Two-stroke garden tools

[RogerS]

has anyone found the 'magic bullet'?

I am, yet again, in two minds whether to get another two-stroke chainsaw. The problem is that, even though I run it empty, I can almost guarantee that when I come to try and start it the following year, it won't.

I just get the impression that, unless you use them at least once a week, that this will always be the case. Unless....one of you has come up with a sure-fire solution??

Renting one for the day costs around £65. A new Makita from Screwfix costs £159. I might use it once or twice or maybe three times in a year. Common sense suggests hiring it everytime...but then you feel that you have to bust a gut getting everything done in the day...knackering work and good whittling time wasted

 

[Chris Knight]

One of the few things from a DIY box that works for me is a "Partner" brand el cheapo chainsaw. I've had it five years and use it once or twice a year and it starts every time with a couple of pulls.

 

[Mcluma]

for 150 you can buy either a good husqvarna or a stihl. and they will last for years

 

[Adam]

I used to help out a company that fixed lawnmowers/chainsaws. Every spring we'd have a rush of mowers etc that wouldn't start.

We'd bring them in, empty the fuel out, put in fresh (and I mean fresh, like 1 month old max - not the old can thats been in the shed for 5 years) petrol and 99 times out of a 100 they'd start straight away. We'd put them down for a service. (read charge in there :wink: )

1 tank on the mower often as not lasts a whole season, so come the following year, they'd top the tank back up with the now 6 year old stuff out of the shed - it won't start - we'd drain it out and put fresh in. And charge them again.

When my mower wouldn't start this spring - I thought "oh - it can't be the fuel - that was fresh in september" so stripped it down - everything fine. Finally I decided I'd just put a drop of fresh fuel in - and voila - starts first time Remember cans/tanks on things like mowers/chainsaws often have a vent valve for gas release - and the voltile parts of the petrol vents through this - although this can often be shut off on chainsaws.

Amazing.

 

[RogerS]

I know Stihl are good but...I had one of their strimmers and I spent a fortune on getting it cleaned out every year so that it would start. The two-stroke woes I fear.

 

[RogerS]

Adam, you might have hit on something there although I'm pretty sure that I did use new fuel everytime.

I certainly recycle the fuel in the generator (four-stroke ). If I haven't used it up in three months it comes out and goes in the car. The gennies' fired up every three months or so and I use the 'spare' electricity to warm my workshop up :wink:

 

[Mcluma]

The four stroke is no problem with the fuel

It is the two stroke where the fuel has to bemixed, the oil particuls are setlling down, which will clock up the carburator needle

So that is why a revamp of the fuel will do the trick

Nowadays the new machines are autolub systems in which even a twostroke enigen will run on normal fuel, but still old fuel gets flacky

 

[kityuser]

whilst working for a tree surgen I learnt the trick of taking out the spark plug and burning it in a small jam-jar lid of meths or petrol.

has two effects, burns off the oil and warms up the plug.

most people choke up two strokes far to much! you should only choke it until you hear it fire ONCE, then unchoke it and keep pulling. If it refuses to start, choke again after about 10 pulls.
The plugs get oiled up FAR quicker than you`d think :-(

like other people have said, clean fresh petrol is a must!!!!


steve

 

[RogerS]

Warming up the spark plug sounds like a good tip..as does fresh petrol.

Warming up with fire took me back years to my days on Outside Broadcasts when it was SOP for the rigger drivers to burn newspaper underneath the diesel engine on the cameravan to warm it up on icy days. That was until one day, down at Lydden Hill, the engine caught fire. Ho hum!