TO 35 fuel & oil

rbiechlin · Oct 21, 2015

I recently purchased a 1956 Ferguson TO 35. I have 3 questions. 1.) I can't find anything in the operator's manual or on line regarding what octane gas I need to use. I initially filled it with some VP brand 93 unleaded that has no ethanol. But I'm wondering whether it needs a lower octane fuel and whether ethanol is a problem. 2.) Related to Question 1., after filling it with the VP 93, it seemed to run fine for several hours until I followed the manual directions to fully open the gas line to allow the gas in the reserve to flow into the system. Started running very rough. So did I get some old, bad gas when I did that, or was it the VP 93? 3.) What oil is best? Maual indicates it depends on the temp. I'm in Texas, with lows usually in the teens or 20's and highs around 100. Is 10W30 a good choice? Thanks for the input.

garymck · Oct 21, 2015

With respect to the oil, I have used 10W-30 ever since my 1955 TO-35 was bought new. And I use the low grade gas with 10% ethanol. No problem. The reserve in the shut-off was designed to be used should one be caught in the field with no gas. I suspect that you picked up some dirt from the bottom of the tank. That being said, you may have to remove the drain plug on the bottom of the carburetor to flush out the dirt. The worse case would be having to remove the tank and flushing it out.

rbiechlin · Oct 21, 2015

Thank you very much. That's what I was thinking happened, but I was worried I may have used the wrong gas. My guess is the TO 35 can probably handle just about any gas you put in it.

maxwell99 · Oct 21, 2015

1957 TO35
I used regular grade non ethanol gas in my tractor.

I use shell rotella 15w40 oil

Old tractor runs great.

Probably be a good idea to pull that fuel cutoff valve out of the tank and flush out the
tank. No telling what bad stuff is floating around in the bottom of the tank after all
these years.

I added an metal inline free flow fuel filter between the cutoff valve and the
carburetor. This stopped trash from getting into my carb.

Old tractor runs good.

ptfarmer · Oct 21, 2015

Regular 87 octane gas is more than enough, I also use Shell Rotella 15w40 motor oil, no problems.

Boss Hog · Oct 22, 2015

Like several of the others, I use regular gas with ethanol, and 15W40 oil.

I think 10W30 would be a little light in a warm climate like Texas.

rbiechlin · Oct 22, 2015

Thanks for the input. No telling how long that gas has been sitting there.

4play · Oct 22, 2015

This engine and almost all gas tractor engines are very low compression engines, and they also operate at slower speeds than automobile engines. Using higher octane fuels can actually create problems or adverse running conditions but I don't think that is your issue. It won't hurt anything but its definitely not needed and will only make your wallet lighter.

Regarding it running worse when opening the valve all the way, doing that allows the fuel supply to pull from the bottom of the tank instead of a inch or two up, you might have had some water (heavier than gas) on the bottom of the tank or maybe some other crud.

I think 10w oils are ok, but a little light in that climate or if you have lower oil pressure, I run 15w40. I might up the weight to 20w-? on my next change but I don't use it in the winter.

ptfarmer · Oct 23, 2015

Here in central Texas where I'm at, 15w40 is the minimum I would use.

rbiechlin · Oct 23, 2015

Thanks. The reason I was running the higher octane was to avoid ethanol, which I know those engines weren't made to run on. The ethanol-free VP gas is all high octane. It definitely lightens my wallet. But it sounds from the posts I've been getting that ethanol is not a problem, so I'll probably just start using regular gas from the pump.

ptfarmer · Oct 23, 2015

There are a lot of people into hyper-mileing, they will buy 20, or 30 gallons of gas with up to 10% ethanol, and put it in a container that they can see into. Then they mix 10% water into the gas, mix it, and let it settle for a few days so the ethanol will absorb the water, then it settles at the bottom. Then they drain the water/ethanol off thus giving them ethanol free gas. The people who do this claim to get around 3-4mpg more with the ethanol removed, they also say the small engines give them a lot less trouble.

maxwell99 · Oct 23, 2015

I believe ethanol gas can be very hard on rubber o rings and gaskets not designed to
operate in that environment.

Reason I run all my small engines, old tractor on non ethanol gas, so far I can still
buy regular grade non ethanol gas in my community of western KY.

I even had a boat motor mechanic modify the carburetor on my 1958 Johnson outboard motor
to run on ethanol gas, but he highly recommended that I not run ethanol gas in it unless
I just had to.

So far, knock on wood, I have only lost two 5 HP B&S engines to ethanol gas, so I figure
I am ahead of the game.

TO 35 fuel & oil

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