CMatus

New User
I just got my first tractor, a 1952 TO30, and I absolutely love it. Now I have had people tell me to run ethanol free gas in it and some have said regular 87 octane will be fine. Then some have said 87 octane with a lead additive. What is best run in it to get the most life and best performance out of it. Thanks in advance
 
I have an have had a lot of tractor over the years and I run the cheapest gas I can in all of them be it my 1935 JD-B or the newest tractor I have. These old tractor where made to run on the cheapest fuel out there and back In the day gas was not as good as it is now days with the additives they have in it.

By the way that lead stuff is just a snake oil made to remove $$ form your pocket and do noting for you
 
That hi compression engine (6:1) was made to run on pretty much anything you have, I have not seen anything bad about ethanol
personally but methanol will kill the carb fairly quickly. I have seen a few gas pumps saying "methanol" and the results are
disastrous for any rubber items. Such as the rubber hose from the pickup tube to the pump inside the tank.
As for lead in a bottle, don't need it. I have heard of real lead weights dropped in the gas tank though.
 
What do you think about a once a year treatment of Techron or similiar, can't hurt to clean the system once in a while?
 
I sue a mix of ATF and gas. Real bad 1 quart of ATF to 3 gal. of gas not so bad 1 quart of ATF to 5 gal of gas. Cleans up carbon build up and is a good upper lube for the valves etc.
 
Sea foam is ok but I never use it. If I want to clean things up I use 1 quart of ATF to 3-5 gal of gas. The ATF cleans up carbon build up and also is a good upper cylinder lube to help free up sticking valves and sticking rings
 
If you can find ethanol free gas without paying extra for it, it will somewhat help prevent carb gumming when parked for an extended time.


The ethanol gas does have a couple of advantages, it keeps the tank cleaner and absorbs water that would normally collect in the bottom of the tank and cause rust, performance problems. If the tractor will be stored for more than a month or so between running, draining the carb will help.

High octane fuel will not help the engine in any way, a waste of money.
 
It is best to use non ethanol on lawnmowers and particularly two cycle engines like weed eaters and chain saws. However, your tractor will
run fine on the ethanol gas. If you leave gas in the tank all winter without running it, you might consider non ethanol in that case.
 
since i bought my first Ferguson, 1982 TO-20, i have run unleaded regular. never have had a gasoline related problem. my machines sit way more than they used. during the winter i add some sta bil and fill the fuel tanks about 3/4 full. i only started using sta bil about five years ago. i used to add "dry" gas but no longer do that. works for me and my machines.
 
I have too many tractors and with that being the case, some of
them may not get cranked in 6 months time, so I only use non
ethanol gas in mine, if you have just the one tractor and use it
regularly then regular unleaded gas is fine
 
That "Hi Comp" 6:1 engine is why it can be hand cranked and run on stove oil to whatever. I don't think your going to get any normal engine to run on dirt water gas or a variation of. Chevy, back in the day, Chevy etc, ran 9.5 and wasn't considered "hi Comp". Generally your into 10:1 and up. Fun part is running aluminum heads so you can bump it a bit higher. Currently 9:1 is a thing of the past for a daily driver. if you noticed also, the new car engines are getting smaller and the transmissions are getting bigger. Detroit finally figured out "Gears for go". However, there is "No replacement for displacement", and if you can get that 10 speed trans hooked to a decent engine, the fun begins. No, Ford SOS tractors don't count.
No, 6:1 is not "Hi Comp" but you did desire to start it with the hand crank, right?
 
You just reminded me, that's one thing I don't have at the moment, a hand crank! Gotta start shopping. Any home made remedies for a hand crank? thanks
 
I only use non ethanol fuel in my TO35, lawn mowers chainsaws, all small engines,
Engines run much better on this fuel even if it cost a bit more,

If you let that ethanol fuel set in the tank for a few weeks, water/ fuel could separate,
These engines do not run well on water,

Just my two cents,
 
You can find a hand crank on this site. A wise word from the old timers is NEVER wrap your thumb around the handle. Cup it in your hand and expect it to kick back most every time you crank it. Now think about what position to start it and if it does slip out of your hand and kick back, where is your arm at? Too low and it can kick back and break your arm. So between the possibility of wrenched fingers and a broken arm, hand cranking can be fun.
Cheers!!!
 

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