Anonymous Poster
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- Joined
- Sep 27, 2005
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Just got my NH TC18, didn't want to mess up the nice, shiny hood with spills from a can, didn't want to run to town every time I need to fill a 5 gallon can, and didn't want to lift 40 pounds high enough to fill. I looked at electric pumps but the cheapest rig I found (Harbor freight) was about $300. I also considered a hand-cranked rotary pump, but that would be difficult for one person to crank and fill. I decided to go with a gravity system.
So, I stopped at my local oil distributor, picked up a new 55 gallon drum ($20, could have had a used one for free), filter housing and filter, 3/4" x 14' hose, hose swivel and farm nozzle. Stopped at the plumbing supply store and picked up some 3/4" nipples, 3/4" lever-handle ball valves, some reducing bushings to get from 2" down to 3/4", and some 3/4" street els.
I tapped out of the 3/4" drum opening, through a ball valve, through the filter, then on to the hose, swivel and nozzle. On the 2" hole, I installed the bushings, then angled a 3/4" street el up, used a 6" nipple to get it above the tank, and installed the other ball valve as a vent. I finished the vent off with a couple of more elbows so the end is pointing down and won't collect any water.
I built a 5' high stand from cement blocks. Right now, the temporary "cradle" is just 4 blocks separated about 16", but when I do a permanent stand, I'll use a wooden cradle. After installing the plumbing, we laid the drum on it's side, rolled it into the FEL, raised it to the top of the stand, and rolled it back out into position.
When it's empty, I'll have to lift it off, disconnect the plumbing, lift it into the pickup and take it back to the oil distributor for refill. He delivers, but not less than 300 gallons without a delivery charge.
When I build the permanent stand, I'll make a wooden cradle that will be strapped to the drum. It will have slots for pallet forks. I'll be able to lift the drum off with pallet forks, set it in the truck and stand it up, then reverse the process when it get it home again. Depending on how often I have to have it filled, I may install pipe unions to make the removal and installation of the plumbing a little easier.
I could have ordered all the parts over the 'net cheaper, but I'm just moving to the town and want to do as much business locally as possible, so I bought all the parts except the fittings from the oil distributor at slightly inflated prices. My total investment was about $140. Diesel is retailing at around $1.90/gal here; I paid $1.40 for offroad diesel. I had to fill out some paperwork to qualify.
I've only had the rig 3 days and have already used half of the drum. I filled my tractor twice. I've contracted a land clearing guy to do rough clearing, and we filled his Cat 416 once after his portable rig ran out. We started 5 big burn piles of brush, and used all his diesel and some of mine to start the fires. I don't expect to use it as fast in the future.
So, I stopped at my local oil distributor, picked up a new 55 gallon drum ($20, could have had a used one for free), filter housing and filter, 3/4" x 14' hose, hose swivel and farm nozzle. Stopped at the plumbing supply store and picked up some 3/4" nipples, 3/4" lever-handle ball valves, some reducing bushings to get from 2" down to 3/4", and some 3/4" street els.
I tapped out of the 3/4" drum opening, through a ball valve, through the filter, then on to the hose, swivel and nozzle. On the 2" hole, I installed the bushings, then angled a 3/4" street el up, used a 6" nipple to get it above the tank, and installed the other ball valve as a vent. I finished the vent off with a couple of more elbows so the end is pointing down and won't collect any water.
I built a 5' high stand from cement blocks. Right now, the temporary "cradle" is just 4 blocks separated about 16", but when I do a permanent stand, I'll use a wooden cradle. After installing the plumbing, we laid the drum on it's side, rolled it into the FEL, raised it to the top of the stand, and rolled it back out into position.
When it's empty, I'll have to lift it off, disconnect the plumbing, lift it into the pickup and take it back to the oil distributor for refill. He delivers, but not less than 300 gallons without a delivery charge.
When I build the permanent stand, I'll make a wooden cradle that will be strapped to the drum. It will have slots for pallet forks. I'll be able to lift the drum off with pallet forks, set it in the truck and stand it up, then reverse the process when it get it home again. Depending on how often I have to have it filled, I may install pipe unions to make the removal and installation of the plumbing a little easier.
I could have ordered all the parts over the 'net cheaper, but I'm just moving to the town and want to do as much business locally as possible, so I bought all the parts except the fittings from the oil distributor at slightly inflated prices. My total investment was about $140. Diesel is retailing at around $1.90/gal here; I paid $1.40 for offroad diesel. I had to fill out some paperwork to qualify.
I've only had the rig 3 days and have already used half of the drum. I filled my tractor twice. I've contracted a land clearing guy to do rough clearing, and we filled his Cat 416 once after his portable rig ran out. We started 5 big burn piles of brush, and used all his diesel and some of mine to start the fires. I don't expect to use it as fast in the future.
