What are you doing today? Thread

[ATC King]

Premix debate?

I recently bought and ran a tank of fuel through an Ebay 58cc brush cutter.

The Chinese instructions call for a 25:1 premix. I've never run any two cycle engine I've owned that rich but the instructions
called for it.

I've had several two cycle dirt bikes and I run 40:1 in my Indian built moped; have for years. No saw, weed whacker, or anything I've owned or used has ever gotten 25:1 put in it. I've used the $1,000+ Stihl brush cutters but can't justify that cost for home use so bought this Chinese thing. All I have are ~25cc trimmers at home and they don't have enough power for the thick stuff even though I run a dado blade on one but it take some finesse and will stall in the thicker stuff. That's a total home brew contraption.

I don't know about the claimed 58cc but for the price it's a beast. It felt a little weak at first but after a tank of fuel it loosened up. Most of the plastic on it is very cheap but the engine is strong. Like a proper brush cutter, boots, pants, gloves, and a face shield are needed or it'll draw blood (already has). I bought some .105 line for it today but I think it came with something larger. My digital caliper battery was dead and I couldn't measure the line it came with. Nothing in the instructions or on the two trimmer heads it came with say anything about line size. It came with two different style blades but I have a tractor and brush cutter for any mess like that so I'm keeping the line trimmer head on it for now.

So, about fuel premix, I'm running a large line trimmer head. That's sustained RPM and not blipping through tree saplings or a whole lot of woody stuff. I've got a pole saw for that if not wanting to fire up the tractor. I bought this for very thick grass and weeds, like ditches and pond banks I haven't touched in a month. During the summer which is always above 90 degrees and high humidity so I get out in early morning with the grass still wet with dew.

The thing just splooges out the muffler with the current mix and pours smoke. I use VP synthetic oil and that premix seems very wrong for modern synthetic oil.

I'm going to run 32:1 after I use up what I've already mixed.

Has anyone else bought and used one of these brush cutters for an extended time and used a different premix?

I don't plan on using 50:1 but 40:1 may actually be alright with modern synthetic oil when really working the cutter hard.

?

[plastikosmd]

No help here

I’m moving most everything to m18 stuff

[ATC King]

No help here

I’m moving most everything to m18 stuff

I hear you. I've got a M18 1/2" impact and it's every bit as stout as a pneumatic one. A friend of mine has been using a 1" Harbor Freight pneumatic impact (the best one they have, not the bottom tier) for the past couple years to work on his big trucks and when it crapped the bed he got a 3/4" Milwaukee M18 because that's what his tool guy sells and on that day he needed something that works. He's not going back to the 1" pneumatic except for a backup. He was already a Milwaukee cordless advocate and had several M18 tools so the 3/4" made sense.

I wouldn't even have the 1/2" M18 except my friend likes them so much he gave me a new one to convert me. I'm converted.


At for lawn care equipment, there's a place for certain tools. I've got gas, corded, and cordless equipment and they all serve a purpose. The cordless chainsaw gets more use than the gas simply because I do more tree trimming than cutting. The corded and cordless trimmers are better for sensitive areas that are prone to damage and get regular care where the gas trimmers are for knocking overgrowth down in places away from buildings with wood and vinyl siding.

I fire the tractor up for the gnarly stuff and get as close to boundaries as possible then finish up with the gas trimmers.There's not a corded or cordless trimmer that'll even touch that kind of mess. If it comes close it'll only last half and hour before needing charged.

I've got a wide range of gas, corded, and cordless lawn care tools and have for as long as they've all be available. I'm not new to any of it and actually used to work in a factory producing and testing all of it. I've spent hundreds of hours testing gas and electric saws, trimmers, and blowers, and even worked in a UL lab (Underwriters Laboratories) where they done product life and destructive testing. We had a burn room where electric products were run until failure and the room was fire safe. That didn't eliminate the blue smoke stink though. Some tests were automated overnight and we would come in during the morning to the smell.

