What kind of oil to fill in gasoline for a grass trimmer
Consequences of refueling with a mixture with incorrect proportions
When diluting fuels and lubricants, it is very important to observe the ratio recommended by the brushcutter manufacturer. If there is not enough oil, then scuffs will form on the piston and cylinder, which sooner or later will lead to a breakdown of the piston ring.
Important! In addition, as a result of friction, metal from the piston settles on the cylinder walls, and the engine can simply jam. This will require repair or replacement of the motor.
And with an excessive amount of oil, coking of the piston ring occurs, as well as the formation of carbon deposits on the piston, on the spark plug, etc. All this leads to heavy wear and tear of equipment and the need for constant cleaning.
Fuel mixture preparation rules
For many newbies who bought a brushcutter, the issue of diluting gasoline with oil for preparing a gasoline mixture becomes a problem. After all, you need to know the proportions and adhere to them very scrupulously. The instructions for the product usually indicate in what ratio to dilute the components: 1:25 or 1:32, or 1:40, or 1:50. This means that for 1 part of oil, you need to take 25, 32, 40 or 50 parts of gasoline and mix them.
It is, of course, inconvenient to measure in such categories, therefore it is better to determine, by simple mathematical calculations, how much oil is needed per liter of gasoline. To do this, divide 1 liter, which is 1000 ml, by a known proportion. It turns out the following mixing table.
Ratio | Gasoline (ml) | Oil (ml) |
1:25 | 1000 | 40 |
1:32 | 1000 | 32 |
1:40 | 1000 | 25 |
1:50 | 1000 | twenty |
Most often, mineral oils should be diluted in a ratio of 1:40, and synthetic grades 1:50. Whereas for budget Chinese brushcutters, the proportions are completely different. 1:32 or 1:25. This is due to the fact that in low-power models made in China, a different assembly is used, and the distance between the piston and the cylinder is much greater.
Advice! For measuring fuel, it is best to use a graduated measuring container. Even an ordinary syringe is suitable for this.
Further actions have the following sequence.
- First, you need to pour gasoline into the container (canister), and then add the required amount of oil. If you first pour out the oil, then due to the higher density it will settle on the walls of the container and mix poorly.
- The next step. the contents of the canister should be thoroughly mixed by means of circular movements of the closed container.
- After diluting to homogeneity, the fuel must be poured into the mower’s fuel tank.
Important! You should not immediately use the gas tank to prepare the mixture.
How to Mix Oil and Gas: The 2-Cycle Engine Fuel Recipe
You can watch the video for more detailed and visual instructions.
How to properly dilute grass trimmer gasoline
Depending on the trimmer type, they can be filled with a fuel mixture or separately with gasoline and oil. Now there is a huge variety of types of motor oils that are suitable for various equipment, including gardening. To choose the right fuel for a particular brushcutter model, you need to know its technical features and understand the brands of gasoline, as well as liquid lubricants. All the details on how to dilute gasoline with grass trimmer oil are in the material below.
Features of refueling brushcutters
Depending on the design of the engine, brushcutters are divided into two-stroke and four-stroke. In the first case, the piston in an internal combustion engine makes 2 strokes in one working cycle, and in the second case, 4 strokes. Differences in the principle of operation of the engine also cause different approaches to refueling the grass trimmer.
Rules for pouring the mixture into different engines
All of the above is relevant for two-stroke engines. In the case of four-stroke engines, nothing needs to be diluted and mixed. gasoline is poured into the fuel tank, and oil into the crankcase. It is important to know that oil intended for a four-stroke engine or for a liquid cooling system cannot be added to a brushcutter with a two-stroke engine. Otherwise, the entire piston system will be disabled or severe overheating will occur.
Important! For the first filling of a four-stroke engine, no more than 90 ml of oil can be poured into a special tank.
Gasoline selection rules
Before buying fuel for your brushcutter, you need to read the manufacturer’s instructions. It lists the fuels and grades that can be used for your particular grass trimmer model. In general, when choosing gasoline, you need to focus on the A-92 brand. A-95 is also suitable for refueling brushcutters, although some experts do not recommend taking fuel with such an octane number. This is due to the fact that at many gas stations in Russia, such gasoline contains various additives and solvents (for example, alcohol). It should be borne in mind that you cannot save in this matter. in order to extend the service life of the brushcutter, you should choose only high-quality fuel from trusted suppliers.
Oil selection rules
Engine oil, depending on the chemical composition, is:
- mineral. made from petroleum distillates and designed for low-power air-cooled equipment;
- semi-synthetic. is a mixture of mineral and synthetic oils and is suitable for 2T and 4T, as well as for air and liquid cooling;
- synthetic. made on the basis of esters and can be used in powerful technology, as well as for work in difficult climatic conditions.
