir by making circular motions with a tightly closed container. Do not use any other object to stir the fuel inside the canister, because nobody knows what kind of material it is made of, what kind of reaction it may have with the ingredients of the mixture and how clean it is.
• Add the rest of the gasoline to the stirred mixture and stir it thoroughly again.
• You can fill the lawnmower’s fuel tank with the mixture you have prepared.

It should be borne in mind that the ready fuel mixture should not be stored for more than 14 days, as it loses its properties, stratifies and evaporates, which leads to changes in proportions, and thus deteriorates the work of the trimmer for grass.

Often there are problems with the proportions of oil and fuel for the reliable operation of the trimmer. The reason for this is the totally different information in the sources. You may encounter a difference of about a dozen units in the ratio, or sometimes half as much. You can start to wonder how much oil you really need per liter of gasoline: 20 ml or as much as 40 ml. But for this purpose there is a technical passport for the product that you buy in the store. The manual should have a description of the machine, instructions for operating it and information about how to prepare the fuel mixture.

The first thing to consider is the information recommended by the manufacturer, because if your brushcutter breaks down, you can make a claim against it and not against a third-party source. If there is no instruction in the passport, and moreover, if there is no passport, it is recommended to look for another grass trimmer model from a more reliable seller.

For all other cases, when you have a lawnmower model in your hands and there is no way to know its technical features, there are standard proportions of the most likely components of the fuel mixture for a two-stroke engine. Basically, these units use gasoline AI-92 and a special synthetic oil, which contains a solvent for better mixing with fuel. Such oil evaporates slowly and has the ability to burn completely in the cylinder, leaving no carbon residue.

The standard ratio of synthetic oil to gasoline is 1:50. This means that you need 100 ml of oil for 5 liters of gasoline, and accordingly, the oil consumption per 1 liter of gasoline is 20 ml. Knowing the amount of oil needed to dilute 1 liter of fuel, you can easily calculate any rates when preparing fuel for grass trimmer. With mineral oils, the standard ratio is often 1: 40. Consequently, 1 liter of fuel requires 25 ml of such oil, while a 5-liter canister requires 125 ml.

At work of a lawnmower to the person having a small experience in operation of similar technics, it will not be difficult to define and adjust an actual quantity of oil necessary for the concrete model. One should only pay attention to the exhaust gases (their color, toxic smell), cyclic stability, engine heating and power output. information on what to expect when mixing petrol and oil in the wrong proportions is available in another article. There are versions of brushcutter working on gasoline AI-95. This should also be taken into account.

If the engine manufacturer recommends a fuel with this octane rating, you need to follow the recommendation so as not to reduce the service life of the machine.

Types of motor oils and their function

Choice of oil for the gasoline trimmer

Engine oil for gasoline grass trimmer is a lubricant that serves to reduce wear and tear between the rubbing parts of the engine.

The oil composition includes residual hydrocarbons and various additives that improve the product’s properties. To ensure a long-lasting and trouble-free operation of the lawnmower, experts recommend using oils, which by their physical and chemical properties correspond to this type of motor.

Today, it is customary to distinguish between three main types of oils according to the method of their production:

• Mineral, created in the process of distillation of hydrocarbons;
• Synthetic oils, obtained through processing of natural gas or by synthesis;
• Semi-synthetic oils, which include improved mineral oil with addition of some synthetic components.

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In order to prevent mixing of the different types, the manufacturer adds a dye to the oil, which shows the difference in the composition of the lubricant.

Which oil to choose

For the effective operation of the grass trimmer, it is necessary to select oil for two-stroke engines. This is due to the absence of an oil sump in such a device. Depending on the chemical composition of the oil the following classification is distinguished:

• mineral. the basis is petroleum distillate, suitable for equipment of small capacity and with air type of cooling, but requires frequent replacement and can be used only in good weather in the warm season;
• semi-synthetic. suitable for garden equipment with air and liquid type of cooling;
• synthetic oils are based on esters, they do not require frequent changes and can be used at any time of the year.

Oil for 2-stroke engines is characterized by good solubility and the feature of complete combustion. For the grass trimmer, it is recommended to use a lubricant that is suitable for devices with an air-cooled system. Most often it is indicated on the package that the oil is intended for garden equipment and is labeled TA, TV or TC. And the latter is the most preferred.

If the consumption of engine oil during the gardening season is planned to be high due to the presence in the arsenal of chain saws, brush cutters, lawn mowers, it is advisable to buy 5 liters of oil at a better price. If you only need it to mix it with gasoline and fill up a single tool, then 1 liter is enough.

Often manufacturers of chain saws produce a suitable oil, so you can ease the choice if you select the liquid of the appropriate brand.