On road diesel vs off road NO 2 red

[aczlan]

Around here on-road and off-road diesel both get winterized. Heating oil may not. Both heating oil and off road diesel have red dye in them. Kerosine may have red dye in it or it could be clear (also for tax purposes). Kerosine doesn't need to be winterized and is often used for heating when the storage tank is outside.

Same here but for NY (as well I think for NJ, MA, CT and possible a couple other states) heating oil has to meet the same sulfur requirements as #2 diesel, so if there is any difference between heating oil and #2 diesel it would be if your heating oil supplier requested a different (cheaper) additive pack than is used for #2 diesel when they filled the truck at the fuel depot.

Aaron Z

 

[Zakatak]

To clarify, as I understand. Please correct if wrong:
On road is same as off road, except off road is dyed to signify taxes haven’t been collected in it.
Some stations may blend #1 and #2 in winter (or use additives?) to decrease cloud point and gelling in cold temps. They are not always consistent, or treated for the current temps, buyer beware.

The blending of #1 is not done at the station. Refineries in the cold weather states change their recipe for what they refer to as “winter blend”. This is to prevent gelling as you stated. They do this during the winter months and will revert back to a summer blend as temperatures allow in the spring. Where people run into problems is that some stations may have leftover summer blend in their tanks when the early freezes hit. This is likely the culprit for so many peoples bad perception of offroad diesel. If a station or bulk plant moves more highway diesel than offroad then you could have newer inventory (winterized) and old offroad inventory available at the same time. Best bet is to treat the diesel yourself in early winter if you are unsure.

Here in the south the refineries typically stay with a summer blend year round. This was the first winter in my life that i felt the need to treat smaller tanks on our trucks and equipment with anti-gel. Temps got down to low teens here in Louisiana.

 

[LouNY]

Maybe down in your area but with no close by refineries, diesel fuel blending is done on site by the delivery truck or if a truck load delivery at the tank farm. Gasoline is different formulations for summer and winter.

 

[Cranblue]

I'll agree that it may be fresher, but otherwise as has been said by various people in this thread there is (in this day and age) no difference between on road and off-road #2 Diesel other than the dye. It comes out of the same tank at the refinery and there they add dye or not. A tier 4 on road and off-road engine need the same quality fuel so there is no difference between on-road and off-road #2 diesel.

Aaron Z

Yes the fuel is the same !! But is Road diesel filtered more than off road ?? This is what a Sun Belt tech told me and a few people on forum agreed. I’m concerned with water after bad experience with off road worth it to me to buy Road diesel for piece of mind.I’m sure sulfur content is the same not the question !!

 

[KubotaToy]

Around me, a lot of gas stations just do not sell a volume of off-road to keep it moving, so I would go out of town to get to a coop that did sell a lot before I installed my own tank at my shop.

Not sure I would trust most gas stations to have the best of filters nor even have a filtration system on any fuel. I watched a local gas station a few years back install a new tank and there were no filters in any part of the system, nor at the pump. The crew doing the install said that was common. Many have complained about bad fuel from this place over the years, main complain was rust in the fuel.

I buy 500 gal of off-road at a time from a local fuel wholeseller and use it over about a year timeframe. I have three filters inline, have a water separator, then a 10 micron water filter and a 5 micron fuel filter. I treat the tank before filling with my favorite fuel conditioner and after 10 years of use, never had a problem with fuel.

I also fill my own 55gal barrel when I travel with my tractors so I do not pick up bad fuel. Bad fuel will kill common rail systems and injectors and they are expensive to fix and trust me, if you have fueling problems under warranty, the dealer/Company will ask for fuel samples to support denying a claim, well at least Ford did that to me...

 

[CobyRupert]

Same here but for NY (as well I think for NJ, MA, CT and possible a couple other states) heating oil has to meet the same sulfur requirements as #2 diesel, so if there is any difference between heating oil and #2 diesel it would be if your heating oil supplier requested a different (cheaper) additive pack than is used for #2 diesel when they filled the truck at the fuel depot.

Aaron Z

Up here in the north there must be differences in heating oil and #2 diesel as I often see outdoor furnace tanks.
Can anyone confirm that #1 diesel and kerosene are the same thing?

It’s amazing that contractors, farmers, truckers can have $100’s of thousands of equipment, and nobody is really sure what they’re buying and dumping into the fuel tanks. We use a non-descriptive word: “It’s diesel.” Why such as mystery?

