Oil & Fuel Anybody Run Tractor on Heating Oil?

[JohninCT]

I usually have 1 to 3 containers of diesel fuel purchased from the gas station for fueling the tractors. I recently purchased a hand fuel pump and hose from tractor supply to install on my heating oil tank. I have a PTO generator and figured that at least I would have a couple hundred gallons of fuel if I needed it for emergency. I was thinking that it could be used all the time for tractor use and then just have the oil man come an refill as needed. Seems to me that this shouldn't be a problem since tractor engines are pretty simple "oil burners" unlike the diesel cars which have all kinds of pollution control equipment. Anybody else fuel their tractors this way?

 

[Willl]

Diesel vs Home Heating Fuel

 

[niemeyjt]

I think the first thing to ask is what viscosity is your heating oil?

Here, most heating oil is 28 second, aka kerosine aka burning oil - and I think it is the same as Diesel no 1 - which can be used in tractors when it is very cold (someone else mentions this in another thread).

Diesel in our tractors is normally 35 second, aka gas oil, or Diesel no 2, or Red Diesel. To confuse, much or Europe uses this as heating oil as well.

Here, if I do order Red Diesel for heating, it can be used in the Tractor as well - but whether it is as 'good' as road diesel for the more modern diesels I do not know - the local farmers with some fairly new tractors do not seem to have problems.

J

 

[JohninCT]

So I look at one of my oil bills and on it is printed the following:

"Dyed unmarked heating oil: Not for use in highway, nonroad, locomotive, or marine engines"

Why don't I believe them? If I examine a sample of what came out of my oil tank side by side with what came from the gas station, it smells the same, appears visually and feel to have the same viscosity but is colored differently.

Is this just some kind of government mandated disclaimer to discourage people from using this oil in engines that they would like to collect taxes on?

 

[Willl]

Is this just some kind of government mandated disclaimer to discourage people from using this oil in engines that they would like to collect taxes on?

Na, couldn't be,,,,,,,

 

[backdoor]

This past winter I asked my home heating oil supplier if I could burn the HHO in my tractor. She said yes, it is the same product. If I was concerned about gelling, I should add about 20 gallons of kerosine per 200 gallons of heating oil, for the tractor or furnace. This product was low sulphur deisel, but I understand that only ultra low sulphur deisel will be available soon, maybe now. No more low sulphur, but it will still be for tractors or furnaces. As the link said, no road taxes for the farm or furnace.

 

[TGF]

it is nearly the same thing and should work fine, just like you can use kerosene (if not for cost). As someone above stated its usually tax implications as to why you are not supposed to do it. For instance I purchased two barrels of disel for my tractor and 1 barrel of gasoline for my ZTR. Much cheaper than buying at the pump, but the fuel is not taxed for driving on the road with it even though it will work.

 

[flyingcow]

You'll be fine. Might want to ask local dealer if there is any extra taxes on it. For instance, if i fill my house with #2 HHO, no sales tax. If the same truck than fills my truck garage with the same HHO, I'll get nailed 5% Maine state sales tax because it's for a "business". Same fuel, doing the dame thing, heating my buildings. Maine is not business friendly. HHO oil/ off road fuel has more BTU's.
Some of it still is not Ultra Low Sulfer, like on road diesel is. I think diesel used to be about 300 parts of sulfer, now the ULS diesel is 15 parts per million. I would not advise using off road in the new emissions diesel pickups. Eventually will screw the emissions systems. Could get very costly

 

[Duffster]

You'll be fine. Might want to ask local dealer if there is any extra taxes on it. For instance, if i fill my house with #2 HHO, no sales tax. If the same truck than fills my truck garage with the same HHO, I'll get nailed 5% Maine state sales tax because it's for a "business". Same fuel, doing the dame thing, heating my buildings. Maine is not business friendly. HHO oil/ off road fuel has more BTU's.
Some of it still is not Ultra Low Sulfer, like on road diesel is. I think diesel used to be about 300 parts of sulfer, now the ULS diesel is 15 parts per million. I would not advise using off road in the new emissions diesel pickups. Eventually will screw the emissions systems. Could get very costly

More BTU's than what?

 

[Willl]

Eventually will screw the emissions systems.

If your saying the dye 'alone' in off road fuel will harm emissions systems, I'd have to disagree.

 

[RickB]

If your saying the dye 'alone' in off road fuel will harm emissions systems, I'd have to disagree.

The implication was that using off-road fuel that may be other than ULSD in newer (post 2006) on-road diesels can be harmful. That is fact, not conjecture. The sulfur is the problem, not the dye.

 

[Willl]

The sulfur is the problem, not the dye.

Gots ya.

 

[LBrown59]

1*I usually have 1 to 3 containers of diesel fuel purchased from the gas station for fueling the tractors.

2*I recently purchased a hand fuel pump and hose from tractor supply to install on my heating oil tank.
3*I was thinking that it could be used all the time for tractor use and then just have the oil man come an refill as needed.
4* Seems to me that this shouldn't be a problem since tractor engines are pretty simple "oil burners" unlike the diesel cars which have all kinds of pollution control equipment.
5*Anybody else fuel their tractors this way?

