I saw a segment on a farm show the other day, discussing the most recent push to increase the percent of ethanol in gasoline. A few of the highlights from the show were:
-The ag community is split over this, with the grain producers pushing for it, while the rest of the ag community fighting against it.
-The marine industry will be one of the hardest hit if this does pass, due to the older engines that cannot handle the ethanol increase.
-The number of issues it would cause is much greater than originally realized, with engine repair shops providing staggering figures of parts replaced today due to ethanol. It does major damage to small engines, even the newest ones.
-The damage comes from 2 fronts. One from the ethanol destroying the parts directly. The other comes from the water that the ethanol attracts/absorbs/holds.
I was on the fence as to whether or not it created real problems with today's engines, but after seeing the small engine damage at those shops there is no doubt in my mind now. I was somewhat shocked to see that type of report coming from an agriculture show.
-The ag community is split over this, with the grain producers pushing for it, while the rest of the ag community fighting against it.
-The marine industry will be one of the hardest hit if this does pass, due to the older engines that cannot handle the ethanol increase.
-The number of issues it would cause is much greater than originally realized, with engine repair shops providing staggering figures of parts replaced today due to ethanol. It does major damage to small engines, even the newest ones.
-The damage comes from 2 fronts. One from the ethanol destroying the parts directly. The other comes from the water that the ethanol attracts/absorbs/holds.
I was on the fence as to whether or not it created real problems with today's engines, but after seeing the small engine damage at those shops there is no doubt in my mind now. I was somewhat shocked to see that type of report coming from an agriculture show.