The Experience of a Bicycle

[dodgeman]

If I used a corded chainsaw I’d have to use my generator, kind of defeats the purpose. I had one and gave it away because I never used it.

I’m lucky I can find non ethanol fuel in my area. The premixed you buy comes out to $20 a gallon or more.

 

[Gordon71]

If I used a corded chainsaw I’d have to use my generator, kind of defeats the purpose. I had one and gave it away because I never used it.

I’m lucky I can find non ethanol fuel in my area. The premixed you buy comes out to $20 a gallon or more.

I wonder which is worse: a gas chainsaw or an inverter generator + electric chainsaw. I know the generator makes a lot less noise. I used it with an electric pole saw at the entrance to my driveway to make the UPS driver happy and they did a very good job with not too much noise. I don't have an electric chainsaw yet.

 

[Mulezen]

^ You’ll be impressed

 

[Jason Knight]

Absolutely. Any white fella with half a brain and an ounce of ambition...

So outing yourself as a racist on top of your effete elitist "f*** the cripples and elderly" attitude? Confirms some suspicions.

 

[SC00CHB00CH]

And now, for something completely different......

I think it was that time I just wanted to break out the gas powered chain saw to cut some downed tree limbs. So I break out the chain saw and after about 100 pulls and no start, the reality of a ruined fuel system due to alcohol in our gas set it. The long term remedy for that is to buy and use the synthetic, high octane fuels that are out there, such as True Fuel or VP's fuels. Since going to them, no problems whatsoever with my Homelite chain saw or Stihl weedwhacker.

But there is another alternative that, although may not be the right choice for an older person or one with alot of big trees to cut into 16 inch lengths suitable for firewood.....and that alternative are the Japanese hand saws by Silky. For years, I've been using a japanese pull-saw on my backyard boat build project and I figured, with a thousand years plus of refinement, the japanese have figured out the science of handsaws and blade teeth, to a tee. For riding on my local canal trail, I picked up a cheapo japanese style hand saw from Harbor Freight. At under 10 bucks, it was well worth it.

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After using the Harbor Freight saw, I wanted the real deal and found alot of great reviews by trail maintainers using the Silky Big Boy 2000.

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It features a 14.5 inch long, folding blade and it's perfect for bringing along a trail ride where there might be a downed tree limb or small tree along the trail that needs removal. No carbs to foul with alcohol. No need to pull a starting rope 2-300 times in vain. Just unfold and cut away. But do not hit soil with it for you will dull the cutting edge. And for God's sake, do not cut yourself, cause it will likely be a serious, deep cut. It really is that sharp. Link: https://silkysaws.com/silky-bigboy-2000-folding-saw/

I've since went on to buying their 500mm long (20 inch long) Katana Boy for cutting medium sized trees and limbs. At 225 dollars, it's not bad for a chainsaw-competitive cutting tool. Link: https://silkysaws.com/silky-katanaboy-500-folding-saw/

I saw this one on youtube a few years ago, the Katana Boy Professional 1000 mm (39.4 inch long blade!) At a thousand dollars, this is a beyond-serious, high end cutting saw. Link: https://silkysaws.com/katanaboy-professional-1000mm-folding-saw/

Nice saw I'm gonna have to get one. I have a really old one that has seen better days. On a side note I accidentally put ethanol free gas in my car about a week ago. I didn't realize we had an ethanol free pump near us. It's a station I normally don't use.

I looked at the price it was expensive as I was pumping , but I was hungry I had a bag of chik fil-a in the car so my mind was elsewhere , getting home to the salt lick hucky puck , I was like why is this gas so pricey , then I realized 'oh wait this is ethanol free gas' so the last week my old 2007 Saturn Vue V6 drives so much smoother , it always drove smooth but the ethanol free stuff my car really likes. I'm sticking with it for my mowers too.

I did read up on ethanol free gas and it does improve gas mileage but the higher cost of the gas sort of negates it. Still it's much better on the internals of a combustion engine of a car and gas powered lawn equipment. Without a doubt though my car got better gas mileage.
I suppose newer cars though may not see the benefit.
But mowers , and other gas lawn equipment certainly can benefit from ethanol free.

 

[SC00CHB00CH]

If I used a corded chainsaw I’d have to use my generator, kind of defeats the purpose. I had one and gave it away because I never used it.

I’m lucky I can find non ethanol fuel in my area. The premixed you buy comes out to $20 a gallon or more.

Corded chain saws are annoying. I borrowed one in a pinch and the cord would get wrapped all around the smaller limbs.
I also used a corded leaf blower for about 10 years. 100+ feet of power cable. I got good at not getting it wrapped up in everything. Once I got a battery powered one , man I felt like King Solomon all of sudden.

