To say nothing of lawn mowers that don’t like gasoline and don’t work unless you rebuild the carb every time you need it. a (Do NOT buy a Troy Bilt from Lowes).
due to friggin’ ETHANOL (another EPA bright idea)
Use only non ethanol premium. Standard gas blends with 10% ethanol are death on small engines.
The EPA approved portable 1 gal. gas tank stinks, When you use one, it leaks gas on you and the mower.
What is it with those carburetors? Is it the gaskets?
Don't buy a Troy Bilt from ANYONE. The new owners have totally trashed quality. I had one of their rototillers 30 years ago and it was a beast. Made money tilling lawns and gardens and paid for it. Sold it 3 years later (dumb move) for almost original price.
My neighbor got one of Troy Bilt's new riding mowers. Lasted about 2 years after numerous downtimes trying to fix it. It's rusting away and was replaced with an ancient Yard King. I wish I could steal it THAT sweet machine.
I bought a "refurbished" Troy Bilt edger at Lowes for cheap. Got it home and the starter cord wouldn't even move. The screen was crushed. After I fixed the cord, it wouldn't run for more than 3 seconds. Priming it 20 times would get you 5 seconds. I ripped the carb apart and cleaned it. Started like champ and ran fine. I shut it off and 5 minutes later it wouldn't start. It sat in the back of the barn for 3 years.
One day I thought, I wonder if some starter fluid would work. Now I use it every time and it works fine. Crappy plastic B&S carb. Still a crappy edger. The belt makes a complicated trip. They last about 500 feet of edging. They either snap (so I got Kevlar) or they twist and eventually opposite moving parts get tangled and melt in no time. Designed by an idiot. Great blue smoke, though.
Look for a fuel additive called Star Tron. It’s expensive, but so are new engines.