Cost of fuel .... this floored me

[oldbike54]

We don't usually brag about it, but Dusty and I are old enough to remember adding 1/2 pint of Mobil Oil 30wt car oil to a gallon of Whiting Brothers "regular" for any two stroke engine. 

 Ralph

 Yeah , helped a friend that raced a Bultaco Astro , dang that thing was fast .


 One question , how hard is it to measure out a quart of gasoline from a one gallon can ? Some of you guys aren't very good Guzzi guys 

  Dusty

[Perazzimx14]

I'm a buyer. Those one gallon jugs are good for about two seasons of chain soaking & cleaning on my chain-drive bikes. NGC.

I understand keresene has mutiple uses but why pay $9.24 cents per gallon at Wal-Mart for something that is readily avalaible at most gas stations for $2.99 per gallon?

[Lannis]

I understand keresene has mutiple uses but why pay $9.24 cents per gallon at Wal-Mart for something that is readily avalaible at most gas stations for $2.99 per gallon?

Not that I use WalMart, but I know why because I do it myself.

It's because it's already right there in front of you in a clean can, just the amount you want, and you can take it and go.

I don't have to go home, find a can, clean it off, carry it down to the filling station that carries kerosene, pump it in the can, and take it home and store it.    Sometimes that's EASILY worth $6 to me ....

Lannis

[Wayne Orwig]

I understand keresene has mutiple uses but why pay $9.24 cents per gallon at Wal-Mart for something that is readily avalaible at most gas stations for $2.99 per gallon?

I did it once, just so I ended up with a clearly labeled and durable can. Which I now usually refill cheaply.

While on the subject, who does the propane exchange thing? Not only do you usually pay a LOT more for the exchange, but most exchange deals only put 15 pounds of propane in the tank. Versus the nearly 20 pounds you get on a refill. (I think even refills are a bit under the full 20 pounds for safety reasons.)  You end up paying a lot for that convenience.

[Triple Jim]

I did it once, just so I ended up with a clearly labeled and durable can. Which I now usually refill cheaply.

While on the subject, who does the propane exchange thing? Not only do you usually pay a LOT more for the exchange, but most exchange deals only put 15 pounds of propane in the tank. Versus the nearly 20 pounds you get on a refill. (I think even refills are a bit under the full 20 pounds for safety reasons.)  You end up paying a lot for that convenience.

I heard they also used to use a non-standard valve that couldn't be filled anywhere else, so once you got into the exchange thing, you were stuck.  According to the story I heard, they were required to quit doing that.

I have a guy a couple miles from my house, who fills all my propane cylinders very reasonably.  He also leaves a couple full 20 lb. tanks in his filling area in case someone who heats with propane runs out on a cold night.  He says if that happens, just take one and come back to pay next time you pass by.

[Lannis]

Until you go buy it and then its more of a hassle to buy a quart of gasoline and mix it. Sometimes paying for convenience works.

We validate that concept every time we pay $90 for a pair of shoes that we could make ourselves with $5 worth of leather and $.75 worth of dye and polish .....

Lannis

[trippah]

Coming from one of the last shoe making towns in New England,  I think Lannis is right if'n you want moccasins;shoess are a bit of a work of art.

Is it  true that premix stored in factory made aged oaken barrels last longer?

[Triple Jim]

Is it  true that premix stored in factory made aged oaken barrels last longer?

I don't know about that, but it sure tastes better.

[Rough Edge racing]

We validate that concept every time we pay $90 for a pair of shoes that we could make ourselves with $5 worth of leather and $.75 worth of dye and polish .....

Lannis

 You got some of those $5.75 shoes to show us?    Hell, why go to a dentist, I can fill your teeth with lead or yank then for 1/10 the cost...

[jas67]

I did it once, just so I ended up with a clearly labeled and durable can. Which I now usually refill cheaply.

While on the subject, who does the propane exchange thing? Not only do you usually pay a LOT more for the exchange, but most exchange deals only put 15 pounds of propane in the tank. Versus the nearly 20 pounds you get on a refill. (I think even refills are a bit under the full 20 pounds for safety reasons.)  You end up paying a lot for that convenience.

I do that when my propane tanks are too old to refill.   (yes, they have an expiration date).

I heard they also used to use a non-standard valve that couldn't be filled anywhere else, so once you got into the exchange thing, you were stuck.  According to the story I heard, they were required to quit doing that.

I've never had a problem getting those tank-exchange tanks refilled at a normal refill place.

[Lannis]

You got some of those $5.75 shoes to show us?   

Oh heck no.   I'm the one saying that buying a nice clean can of white kerosene in the store (that is, paying for convenience) is a GOOD idea, and that we do that sort of thing all the time when we pay for someone else to do something (fill a can with oil, pre-mix my two-stroke fuel, cut and stitch leather for shoes).

I'm saying that the guys who think it's stupid to pay $10 a gallon for kerosene don't seem to have a problem paying for people to do OTHER things for them.   Ask them where THEIR shoes are that they could have made themselves.    It's just a matter of degree .... !   

[Rough Edge racing]

 People who pay for everything create jobs... 

[Lannis]

People who pay for everything create jobs... 

Watch out ... you're describing "Trickle-Down" Economics!   That's interesting , you rabble-rouser!   Off to Coventry with you .....

Lannis

[LongRanger]

I understand keresene has mutiple uses but why pay $9.24 cents per gallon at Wal-Mart for something that is readily avalaible at most gas stations for $2.99 per gallon?

