Perfecting two-stroke oil mix

When operating a unit with a two stroke (or 2-cycle) engine, you need to ensure that you create a mixture of fuel and two stroke oil for the fuel tank before use.

This is a vital initial step as creating this mixture allows for combustion and all important lubrication. If you were to just add the fuel without oil to the tank, you will end up with engine failure.

Naturally we want to prevent that at all costs, and in order to do that we want to simplify the process of mixture as much as we can.

Your first step is to start with a handy mixing bottle where you first add your petrol. This takes all the guess work out of this, and allows you to begin your ratio by pouring in a litre of fuel, and with the guidelines on the bottle, you then add the necessary amount of two stroke oil on top of that.

Your power tool will display what ratio is needed and will be displayed as either 25/1, 32/1, 40/1, 50/1 for example. That first number is the amount of fuel, the second part the two stroke oil. Most power tools work on a ratio of 25/1, so that means you need to mix 25 parts fuel to 1 part two stroke oil. Once done so you then pour that mix into the fuel tank of the unit.

For a more in depth look at this mixing in motion, see our dedicated video below.