I also got a Kobalt battery powered chain-saw. For my needs it's been perfect. It's tool-less to , so out in the field if I pop the chain off it's takes me about a minute to reset the chain and tighten it again. Plus I already have 3 batteries , so when I purchased it I got another battery.
Surprisingly it cuts like butter , even on limbs larger than it's rated for. It's all plasticy but the price was also cheap so replacing it won't kill my budget. But it's been going strong for 5 yrs. I use it all summer. We're I live it rains a lot in the summer and everything grows like weeds.
I use the same 4 batteries for my blower , air pump and chainsaw and tree pole saw. So I have power for days if needed. They all fit with the same battery.

They're great for homeowners who have large falling limbs or trees that need to be trimmed.

I just found an ethanol pump near me by accident. I filled up my SUV and looked down and was like why is this so expensive. Turns out it's an ethanol free pump. To my delight my SUV gas mileage is better for sure 100% not even a doubt in my mind. Gonna stick with it from here on out for my mowers and weed wacker. I got one of those 4 stroke Honda weed whackers. Heavy but man cuts so good and quiet compared to the old 2 stroke I had.

 

[Mike TowpathTraveler]

So ...what ebike do you have ?

Nice saw I'm gonna have to get one. I have a really old one that has seen better days. On a side note I accidentally put ethanol free gas in my car about a week ago. I didn't realize we had an ethanol free pump near us. It's a station I normally don't use.

I looked at the price it was expensive as I was pumping , but I was hungry I had a bag of chik fil-a in the car so my mind was elsewhere , getting home to the salt lick hucky puck , I was like why is this gas so pricey , then I realized 'oh wait this is ethanol free gas' so the last week my old 2007 Saturn Vue V6 drives so much smoother , it always drove smooth but the ethanol free stuff my car really likes. I'm sticking with it for my mowers too.

I did read up on ethanol free gas and it does improve gas mileage but the higher cost of the gas sort of negates it. Still it's much better on the internals of a combustion engine of a car and gas powered lawn equipment. Without a doubt though my car got better gas mileage.
I suppose newer cars though may not see the benefit.
But mowers , and other gas lawn equipment certainly can benefit from ethanol free.

No doubt, the alcohol treated pump gas plays havoc on carburated engines. And if the stuff is allowed to sit for a good amount of time without using it, things in the carb and gas tank get worse. Boats, too. Old engines built prior to the introduction of methanol have a hard time with the alcohol degrading fuel lines, carb gaskets/float needles and gas tanks. The True Fuels of the world bought at Home Depot or Tractor Supply comes out over 20 buck a gallon. But it's the only thing a person should use with their gas powered weed whacker or chain saw.

Newer cars with fuel injection have a better time dealing with this modern gas, thanks to the higher pressure fuel pumps and injectors. But your Saturn certainly benefitted from that methanol free gas treatment, though your wallet didn't.

 

[dodgeman]

Ethanol not methanol. I burn a lot of fuel in my vehicles that is 10% ethanol. It’s fine as long as you burn it reasonably quick, say a couple of months. I use pure gas in my small engines because who knows how long it will sit.

 

[SC00CHB00CH]

I just don't see the need for ethanol at all IMO. It's allegedly to offset the costs of imported oil. But America already produces the most *top crude oil of any nation in the world and we make up less than 5% of total world population. Plus if you research the "Abiotic Oil Theory" the earth is actually a highly efficient oil producing mechanism. I found the theory after seeing news reports and newspapers of "Oil Wells refilling themselves." (tons of articles on oil wells refilling themselves over the last 50+ years or so) So I did some investigative research and came across the "Abiotic Oil Theory" which actually has a working lab model , they've been able to reproduce the theory in a lab. Fossil Fuels? yeah mmmmk




"In 2021, the United States exported about 8.54 million barrels per day (b/d) and imported about 8.47 million b/d of petroleum,1 making the United States an annual total petroleum net exporter for the second year in a row since at least 1949."

Oil imports and exports - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)

U.S. crude oil imports sources including OPEC and Persian Gulf, and top five source countries of U.S. oil imports and destinations of U.S. crude oil exports.

www.eia.gov

The United States became the world’s *top crude oil producer in 2018 and maintained the lead position through 2021.

Where our oil comes from - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)

Where crude oil is produced, the top 5 oil producing states, the types of oil producers, and the top 5 crude oil producing countries.

www.eia.gov

So yeah those gas prices? Keep watching the news sheep.

 

[Mulezen]

Big Ag likes ethanol…and the Govt. subsidies they labored hard for. Bio-diesel is a different animal

 

[Roamers]

To many to reply individually, so:

2 thumbs up to Silky; excellent for pruning.

