# fuel



## phantomfly (Dec 24, 2015)

How about 10% ethanol fuel in a Farmall Super M. I have been told that it,s not a good idea


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## RC Wells (Dec 26, 2008)

Ethanol blend fuels are not at all good for equipment that is stored with any fuel left in the tank at all. What the ethanol does is absorb moisture and turn the fuel acidic, and then the fuel lines and carburetor are eaten away.

There are some additives for gasoline that are supposed to stabilize ethanol based fuels, but I have yet to see any that actually avoid the problems.

Most fuel distributors sell regular unleaded fuel without ethanol, and some regular service stations carry premium fuel without ethanol. Use the Yellow Pages and call some of the fuel distributors and they can tell you where you can buy the fuel needed.

The other issue of which you should be aware is that the Farmall Super M gasoline engine was designed for leaded fuel. Use of unleaded fuel will lead to valve seat failure over time, or when run with a heavy load (such as a baler or mower conditioner). There are additives for older equipment that solve that problem. Should you need to have the head rebuilt, the machine shop will install hardened valve seats and new valves that are compatible with leaded fuel.


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