Cheaper Fuel?
 

OK,

I have been buying fuel from a guy in my club for a lower price. The manufacturer is out of production for the foreseeable future, (a month or so). Is there any place I can go to avoid paying $17 a gallon? I'm using like a Gallon a week.

HELP ME!!

RE: Cheaper Fuel?
 

You could switch to a larger plane and a gasoline engine. ;) You don't say what type of fuel you're buying, but I think most of the fuel manufacturers will sell their product in 55 gallon drums that can be siphoned of and resold to club members. Check with Morgan's and Red Max to start with.

Dr.1

RE: Cheaper Fuel?
 

Unfortunately that's the cost of this hobby. I got a look at how much I spent last year on fuel, and that is the reason that I'm starting to use gas engines to fly with. Even with higher gas prices these days, it's still cheaper than glow fuel.

Ken

RE: Cheaper Fuel?
 

Sorry Dr1,

I assumed glow fuel in this forum. I use 10% nitro with a 20% castor/synthetic blend. Standard hobby-shop airplane glow fuel. I was looking into making my own, but it's not too much cheaper than I was paying.

I think it might be fun to try, but the retailers are crazy with their prices for methanol, nitro and castor. Industrial grades of these ingredients sell for pennies on the dollar on the industrial market, but to get them on the retail market is quite expensive. Add the time you must use to blend and the space to store it and you may as well go to the LHS and bring some vaseline and a 'thank-you' card.

I know why there is so little competition in this market. It has very little margin and low demand elasticity, (there are few, if any, substitutes). It's hard to transport and is subject to expensive regulations etc...

I'm just looking for an interim supply for my 3 dollar a day nitro habit.

Thanks,

Mark

(Missed your response, Ken. I agree, it is just a cost of the hobby. And...it's really not that much in the grand scheme. I'm just whining because my low-cost supplier is out of fuel and i paid 17.99 plus tax to break in an engine and fly a bit this week). I guess I could find more difficult problems to solve, like how to better my flying skills.

Later,

Mark

RE: Cheaper Fuel?
 

you mean the distributors are charging outrageous prices, in actuality it boils down to the freaking EPA and surcharges they charge the manufacturers. @ 17 bucks a gallon the LHS is making about 2-4 bucks depending on how much it buys at a time. I think it's a buck off to them when they buy 36 gallons of a single type of fuel. not many shops do that kinda volume. Shops that can charge 12-13 bucks a gallon are those who have the luxury of having a distributor within driving distance and can pick it up themselves and avoid the 20 bucks a case hasmat fee Sorry it just kinda tweaks me when people blame it on the shop. As far as the cost, the only way out is either get a buch of guy together and mix fuel yourself. This is only cost effective if you do like 60 gallaons at a time, we has this going for awhile but the guy that did moved away and of course no single person wanted to front the cost of materials so it fell apart. or like said go to bigger planes and run gas engines.

RE: Cheaper Fuel?
 

The hobby shop I go to charges $10 a gallon for 10% fuel. They said that in order to avoid the $20 a case haz-mat fee, they buy 20 cases of fuel at a time (20 cases times 4 gallons in a case equals 80 gallons). Luckily they can mix and match fuels since they also serve the nitro land vehicle customers in this area as well.

RE: Cheaper Fuel?
 

Red, step away from the coffee and read this part.


LOL, I agree with your take on the position of the LHS. I was just inserting a bit of levity. My LHS makes almost no money on fuel, so losing that part of my business is not really important. I plan on buying all of my engines there from now on, (They have competitive prices and the owner treats me well).

Later Red......sorry about the coffee joke. ;):D;):D

RE: Cheaper Fuel?
 

Ibrake,

Please name the shop. I have an employee up there who could pick it up for me and bring it.

Thanks,

PM if you want to keep from the public forum.

RE: Cheaper Fuel?
 

Check the thread
[link=http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_1267448/tm.htm]Gas Fuel with Glow Plug, No Ignition[/link]
in the Engines-Conversions Forum.

They started out trying to replace the sparkplug with a glowplug for gasoline use, then moved on to blending 2:1 gas-glow to run a engine with a glowplug. Seems you could read up the info on the mixes, and get a nice recipe to run your OS46 or TT42 or whatever cutting glow with plain old gasoline. $2.40 unleaded cut with $17 glow brings the $ spent fueling the plane down nicely. Get a recipe from them guys, they've done all the leg work already.

RE: Cheaper Fuel?
 

but I need another cup. Bzzzzzzzz Bzzzzzz:D
ya it times to go fly:)

RE: Cheaper Fuel?
 