This Chinese brush cutter...I'll find out.

I've got a lot of experience but this particular engine I know nothing about. I'm not about to tear it down either. I just want to run it for all it's worth and was hoping someone else had already done so.

[rpeters]

My short answer is, you can safely run Maxima K2 at 40 to 1 and the same with most modern 2 stroke oils. I am running 40 to 1 on my vintage dirt bikes that called for 20 to 1, and they still spit some oil out the exhaust.

[ATC King]

Thanks for that info and your experience with modern oil in older engines.

I've mixed a gallon of 25:1 and once that's in the atmosphere I'll go lighter.

The new oils are certainly better than the old stuff and don't need to be pouring out smoke and goop to know they're working. These Chinese products are always questionable but this brush cutter is an easy starter and good runner without any crazy vibration so it's likely built decent enough to not need cautionary rich oil mixtures.

[YAMAHA_Jim]

Working on a 1990 Yamaha YT6800, and cleaning some Tri-Z 250's 😀

[El Camexican]

Working on a 1990 Yamaha YT6800, and cleaning some Tri-Z 250's ��

Let’s see some fotos!

[coolpool]

Last weekend we trailered the old war wagon 7 hours south to Canmore, Alberta to have a short vacation and take in the local car show. I always wanted to drive from Canmore to Lake Louise and back in the Jeep which is roughly 100 miles round trip. We unhooked the trailer (saving~500#'s of weight) and off we went in cool 12 degree C/53 F weather with a couple of cloud bursts thrown in for fun. We did the Lake Minnewanka loop first adding another 10 miles before venturing on the long haul. We were able to maintain 50 mph comfortably on the Trans Canada Highway when we had too but mostly took the Bow Valley Parkway which is posted 30-40 mph due to the twists and hills. We had no mechanical issues and enjoyed the scenery immensely and luckily didn't have to dodge any wildlife which are prevalent in the area being a National Park.

[knappyfeet]

Friggin awesome!

Been wanting to take my El Camino up-and-down the coast for the longest time, but as reliable as it is I still am gun shy.

[ATC King]

Now's the time to take that coastal trip.

If you're cruck is in general good repair as far the mechanical parts, parts stores still carry things that may fail unexpectedly.

HEI modules, mechanical fuel pumps, universal type radiator hoses (so many new vehicles can't get away with that because they have hose 'assemblies'), wiper motors, a lot of the basic switches like headlight dimmers, fan clutches, alternators, just a whole lot for older cars is still stocked at parts stores but that isn't going to be for much longer. For new cars they don't/can't stock as much because everything changes so frequently unlike the older vehicles that may use one same part for ten years or longer on a whole lot of different models.

Carry something like one of those larger tool kits that come in a large plastic case, a good pair of locking pliers, electrical and Duck tape, twist wire, fuses, zip ties, a battery jump pack, and tire repair kit with and pump and you'll probably be able to parking lot repair any little issue that arises. It is a good idea to go ahead any carry new/used accessory belts. V-belts aren't stocked like they used to be.

I've drove my '79 all over and while nearly being broken down a handful of times it wasn't anything that left me stranded or needing a tow. If it had been a newer vehicle I can confidently say that some of the issues I've had would have required it to be hauled somewhere because I wouldn't have been able to repair it in a parking lot.

The same goes for many of the other older vehicles I've owned and was able to repair roadside, albeit sometimes having to get a ride and back from a parts store.

Every time I take a longer trip somewhere and pass broken down newer vehicles it makes me a little nervous because I'm driving something so old and anything can happen at any time but I'm always under the hood and the vehicle checking things out to prevent it. My '79 doesn't have TPMS which means every time I check the air pressure, I'm looking at tire condition. Something that's probably putting a whole lot of people on side of the road with blown tires nowadays. Technology can come back and bite people in the rear.

