"Chains of Love"

Apparently we have some brethren in the frozen north.
A couple of hours before the storm reached peak strength and before we lost power, my wife left for a business appointment, then shortly returned and reported that there was a tree down, blocking the road. She was about to call and cancel, but I said, “Not so fast there.”

My pre-storm checklist includes—along with stocking up on double-A’s and filling bathtubs—making sure there is some 50:1 premix (i.e., fuel) in the toolshed and that the chain saw will start.
I love that he thinks he needs to explain what 50:1 is.

UPDATE:

Although apparently Chuck Norris is not a fan.

7 comments:

DL Sly said...

It is quaint, isn't it?
heh

Although, I can't help but wonder what saw he's using that requires that mix ratio.
Buuuut, that's just the *purist* in me, I s'pose.
0>;~}

Grim said...

Not a Stihl, but I like 50:1 when you can find a saw that still runs it. (Husqvarnas often do.) It helps lubricate against the ravages of ethanol to have the extra oil in the mix.

raven said...

Ethanol free gas is available with a bit of looking- it stores well and does not mess up small engines.
"Ravages" is a damn good description of that ill thought eco/corn disaster.

douglas said...

You know, I've heard the ethanol horror stories, dealt with coroded fuel lines, had engines run poorly, but also heard that it's not true, as if it were, older cars would also have problems, and I've not noticed that. I'm inclined to agree with the ethanol/evil crowd, but that one argument about older cars strikes me as valid. Explanations?

Oh, and I like the cut of that mans jib.

Douglas2 said...

Well, I've an older car, that for reasons of work-related travel would sit for weeks at a time, and all of the sudden a few years ago it started having problems with the carb gumming up all the time.

After paying a mechanic to do a real carb dismantle and clean when I was too swamped at work (and needed the car for transportation), I switched to stations advertising "no ethanol" and the problem went away.
Now both I and the car are located in the land of no ethanol-free gas (you can check the websites, there are some states where it is illegal, and even within 150 miles in neighboring NY I can only buy it buy the can-full from outdoor power-equipment or from the fueling dock at a marina. I've been making do with Gumout and StaBil, which is a lot more expensive per fill-up than paying an extra ¢15/gallon for ethanol-free when I could get it.

Grim said...

We can't get ethanol-free here. Nobody anywhere near carries it.

However, talking to a small-engine specialist I happen to have come to know, it turns out that all the Atlanta-area builds of fuel are inherently unstable. Even with top-quality stabilizers, they turn to crap over 30+ days.

So it's a question of keeping track of how old your fuel is, and swapping out as necessary.

douglas said...

I suppose I ought to get in the habit of keeping a supply that I rotate through the car to keep fresh, so I have a good back-up supply in case of emergency. I can't imagine the California builds are any better- heck they're probably worse.