Farmall Cub

bob in CT wrote::roll: Been using it for almost 20 years in the Northeast. Never had a problem. Much ado about nothing.

In fact, I use my Cubs as disposal unit for old gas. I will make sure it is diluted, but with the low compression and an otherwise good tune, they will burn just about anything.

I have to agree. I have a 185 gallon bulk tank I use due to all my Cubs, etc. The biggest use is my big green and yellow lawn mower (100 hrs/year avg.). I go through about 100 gallons per year. I use the tank until empty and call my supplier. Sometimes I only have him put in 100 gallons and sometimes he fills it. When completely filled it has taken me as long as 18 months to run through it. I use Seafoam occasionally and I especially put in my Cushman scooter over the winter. So far no problems.

I try to run non ethenol and seafoam in all my small engines and outboards. The outboards just run terrible on the "corn liquor" and I have a chain saw that the carb is totaled because of ethenol. We are lucky in my town that there are 2 stores that sell non ethenol. I buy 5gals and pour 1/2 pint of sea foam in the can. No carb problems with the cub since getting away fron the "bio junk".

Bad mechanics always have something to blame. Here is a partial list of excuses I have heard over the years:

detergent oil
lead added to gas
permanent antifreeze
battery ignition
multi-weight oil
12-volt electrical systems
using transmission housings for the hydraulic sump
paper air filters
lead removed from gas
MTBE added to gas
ethanol added to gas
zinc removed from oil

Some of these changes had a few problems when they first came along, but they were usually ironed out fairly quickly. Mostly these "problem" stories have been created and spread by people that either don't know what they are doing or don't know what they are saying, often both.

According to PureGas, there are over a half dozen locations between 15 to 45 minuets of me. Last mogas I purchased from Wise oil in China Grove, NC earlier this month.

Jim Becker wrote:Bad mechanics always have something to blame. Here is a partial list of excuses I have heard over the years:

detergent oil
lead added to gas
permanent antifreeze
battery ignition
multi-weight oil
12-volt electrical systems
using transmission housings for the hydraulic sump
paper air filters
lead removed from gas
MTBE added to gas
ethanol added to gas
zinc removed from oil

Some of these changes had a few problems when they first came along, but they were usually ironed out fairly quickly. Mostly these "problem" stories have been created and spread by people that either don't know what they are doing or don't know what they are saying, often both.

Don't forget 6 volt systems.

Denny Clayton wrote:

Jim Becker wrote:Bad mechanics always have something to blame. Here is a partial list . . .

Don't forget 6 volt systems.

I never met anyone that was mechanicing before 6-volt systems were introduced, so I never heard anyone that blamed the introduction of 6-volts as the ruination of everything mechanical. If we add everything that some people simply can't repair, we would have to list almost every part of everything.

ricky racer wrote:

Don McCombs wrote:

Virginia Mike wrote:Just say "NO" to ethanol, you will be happier.

If only that were possible.

http://pure-gas.org/

So, I went to that site and they list 44 states where ethanol-free gas is available, and there's none listed in MA, RI, CT

bob in CT wrote::roll: ...In fact, I use my Cubs as disposal unit for old gas.

Okay then, do you think I could use mine to dispose of some of that old Kerosene sitting in the garage - say a quart to every 7 gal. fill up??

(actually an only half serious question)

I'm familiar with that site, Ricky. But, the nearest one listed is over 20 miles away.

Randy Tuura (RWT) wrote:

bob in CT wrote::roll: ...In fact, I use my Cubs as disposal unit for old gas.

Okay then, do you think I could use mine to dispose of some of that old Kerosene sitting in the garage - say a quart to every 7 gal. fill up??

(actually an only half serious question)

If it is somewhat flammable and you can get it through the carb, it will probably work. I too, like Bob have used my John Deere B to get rid of old gasoline, even old premix. I remember a story told to my by an old gentleman who had some old tractors. He said that when he was a kid his family farmed with an old, if I recall, a 1926 John Deere D. They would take their flatbed truck to Port Huron, Michigan once a year to buy barrels of crude oil. He told me that crude oil was not like the oil that we are used to. Unrefined crude oil according to him, is in a liquid form of watery consistency and they could buy it for next to nothing. He said they could carry enough crude oil in one load to last most of the year farming.

Anyway, he said that they could start the D on gasoline run it until it up to temperature and switch it over to the crude oil. I remember him telling me that if it would burn and you could get it through the carb, that old John Deere would run on it.

No problem (knock on wood!) - try to keep tanks pretty full, maybe Stabil in winter, seldom shut off gas, all 5 w/start w/out choke even after sertting for several weeks! Dusty B

And old diesel would help oil the valve stems? I have a little over 5 gallons of diesel that is to old to burn good ( burning brush). Worst that could happen is loss of some power?

Adding Diesel or kerosene to the fuel for the Cub will not have good results. It produces no benefit and may result in poor or non-running conditions. But the good news is that it probably will not harm the engine.

Pickerincal wrote:So I borrowed a pressure washer that sat for several months and would not run. The guy at the shop says " it's from Ethenol they now put in the fuel, the gas goes bad faster and leaves a varnish in the carb." It's a Briggs and Stratton engine, never had a problem like that with my mower.
Anyone have this problem with their Cubs or other tractors? I never heard of it. Don't want to rebuild my Cub then run crappy fuel through it. I know fuel get old but would still burn, just not as good.
I'm being told the best thing to to is empty the tank, run the machine til it runs out of fuel and empty the bowl before storing the machine for any longer than a few weeks. Heck, I go a month without mowing the lawn

If it sets for 6 months you may have a problem with the gas getting old, chances are that the pressure washer had sat for a very long time. I have to clean the carb on my generator if it sets for many months with any type of gas in it, Honda engine, Gas in general is not as good as it use to be. I only use straight gas most of the time too. I have had to drain the gas out of cubs that had set for a year or so to get them to run right. If you get gas on your hands and it does not tingle, it will run poorly and may take some help getting started.
If you can get non Ethanol gas use it by all means.
Boss

By the way I dont think you will find any mechanics that will tell you that Ethanol is better