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I can't help but notice all the positive comments toward ethanol in this thread come from people who have many years and thousands of miles of personal experience using ethanol.

Meanwhile the most negative comments about ethanol come from people who evidently have never used it. :???: :???: :???:
 
Hell, we're all pretty much forced to use it. E-10 is ubiquitous these days. It's like finding a needle in a haystack finding ethanol free gas.

Bury your head in the sand but the backlash against the program is growing.

It is just another form of WELFARE to farmers. Of course they are the kings of WELFARE so what else is new?

DO DAT CHECK COME IN YET.

Heck it's October most of you Farmers are already calling the bank everyday this month to see if your DO DAT money has been direct deposited yet.

LEECHES!
 
nortexsook said:
Hell, we're all pretty much forced to use it. E-10 is ubiquitous these days. It's like finding a needle in a haystack finding ethanol free gas.
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I don't see that anyone is forced to use ethanol. I know of a few stations that choose not to sell gas with ethanol. It's their business decision to make and I respect their choice.

I say let the customer decide. Every station I stop at I just pick the nozzle on the pump that says "enriched with 10% ethanol" instead of the other one. Sometimes it's the same price. Sometimes E10 is a nickel or at least a couple cents cheaper. E85 is anywhere from 60-80 cents under both grades. Local co-op sells straight unleaded, E10, and E85 and lets the customer choose.

I know of one station with blender pumps that offer 3 blends ranging from E10 to E24. The E24 works great in my '78 Impala.
 
There's no denying that there is growing backlash toward ethanol production. There is also growing backlash toward livestock production and agriculture in general. It's just too bad that instead of doing some research on either subject though the general population just believes whatever their favorite newspaper/radio/tv personality says.
 
My son has a small engine buisness when he has the time and the biggest thing he complains about is NOT preparing your small engines for the winter..He started using what steve uses in his jet skis and that is what he reccommends for his customers... ( Mostly little ole women) :D Had a lady call this spring and was so thankful that our son had taught her how to winterize her weed eater and also she could adjust the carburator to run smoothly on her own...... With anything else...... It's maintance.... :D
 
I guess you guys have a choice. I spent over an hour trying to find a gas station without 10% ethanol on EVERY pump about a month ago. Found the need for one after the 3rd time of tearing my mower carburetor apart getting all the gunk out.

It seems that a lot of individuals on here are expert mechanics with totally different views than the life long small engine mechanics I have spoken with this year. But what do they know, they not only drive their own cars (making them an expert) but actually have to diagnose and repair thousands of small engines a year.

If ethanol was not putting money in your pocket, you wouldn't be so "patriotic". It is an option and we need as many options as we can find. But It is not going to save us.

It is interesting how everyone is worried about transit with the ethanol and bio-diesel. Where is the bio-fertilizer going to come from? It would make more sense to me to move away from high consumption of fossil fuels as an initial input.

Wind, Solar, Nuclear power should be used for production of electricity and to power as much transit as possible. Fossil fuels should be used for production of fertilizer for the purpose of food.
 
okfarmer said:
I guess you guys have a choice. I spent over an hour trying to find a gas station without 10% ethanol on EVERY pump about a month ago. Found the need for one after the 3rd time of tearing my mower carburetor apart getting all the gunk out.

It seems that a lot of individuals on here are expert mechanics with totally different views than the life long small engine mechanics I have spoken with this year. But what do they know, they not only drive their own cars (making them an expert) but actually have to diagnose and repair thousands of small engines a year.

If ethanol was not putting money in your pocket, you wouldn't be so "patriotic". It is an option and we need as many options as we can find. But It is not going to save us.

It is interesting how everyone is worried about transit with the ethanol and bio-diesel. Where is the bio-fertilizer going to come from? It would make more sense to me to move away from high consumption of fossil fuels as an initial input.

Wind, Solar, Nuclear power should be used for production of electricity and to power as much transit as possible. Fossil fuels should be used for production of fertilizer for the purpose of food.
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Now don't go getting your panties in a wad..... Here on ranchers net were a pretty laid back type.. First of all maybe ask what we do to keep our engines from getting gunk.... Secondly damn right I'm patriotic.... Not only for farmers but for ranchers, small buisness, small towns, and just about everything else that represents true america.. It's okay to have a differant view... So just chill and ask some questions..... You might just learn something.... I do here everyday..... :D
 
Well you are the one that said we have a "choice" and while technically correct, you have to do a lot of driving (here in Texas) to find a station that does not sell E-10. I would GUESS that at least 95% of stations are selling E-10 nowdays and not regular 100% unleaded gasoline.

You can bury your head in the sand about small engine damage but alcohol is hydroscopic and attracts moisture which ruins engine parts.
 
I guess one positive for ethanol is all the small engine mechanic jobs created huh? :D
 
I'd sure be interested to find out how ethanol can put money in my pocket beyond the few cents per gallon it might save when I buy gas????

Another reason I buy ethanol is it gives a bit of support to American farmers and doesn't put money in the pockets of the Arabs.
 
I find it almost impossible to believe that in oil rich Oklahoma and Texas you can't buy straight gasoline. Here in South Dakota the big stations usually have three blends the mid-octane being 10% ethanol. The high and low octane are both straight gas. This is the state that has an ethanol plant in every town anymore too. Even my small town Cenex station with just two pumps has one that is E10 and the other one is straight gasoline.
 