If there were any gas stations in Evergreen, Colorado, that sold kerosene, I'd do exactly that. But I've searched and there aren't. And despite Lannis's impassioned dislike of Wal-Mart, we're fortunate to even have one of those.

[Lannis]

If there were any gas stations in Evergreen, Colorado, that sold kerosene, I'd do exactly that. But I've searched and there aren't. And despite Lannis's impassioned dislike of Wal-Mart, we're fortunate to even have one of those.

In our town of 1500 people (and a new WalMart), the local stores have everything I can think of that the WalMart has, including gallon cans of kerosene and premix fuel if I want to indulge myself in lamp oil or a pickaxe handle so I don't have to cut one out of dogwood .... so it's not even a sacrifice for me to never go in one!

Lannis

[Two Checks]

In this neck of the ghetto, Kero goes for over $4/gl last I looked. And who knows how long it's been in the tank.

[rocker59]

who does the propane exchange thing? Not only do you usually pay a LOT more for the exchange, but most exchange deals only put 15 pounds of propane in the tank. Versus the nearly 20 pounds you get on a refill. (I think even refills are a bit under the full 20 pounds for safety reasons.)  You end up paying a lot for that convenience.

I do.  I only use one or two 20-lb bottles per year.  It's real easy to just exchange them at the local gas station/convenience store.

It's real inconvenient to haul my bottle to a place and have it refilled during their business hours.

The convenience stores are open 24/7.

[Perazzimx14]

Wonder if I could make shoes out of old kerosene cans

[Triple Jim]

If there were any gas stations in Evergreen, Colorado, that sold kerosene, I'd do exactly that. But I've searched and there aren't.

Diesel fuel and kerosene are not very different these days.

[Kiwi_Roy]

What's all this talk about running 2 smoke motors on kerosene as far as I know it's not volatile enough.
We had an old tractor on the farm that would run on kerosene but you had to get it hot on regular gas first.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerosene

[Triple Jim]

What's all this talk about running 2 smoke motors on kerosene as far as I know it's not volatile enough.

What did I miss, Roy?  Did someone say he did that?  My 2-strokes might run on kerosene if they're good and hot, but I expect the detonation would put a hole in a piston pretty quickly.

[Kiwi_Roy]

Sorry I was following a thread drift, Perazzamix, Lannis and Wayne started talking Kerosene 

[Wayne Orwig]

Sorry I was following a thread drift, Perazzamix, Lannis and Wayne started talking Kerosene 

We were talking about any 'boutique' fuel that is three times the cost, and specially aged.

[Lannis]

We were talking about any 'boutique' fuel that is three times the cost, and specially aged.

The whole point of the thread is "Why would anyone pay for 'convenience' when you can do it yourself?"

Premix was one ... canned kerosene was one ... factory made shoes was another ....

Lannis

[Triple Jim]

Premix was one ... canned kerosene was one ... factory made shoes was another ....

But I can't think of any argument for premixed antifreeze.  It can't be that hard to pour in a pint of water after you add a pint of antifreeze.  That one is just a trap for people who don't read labels.

[oldbike54]

But I can't think of any argument for premixed antifreeze.  It can't be that hard to pour in a pint of water after you add a pint of antifreeze.  That one is just a trap for people who don't read labels.

 What is the qualitative or quantitative difference between that and paying 4x the price for premixed 2 stroke fuel ? And who buys 90 dollar shoes ? Some of you guys are gonna lose your red suspender cards 

  Dusty

[Triple Jim]

The way I see it, with antifreeze, adding water is in another category of easy compared to mixing gasoline and oil.  You don't need to store it, it's not a fire risk, it doesn't go bad, etc., you  just turn on the faucet and fill a cup or jar when needed.

I mix my own everything though, don't misunderstand.   

[Lannis]

What is the qualitative or quantitative difference between that and paying 4x the price for premixed 2 stroke fuel ? And who buys 90 dollar shoes ? Some of you guys are gonna lose your red suspender cards 

  Dusty

Oh good lord a good protective supportive pair of Carolina work boots cost $225 or so, a good pair of Rockports are $100 or more, you can always buy cheap junk but I spend a lot of time on my feet and I use real shoes.   Maybe you can buy them at Goodwill or something but they need to fit ....

My son works landscaping and goes through two or three pairs of boots a year.  A pair of Merrills will last me about a year ....

Lannis

[ITSec]

The way I see it, with antifreeze, adding water is in another category of easy compared to mixing gasoline and oil.  You don't need to store it, it's not a fire risk, it doesn't go bad, etc., you  just turn on the faucet and fill a cup or jar when needed.

I mix my own everything though, don't misunderstand.   

If your tap water was the quality of what comes out of the Colorado here in Las Vegas, the premix antifreeze might be attractive - I have to filter all our water, whether for drinking, use in the humidifier, or in the pet's dish. If it's going to sit in the motor for a few years, I want distilled; at that point it becomes a cost comparison between the cost of the distilled water and the premix antifreeze...

[oldbike54]

Oh good lord a good protective supportive pair of Carolina work boots cost $225 or so, a good pair of Rockports are $100 or more, you can always buy cheap junk but I spend a lot of time on my feet and I use real shoes.   Maybe you can buy them at Goodwill or something but they need to fit ....

My son works landscaping and goes through two or three pairs of boots a year.  A pair of Merrills will last me about a year ....

Lannis

 Those are workboots , not shoes . Actually , after wearing Red Wings or Carolina boots for years , found the Schmidt brand a couple of years ago , $100USD , best pair of boots I've ever worn .

  Dusty