As someone who drives an older vehicle, every time I'm city driving and hear or smell something off I start to get a little anxiety. Then I realize it's coming from some other nearby, newer vehicle, then I get a little pissed (fix yo junk!)

[coolpool]

^^Give'r knappy! As ATC said, you can probably predict failures well before they are an issue. I was definitely puckering a bit as I kept remembering this jeep was in a 1,000 pieces not two years earlier...did I tighten this, is there a cotter pin in that.....etc. Then I thought...well the Canadian Forces sent us down the road in worse shape vehicles regularily so what they hey....drive it like you stole it. I still have an annoying tick and been through the valve train numerous times and stethescoped the whole thing but to no avail. Probably pluck out the mill this winter and go through it now that it has ~500 on the re-build.

[knappyfeet]

Now's the time to take that coastal trip.

If you're cruck is in general good repair as far the mechanical parts, parts stores still carry things that may fail

Bitchin post.

It made me stop and think...we grew up driving these piles all over the place....and when they broke we just wrenched right there in the parking lot.

After reading....I took inventory of what has been done recently and what I may do. It has a new water pump, thermostat, upper radiator hose and belt (I think). It has a new master cylinder and booster. For a couple of hundy I could get the fuel pump and alternator and lower radiator hose and other little things.

It doesn't have a spare..... the tires have good tread, but they are old. I believe a 2010 date stamp. I should replace the old tires but I like to live dangerously....so I'll probably just source a spare.

Instead of doing something smart and logical like purchase new tires....I would probably waste some money on this bed cover. I could throw all my crap back there and feel a little better about it knowing it's covered.

If it all works out, I'll head straight up to coolpool then cruise back down.







Edit.....

Also did all the fuel/vent lines from the gas tank and rear differential seal about a year ago. I also may have the carb rebuilt professionally just for S&G's

[ATC King]

I like the bed cover idea.

Unless someone is regularly hauling things taller than the top of the bed it actually adds functionality because now things in the bed are out of the weather, and out of sight. I've found the benefits of the camper shell on my truck far outweigh negatives and most people I've known who've had bed covers seldom carry anything where it's an issue.

If you're going to put some tools or supplies in a tote you could get a large mat of tool box liner. The stuff that's rubber like, grippy, and used to keep tools from sliding around in a box. Maybe that's all you'd need to hold a tote stable without having to drill holes. Besides maybe hitting a large bump, I think it'd work well. You could even glue it to the bottom of a tote.


A spare is a must. I have one in my truck but have never needed it. Keeping good condition tires with the proper air pressure prevents most flats. I do make certain it's the same size and weight rating that way it won't affect functionality if used, unlike those dangerous doughnuts they've been putting in vehicles, which they remedied by not even putting a spare in many newer cars.


The number one thing that's going to cause the most flats when driving on pavement is driving on the shoulder. There's an enormous amount of debris on road shoulders. I see this done most on two lane roads when people don't want to wait for someone to make a left turn. It takes much less time to wait for them to make their turn than to change a tire.

[Shep1970]

And be wary of idiots on the road that like to cut across traffic to make a turn to soon and the first thing they ask is "why'd you stop"? My traffic light was red and no where to go-

And stone's flying up outa nowhere cracking your windshield.......

I also like the look of the bed cover knappy-

Welcome to Sheps past 5 days-



the dumbazz in the camry is not me
Luckily no deductable(waived) 100% his fault
shep

[ATC King]

That's why I've got front and rear cameras on my truck. I need to install some on the sides too.

Nobody can argue against it when there's a video. It makes insurance claims much more solid and speeds things up in court (relatively speaking).

With all the terrible drivers out there, with no insurance, no license, and who are also blatant liars, not having it on camera is a risk I'm not comfortable with. The good new is higher quality dash cams are getting more affordable all the time.

If in a crash and faced with one of those people it's best to not let them know it was recorded. Let them lie to the police and have that in the report.