Important! Oils for two-stroke and four-stroke engines differ in their ability to dissolve, burn and evaporate. At the same time, in order for the liquid lubricant to differ from gasoline, it is painted in different colors: blue, green, red.
Depending on the API classification, the following groups of oils for trimmer motors can be distinguished:
- TA. for low-power equipment with an engine volume of up to 50 cm³ and air cooling;
- TV. for powerful equipment with a motor volume of 50-200 cm³ and an air cooling system;
- TS. for powerful two-stroke equipment (brushcutters, chainsaws, lawn mowers, etc.) with an engine volume of 50-200 cm³;
- TD. for engines of boats with liquid cooling.
In order to select the optimal oil for a specific grass trimmer model, it is best to take into account the recommendations specified in the instructions. For brushcutters 2T, API-TV and API-TC oil is usually used.
How to Choose the Right Fuel for Your Mower
On a note! In addition, there is a JASO classification for two-stroke engines, and SAE30 is still used for four-stroke engines.
Leading garden equipment manufacturers develop and produce oils for their equipment themselves. Such lubricating compositions most fully satisfy all the technical and operational characteristics of a specific series of trimmers. For example, for STIHL (STIHL) FS 5 brushcutters, it is best to use STIHL HP or STIHL HP SUPER oil, for Husqvarna 143R, Husqvarna HP or Husqvarna LS oil is suitable. But for the Patriot brand, ordinary mineral oil M-8B is also suitable.
Refueling a brushcutter with a four-stroke engine
Four-stroke engines are used in professional brushcutters. They have great power and can work for a long time without interruption and refueling. They also use gasoline and oil as fuel, but they are poured into different tanks. This means that the oil does not participate in the combustion process, therefore the exhaust gases are not so toxic.
On a note! Along with better environmental performance and the ability to heat less, the four-stroke brushcutter engines are also more economical. They consume much less fuel. savings up to 50% for gasoline and up to 80% for oil.
Selection Tips
Now let’s try to figure out how to choose a quality gasoline grass trimmer oil. The main feature to look out for is the base number. This moment excludes the oxidation of the parts that have friction and slows down their deformation as much as possible. The more this compound is used, the faster it loses its alkalinity and becomes more oxidized. The optimal indicator of acidity (PH) is a value of at least 8-9 units.
The second important factor that also has a major impact on the performance of a gasoline grass trimmer is the viscosity of the oil. This characteristic determines the ability to use the device at different temperatures. Summer brands of oils begin to thicken already with a minimal decrease in temperature.
But given that these grass trimmers are usually used in the fall and spring, it is best to use just the oil with summer markings.
The third point, the importance of which should not be underestimated, is the flash point. This indicator should not be less than 225 degrees. Otherwise, the composition will burn out very quickly and the load on the piston group will begin to increase, which will cause its accelerated wear. Also, 4-stroke oil is not suitable for 2-stroke. Namely, the latter type of motors is used in the vast majority of gas mowers.
If we talk about manufacturers, then you can make a small rating that will allow you to navigate the formulations offered by various manufacturers. For example, STIHL offers high-quality synthetic and mineral oils that have already proven themselves as an excellent solution at any time of the year.
Shell Helix Ultra oil is considered very good. Experts note its high characteristics and excellent indicators of alkalinity and viscosity. In addition, the products of such brands as Oleo-Mac, Motul, Hammerflex, Echo are considered worthy. If we talk about the products of domestic brands, then you should pay attention to Lukoil oil. Its price is several times lower than foreign counterparts, but at the same time it has high quality and good technical characteristics.
In general, the ideal solution would be a synthetic or semi-synthetic oil labeled TV or TA.
Varieties
The oil that is poured into the motor may differ in the production method. According to this criterion, it happens:
- mineral. this type is obtained during the processing of petroleum products;
- synthetic. it is obtained by processing or synthesizing gas;
- semi-synthetic. this type has better characteristics due to the introduction of synthetic-based components into it.
Lawn mower oil refers to formulations intended for use in air-cooled engines that have a combustion chamber volume of 50-200 cubic centimeters. In addition, any two-stroke oil can differ from analogs in additives that give it certain additional characteristics. They are of the following types.
- Antiwear. The main task of the oil will be to reduce wear of parts during the operation of the device.
- Antioxidant. They do not allow oxidation to occur and make it possible to maintain the performance of the oil for a long time.
- Anti-corrosion. Their task is to prevent corrosion from forming on the engine parts.
- Friction modifiers. These additives can significantly reduce the coefficient of friction.
Two-stroke oil from different manufacturers may differ in the combination of additives used, which means that their properties will differ.
Recently, when purchasing oil for dilution with gasoline, users very often come across the fact that special letter abbreviations are applied to the cans. These designations are made within the framework of the API classification. Consider what types of oils exist in accordance with it.
- TA is used for air-cooled brushcutters with an engine displacement of no more than 50 cubic centimeters. It can be used not only for mowers, but also for mopeds, lawn mowers and other types of machinery. For the petrol grass trimmer, this is the optimal solution.
