In praise of the 2 stroke engine

"RacinBob" (racinbob) 12/17/2016 at 21:03 • Filed to: None

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They may be smoky, but they sure run sweet. I’ve ended up a 2 stroke family with a 70's vintage Lawnboy mower, a 80's Craftsman snow blower, a Craftsman leaf blower, and a Homelite hedge trimmer.

I recall reading that the 2 stroke engines were developed by the Germans prior to WW2. Allied soldier quickly found that the lightweight German chainsaws they “captured” were far superior to their heavy 4 stroke saws. I’d imagine that a fair bunch of them couldn’t wait to get home and start manufacturing what they found.

All I can say is my Craftsman snow blower starts on about 3 pulls and runs like a banshee. It’s 30 years old and you can’t beat it.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > RacinBob 12/17/2016 at 21:17

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Honda is working on a DI 2 stroke, that cut emissions by 90% so they’re not dead yet.

RacinBob > RacinBob 12/17/2016 at 21:19

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My Lawnboy

RacinBob > RacinBob 12/17/2016 at 21:19

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My Lawnboy

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > RacinBob 12/17/2016 at 22:16

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East Germany agrees! :P

jimz > RacinBob 12/17/2016 at 23:29

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two strokes may be dirty and inefficient, but man can they make power from not too much displacement. too bad that the exhaust tuning needed to get that power means their powerbands are about as narrow as a sheet of paper is thick. the R/C boats I run get 5-6 horsepower from this 11cc (0.011 liter) thing:

of course, the nitromethane doesn’t hurt.

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > RacinBob 12/17/2016 at 23:52

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Just don’t forget the oil, but you knew that already. My dad didn’t, and killed two engines in the rototiller before buying one with a four-stroke. He’s not a dummy, and is actually quite handy, but sometimes can mess mechanical things up big time in ways you wouldn’t expect.

A similar thing happened with his computer. He had his own successful consulting firm for decades, but he’s a software guy, not a hardware guy, and the problems he creates proves it. He’s quite smart, and has multiple degrees and certifications, but sometimes misses the obvious. I once had to fix a problem with the floppy drive not working on his desktop; even though the power connector was keyed so that it could only be plugged in one direction, he miraculously managed to find another way to plug it in, 180 degrees out. Every time I think he can’t possibly top himself, he manages to amaze me with new and unique (and wrong) solutions to mechanical issues.

The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock > RacinBob 12/17/2016 at 23:59

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Such a tiny snow blower. Mine has 18hp (pto), and it’s diesel.

shop-teacher > RacinBob 12/18/2016 at 00:07

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I’ve got a 2-stroke Toro snow blower that my dad garbage picked for me. Started first pull this season.

RacinBob > RacinBob 12/18/2016 at 10:12

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My ‘76 Lawnboy engine at the moment. I just bought an Ebay replacement, I think the crank broke as it made a crunch sound and then the crank kept spinning down while the engine stopped. What???/ Finding aluminum chunks on the deck made diagnosis easy.....