Used to cut a lot with gas chain saw since I heated with wood. When I got out of the wood heating mode, every time I went to use the saw it was gummed up so switched to plug in elec; 100' 10 gauge cord got me anywhere on my city lot. Last big use was a 40' maple; i cut up to 14"; my son cut bigger with his Stihl gas.

Got tired of corded leaf blower and got gas; only use Trufuel. Expensive, but so is paying to have gummed up motors rebuilt. Bought a battery leaf blower; good for workshop, van, deck and driveway. Poor for lawn.

Pick the correct tool for your use case.

 

[SC00CHB00CH]

You gotta get the 80volt battery powered leaf blowers. Anything less won't be as good as the gas ones or corded.

 

[Kayakguy]

I carry groceries on my Gazelle. The ride changes, the extra weight is noticeable. Carrying a watermelon is especially felt. I cannot find anything that balances a watermelon to put in the other pannier. I also end up using a higher assist. But when the bike is not loaded, it's back to a pleasant ride.

I don't get it. I sometimes have to load just on one side (I use folding baskets with a trunk in between), and have never noticed a problem with an off-center load. The body/bike unit seems to sense the need to adjust--automatically. It always just feels like normal bike riding, but with a load. On the other hand, I've never tried it with a watermelon, so
maybe that would feel different. I guess with a really heavily lopsided bike you might be riding on the sidewalls instead of the tread.

I understand his ”needs”. I think that it may be you that is “poisoning the well” now.

When I said that an e-bike may not be a good fit, it was because he says that he requires more than a legal e-bike can offer. It’s like trying to use a car as a truck. It doesn’t always work out. If a legal e-bike won’t do the job, then it seems reasonable that it is not the right tool for the application. Having to get the bike across a six lane highway should have been a clue. From his description it sounds like a very dangerous place to ride and an e-bike isn’t seeming to work very well for him, so yeah, it sounds like a bad fit. Bicycles and motor scooters don’t belong on an interstate either. Maybe you think that they are a good fit everywhere. I don’t.

Actually, maxi scooters (I had a couple of 400 cc bikes) do very well on the freeway.

In Spain, I saw scooters everywhere in the cities--even the cops used them. But on the freeway, nary a one, no motorcycles even.

 

[Kayakguy]

Id hate to go back to a life where bullshit is profanity. Sexually charged words, yes, a big no to sexually charged words but bullshit hardly qualifies as profanity. And best describes the blather from the eBike purists demeaning others rides. Throttle bashers, kit bashers, mileage braggarts and their ilk are bos faeces extraordinaire.

I have quite a rich trove of profanity, including F-bombs. I use them whenever it seems appropriate. But lately I've had this concern: If we routinely abuse our most extreme words (individual preference will vary, of course) what arsenal do we have left when we REALLY need some potent firepower? Do we have to make up new words? This question has been bothering me a lot lately.

I find it interesting that most of my beer drinking and kayaking friends are very clean-spoken, so that when I'm around them, I moderate my language almost automatically. My worst outbursts are when I drop a machine screw that then rolls under the car. A buddy used to say he was "blaspheming himself" in that kind of situation.

 

[JedidiahStolzfus]

To many to reply individually, so:

2 thumbs up to Silky; excellent for pruning.

Used to cut a lot with gas chain saw since I heated with wood. When I got out of the wood heating mode, every time I went to use the saw it was gummed up so switched to plug in elec; 100' 10 gauge cord got me anywhere on my city lot. Last big use was a 40' maple; i cut up to 14"; my son cut bigger with his Stihl gas.

Got tired of corded leaf blower and got gas; only use Trufuel. Expensive, but so is paying to have gummed up motors rebuilt. Bought a battery leaf blower; good for workshop, van, deck and driveway. Poor for lawn.

Pick the correct tool for your use case.

Much of the problem with carbs getting gummed up is due to the failure of the user to run the machine until the tank is empty. Every chainsaw I have (6 of them) I removed the factory fuel lines and replaced them with impermeable lines. The factory lines will absorb the alcohol from the fuel, swell and rot away. The impermeable lines do not. I have a 17yr old chainsaw runs with no problem, and it's not a pro saw, just a mid range big box store one.

If you have generators, wood splitters, snow blowers or anything else with a bowl type carb, you should shut off the fuel while it's running then allow it to run until it shuts off. If you don't have a fuel shut off, install one.

Even if a carb does get gummed up, they're not that hard to clean up, it just takes some patience and the right assortment of chemicals. The biggest issue on chainsaws and other 2 stroke machines is there's a little tiny screen right behind the fuel inlet. You'll have to take the carb apart to get to it, but if you can, it's easily cleaned with gummout or other carb cleaners.

Cleaning the jets can be little tougher but it can be done. If you get a carb that just doesn't want to get clean, they're generally $20 on Amazon, the only problem is getting them adjusted just right after that.

