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Gas Prices

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I hope you guys are not putting that cheap ethanol gas in those cubs!!!
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Ethanol Tank Car Lease $Rates$ per month have 'dropped off the cliff' since 2014. Down from $2500/mo to $450/month. Then Railroads want about $2/mile to haul one. Crude tankers from North Dakota being cleaned out and are avail. by the thousands, all Lookin' for a Load. Hmm.

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Down to 1.54 yesterday. No Marty I don't use ethanol in anything.
 
Tom, Kinda sounds like the truckin' business at times.

Many a weekend i have laid over the weekend at Pittsburg, Detroit or other places while searching/waiting for a decent load. Key word here is "decent", one that will pay more than your expenses.

Many times we had 10 or more guys there at the terminal, stuck for the weekend, all trying to get back into the same area for the next round.
If one was unlucky enough to be at the bottom of the list it may be Tuesday or even Wed of the upcoming week before you could get out. Either that, or take something else offered that would put you out in the "system" to go somewhere else. That's usually what I did, unless I just HAD to get home for some reason. This usually led to being out for sometimes 3 weeks or more before I could get "back by the house"

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Been running 87 octane E10 fuel for 15 years with no problems. The key to any fuel (ethanol and straight gas) is to keep the fuel fresh and how you store it. I have 5 IH Cub Cadets, a Simplicity, Troy Built tiller and 4 two cycle engines running on E-10 fuel.
 
Dale I believe we are referring to E85 junk ethonal, well at least I was
 
Any ethanol is not good. I have a chainsaw, a weedeater, and a leafblower that have quit due to ethanol. I always run the tank empty when using these, but they still quit on me.
I did not believe what all the small engine mechanics were telling me about ethanol, because I had used ethanol gas for years with no troubles. Then, it started! Almost all my small engines started giving trouble.
I managed to revive my Husqvarna chainsaw with a new fuel line and filter, but the other chainsaw, weedeater, and leafblower did not survive.
The carb on all three will have to be rebuilt.
I now only use non-ethanol in everything.
You may get by with ethanol gas for years, but sooner or later it will come back and bite you one day!
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Well, if you live up here in Mass. you don't have any choice. Everything we can buy has ethanol.

While some locations will list they sell real gas without ethanol, when you sit out front trying to buy it, they say they are expecting a shipment "any day now"! I went to two different places for a whole summer before I just gave up!
 
Unleaded (some Ethanol) is selling for $1.42 Feb 2016 in Mid-Minnesota. Ethanol itself is selling Wholesale outa the Refinery for about 95/Cents. But their Corn is $Cheap$, $3/bushel. It's a scam...and I was a Corn-grower. World needs Ethanol like a hole in the head. Locomotiveman Tom



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Marty
How old is your fuel?
Where do you store your fuel container? floor?

I have a mid 80's Lawn Boy push mower, early 90's Stihl chainsaw, Late 90's Stihl leaf blower and 4 year Echo string trimer. All are fueled from the same gas container.

A few things I do before I add fuel to any small engine:
I use fresh gas from a local gas station-not the bulk tank at home.
The fuel container is shaken before I add fuel.
The fuel container is not placed on the floor.
The fuel is added to my truck when it's has been in my container for 30 days. This includes any fuel for My IH Cub Cadets.
Shaking the fuel container before you add is important. The different ingredients in the fuel have different weights. Since oil and ethanol are the heaviest they settle to the bottom on the fuel container or the tank on the small engine.

Corn prices around here are in the $3.40's range.
Gas last Friday was $1.31 in the morning. Friday afternoon it went up to $1.51
 
When it comes to my IH Cub Cadet 1450, I run by the book as much as I can. I use only Cub Cadet engine oil, and Hy-Tran. In the Operator's Manual for Quiet Line, the author states to use only 93 octane or better in my 1450. I won't use any thing less until I have to.
 
Gas prices: About 1.35 east of Cleveland, Ohio! Where all things good Cub Cadet come from!

