New Power Tool Time

[REWahoo]

Drop in a couple of Beano - it gets rid of gas.

 

[samclem]

What do you do with the leftover gas?

That is one of the small advantages of the 4-stroke engines--you can put the fuel into your car or somewhere else at the end of the season. Plus, the 4-strokes are less noisy and smokey (but pricier and less power/pound).

It's not especially environmentally responsible, but if you can't find someone to take the leftover fuel/oil mix, maybe the safest thing to do is probably to leave it outside in a pan with a screen over it so it can evaporate. I'd think whatever oil remains could go to the auto parts store for "recycling" with other motor oil. (PS--it doesn't get recycled, just burned to make heat).

 

[theloneranger]

I have the Craftsman 19.2v C3 line also. The vacuum cleaners do not work very well - they cant suck up anything bigger than dust. So I am wary about battery powered trimmers having enough oomph to go through thick grass. I have a 2 cycle Stihl with string and brush blade attachments

You cannot beat a Stihl.
The first weedeater lasted 15 years.
I still have the 15 year old chain saw.
Bought a new Stihl that can handle numerous attachments.
The cultivator is a work horse and the hedge trimmer attachment saves a lot of time when used to cut weeds.

 

[Goonie]

....I use Stabil in the fuel and drain the tank and run it dry at the end of the season. It shows signs of outlasting me.

Yep, same here! I keep a few 5-gallon gas cans around year-round for all of the various pieces of equipment I have....lawn mowers, trimmer, chipper/shreader, generator, snow-blower, etc. The first thing I do when I arrive home with a freshly filled gas can, is to add Stabil to it. I'm currently using up the last can of gasoline from last Spring (didn't use too much this past winter for the snow-blower).

At the end of the season I add just a smidge more Stabil to the fuel tank on the equipment that is being decommissioned for a few months, and then run 'em dry! Then at the beginning of it's new season, I refill the tank and everything starts right up.....1st or 2nd pull of the cord....every time.

What do you do with the leftover gas? This is the problem that I have. You can't put it in your car, and even with the Stabil, you probably don't want to use it after six months or so. I buy a gallon at a time, but still have some left over, which the local gas station lets me dump in one of there waste barrels.

For the gas mix used in my 2-strokers, I just drain it and use it in the next season's 2-strokers. In other words, I drain the weed trimmer, and use that fuel in my snow-blower. At the end of the next season, I reverse it....fuel from snow-blower goes into the Stihl tiller or weed trimmer. (I only mix the 2-stroke fuel one gallon at a time, since I don't use a lot of it.)

 

[Walt34]

What do you do with the leftover gas? This is the problem that I have. You can't put it in your car, and even with the Stabil, you probably don't want to use it after six months or so. I buy a gallon at a time, but still have some left over, which the local gas station lets me dump in one of there waste barrels.

I just keep it in the can and use it the next year. Toward the end of the season I start double-dosing the Stabil, they claim the fuel will last two years that way and it seems to be true. No problems yet.

 

[Ronstar]

Stabil is an amazing product. I add it to the gas in all my yard equipment, always use it as an additive in the atv and pontoon boat, and keep it in the corvette through the winter. I had some carb issues in the atv a few years ago and the dealer said to run stabil with the gas at all times. It runs a lot better now.

 

[easysurfer]

Thanks for all the great feedback. The area I'd be using the cordless trimmer on is rather small (only about fifty by three feet). Here's a youtube video of the future C3 trimmer and a link to the Ryobi model. I've heard Sears should have the trimmer maybe by memorial day -- but we'll see.

YouTube - C3 Lawn & Garden Products At Work


Ryobi 18 Volt Lithium String Trimmer - P2002 at The Home Depot

Just a followup. Well, I ended up going with the Ryobi (The Sears/Craftsman one has trouble keeping them stocked in stores). Just bought it a couple of days ago. After a first run, there is plenty of juice and power for my needs. The trigger/handle takes a little getting used to. Other than that, works great for me -- don't need to fool around with a cord and I can think about other compatible tools that match the battery.

 

[samclem]

easysurfer,
Out of curiosity, will the Sears 19.2V batteries fit into the Ryobi 18V tool? The connection looks similar, but I haven't yet taken a Sears battery to Home Depot to try it out on a Ryobi tool.
The same company makes many of the Sears 19.2V tools and the Ryobi tools.

 

[TromboneAl]

Concerning the leftover gas thing. On Saturday I got a five-gallon "safety" gas can at a garage sale. Now, I can stockpile any leftover gas, and save trips to the gas station dump site.

Thanks for the double-dose tip -- I'll try that. But I'm very protective of my Stihl saw, and don't want to take any chances.

 

[easysurfer]

easysurfer,
Out of curiosity, will the Sears 19.2V batteries fit into the Ryobi 18V tool? The connection looks similar, but I haven't yet taken a Sears battery to Home Depot to try it out on a Ryobi tool.
The same company makes many of the Sears 19.2V tools and the Ryobi tools.

The Sears batteries defiintely do not fit into the Ryobi. On the stem of the battery that plugs into the tools on the Ryobi there are contact points on the side whereas on the Sears the contacts are on the top of the stem. Just for kicks, I put the Ryobi battery in a Sears tool and they don't even align right.

I'm sure it's a proprietary thing. Seems the money making part of the tool lines are the batteries and chargers and they must think incompatibilty means more profit.

 

[samclem]

The Sears batteries defiintely do not fit into the Ryobi. On the stem of the battery that plugs into the tools on the Ryobi there are contact points on the side whereas on the Sears the contacts are on the top of the stem. Just for kicks, I put the Ryobi battery in a Sears tool and they don't even align right.

I'm sure it's a proprietary thing. Seems the money making part of the tool lines are the batteries and chargers and they must think incompatibilty means more profit.

Dang. Thanks for trying.

 

[easysurfer]

Samclem,

Yeah. It would be great if they fit. I wrestled with the decision whether to stay with one battery line or have two. I decided the flexibility of two outweighed the simplicity of one. Though essentially, Craftsman and Ryobi tools are made by the same manufacturer, each brand carries some tools that the other doesn't have. Plus, the battery that came with the Ryobi trimmer I bought is Lithium whereas the Craftsman was only Ni-cad.