When we go out on dawg patrol each morn people seem to be putting on more clothes. I’m still getting around in sandals, shorts and tee shirts… but… it’s coming. The skies will be clouding over and the leaves and snow will start to fly all too soon.
So us stubfarts gotta fly when we can too.
I really liked these two. Both were running 4 strokes that sound wonderful. The low wing was some kind of pattern flyer and the yellow one was a sweet scale Piper Cub…
I put my first flights on the stick built Turd Bird. I built it right off the plans from sticks and boards about two years ago. The monokote covering sucks but it looks respectable from a distance. I got a standing ovation from the wanks for getting it in the air and back down again. I found that it needed more trimming out than Scotty put on it… but I was flying in a perfectly calm day.
To keep the tail down on the ground you have to taxi this thing with full up elevator. It’s the damnedest thing…when ya take off… it literally goes vertical and goes strait up like a rocket! None of my other planes do that… it needs a steerable tail wheel too. I went through a quarter jug of cool, green delicious nitro fuel just aimlessly flying about with no hard aerobatics. That’ll come next time. I like the look of the nose on this bird…the engine is not cowled, and is hung out front at a 45 degree tilt. Just looking at it you’d think the thing’d be fairly easy to clean but…it is the filthiest RC plane I ever flew. It was covered with the nitro exhaust schmag and required a good scrubbing with Windex afterward. It’s a little touchy with the roll rates but I can turn down expo and rates on the radio or fiddle with the linkage throws…but I dunno if I will. I think I can live with it. I’m currently running it on an OS .46 and it has tons of power but I might get a vintage .60 on it next year. I’m going to throw some skis on it this year for sure. I can’t wait to try that. I guess in today’s age nobody builds airplanes anymore. They’re all ARF’s (Almost Ready To Fly). Ya buy them prefabricated, and just put in your electronics and mount your engine…and you’re in the air in a couple hours. I’m kinda proud of taking the long way round like they used to back in the 60s and 70s.
Part of the problem is 2 strokes do not do well on ethanol blended gas. Prior to 2023 anything over 90 ictane had no alcohol in it. Then turdeau decided every fuel must hace 10% or more alcohol and unicorn fart mix.i have the same issue with my gas 2 strokes these days.
ReplyDeleteExile1981
It 104 today, here in Bakersfield, California. Will be 100s & high 90s for at least 2 more weeks. It had been over 10p here for at least 8 weeks.
DeleteEnjoy the cooling.
It won't be here until October.
Engine runs fine, E… it’s the bloody trimmer head. I broke it again and I’ve used it less than half a dozen times. I’ll take it in but if it breaks again I’ll scavenge the engine, junk the rest, and find some other solution…
DeleteSorry aboot the tobacco crop. It likes hot weather so I was wondering how it would go. Here in God's country (Tennessee) we would start the beds in February, transplant the seedlings in early May and harvest in August. Hang it in the barn till November, rinse and repeat. Don't give up. Next year for sure.
ReplyDeleteI had the same issues with Husqvarna weedeaters. They began with "hard to start" and went downhill from there. The head, bolted to the crankcase with four bolts, would then start coming loose. It was such a known issue that Husqvarna actually included a long Allen wrench to reach and tighten the bolts without having to disassemble the machine. Then the thing just got weak and stopped working altogether. I tore it apart, hoping to redeem the thing after paying a premium for "Husqvarna quality." The cylinder was scored beyond belief! It was trashcan material! I went out and bought a Ryobi machine, which costed substantially LESS than a Husqy. Other than it being SLIGHTLY hard to start, say, three pulls instead of two, the thing works FLAWLESSLY, and is the quietest weedeater I've ever used!
ReplyDeleteI live on a hot, dusty acre in the Wild West, and have three blowers, three weedeaters, and two chainsaws. Brands include Husqvarna, Echo, Ryobi, Poulan, and Homelite. Oh yeah; and two of those 2-cycle rototillers.
A couple of things I've taken to doing that have resulted in ALL of my 2-cycle yard equipment running better:
1. I never let the gas get old. I start with fresh gas and make up the fuel mix in small, 1 gallon batches.
2. I use Lucas 2-cycle oil. The stuff burns clean and compensates somewhat for the ethyl in the gas. I DO NOT over mix as some do, figuring "a little more oil is better can't hurt." It DOES hurt. It fouls the plugs and cokes up the cylinder head and muffler.
