"Rich" wrote in message
news
Questions:
Are two strokes going to be better or worse for this application than four
strokes?

I would say worse, but if you run the gas out when you are done then it will
be negligable.
What you want to avoid is shutting down the motor and leaving gas in the
engine. On a four cycle, it would be just in the carburator, but a 2 cycle
will also leave some in the crankcase. After time the gas evaporates or
turns into bad stuff, which can lead to carburator problems and could gum up
the reed valves.


Will treating the fuel with gas treatment be enough? It is sometimes as
long as six months between uses.

If you get a four cycle, or a 2 cycle that has oil injection (and thus you
don't mix oil with the gas) then I would just plan on using the gas. If you
use portable tanks you could just empty the tank into your car for the drive
home.

Am I going to have to run it dry (the carb) and then spray some hard to
fing
"secret" stuff into it to leave it that long?

I would certainly run it dry so that the gas in the carburators didn't go
bad. I wouldn't bother trying to fog the engine, especially on a two cycle.
If you can do a fresh water flush of the cooling system it would help the
motor out, but I know of a lot of engines that get used entirely in salt
water, never get flushed and last for a good number of years (lots of day
sailors have small outboards clamped on the back.....)

Your situation is not that different than many people. I know a lot of
people that only use their boats once or twice a month during the summer,
and not at all during the winter. It is amazing how many boats sit in a
marina for months at a time with no one visiting them. How this effects the
engine will depend on how you look at it.

If your measure of engine life is in calendar years, then a rarely used
engine can last a long time. If your measure in in running hours, then a
rarely used engine is not going to last long at all. If you want the
maximum number of running hours then you start the engine and keep it
running until it won't run anymore.

Rod