E10 in Garden Tractor?

V

viscous

Joined
Jun 6, 2020
Messages
268
I generally use 87 octane E0 treated with Stabil Storage in the garden tractor. However, E0 is currently expensive and the manual states E10 is acceptable. I also see that some folks here use E10.

How about using E10 through this season, then runing a tank of E0 at the end of the season before storage?

What types of problems would I invite by doing this?
 
I have been using E10 in riding mowers, a farm tractor and the rest of my OPE and never had a problem. Stabil is added in the fall and everything starts right up in late April.
 
I wouldn't sweat E10 for normal use, unless the manual specifically states not to use it. For four-stroke engines in yard equipment, the little bottles of ethanol-free gasoline sold at home-improvement stores are, in my view, unnecessary and a ripoff.

E0 has benefit for two-stroke engines in things like weedwhackers, but in those applications electric is replacing engines anyway.
 
I am also an E-10 user in my riding mower. I go through about 1.5 gallons a week (half a tank) nearly year around so the fuel never really sits too long. I have never had an issue with the fuel system on my mower but I do have to change the in-line filter frequently.

I have used E-0 but it never gave me any benefit for the extra cost so I stopped paying for it. I use engineered fuel in my 2-cycle handheld equipment so that expense is 4X what I pay for my riding mower fuel so thankfully I use only 2 gallons a year for these tools.
 
*I use E10 & Sta-Bil in everything I own including the Firebird in my signature plus all of my OPE & 2 cycle engines. I just don't have any issues with it. And the fact that E0 in my area or within any reasonable driving distance is all 93 octane, quite expensive and none of my vehicles nor equipment require it and all of my OPE allow for E10.

*Just to be clear:
My Altima gets 87 octane E10(w/no Sta-Bil).
And my 2 cycle engines also get E10 and 2 cycle oils that have their own stabilizer in them.
 
Last edited:
I have used E10 in the three lawn tractors that I have owned over 30 years without issue.
E0 was never an option here until recently.
With Sheetz coming into the market, it is now readily available.
I have started using that in my 2 cycle equipment.
Given the fact that I use < than 2 gallons a year of 2 cycle mix, E0 is a natural for that.
However with the amount of fuel that I use in the tractor, it gets the Giant Eagle fuel that I get discounted with Fuelperks.
 
I live in an EPA nonattainment area and all we've had for the past 25+ years is E10. I run it in my 22 year-old lawn and garden tractor, my 31 year-old mower, my 22 year-old snow thrower and an equally old string trimmer. I don't use fuel stabilizer and I don't always drain out the fuel for winter. So far no issues except a leaking carb bowl gasket on the lawnmower 10 years ago.
 
E10 in mowing season is fine. Definitely E0 for storage. That's what I do now with the current fuel prices, gas cans get filled with E0 ahead of the end of mow season, so it gets run through. Cans get stabilizer year-round no matter the fuel.
An ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure.
 
With regular E10 at ~$5/gal, I stopped buying ethanol free for my OPE as well just out of spite. A 5gal can lasts me a few months usually, so the extra $1/gal for this purpose isn't killing me... But it kind of is. All my OPE runs exactly the same.
 
To add to the whole host of others saying it'll be fine, my Deere L110 with a Kohler Command seems to prefer it.. I believe it's calibrated for E10, as it actually runs a bit on the rich side on E0

As for storage, I'll be the dissenter - I have never used any preservatives in my E10 fuel and have always just parked them in the winter and fired them up in the spring with zero issues for 20+ years.
 
I've been using E10 in all of my 4-stroke and 2-stroke lawn equipment for the past 9 years with no issues at all. That includes sitting during the winter months. However, I'm in SC where it doesn't get very cold during the winter and keep my lawn equipment in my shop rather than out in the elements so that likely plays a factor.

I have considered rejetting the carb on my riding mower for E85 just for the sake of experimentation.
 
RDY4WAR said:
I've been using E10 in all of my 4-stroke and 2-stroke lawn equipment for the past 9 years with no issues at all. That includes sitting during the winter months. However, I'm in SC where it doesn't get very cold during the winter and keep my lawn equipment in my shop rather than out in the elements so that likely plays a factor.
Click to expand...

I do the same thing, however, where I live it can get quite cold in the winter (several days below 5F one winter), and that seems to have no effect on the equipment. I keep it in an attached garage but even that can get quite cold inside.
 
There are places in this country where if you want E0 gas, you have to drive 50 miles or more to get it.

I would think that the manufacturers of OPE would take this into account and not expect that their equipment will never be used with E10 gas.

Therefore, they would design their equipment to run from E10 gas and use materials that will not be damaged by E10 gas.
 
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