3. After starting a machine I let it run for a minute or two while I'm taking care of other things to allow it warm up. We warm up our cars. Why wouldn't we do the same for these tiny engines, and for the same reasons?
4. With "occasional use" machines like chainsaws, I dump the gas out after using them and pump the primer bulb nine or ten times to clear the carb. Then I dump whatever ends up in the tank out. ...I have YET to use a chainsaw that ISN'T the devil's spawn!!! I would say that it was of the 40:1 fuel mix being goo, but my rototillers are 40:1 and start right up. 'Might have to do with the horribly dirty environment those engines are in such close proximity to...
...Electrics are good for blocking doors open and tricking people out of their money...
Pete - without a word of a lie: when I ran outta gas on the whacker I just filled up the tank and left a little room for the oil. I’d use whatever I had - 10W30, even! I ran that thing hard for 5 years as I had a landscaping company when I got out of high school. When we took it apart after its last job, the piston and sleeve looked brand new. The problem was the head and gasket kits…the model got obsoleted the year I got it and parts became unobtanium. I’d probably still be running it if I could get parts. I sold and split firewood in winter and put a million miles on Dad’s Husqvarna saw… I dunno how many chords of wood that thing went through. All I did was replace blades and chains. I wish I still had it… but I noticed the drop in Husqvarna saws too. I can tell by looking at them that they’re junk, as are the others on your list.
DeleteI think you have the right of it with the new 2 cycle oils though. I fouled the Stihl weed whacker because of my chithouse mix ratio, and went out and bought a cheap plastic graduated beaker now and measure out the mix precisely. It’s a finicky drinker I guess!?!
Think I may have to check Ryobi out…and maybe Honda too…
I'm located in northern Indiana about a 1/2 mile from the Michigan state line. We can still get real dino juice with no ethanol & 90 octane. They call it Rec gas (short for recreational gas) for off road vehicles. I use for all my outdoor equipment. Go thru about 30 gallons each year, mostly for the riding lawnmower.
ReplyDeleteI only use 100% gasoline in my small engines. When I go to fill up my 5 gallon gas cans, I add Stabil to my gas can so that filling it at the pump will mix it well. I am able to keep my mowers, weed eater, and chain saws stored with gas in them and they always start without any problems, even after sitting for several months, or even a couple of years.
ReplyDeleteThe last time I researched two-cycle weed eaters and chain saws, it seemed that nearly every brand was actually built by one manufacturer, so it didn't really make a difference which one of the lower priced ones you bought.
Here in Tennessee, plenty of gas stations have regular, 87 octane, non alcohol gas, costs about a buck more than 10% alcohol fuel. I'm still running my old tree service Huskies and one Stihl. The newest, a Stihl, is about 15 years old, relatively low mileage, runs great. The Huskies (4) are from 30 to 20 years old with moderate mileage. I always use Huskie or Stihl 50:1, 2 stroke mix. They continue to run great. Check, clean, replace air filters religiously. I don't dump feul for the winter, apparently non alc, fuel is magic. My 8 year old Echo weed eater started dying after a few minutes run time, defective coil, too expensive to fix, the rest of the weed eater is in super shape. Got a new weed eater, 2 stroke, from the co-op with super reviews, can't remember the name, never heard of it before, but it's close to my old Echo weed eater. Still using a 30 year old hand blower (as opposed to a pack pack blower).
ReplyDeleteAfter writing this down, I'm fairly surprised at how old my gear is. Well, my pick up is 38 years old. My fixed blade EDC knife is a 5" survival unit, date stamped 2-76. Hell, my friggen Glock is 34 years old! Our Jimmy Suburban is 31 years old. I have to go to bed, I'm feeling kinda old. Hope I wake up alive.
I was talking to some kids (young people, in their 20's) at work about something and referred to my "new" whatever. Then thought about it and realized I had purchased it in the 90's. It's damn near 30 years old. And I still think of it as "new" compared to the rest of my shit. I can relate.
DeleteThat ethanol in gas is a witch's nightmare. Use outboard non-ethanol or buy the premium pre-mix. Run the carb 'til dry at the end of the season. That ethanol b.s. was George Bush's motion. I think oil companies get 1$ per gal for each gallon ethanol added. Just as crooked as getting rid of incandescent light bulbs. Fucking homo wanker. (and he not a Texan
ReplyDeleteI've had a Toro cordless for years and it's worked just fine. I've only had to replace the line once in a while.
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