On the same note, its about time to see the scrap man wine because no one is taking in scrap to recycle due to the low gas prices. So says the news this morning. I'm holding on to my scrap!
 
John L.
Does your 1450 have an engine built by Kohler or International Harvester?

I trust the recommendations in the Kohler manual more than the IH engine manual when dealing with the Kohler engine in an IH Cub Cadet.
Saving $.50 to $.60 a gallon is nice too.
 
Dale M.

Gas was fresh, but I used the cheap ethanol stuff for years. It finally caught up with me.
After my equipment went south, I got rid of two of my gas cans. I now only have but one.
Up until a few days ago, I only used 93 octane non-ethanol. That is no longer available, so I have switched to 89 non-ethanol.
No matter how fresh ethanol gas is, it still has ethanol in it!
 
Dale M, on page 9 of the International Cub Cadet 1000, 1200, 1250, 1450, And 1650 Tractor Operator'
s Manual reads this:

This engine is designed to operate on leaded gasoline with a 93 minimum octane rating or on unleaded gasoline with a 91 minimum octane rating.

My IH Cub Cadet 1450 has what ever engine it came with from the factory. I'm rather thrown off by your question as described above, there is no listing of recommendation per octane rating between two different engines as you describe.
 
Kohler manuals recommend min 87 octane. To Dale's point, anything over 87 is a waste of $$$......old Kohlers (including the Mag series) will run on just about anything resembling gasoline.....I swear they would run on goat pi$$.......

Compression ratios are low, and as long as they are kept free of carbon and half way tuned, they run great.
 
I second what Steve said. I use 87 non ethanol gas with one ounce per gallon marvel mystery oil. I never drain my gas tank and in the spring just continue where I stopped in the fall. I also seldom ever have a problem with carbon build up and work my tractors hard all summer mostly doing garden work.
 
John,
There are 2 books for your IH Cub Cadet. One is for the engine and the other is for the rest of the tractor.
Kohler design, tested and built the engine that is in your 1450....not IH. Kohler knows what fuel works in their engines. I will go by what their reconditions are for their small engines.

When my gas is 30 days old it goes in my pick up's fuel tank. I buy my gas at a fuel station that sells a huge amount of gas. I add a gas stabilizer and Marvel Mystery Oil to my fuel container before I fill it. My fuel container(s) are the sealable type. At home all my small engine fuel containers sit on wood. Main reason is to reduce moisture getting in the fuel. When I fill my small engine fuel tank I will shake the fuel container for 10 seconds to make sure the fuel is mix. The different additives in the fuel will separate with the heaviest additives going to the bottom of the fuel container. Two cycle gas is a good example. Leave your 2 cycle gas container sit for 2-3 weeks. Start pouring the fuel and odds are you will get only gas for a few seconds.
I turn the fuel off and let the engine die when I am done using that one for the day on all my garden tractors . I will empty the fuel tank on my string trimer and leaf blower.
 
Dale M, I recall when gas prices were " out of the ball park" just over a year ago, I wondered to myself as I was fueling up my truck at the service station, "Who would ever spend that crazy cost for hi-test gasoline"?

During that time, I used the regular, 87 octane ethanol gasoline in all my IH Cub Cadets. I too, having been around this forum for a spell, read and realized an important need for the gasoline additive Marvel Mystery Oil when added to the gasoline in my tractor.

As of the past ( of late ), and present, hi-test (93 octane or better) gasoline is well with in my price range. And, as I mentioned earlier below, what the IH Operator's Manual calls for, and that for myself, try to do things by the book, was never ment to be in disagreement with you. We all understand that a higher grade of gasoline such as "hi-test" serves a better performance, and quality grade of gasoline. Fair enough?

With our 2012 Cub Cadet 1054, and my 1450, gasoline really does not have a near chance of sitting around thirty days. Even in a pinch, I used chain saw gasoline in my 1450 and my tractor drank it down like whisky! So, I'm aware our cubbys can tolerate extreme ends of fuel, and to trust my IH Operator's Manual for my Quiet Line.

Well, on another note, gas prices in my parts are now at 1.69 per gallon.
 

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