Fuel is an essential necessity for your lawn mower. With all of the gas options available on the market today it can be difficult to know what type of Cub Cadet mower gas to use. Making the wrong choice can have detrimental effects on your lawn mower so you want to get it right.

Cub Cadet lawn mowers use unleaded gasoline with an octane rating of 87 or higher. The gasoline must have no greater than 10% ethanol content. For best results, gasoline must be used within 30 days or a fuel additive must be used to stabilize the fuel.

It is important to understand why it is important to use the correct fuel and what you can do to prevent buildup in your Cub Cadet fuel system.

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Follow all safety instructions provided in your equipment operator’s manual prior to diagnosing, repairing, or operating.Consult a professional if you don’t have the skills, or knowledge or are not in the condition to perform the repair safely.

Can You Use Regular Gas in Your Cub Cadet?

Regular Gas can be used in your Cub Cadet lawn mower as long as it does not have an ethanol content greater than 10%. Your Cub Cadet requires gasoline that has a minimum octane rating of 87. Gas marketed as regular gas generally has an octane rating of 87 according to the US Energy Information Administration.

Choosing Gas for Cub Cadet Mowers

Follow some simple guidelines when choosing gas for your Cub Cadet mower to ensure you are running fresh fuel that will keep your mower running at its best and not compromise the life of your lawn mower.

In addition to using gas with an octane rating of 87 or higher, here are recommendations to ensure you are running the right type of gas:

Buy Fresh Gasoline

Always buy fresh gas from your gas station and use it within 30 days. Gas only has a shelf life of about 30 days before it begins to degrade and become less effective. This is a very important key to running good fuel.

Because of gasoline’s short window of time, before it begins to break down, it’s important to purchase fuel from a busy gas station.

Find a gas station that is busy with vehicles fueling daily so you know the gas station is cycling through fuel regularly. Only buy enough fuel that you will be able to use within 30 days.

Store unused fuel in a dry location to avoid moisture buildup or water from getting into the gas can.

Avoid High Ethanol Percentages in Your Cub Cadet Gas

Ethanol in gasoline has been a development to our gasoline that is environmentally friendly and most beneficial overall for vehicles. However, it is not good for the small engines in our lawn mowers.

Lawn mowers require gasoline that has a low ethanol percentage. The lower the ethanol level, the better for the longevity of your Cub Cadet. Check the decal placed on your fuel pump to determine the amount of ethanol in the fuel you are purchasing.

Various gas stations will have different percentages of ethanol, but on average, it will be between 10 and 15 percent also known as E10 and E15 respectively. Avoid using gasoline that has more than a 10% ethanol content.

Details about ethanol:

• It is a corn-based fuel that is more environmentally sound.
• Ethanol works well in most motor vehicles. It is damaging to small gas engines.
• Ethanol-based gas attracts moisture from the air which causes gas to separate from ethanol.
• Separated gas sinks to the bottom of the fuel tank. Separated ethanol will be fed through the engine causing ignition problems for your mower. Ethanol can leave gummy deposits damaging your fuel components.
• Ethanol is corrosive and can burn very hot causing your engine to overheat. This can cause significant damage.

Purchase High-Quality Fuel for Your Cub Cadet

Expensive fuel is not always better, but you should remember to use higher-quality fuel with your mower. If you can afford higher-end fuel or Top-Tier fuel, you should try to use this.

Running fuels that don’t contain ethanol is best but can be pricey. You can find these fuels labeled as recreation fuel at some fuel stations or in 4-cycle fuel cans sold at your local hardware store.

If you buy higher-end fuel for your Cub Cadet and worry you will not use all of it, there are some ways to keep gas fresh using a fuel stabilizer. You do not need to add a fuel stabilizer to recreation or 4-cycle canned fuel, but it won’t hurt if you accidentally add it.  

The best option for storing any unused gas for later use is to do as follows:

• Use a plastic gas can that is designed for unleaded gas. Make sure that you are using a quality gas can; some plastic containers are not made to store gas and will break down.
• Add a fuel stabilizer to the can along with the extra gas that you are not using right away. This will help keep any gas that you may have leftover as fresh as possible. I like a product called Sea Foam Engine Treatment which can be purchased on Amazon. Read more about the advantages of Sea Foam in my article.
• Try to avoid buying more than a 30-day supply of gas. The quicker you use the gas, the better. However, it can be hard to know exactly how much you have in your tank and how much you will need with each mowing.
• Before adding new gas, always empty out the gas can you are currently using. Use any gas that has been stored first. This will ensure you are not letting gas sit for months at a time and adding fresh gas to old gas.
• At the end of the season, if you have any gas remaining in your can, discard this appropriately. This can often be added to your car or other machines if needed. You never want a gas can to sit for months after the season is over.

Once you get the hang of buying gas for your mower, it is relatively simple to know what you need and when you need additional gas. By adding a fuel stabilizer to your Cub Cadet gas and routinely alternating through your gas, you will not waste expensive gasoline, and it will be well worth the price.