Due to problems with a load of fuel delivered this spring.( to much water in the mix) we got a load of Premium fuel delivered. Usually can;t get it from our supplier. After a couple f tanks and using it on a trip I noticed we gain about 5 miles to the gallon as the system cleaned out. The vehicle was supposed to use premium fuel but normally we can't get it delivered in bulk.
 
nortexsook said:
Well you are the one that said we have a "choice" and while technically correct, you have to do a lot of driving (here in Texas) to find a station that does not sell E-10. I would GUESS that at least 95% of stations are selling E-10 nowdays and not regular 100% unleaded gasoline.

You can bury your head in the sand about small engine damage but alcohol is hydroscopic and attracts moisture which ruins engine parts.
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Nortexsook, I think I can say without exaggeration that I likely have more experience operating small engines on E10 than most anyone on this board. Until a few years ago when I got on a community water system I had to pump water for my cattle with small engines at 3 well sites that did not have electricity. Mostly in winter but sometimes in summer.

Being from TX I'm not sure you can fully appreciate the "joy" of getting a Briggs started on a clear cold -30 degree morning. Sometimes I would keep a spare engine in the house and haul it out to the well in the warm pickup cab.

These were poor wells that barely kept up with a 2" well cylinder on a Duplex, Dempster, or Monitor pumpjack. At this rate a gallon of gas would typically pump about 5 hours and fill an 8' round stock tank.

The engines included old cast iron block Wisconsin models AB, AC, ACN, and AKN engines and not much more modern flat head B&S 3 and 5HP engines. Never had a carb problem with any of them due to ethanol. Every so often I had to change the diaphram in the carb on a Briggs because it would get a hole in it. The Wisconsins vibrated so much when idled down to run a pumpjack they shook the carbs to pieces and wore out every pivot joint on throttle and choke butterflys. I have a new Honda engine on hand that I have never started or even put fuel in because I got pipeline water before I needed it.

I don't run much for small engines anymore except the push lawn mower with a Briggs, a McCullough weed eater, and a Polaris 2-stroke 4 wheeler. They get along fine with ethanol.

I agree with Katrina. As she pointed out, most small engine fuel related problems (and for that matter large engines fuel related problems) are related to leaving old gas to go stale in a mower or weedeater until the next season of use. Cheapest and easiest solution is to burn or dump the old gas out and put in fresh for the next season.
 
Bullhauler said:
I find it almost impossible to believe that in oil rich Oklahoma and Texas you can't buy straight gasoline. Here in South Dakota the big stations usually have three blends the mid-octane being 10% ethanol. The high and low octane are both straight gas. This is the state that has an ethanol plant in every town anymore too. Even my small town Cenex station with just two pumps has one that is E10 and the other one is straight gasoline.
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Excellent point, Bullhauler. I know of some stations in Sturgis that actually switch the E10 pumps over for a couple weeks or so during the biker rally to unleaded premium pumps.

The premium unleaded is generally at least 10-20 cents higher priced than E10 for almost the same octane rating.

I guess that's why they call it premium. :wink: :lol:
 
Big Muddy rancher said:
I wonder if some of the problems come from areas with higher humidity?
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I can see where that might be true BMR. High humidity is not something we have much here in my neck of the woods.

I know a guy from MN who posts at another site who doesn't like ethanol. He seems to have a lot of problems with a bunch of old outfits that sit around a lot.

Yes, he actually is a corn farmer too. :shock: :lol:
 
Katrina, I didn't know that having a different opinion was getting my "panties in a wad" or being "unchill". I thought this was a forum to exchange intelligent thoughts. I do apologize if I offended you on a basis other than this.

I am generally a very easy going person and I look to credible sources to obtain information. I could keep my mouth shut, but I don't think that is the responsible thing to do. Nonsense is nonsense.

I do think we should be asking plenty of questions. Such as- Why do we buy into the whole global warming idea and carbon credit b.s.? The idea is based on a very unproven model that no credible scientist supports that is not being governmentally funded. Why did some scientist lose government funding when they disagreed with the model publicly? Who is getting paid for carbon credits? Why are we not putting more money into renewable energy such as wind and solar? Why are oil and gas companies allowed to be so wasteful? If the public only knew how many good wells are destroyed by a lack of responsibility by companies trying to get as much as they can as quick as they can vs. taking care of the well.

There is one constant we can count on. We are a capitalistic driven economy and government. Someone is always looking to make a buck and it may or may not benefit the country as a whole.

I am from a very rural area. But I understand something that may be good for my town, county, or even state may not be the best thing for the country.
 
okfarmer, welcome to ranchersnet! Although we might disagree on some points, there is no offense taken to anything you have posted on my part.

I'm surprised at myself that I have made so many posts in this thread. I am a beef cow/calf guy. I don't raise corn or anything else except hay for my cattle. I have used E10 gas for almost 20 years with no fuel related problems in everything I have that burns gas. And I have experimented with higher blends on occassion.

So I guess what struck a nerve with me was what seems like a blanket assumption in this thread basically to the effect that "ethanol is bad for your small engines or your cars or any other gasoline powered equpment". Bad stale gas certainly can cause problems for engines of any size whether it contains ethanol or not.
 
Here's a slogan for ya:

"ETHANOL - If ya like what it does for small engines you'll LOVE what it does to Feeder Calf Markets"[/b]
 
nortexsook said:
Here's a slogan for ya:

"ETHANOL - If ya like what it does for small engines you'll LOVE what it does to Feeder Calf Markets"[/b]
Click to expand...

Now I think we are getting glimpse of insight here. :wink:

Here's another slogan I have heard many times before. "Cheap corn makes cheap cattle".

Which reminds me of this thread from almost 3 yrs ago when corn prices were at historic highs.

http://talk.newagtalk.com/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=37631&mid=266121
 

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