An easier way to refuel your tractor

[creekbend]

Thanks for posting.

 

[enterprisebbc]

Hello All-

A couple weeks ago, I asked what people were using to refuel their tractors. I originally posted my question in the JD Owning / Operating forum, but was soon pointed to other forums where the same question had been asked several times. After combing through numerous threads, it was apparent I was not happy about the fuel filler location on my new tractor.

After reading numerous posts, it was pretty set on getting a 25-30 gallon gas caddy, however I did not like the fact that a 30 gallon caddy would weigh a lot and would be tough to load and unload from my truck. What I did like about the caddy was the fact that it had a manual pump which meant that I would not have to deal with keeping a battery around to power the pump.

While scouring the net, I came across the Flo Fast product on Global Industrial site and thought that this could be what I was looking for. When I went to Flo-Fasts website, I saw that they actually had a bunch of options to choose from, including some options that would work with my existing 5 gallon jugs. I ended up calling the company and speaking with the owner for a bit and although they were more focused on the boating and racing industry, I was told that their pumps and containers work just fine for diesel tractors.

Since my new Deere 4720 holds 15 gallons, I ended up ordering their 15 gallon tank, heavy duty cart, and professional pump. The parts arrived this past week, and I finally had a chance to try it out. The fuel jug is pretty thick, yet it is easy enough to toss into the back of my truck and fill it up. Since we are only talking about 15 gallons, I like the fact that I don't have to worry about fuel sitting around for too long, especially during winter. The cart is solid, and has no issues moving the filled container around. As an added bonus, it folds up nicely and does not take up a lot of space. The pump moves up to 8 gallons a minute, so you have to be careful or else it is somewhat easy to overfill your gas tank (ask me how I know this). While using the system, there were no leaks which kept everything nice and clean.

About the only downside I can see to this system is that the fuel jug weighs about 100 pounds when full, so it is pretty dang heavy to lift out of my truck bed. If I were to do this again, I would probably consider going with the two 7.5 gallons cans as those will be much more manageable. Depending on which package you choose, the options can get pricey, however the quality is there, so you do get what you pay for. Overall, I really cant complain, and am very happy with this purchase (and so is my back and shoulders).

Well, there you have it. I have gotten so much good information from this forum ever since I purchased my first Deere 4310 back in 2002, so I hope that this review / information will help some of you out there who are also looking for a smarter / better way to get work done using our tractors.

Dano-

I havent got there yet but this comming summer I will do something like having a portable fuel device. Heres what I have come up with so far. A fella in Manchester CT sells containers that will hold diesel. They are 100 gal and need to be kept out of the sun for long periods of time as the plastic eill yellow. There are openings top and bottom and they are surrounded with a tuff aluminum frame which has openings at the bottom for a fork lift. Now you can use a chain also to lift it on and off the truck and of course do not have to fill it up. I will build an enclosure on sort of a support that I will keep locked and probably use gravity flow with a gas pump type nozzle. Still a long way off but this seems to put to rest this idea of fueling.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I havent got there yet but this comming summer I will do something like having a portable fuel device. Heres what I have come up with so far. A fella in Manchester CT sells containers that will hold diesel. They are 100 gal and need to be kept out of the sun for long periods of time as the plastic eill yellow. There are openings top and bottom and they are surrounded with a tuff aluminum frame which has openings at the bottom for a fork lift. Now you can use a chain also to lift it on and off the truck and of course do not have to fill it up. I will build an enclosure on sort of a support that I will keep locked and probably use gravity flow with a gas pump type nozzle. Still a long way off but this seems to put to rest this idea of fueling.

That sounds like the same thing I picked up (for free) at a local manufacturing facility. They are generally just called TOTE TANKS and make a one way trip to their destination therefore businesses are usually anxious to get rid of them.. I wish I had a 100 gallon size which would be perfect for me since I already have 105 steel tank. All I have ever seen is the 275 gallon size that is about 4x4 x 5 feet tall.

 

[the8080]

Just fill the tractor with the jug in the truck. No need to ever handle the full jug.

 

[murphy1244]

Out by me you need 250 Gal for delivery without Xtra charges.

 

[flusher]

Nice fueling rig--I see one of these in my future. Nice tractor:thumbsup:. Nice Fall colors in your neighborhood.

 

[DutchHenryBrown]

Thanks for your post. :thumbsup:

 

[RoyJackson]

While it looks well made, it does look a bit inconvenient to fill.

Looks like the pump is just threaded into the filler hole...can't see that being inconvenient at all.

I like it and two 7.5 gallon cans would work quite well for me.

If one has a farming operation, large tanks make sense. For a rural residential or farmette operation, I think the Flo-Fast rigs would work quite well.
I'm most interested in the durability of the pump. I've looked into some of these systems (not Flo-Fast) and the durability reviews haven't been good.

 

[Dano33]

Glad to see there are lots of ideas and questions being posted. Ill try to address what I can.

The pump is attached to the jug cap, however Flo-fast uses some kind of fitting the allows the pump to remain stationary while you unscrew it / screw it on. I too was concerned about having the pump and hose spinning all around but due to the design, this is not the case. When I went to the gas station, I just unscrewed the cap, pushed the pump to the side and filled the jug. It really is a pretty well thought out design.

Regarding the pump itself, it will pump as fast or slow as you want it to pump. I was curious if it would really pump 8 gallons in a minute so I cranked it up pretty quickly and it was definitely a NASCAR style refueling, however if you turn the handle slow, it will pump at a very controllable rate. Also, you can pump it backwards to suck fuel out of your tank, so you pretty much have complete control.

In regards to pump life, one thing I did not like about that other cheaper systems that I looked at was that the pump could not be rebuilt. The Flo-Fast pump can be rebuilt, and parts are readily available. I also dug up an old post on an aviation site where a person had an older pump that started to leak and contacted Flo Fast to see if they could help. According to the post, Flo-Fast customer service really helped him out, so that was good to hear. Other than that, I could not find any other posts about there pumps leaking. I suppose time will tell, however I do like the fact that this is USA backed product with real customer service.

I also agree with Roy Jackson in that if I had more land, I would consider installing a large tank or coming up with another solution. However I only tend to use my tractor a few times a week, so the 15 gallon gas tank will usually last me a couple weekends unless I am doing some rotary cutting.

Hope this helps,

Dano

 

[PILOON]

I have a very similar but homemade set up.
Box store dolly, 20 gal container and hand crank pump (smaller size).
Have been using it for many years now.
For filler hose I used 3/4" heater hose as that is designed for under hood oily environments. Anything poly will not work as fuel reacts and stiffens the poly hose.
I need to replace my pump now as the seals are shot.( Actually not a seal but a glob of some kind of non fuel dissolving grease.)