 

[Blue Mule]

I checked my local Shell station that sells off road diesel this morning. The price difference is $0.40 per gallon. That's a $2 savings to fill my diesel jug for the tractor there vs their on road diesel. But then I have to go to a separate pump to fill my truck. So what I have to decide is whether or not $2.00 is worth losing the convenience of starting the pump once and filling all my stuff at the same time.

Actually, I could go to another station that has lower prices and fill my truck and diesel jug at the same time AND save money.

 

[BigBlue1]

It's not a mystery. It's very scientific. Here's a quick overview of how they are all made:

What's the difference between gasoline, kerosene, diesel, etc?

Gasoline, kerosene, diesel, etc. all come from crude oil, but what makes them different? Read on to learn about their differences.

auto.howstuffworks.com

And here's more info:

The Differences Between Heating Fuels, Kerosene, And Diesel Fuel

Diesel fuel and heating fuels are used for different purposes, but they also share some similarities. Here is some information that explains the differences between these three types of fuel.

www.kendrickoil.com

What is the Difference Between Jet Fuel & Diesel Fuel?

Jet fuel and diesel fuel both share similarities in composition as well as many chemical properties. With price fluctuations causing fuel costs to vary wildly by type, many are led to ponder alternative ways to power their diesel and jet engines.

itstillruns.com

In short, each type fuel is a slightly different chemical formula and they vary by weight (molecular weight) which is what distinguishes them. From the gaseous products (propane, butane) to the light fuels (solvents, gasoline) to the heavier ones (diesel, fuel oil, kerosene) to the oils and waxes.

Many are somewhat interchangeable in terms of their burning characteristics but some are blended with additives for specific purposes, such as lubricants in diesel for internal combustion engines with today's strict tolerances and emissions. That's why you can burn many things in a torpedo heater (diesel, kerosene, fuel oil, jet fuel) but you probably don't want to put kerosene in your Cummins for long-term wear reasons and emissions compliance.

If you see a house with an outdoor fuel tank in northern climates it may be using kerosene as the fuel instead of fuel oil because that has a lower temp capability.

Rob

 

[CobyRupert]

It's not a mystery. It's very scientific....

Rob

Yes, yes...but I still maintain that when you pull up to the pump, you have no idea what you’re getting. It’s not like gas pumps here that say “may contain 15% ethanol.”
In summer you most likely get #2 diesel.

But in winter ,do you get #2 diesel mixed with:

1) Additives to lower cloud/gel point, to what temp,
2) #1 diesel, and what %,
3) kerosene (or is this same as #1? ), and what %,
4) #1 diesel (or kerosene) AND an added lubricant
5) nothing?

There’s typically no info at pump on what you putting into your vehicle, aka “mystery”.

 

[BigBlue1]

Yes, yes...but I still maintain that when you pull up to the pump, you have no idea what you’re getting. It’s not like gas pumps here that say “may contain 15% ethanol.”
In summer you most likely get #2 diesel.

But in winter ,do you get #2 diesel mixed with:

1) Additives to lower cloud/gel point, to what temp,
2) #1 diesel, and what %,
3) kerosene (or is this same as #1? ), and what %,
4) #1 diesel (or kerosene) AND an added lubricant
5) nothing?

There’s typically no info at pump on what you putting into your vehicle, aka “mystery”.

You're making it out to be more confusing than it is. At the fuel pump it will always be diesel. Period. There's no way they are putting kerosene in their diesel tanks. Around here they charge $1-2 more per gallon for kerosene. And it will always have low sulfur and whatever is normal for diesel engine additive package. Whether it is strictly #1 or not doesn't matter, at least in northern states all stations switch to a fuel that won't gel, still with low sulfur and meant for modern diesel engines.

The only question if you're choosing on-road vs. off-road is as mentioned above... how much volume of off-road does the station sell and how long has it been sitting there. But that isn't really a major issue either, because 1) diesel doesn't deteriorate nearly as fast as gasoline; and 2) any station that doesn't sell much off-road isn't going to keep it for sale. So, to me, it is neither a mystery nor something to worry about. If you have a non-road vehicle that takes diesel and you can find off-road, buy it and save the taxes. Otherwise buy regular diesel. Don't fret over it.

Rob