Husqvarna pre-mixed fuel - why?

[ConeCollector]

As a contract climber I show up with all my own saws. I am religious about also always using my fuel which at my current level of production is mix I make at the pump (ethanol free) every few weeks. Every now and then I will catch someone filling up my saw with their fuel because they think they are being helpful. If I am on the ground I will find a discrete spot to take their gas can and my saw and pour their fuel back into their can. If I am in the tree sometimes I just pull my saw up (which is a gamble) and hope for the best.

So far in all of my years of doing tree work I have never blown up a saw. Fingers crossed that I can keep that streak going.

After reading about that Aspen fuel, I think if it was more readily available I would buy that. Looks like great stuff. Heard from friends who ran that in saws in Europe and just loved it.

The Aspen fuel is becoming more available. My local saw shop is beginning to carry it and it is slightly less expensive than the Husqvarna premix. I spoke the Aspen distributor and they are making a concerted effort to get it into more stores and in 10gal. plastic jugs.

 

[LordFarkwad]

We don’t buy premix either, for the volume we use it’s just too expensive.

I'm at like a sub-101-level with my econ knowledge, but this is something I've wondered about before. I buy the Stihl pre-mix a couple gallons at a time when I'm near the shop. While it is dramatically more expensive than mixing my own from the pump, I look at it in terms of dollars I make per gall of $25 pre-mix; from that perspective, the cost of a gallon of pre-mix seems like tiddlywinks. Plus, add in the fact that you save at least some amount of time and effort (albeit, minimal - arguably) by not having to go find e-free fuel, purchase and store 2-stroke oil, and then manually mixing it.

In other words, while I understand that $3/gal x Ngal is approaching 1/10th the cost of the same quantity of $25/gal pre-mix, and several hundred gallons ends up being a lot of money, it seems like those savings will easily get swamped by the amount of revenue brought in by burning those N gallons. I'm looking at something on-the-order-of 1-2% spent on fuel.

Where am I going wrong in my thought process on this?

 

[Dan Cobb]

In other words, while I understand that $3/gal x Ngal is approaching 1/10th the cost of the same quantity of $25/gal pre-mix, and several hundred gallons ends up being a lot of money, it seems like those savings will easily get swamped by the amount of revenue brought in by burning those N gallons. I'm looking at something on-the-order-of 1-2% spent on fuel.

Where am I going wrong in my thought process on this?

Does your $3/gal include the cost of 2 stroke oil or is that just what you pay for the gasoline? You may have $5-6/gal in the mix-your-own fuel.

 

[LordFarkwad]

Does your $3/gal include the cost of 2 stroke oil or is that just what you pay for the gasoline? You may have $5-6/gal in the mix-your-own fuel.

Maybe it does end up being $5-6...that was ballparking it; I don't mix the stuff, myself. Does 50:1 end up working out to $3 of gas and $3 for 1/50th gal for oil??

 

[southsoundtree]

You're allocating money to fuel from your gross revenue. This means less net revenue. That might be acceptable.

You can only allocate/ spend that money once.

You have to compare all the variables.




I can get 92 octane 100% gas, 24/7.
Buying bulk oil is cheaper than 1, 2.5, or 5 gallon-proportioned mix bottles.

No fuel-related problems or repair expenses.





If you can only get bad gas/ ethanol, you will have expenses consequential to that.



Health benefits are another factor.
Still, stagnant air versus breezy days does a lot. Electric saws are my preference for "brushing-out"around forest trees, as an example. Student that being up of the ground.
Can't calculate a number for this.

 

[LordFarkwad]

My question has to do with this: are most people cutting it so close, that a $30 gallon of gas which brings in $2k+ or more is actually cutting substantially into the bottom line? That's 1-2%! Incredible, to my simple mind.

 

[Reach]

My question has to do with this: are most people cutting it so close, that a $30 gallon of gas which brings in $2k+ or more is actually cutting substantially into the bottom line? That's 1-2%! Incredible, to my simple mind.

$30 for one gallon wouldn’t be bad, but when we can mix our own for $5/gallon that’s a savings of $25/gallon. Considerable at 50 gallons used per month, that’s a $1250/month savings, or $15000 per year cost difference. That is a substantial impact to our profits.

 

[evo]

Does your $3/gal include the cost of 2 stroke oil or is that just what you pay for the gasoline? You may have $5-6/gal in the mix-your-own fuel.

Exactly. So for shits and giggles let’s say 6 bucks per gallon vs 25-30... 19-24 dollar cost difference. But now if you do fancy book keeping you can get a refund for road taxes which are paid at the pump. I don’t know the break down but taxes on fuel here is about 30%

 

[Reach]

Exactly. So for shits and giggles let’s say 6 bucks per gallon vs 25-30... 19-24 dollar cost difference. But now if you do fancy book keeping you can get a refund for road taxes which are paid at the pump. I don’t know the break down but taxes on fuel here is about 30%

Road taxes here are crazy, highest in the country! Gasoline road tax is about $0.70 per gallon, diesel is $0.985 per gallon! It is refundable though, if used for off road use, and logged carefully. PA makes it hard to get back though, so we don’t bother, even though we should.