Fuel Colors Newbie

[tshep]

Hi all - I thought I had a handle on this for a few minutes.....

Scenario is - inherited a tractor with a large fuel can marked DIESEL. When Kubota ran a bit low, I poured fuel in - it was blue - set me back - but it smelled, felt like diesel so I topped off tank (maybe 30%).

Checked some sites, different facts - some say blue is government, non-profit diesel, some say farm, some say avgas? Local dealer says no blue fuel - only red and clear - red is off-road, no tax.

I cannot date the can I used accurately.

At one time, was some consumer deisel blue?
Is it likely a mix in the can, avgas, gov. diesel, etc?
Should I worry? (It had the relative appearence, smell, and 'feel' of deisel.)

Thanks all....

 

[bullsram]

I've never heard of blue diesel. Only clear ULSD and Red farm diesel. I can definetly tell you it wasnt gov. fuel. They use jet fuel in all there vehicles, cant remember the correct name though. Bullsram

 

[kevinj]

I have seen green, red, clear & brown so I do not know why not blue??

 

[LBrown59]

I've never heard of blue diesel.
*Only clear ULSD and Red farm diesel.

*Or more accurately clear ULSD and ULSD dyed red.

 

[Duffster]

Off road can appear to be blue......ish.

 

[Mousefield]

I use diesel from the local gas station and it has a green/yellow tinge to it. I think the bigger thing, rather than worry about the color, is to make sure what you are using. If it's old or of doubtful origin you are better off to dispose of it properly and use fresh fuel.
Reminds me of my friend who used fertilizer that he got from his late father in law's garage, used it on his tomatoes but turned out it was herbicide. The bottle was labeled fertilizer but had been refilled with herbicide. That was the end of all his tomato plants.

 

[clemsonfor]

after reading a lot of these which fuel posts over the last few weeks, here is a wild guess, could it be kerosene with two stroke oil mixed into it to help with lubricity. Two stroke oil, esp twc2 oil(marine) is blue in color?

 

[WTA]

Every gas station here has different colors and the only one you need to worry about is red. That is non taxed farm fuel and the fine is huge if you get caught with it. All non taxed fuel in the country is supposed to be died red by federal law.

I got green fuel yesterday, blue this morning and clear when I filled up my diesel can for the shop heater. 3 different stations. They all work the same and even came from the same distributor so go figure.

 

[Soundguy]

here in florida.. the diesel is usually yellowish to greenish for the road fuel at the pump.

I went to GA a few weeks ago, and swear I saw greenish/blue fuel..

soundguy

 

[tshep]

Thanks all - I used about 80% of what was in the can to get the K filled up. So.. I guess a little time will tell me if K is OK, and I can them mix down the rest before futher use.
The color really threw me - old gov posts (93, 94) show blue, red, clear for gov, off, and on road - and then my thoughts went to where clem is at - as I do use blue 2 stroke oil for other machines.
But apparently the big divide is dyed or not - and I am 'off-road' use.
WTA - I'm reading your post as 'caught with it' on the road - I hope.

So if I can summarise consensus - any color is OK, (but clear is higher, taxed for on-road) in a fairly modern diesel tractor (BX23)?