- TB is used to refuel a chainsaw, scooter, moped or motorcycle with an engine capacity of less than 200 cubic centimeters. Can also be used for refueling petrol trimmers.
But in addition to this classification, other letter designations of the FA-FD type are often found. It should be said that the API is an American standard that is used in Europe. But there is a discrepancy between European and American smoke emission regulations. For this reason, additional letter designations should also be taken into account.
- FA can be used in countries where minimum exhaust gas emissions are required by law. Barely noticeable smoke may be emitted when using oils with such markings.
- FB. can be used in countries where the restrictions on the emission of smoke and gases are much stricter. In this case, the smoke will practically not be emitted.
- FC. a transparent smoke appears here, which the human eye cannot notice.
- FD is a special category of oils for 2-stroke engines, they do not create smoke at all. They have increased chemical properties. Usually this oil is used for mixing with gasoline and subsequent refueling of boats and yachts.
In addition, oils come in two more categories:
In the first case, this will mean that it is necessary to carry out self-mixing, which does not require shaking, and in the second case, you will need to do it too.
How to find oil gas mix ratio for string trimmer and how to mix fuel
Requirements
A quality oil that can be poured into a gasoline grass trimmer must meet a number of requirements and regulations to ensure reliable operation and performance. The oil should:
- provide an increase in wear resistance for various elements (in particular, the gearbox is especially susceptible to this);
- to ensure the formation of smoke and exhaust gases is as low as possible;
- do not allow premature ignition;
- mix well with gasoline when exposed to low temperatures;
- have good viscosity and flow characteristics in various temperature ranges;
- be as safe as possible in terms of environmental impact.
As mentioned, two-stroke engine oil will differ from four-stroke engine oil. It has higher power, which is why fuel for it is obtained by mixing a certain amount of gasoline and oil. For each brushcutter, the ratio will be different. You can find out its meaning in the instructions for the device. These proportions must be observed with maximum accuracy. When adding additives, take into account the type of motor.
If mineral oils are used, mixing should be somewhere in the ratio of 1: 25, 30 or 35, depending on the type. If we are talking about a synthetic analogue, then the proportion will be 1: 50 or 80. That is, a certain amount of oil dissolves in the volume of gasoline.
Appointment
Engine oil is a special blend of solvent and friction-reducing additives. They form a certain viscosity and do not allow the composition to thicken when the temperature is lowered. Usually oils are specially colored in different colors: green, red or blue. This allows them not to be confused.
Please note that they may vary in composition, so petrol trimmer oil will be labeled “for gardening”. In addition, it may still differ in marking: “2T” or “4T”. The first is two-stroke oil, which is poured into the corresponding engine. And the second is intended for pouring into the crankcase.
In addition, you should be aware that under no circumstances should mineral and synthetic oils be mixed due to the fact that they have a different base.
Petrol trimmer oil: types and recommendations for use
Gasoline grass trimmers are some of the more popular lawn mowing attachments. They are easy to use, mobile, allow a person not to depend on an outlet and show excellent results in the places where they are used. But for the stable operation of the gasoline grass trimmer, quality consumables are needed. In particular, we are talking about gasoline and oil. It is about the last component that we will talk about in this article.
How to use?
For the proportions of oil used, see above. We must say right away that you should not deviate from the indicated values and dilute gasoline by eye. At best, you just need to change the oil, and at worst, engine damage cannot be avoided.
It is also important to be able to prepare the mixture correctly. It cannot be poured into the gas tank. It is better to pour the oil into a special container that already contains gasoline. A plastic bottle of mineral water is perfect for this. It is very important that it is clean, which is why beer or milk bottles will not work. And it is better that it be a liter or two-liter, since it will be difficult for many to calculate how much oil to fill in a 1.5-liter or 1.25-liter bottle. You will also need to have a syringe on hand that will function as a dosimeter. It is best to take a regular medical one for 10 or more cubes.
Now we will explain step by step how to make a good gasoline grass trimmer oil.
- First, you need to know exactly what type of oil is required for a particular model of grass scythe, as well as find out the exact ratio of gasoline to oil to create a mixture.
- Then you need to fill the container. The container should not be filled with gasoline to the end, because the oil must still fit there;
- Now we draw the required amount of 2-stroke oil into the syringe and pour it into a bottle of gasoline. You cannot do the opposite, otherwise all the ingredients will need to be replaced, and the mixture will need to be done again.
- Close the bottle with a lid and stir. It is important not to forget that you need to stir the mixture if there are the words Premix on the bottle of oil. If it says Selfmix, then after mixing the substances, everything is poured into the tank.
Now all that remains is to refuel the petrol grass trimmer, and you can carry out the necessary work.
For information on how to choose oil for gasoline trimmers, see the next video.