I've been having problems with my mowers this year, and I suspect that much of the problem can be attributed to the fact that Connecticut mandates 10% ethanol in our gasoline. And (unlike global warming/climate change) the experts are in complete agreement that ethanol does bad things to small engine carburetors. So I've decided to start creating my own small engine fuel by removing the ethanol from gasoline.
I have two 2-cycle tools: a chain saw, and a string trimmer. Those require 2-cycle oil mixed in with the gas. I don't want to mix large quantities, so I went looking for a 1-gallon (4 liter) gas can. What a shock.
I'm accustomed to nice, old-fashioned Eagle gas cans, with a simple, metal flex nozzle. More recently, they replaced the steel flex spout with rubber, but the can remained the same and to use it, you simply tip and pour. Like this:
https://images.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fimg0.etsystatic.com%2F010%2F0%2F6131302%2Fil_570xN.444633490_bum8.jpg&f=1Then they made the spouts on the steel gas cans into "safety nozzles," and the price for a 2-1/2 gallon (10 liter) can went up to about $50 or $75. So those were pretty much relegated to professionals, and the homeowners switched over to plastic. Well, now the plastic "cans" have also gone over to safety nozzles. Like this:
https://images.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fecx.images-amazon.com%2Fimages%2FI%2F41ii-gd7fKL.jpg&f=1I looked at this one and a couple of other brands. I finally bought a different brand at Wal-Mart, chosen on the basis that it appeared I might be able to gut the mechanism and have a simple pour spout. Now that I've got it home, I was correct -- it has already been "tuned up." So the plan is to make up a gallon of ethanol-free gasoline, then add fuel stabilizer and 2-cycle oil to it. By keeping the quantity to one gallon or less, I should be able to use it before it becomes too stale.
But the thought occurred to me that, as goeth the gas cans, so goeth life. All the modern conveniences and new laws that are supposed to make life better for us in reality accomplish the exact opposite -- they just make things more expensive, more complicated, and more difficult.