We shouldn't have to do all this, because ethanol shouldn't be in the fuel, and sadly finding ethanol free fuel is difficult and many times expensive. But machinery needs to be maintained, even without ethanol in the fuel.

All this reminds me, I have 3 machines sitting out there right now that I need to see if they run or not. Anyone need a walk behind 5hp leaf blower or a pair of monster size snow blowers?

 

[Mulezen]

I’m by now used to EBR costing me money…but it’s generally bicycle related…but now I have to look into a fancy folding blade…which would sit so perfectly in my thoughtful Kubota toolbox…but what I wonder is will the bright yellow clash with tractor’s orange?

 

[tomjasz]

So outing yourself as a racist on top of your effete elitist "f*** the cripples and elderly" attitude? Confirms some suspicions.

No just a dumb white guy that understands the advantages you and i have. Nothing racist at all. Just acknowledging that white folks have an unfair advantage. Unless you’re lazy.

 

[tomjasz]

I just don't see the need for ethanol at all IMO. It's allegedly to offset the costs of imported oil. But America already produces the most *top crude oil of any nation in the world and we make up less than 5% of total world population. Plus if you research the "Abiotic Oil Theory" the earth is actually a highly efficient oil producing mechanism. I found the theory after seeing news reports and newspapers of "Oil Wells refilling themselves." (tons of articles on oil wells refilling themselves over the last 50+ years or so) So I did some investigative research and came across the "Abiotic Oil Theory" which actually has a working lab model , they've been able to reproduce the theory in a lab. Fossil Fuels? yeah mmmmk




"In 2021, the United States exported about 8.54 million barrels per day (b/d) and imported about 8.47 million b/d of petroleum,1 making the United States an annual total petroleum net exporter for the second year in a row since at least 1949."

Oil imports and exports - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)

U.S. crude oil imports sources including OPEC and Persian Gulf, and top five source countries of U.S. oil imports and destinations of U.S. crude oil exports.

www.eia.gov

The United States became the world’s *top crude oil producer in 2018 and maintained the lead position through 2021.

Where our oil comes from - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)

Where crude oil is produced, the top 5 oil producing states, the types of oil producers, and the top 5 crude oil producing countries.

www.eia.gov

So yeah those gas prices? Keep watching the news sheep.

Keep burning s*it fuel suckers

 

[Roamers]

Much of the problem with carbs getting gummed up is due to the failure of the user to run the machine until the tank is empty. Every chainsaw I have (6 of them) I removed the factory fuel lines and replaced them with impermeable lines. The factory lines will absorb the alcohol from the fuel, swell and rot away. The impermeable lines do not. I have a 17yr old chainsaw runs with no problem, and it's not a pro saw, just a mid range big box store one.

If you have generators, wood splitters, snow blowers or anything else with a bowl type carb, you should shut off the fuel while it's running then allow it to run until it shuts off. If you don't have a fuel shut off, install one.

Even if a carb does get gummed up, they're not that hard to clean up, it just takes some patience and the right assortment of chemicals. The biggest issue on chainsaws and other 2 stroke machines is there's a little tiny screen right behind the fuel inlet. You'll have to take the carb apart to get to it, but if you can, it's easily cleaned with gummout or other carb cleaners.

Cleaning the jets can be little tougher but it can be done. If you get a carb that just doesn't want to get clean, they're generally $20 on Amazon, the only problem is getting them adjusted just right after that.

We shouldn't have to do all this, because ethanol shouldn't be in the fuel, and sadly finding ethanol free fuel is difficult and many times expensive. But machinery needs to be maintained, even without ethanol in the fuel.

All this reminds me, I have 3 machines sitting out there right now that I need to see if they run or not. Anyone need a walk behind 5hp leaf blower or a pair of monster size snow blowers?

I'm pretty sure it's a 2 cycle issue. On my 4 cycles, I now mix Seafoam in at the pump. I've had fuel last 2 seasons in a snowblower; third season added some fresh and kept blowing.

 

[JedidiahStolzfus]

I'm pretty sure it's a 2 cycle issue. On my 4 cycles, I now mix Seafoam in at the pump. I've had fuel last 2 seasons in a snowblower; third season added some fresh and kept blowing.

Either swelled fuel lines or that little screen in the carb. I had fuel lines rot off inside the tank to one saw so that the fuel filter was just rattling around inside. Replaced all of that with impermeable line 10 years ago and haven't had a problem since.

I loaned my log splitter to someone running fine and it came back with the bowl and carb gummed up. They must have poured some really old fuel in the tank and then let it sit. Took me a couple of hours to get that fixed up.

I saw an interesting LP conversion on a log splitter yesterday. From the tank to a regulator from there connected directly to the main fuel pickup on the carb. They removed the bowl and just clamped the line to the pickup. Apparently it works.