Type of Gas in a Toro Weed Eater

A string trimmer (often called a "weed eater" after the Weed Eater brand of string trimmers) helps you cut down stubborn weeds and long grasses that are inaccessible to a lawn mower's blades, such as the grass growing against a fence, a house, a concrete pad or a tree or post. Toro, a manufacturer of commercial and residential outdoor power equipment, produced two types of gasoline string trimmers as of 2011: the 51954 and the 51974 model string trimmers. You need a specific type of gasoline mixture for these trimmers to properly run.

Both the 51954 and 51974 models use a mixture of two-cycle engine oil and 87-octane unleaded gasoline, or regular unleaded. The mixture ratio is 50 parts gasoline to 1 part two-cycle oil. That's about 2.5 oz. of two-cycle engine oil per 1 gallon of gas. Always mix your gasoline in a container specifically for holding gasoline, and mix the oil and gasoline outside or in a well-ventilated area. Avoid overfilling your trimmer’s gas tank, or you could cause a fire hazard.

Both of Toro's 2011 string trimmer models have 25.4cc two-cycle engines. When you are ready to start your string trimmer's engine, move at least 30 feet away from where you mixed and filled your gas tank to avoid igniting any lingering fuel mixture on the ground. Always let the engine cool down before refilling it with your engine oil/gasoline mixture, and always remove the fuel storage can from the area where you'll be working. Before storing your trimmer for the season, remove any fuel from the tank.

Do not mix more fuel than you will use in a 30 day period. If you are using oxygenated (blended with ether or alcohol) fuels, you must use only unleaded gasoline. Never use E85 fuel in your trimmer. You can use fuels that contain the following compound percentages: 15 percent by volume MTBE, 10 percent by volume grain alcohol or ethyl alcohol, or 5 percent by volume of wood or methyl alcohol. Methanol mixtures must contain compounds that stop corrosion and cosolvents. If you use gasoline with more than 5 percent methanol, then you could damage your trimmer.

You receive a three-year warranty on both of these trimmers. The 51954 model has a curved shaft, and it has a 17-inch cutting path. It weighs 11.6 lbs. and uses 0.095-inch-diameter cutting line. As of early 2011, The Toro 51954 string trimmer cost about $150. The 51974 model has an 18-inch cutting path and a straight shaft. It weighs 12.5 lbs. and has a 0.095-inch-diameter line. As of early 2011, the Toro 51974 string trimmer model cost $190. Both of these models are compliant with emissions standards in all 50 states.