Frustrated with the inconsistent performance of your lawn mower? Then it’s about time you used clean and ethanol-free fuel for your lawn mower’s engine.
That’s because most ethanol-blended fuels deteriorate with time, causing several performance issues and leaving the users worried and frustrated. But apart from that, several other factors go into choosing the best fuel for your lawn mower.
In this article, we will be discussing some of those factors to help you make an informed purchase when it comes to choosing the best fuel for your lawn mower. So, if you are ready, let’s jump straight to the good stuff.
Table of Contents
Type Of Gas Suitable For Lawn Mowers
Even though the best fuel to use in lawn mowers varies from brand to brand, most two-stroke and four-stroke engines utilize regular unleaded gasoline having an octane rating of 87. Plus, this unleaded gasoline should have less than 10% ethanol content for best results.
You can even use premium gasoline with a higher octane rating of 91 and 93, but you are unlikely to derive any significant benefit from it. Therefore, we think it’s safe to say that most lawn mowers use fresh unleaded gasoline, having a minimum octane rating of 87 and less than 10% ethanol.
Type Of Gas To Avoid
As stated earlier, you would want to avoid gasoline having more than 10% ethanol. Keep in mind that most gas stations are infamous for selling gasoline, having more than 85% of ethanol, which is not good for the engines of your lawn mower. So, make sure you ask the seller about the content of the gasoline before you make the purchase.
Regular Or Premium Gas
While purchasing gas for lawn mowers, most people are faced with one question- if they can use premium gas in their lawn mowers or not. Well, you can most certainly use premium gasoline, but it’s best to check the manual before using it.
From our experience with lawn mowers, we realized that the lawn mower engines are built to use low octane-rated fuel more often than not. Therefore, using a higher octane gas could result in minor damages to the fuel system of the lawn mower, which is certainly not something you would want. That said, it’s important to note that the chances of it happening are very rare.
Also, premium gas is a bit on the expensive side; it could cost up to 20 cents more than regular gas. Not to mention, you’ll need a higher compression ratio to notice any significant benefits out of higher octane numbers. Thus, it’s best to stick to regular gas, as premium fuel is just not worth the hassle.
Important Recommendations
Here, we have listed a few of our recommendations so that you can make the most out of your lawn mower engine.
Use Additives
As most gasoline sold at gas stations contain large amounts of ethanol, you would want to ensure that you stop it from deteriorating over time and damaging the mower’s engine. That’s why we strongly advise using the official fuel additive recommended by the brand of your lawn mower to avoid corrosion created by moisture in gasoline having ethanol.
High-Altitude Adjustment
A minimum of 85 octane fuel is suggested to stay emissions-compliant at high elevations. So, if you live in a high-altitude area, you might need a high-altitude adjustment for the mower’s engine to maintain its peak performance.
However, if you don’t make such an adjustment, you may see a decreased performance in the mower, increased fuel consumption, and more emissions. Beyond that, those living in colder areas should not store gasoline and use it after months to ensure the optimal performance of their lawn mowers.
No Mixing Gas
This is another important factor that you need to keep in mind when dealing with gasoline. Make sure you never mix it with oil if the manufacturer does not advise it.
Other than that, we would suggest that you avoid tweaking four-stroke engines to make them run on alternate fuels. This is because it could lead to damage to the combustion chamber of your lawn mower. Also, keep in mind that the brand will have you covered under its warranty if you put the mower through such modification.
Lastly, check the product manual to confirm if it sports 4-cycle gasoline or a 2-cycle gasoline engine to be sure of the kind of gas it uses.
87-Octane Rating And 10% Ethanol
While purchasing fresh gasoline from a gas station, make it a point to ensure that it has an octane rating of 87 and less than 10% ethanol. Other than that, check if the gas you are purchasing is clean and fresh as such fuels tend to deteriorate quickly. And don’t use fuel that’s leftover from last season, as it might damage the lawn mower’s engine.
As we have already stated previously, your local gas station could be selling you fuel containing ethanol between 15-85%. Such fuels are not compatible with small engines, including weed eaters, edgers, and of course, lawn mowers. Therefore, always ask the one selling gasoline to confirm the content of the product before purchasing.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
In this section, we have tried answering a few frequently asked questions about gas for lawn mowers to help clear any doubt that you might have.
Can High Octane Gasoline Enhance The Performance Of Your Lawn Mower?
Premium gas with high octane rating has not been shown to help enhance the performance of the mower as most mowers are designed to work on a low octane rating. On top of that, high octane gasoline is more expensive than the regular one; hence it doesn’t make sense to use them with lawn mowers.
Why Do I Need A Fuel Stabilizer For My Lawn Mower?
If you own a gas-powered lawn mower, you need a fuel stabilizer to keep the gas fresh and prevent any issues that could arise while using it the next season.
But if you decide not to use a fuel stabilizer, it’s not that big of a deal. In this case, just ensure that the lawn mower has been drained of all the fluids before storing it in order to prevent corrosion in the fuel system.
How To Gas Up A Lawn Mower?
This is how you can fill up your lawn mower:
Find The Tank
Today, most lawn mowers sport a small plastic tank at the back or at the side. However, some models have the tank hidden under a symbol or cap. So, make sure you locate it correctly.
Remove The Cap
Once you have identified the tank, you’ll have to remove it by turning it counterclockwise. Note that, for some models, you might have to use a key to unlock the cap.
Fill It Up
After you have figured out which gas is the best for your lawn mower, take the mower to the fuel station and have it filled with gasoline. It’s best if you use a funnel or nozzle so that the gas doesn’t spill while you pour it into the tank.
Secure The Cap
Once you have filled up the tank, ensure that you put the cap back on the tank and secure it as tightly as possible. Now, your lawn mower should be ready.
How Much Gas Is My Lawn Mower Likely To Use?
It entirely depends on the model of your lawn mower. Therefore, we suggest looking at the manual to know how much gas your lawn mower is likely to use. That being said, more often than not, a lawn mower can use up to 1 gallon of gas for every hour it runs. Thus, it means 0.25 gallons per minute.
Final Thoughts
We think it can be safely said that the best gas for your lawn mower depends on its engine. However, as a rule of thumb, you can use regular gas with an octane rating of 87 with 10% or less ethanol to get the best out of your engine.
If the product manual recommends using premium gas, you can use it to help the lawn mower’s engine achieve its peak performance.
