As I mentioned in the first poweretblog post following GIE+EXPO, ethanol was a hot topic at the event. We’ve got more coverage of ethanol issues that came up during GIE+EXPO in the December issue of PET, with comments from OPEI officials and a quick take on an ethanol technical session given by Stihl technical training coordinator Eddie Anderson during the show. Dan Ariens and Fred Whyte also mentioned ethanol issues during their Q-n-A session at The Dealer Experience.
But it was Anderson who truly drove the point home during his technical session that the brave new world of ethanol blended fuel and a renewable fuels marketplace demands a group of experts to help consumers through the transition as smoothly as possible—and no one is better positioned than lawn and garden power equipment dealers to take on that role and add value to their position in the marketplace.
Things like promoting fuel stabilizers since homeowners don’t use as much fuel and tend to store it longer. Things like asking customers to bring in their fuel containers for testing for the presence of ethanol and even water in fuel. Fuel system cleaning, carb tuning and cleanup—these are the little things that dealers can do that customers will never hear about in the box stores.
Look for more than a few dealers to offer “Ethanol Tuneups” or “New Fuel Service Specials” to ensure customers’ small engine products run smoothly as ethanol-blended gasoline is introduced into chain saw, trimmer and mower engines. “The kinds of things we used to do with fuel and fuel storage, we just can’t do anymore,” said Anderson during his technical presentation. “The fuel has changed, and we have to recognize that and act accordingly.”
6 comments
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I had the pleasure of attending that workshop, where Eddie Anderson made his presentation. It was fantastic. Very informative and brought out some very good questions from the group of spectators who gathered. It was also the largest group I was at one of the presentations.
Good Job Eddie and Thanks for the information!
Thanks, Wayne, for the kind words. I was suprised and pleased by the turnout and the questions asked at the end were relevant and on topic. I enjoyed giving the presentation as well as the entire 3 day event.
As I said, ethanol is here and whining and complaining won’t make it go away, so we, the service dealer, need to equip ourselves to deal with it in a positive and proactive way, and use our knowledge and expertise to further show our customers we are the people to do business with when it comes to OPE.
Eddie
We could use 2 things as a Stihl dealer (I am in sales, maybe they’ve been done…)
1. Information either for us, or directly for the customer, on how to care for machines with this ethanol ‘stuff’ (boy, that’s being nice). We already tell people to use highest octane, keep gas no more than 1 month, shake the can, use high grade premix, run the unit dry if it will sit for more than a few weeks, but what else?
2. ‘Ethanol tuneups’ are mentioned above, are you referring to a typical carb tweaking, (yes, new air filter, plug, fuel filter), but what else?
Thanks,
Steve Sherwood (Sales Mgr)
The term “ethanol tuneups” was something I came up with as any kind of idea dealers might use to entice current and potential customers to visit local dealers if they happen to have or suspect fuel-related problems: Any way dealers can get out ahead of the ethanol curve and position themselves as experts with information and hands-on skills available nowhere else. For starters, it could include inspection of all fuel components for any degradation or decomposition or gumming. You could even offer to test customers’ fuel right out of their containers.
Another aspect of an “Ethanol Tuneup” would be verifying that the engine is tuned to the manufacturer’s specified RPM, by using a tach, with whatever fuel the customer plans on using all the time. If a saw is tuned just a little lean on E 0 (fuel with no ethanol) and then the customer puts a tank of E 10 in it that may be enough to cause it to run too lean and run poorly or even cause engine damage.
Another problem that I have seen when switching from E 0 to E 10 is the solvent action of only 10% ethanol will dissolve and loosen any old deposits or gum or varnish, whatever you want to call it, and cause carburetor problems. These deposits were not a problem with E 0 fuel but E 10 frees them up. So the customer may need a new fuel can as well as having the fuel tank and carb on the machine cleaned.
If you only attend one trade show this year, the Louisville show is THE one. Best in the country.