So I look at one of my oil bills and on it is printed the following:

6*"Dyed unmarked heating oil: Not for use in highway, nonroad, locomotive, or marine engines"

7* Why don't I believe them?
8*If I examine a sample of what came out of my oil tank side by side with what came from the gas station, it smells the same, appears visually and feel to have the same viscosity
9* but is colored differently.
10*Is this just some kind of government mandated disclaimer to discourage people from using this oil in engines that they would like to collect taxes on?

11*Na, couldn't be,,,,,,,

This past winter I asked my home heating oil supplier if I could burn the HHO in my tractor.

12*She said yes, it is the same product.
13*If I was concerned about gelling, I should add about 20 gallons of kerosine per 200 gallons of heating oil, for the tractor or furnace.
14*This product was low sulphur deisel,
15*I understand that only ultra low sulphur deisel will be available soon, maybe now.
16-No more low sulphur, but it will still be for tractors or furnaces.
17* As the link said, no road taxes for the farm or furnace.

18*it is nearly the same thing and should work fine.
19*As someone above stated its usually tax implications as to why you are not supposed to do it.
For instance I purchased two barrels of disel for my tractor and 1 barrel of gasoline for my ZTR.
20*Much cheaper than buying at the pump, but the fuel is not taxed for driving on the road with it even though it will work.

21*Some of it still is not Ultra Low Sulfer, like on road diesel is.
I think diesel used to be about 300 parts of sulfer, now the ULS diesel is 15 parts per million.
22*I would not advise using off road in the new emissions diesel pickups. Eventually will screw the emissions systems. Could get very costly

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1*Why it's the same stuff you already have in your tank at home ?
2* & 3*You should have been doing this all along.
4* It's not about compatibility with engines such as tractor VS car.
The battle is with the tax collectors and the EPA tree huggers..
5*Here is my Rig .~~~~ And the three tractors it fuels.
Home Heating Oil
On road Diesel
Off road Diesel
And Fuel oil are all the same here.

6*This simply means it's not legal to use it in those applications /it does not mean it is something different.
7*Because times are changing quicker than the paper work.
8*That is because they are the same thing.
9*On road and off road are both the same fuel but one has the red dye and the other one doesn't .
On road and off road are descriptions of where the fuel is used not a type of fuel.
10*. That's close.

11* Probably is .

12* She is 100% correct.
13*I just add a quart of PS white bottle to my 55 gallon drum before getting it filled and skip the kero mixing hassle.
14* & 15*I'd say The refinerys have pretty much all converted over to just ULSD by now .
16*That would be left over storage and when that's gone it's gone for good.
17*A more accurate statement would be .
Tax if used on the road.
No tax if not used on the road.

18*Exactly the same here.
19*That and the Tree huggers.
20*Rite on.

21*Probably some left over storage from when they ceased production of it.
22*Why not both are exactly the same .

 

[flyingcow]

#21 and #22
it varies from region to region as to whether it's all ULS diesel. last statements from up in these woods is that there is still a big diff between off road and on road, as far as sulfer content.

 

[flyingcow]

More BTU's than what?

Generally the higher the sulfer content, the more BTU's.

 

[pat32rf]

My supplier was giving me one HHO for my indoor tank and another for my outdoor tank. The outdoor variety was the same as what he would then pump into my tractor tank. I watched him move the hose from one tank to the other, didn't alter any valves in truck, just reset the computer for a different ptintout on the delivery slip.
The girl in the office tells me that its the same as well. (except for the price)

 

[RalphVa]

Heating oil = off road = on road diesel, but middle one has a red dye. Think there may be slightly different pour point specs on heating oil, but it is often the same stuff as off road with or without the dye. Think both heating oil and off road can be 500 ppm sulfur. On road, has to be <50 (or is it 15?) ppm.

ONE TIME I bought 3 cans of off road (it's a whopping 17 cents/gallon cheaper than on road here in Virginia). Had a wax dropout problem with it. Got Exxon to take it back and refilled the containers with my usual B5 and emptied, fished out the wax globs and refilled my tractor tank. By using B5, I can occasionally put a gallon in the TDI to get it to the next fuelup once every 600 miles at the Exxon station all the way across town.

Ralph

 

[jansr]

For some time I was trying to find out the self life of HHO my supplyer has no answer ?? any of you guys ...? to set some plaing field.. no additiives .. straight from dealers of HHO

 

[Iowachild]

I usually have 1 to 3 containers of diesel fuel purchased from the gas station for fueling the tractors. I recently purchased a hand fuel pump and hose from tractor supply to install on my heating oil tank. I have a PTO generator and figured that at least I would have a couple hundred gallons of fuel if I needed it for emergency. I was thinking that it could be used all the time for tractor use and then just have the oil man come an refill as needed. Seems to me that this shouldn't be a problem since tractor engines are pretty simple "oil burners" unlike the diesel cars which have all kinds of pollution control equipment. Anybody else fuel their tractors this way?

ULSD & LSD are not the same thing as heating oil which is high sulphur. I will tell you again that at least NY is one state has a covert marker put into heating oil for the very purpose of finding people using it in engines!!

UniMark Covert Markers

 

[rockotman]

I specifically asked my HHO supplier if his HHO was the same as his off-road diesel. He said yes.

His HHO is low sulfur, and is dyed red.

My tractor (a JD2320) specifically calls for ultra-low sulfur OR low-sulfur diesel.

I will use the HHO during warmer months, but to be on the safe side will probably buy road diesel for over the winter. The tractor hopefully won't get that much run-time in the winter, anyway - unless we have another winter like this past one.