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I have a new Toro 34" Timecutter zero turn with a Kohler 22 hp engine. I have 4 hours on the engine and I have been using premium gas (went to 3 different gas stations and could not find out the % ethanol content). Anyway, someone at the mower dealer where I bought the Toro said I should use EO-90 fuel. I do have a source for this at a local farmers co-op.

Should I use this EO-90 fuel instead of the premium gas I have been using?

Thanks for your feedback.

Have you read your operators manual? The recommended fuel is in there. Minimum octane 87 and maximum ethanol at 10%.
I use EO 93 in mine. But that’s what I prefer. If you want to use pure gas, look at the link below.

Make sure that you use a fuel stabilizer. I prefer Sta-Bil.

MParr said:

Make sure that you use a fuel stabilizer. I prefer Sta-Bil.

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I love seeing crystals in the fuel bowl knowing that it is Sta-bil residue. Nothing like a product that claims to stabilize fuel for 2 years when the product itself expires 2 years after opening the bottle.

ILENGINE said:

I love seeing crystals in the fuel bowl knowing that it is Sta-bil residue. Nothing like a product that claims to stabilize fuel for 2 years when the product itself expires 2 years after opening the bottle.

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I forgot that many people don’t read the product label. Just like many people never read their operators manual.

ILENGINE said:

I love seeing crystals in the fuel bowl knowing that it is Sta-bil residue. Nothing like a product that claims to stabilize fuel for 2 years when the product itself expires 2 years after opening the bottle.

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I guess that would be a concern if the owner didn't plan on using the mower every year. I've been using Sta-bil for years without any crystals forming but I use my equipment every year too.

@olgeezershonda and by using good quality gas and using it on a regular basis, you probably wouldn't have problems even without the Sta-bil. I didn't know about the Sta-bil crystal formation until about 3 years ago when corresponding with a retired employee for the company that makes Sta-bil and he talked about how he wouldn't use the product because of the crystal formation.

But this argument is kind of like getting water in the gas. Years before we even had ethanol there was issues with water in the gas, and even in the storage container. And I always asked how the water got into the gas can and everybody always said condensation. But how did the condensation get into the gas can with both the pour spout and vent closed. Had to be already present in the gas but everybody always blamed it on condensation.

olgeezershonda said:

I guess that would be a concern if the owner didn't plan on using the mower every year. I've been using Sta-bil for years without any crystals forming but I use my equipment every year too.

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I’ve never had any issues either. Any gas that I have leftover at the end of the season only sits about four months. I use some of the leftover and mix with used motor oil to start any burn piles.

ILENGINE said:

@olgeezershonda and by using good quality gas and using it on a regular basis, you probably wouldn't have problems even without the Sta-bil. I didn't know about the Sta-bil crystal formation until about 3 years ago when corresponding with a retired employee for the company that makes Sta-bil and he talked about how he wouldn't use the product because of the crystal formation.

But this argument is kind of like getting water in the gas. Years before we even had ethanol there was issues with water in the gas, and even in the storage container. And I always asked how the water got into the gas can and everybody always said condensation. But how did the condensation get into the gas can with both the pour spout and vent closed. Had to be already present in the gas but everybody always blamed it on condensation.

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If good quality means e-free no gas stations around here sell e-free gas anymore. I'm an evidence based guy. Until I see crystals in the gas I'll keep adding Sta-Bil for off season storage.

As for water in the gas I haven't seen that for decades. It used to be common practice to carry a bottle of gas line antifreeze in the glove box but I stopped doing that long ago. Perhaps that's because regulators required gas station operators to replace their aging tanks and improve the surface grade to prevent ingress of water into the tanks.

olgeezershonda said:

If good quality means e-free no gas stations around here sell e-free gas anymore. I'm an evidence based guy. Until I see crystals in the gas I'll keep adding Sta-Bil for off season storage.

As for water in the gas I haven't seen that for decades. It used to be common practice to carry a bottle of gas line antifreeze in the glove box but I stopped doing that long ago. Perhaps that's because regulators required gas station operators to replace their aging tanks and improve the surface grade to prevent ingress of water into the tanks.

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I run 93 octane 10% ethanol year around in all my equipment and my vehicles. Don't see any problems with my equipment that can set up to 6 months sometimes without being started. When I do use a stabilizer I normally use the Startron products. Seems to have a slight carb cleaning action on some mowers that are running poorly, but will run smooth after setting a day or two with Startron treated fuel in the carb.

At least half the gas stations around me supply Rec90 fuel which is ethanol free. I mix it with 1oz TC-W3 smokeless two-stroke oil, and 2oz of Startron per 5 gallons (my secret recipe, you're welcome). This gas stays good for a long time, I prefer to use it in all my small engines, but I will switch to Reg87 if I have to run my generator for a long time. I have no problem with 87 if it gets used quickly, because it's crap.

shurguywutt said:

At least half the gas stations around me supply Rec90 fuel which is ethanol free. I mix it with 1oz TC-W3 smokeless two-stroke oil, and 2oz of Startron per 5 gallons (my secret recipe, you're welcome). This gas stays good for a long time, I prefer to use it in all my small engines, but I will switch to Reg87 if I have to run my generator for a long time. I have no problem with 87 if it gets used quickly, because it's crap.

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If you are using that mix in your 2 Stoke engines, you are coming up way short for a 50:1 mix.
I use a dedicated mix for my 2 Stroke equipment. I use such a small amount of 2 Stroke mix so, I just buy the canned premixed stuff.

MParr said:

If you are using that mix in your 2 Stoke engines, you are coming up way short for a 50:1 mix.
I use a dedicated mix for my 2 Stroke equipment. I use such a small amount of 2 Stroke mix so, I just buy the canned premixed stuff.

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I add more 2 stoke oil for the 2 strokes. I make about a gallon at a time but I have 3 machines that use it.

It quite simple to test the gasoline yourself for the amount of ethanol. Using a test tube that has at least 125 ml capacity add 25 ml of water then add 100 ml of the gasoline to tested. Seal and shake up contents to mix and set aside for a few minutes. The water and if ethanol present will combine and settle to the bottom of the test tube. Anything over the 25 ml is the ethanol present. Say you now have 35mL present settle out, that would mean 10 ml (10%). If you want a more accurate reading use a test tube that is 250 ml and double the amounts then divide amount over the 50 ml of water to get the percentage of ethanol. In the above example a 10% reading would 20 ml over the 50 ml of test water

Now the key to using Ethanol fuel blends is to keep the fuel is sealed containers when stored. Ethanol will absorb water directly from air which is why a seal container is needed. It is note that most of the carburetors are vented to the atmosphere that can be a problem with long storage of equipment.