How many different hobby shops are close to you? I have several within driving distance of my location.

they all have differnt prices and if i shop around i can get really good deals on fuel. but i had to do alot of leg work to find the cheapest price. this is the price and brand that i can get within a hundred miles from me

i can get byrons 10% nitro 18% castor for $13 a gallon in hays KS

cool power synthetic 10% nitro 16% oil for $11.99 in wichita KS i just bought a case monday

omni 10% nitro 16 % oil for $12.50 in wichita KS

i have 6 cases of sig 10% nitro 20% castor ariving to me from kansas city MO i should have it monday....$11.00 a gallon and can get 15% nitro 20% castoer for $12.00 but didnt order any this time

if you want to buy bulk go to www.magnumfuels.com and you can get really good deals if you buy alot. and the more you buy the less it is. Also shipping is free if you buy more than 5 cases

and one hobby shop in topeka KS sells byrons for $18.00 a gallon but he dosent get much of my business unless i just happen to be there and need fuel bad

It took me about a year to find all these good prices so i think if you look hard enough you can to

RE: Cheaper Fuel?
 

It wouldn't surprise me if the state of CA has a surcharge of some sort on these hazardous materials. Or it could just be charging what the market will bear. In the Dallas area various shops charge from 9.50 to about 17.00 for glow fuel with 10% nitro. The 9.50 fuel is about 20 miles away, shop in a warehouse district, and the 17.00 stuff is less than 10 miles away at a shop in a retail district in an affluent area. With property price differences and other overhead the two shops probably net about the same amount on a sale.

RE: Cheaper Fuel?
 

You should fly 1/2A:D, I go through maybe 2 gallons a season...Rog

RE: Cheaper Fuel?
 

Acaully I was shop owner for about 2 yrs, Great planes and horizon both have a standard 20 dollar a case hasmat charge. that was to any shop who ordered through them, PM or CP wouldn't sell direct since I couldn't do enough volume. I did finaly find a distributor within 100 miles and would haul the stuff and was able to sell PM at 12 bucks a gallon making a whole 1.89 for a gallon, being a cali doesn't have anything to do with the prices. If you buy in bulk they'll save alittle off, the guy sell it for 9.5, I'd sure like to know how he did it. You'd have to sell a whole lot of fuel to get that kinda of price. Hell for me somethimes it was cheaper to just buy from tower. Water under the bridge since I sold the place. Like I've said before. support your LHS or it won't be there:D

RE: Cheaper Fuel?
 

I went through 2 gallons this weekend. Even worse, it was 50%! [X(]

RE: Cheaper Fuel?
 

I was chatting with someone about this today. The people who can get the prices down this low are buying the ingredients in really large quantities.

RE: Cheaper Fuel?
 

The hobby shop is:

Hobby Headquarters
8685 El Camino Real
Atascadero, CA 93422
(805) 462-2512

RE: Cheaper Fuel?
 

9.50 per gallon is Ritch's Brew 10% at Mike's Hobby Shop, in Carrollton. He sells Omega, Cool Power, Wildcat, etc 10% for either 10.99 or 11.49 per gallon. Ritch's Brew is made near Houston so he may send his own truck to pick it up.

RE: Cheaper Fuel?
 

I am so very happy!!

Thanks, Ibrakefornobody!! I can save a couple bucks on fuel and support a LHS at the same time. I will dispatch my employee to the afore mentioned shop immediately, or ...like... Monday afternoon. I used to live in Atascadero, (Cheaper than SLO), when I was in college.

10-12$ is Far better than 18-20$

There is a certain amount of satisfaction in saving a few measley bucks. I can't explain it.

RE: Cheaper Fuel?
 

If anyone is ever in Chico, Ca be sure to stop in their HobbyTown USA there. They have some local guys making fuel & they sell it at that store. When I saw the prices From $9 fo 10% to $12 for 15% I had to ask the guy at the shop if this stuff was any good. He told yes it's great fuel, it's the only fuel the local club there uses. So I bought a couple gallons of 15% for $12 a piece and it was excellent fuel!

RE: Cheaper Fuel?
 

Sure,

Rub it in...

RE: Cheaper Fuel?
 

LOl, Don't worry Mark I don't have access to it anymore either, unless I wanna drive along way to get it. I just happened to be up there on business for a couple weeks last year.

RE: Cheaper Fuel?
 

I'm in BFE Mississippi and I doubt anyone within 1000 miles of here gets or makes enough fuel to sell it around the $10 mark. :(

What would the costs be to mix it myself? I really don't have a problem fronting the money (if it's not TOO bad) to mix it, though I don't think there is any worthwhile club near me. I'd have to have a way to store such a huge amount of fuel without it going bad.