I have heard when you but in bulk you can get Rotella in the $8-9 a gallon range. I am not sure how much volume is required. I may use 200 gallons a year. Compared to 12-13 a gallon at stores that would be $800 savings.
Anyone buy bulk oil?
- Thread starter bdog
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newbury
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That is bad I can't remember my own posts. It was a year and a half ago though. I remember that thread and the general consensus at the time was prices were close to what you can buy gallons at wal mart for. The only reason I had renewed interest in it is I was talking to someone in another state that said they can get it for $8-9 in bulk. I have never seen gallons that cheap at least not in many years.
Gary Fowler
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For me buying in 5 quart jugs IS bulk buying. I can store those up out of the way on a shelf. A 55 gallon drum would just be in the way and I don't use that much oil to begin with. Having to buy a horizontal drum storage (much better than a pump) rack, keep up with containers and keep them clean would be just too much trouble for the amount of oil that I use. Also as posted, sometimes it cost more in bulk than in gallon containers ( you do have to pay for the drum also) and just like in Sam's Club, you have to watch some of the bulk buys as they cost more per oz. to buy than small containers.
I suppose if I were like Diamondpilot and serviced 100+ vehicles and used a lot of oil, I might look at striking a deal with a distributor to see if it were advantageous price wise but it would have to be more than $1-2 per gallon discount to make up for the inconvenience.
Even if servicing 100 vehicles, if you have to go to the vehicle, hauling a 55 gallon drum of oil with you would be a PIA compared to gallon jugs. Really the only way I could see it being practical is if you have a Jiffylube or similar shop so everything comes to you and you can set up a permanent station with calibrated pump etc so you don't have to handle any containers nor dispose of hundreds of plastic containers per day. I think the drums are returnable also or maybe one could get it in the 275 gallon TOTE tanks for really big savings.
I suppose if I were like Diamondpilot and serviced 100+ vehicles and used a lot of oil, I might look at striking a deal with a distributor to see if it were advantageous price wise but it would have to be more than $1-2 per gallon discount to make up for the inconvenience.
Even if servicing 100 vehicles, if you have to go to the vehicle, hauling a 55 gallon drum of oil with you would be a PIA compared to gallon jugs. Really the only way I could see it being practical is if you have a Jiffylube or similar shop so everything comes to you and you can set up a permanent station with calibrated pump etc so you don't have to handle any containers nor dispose of hundreds of plastic containers per day. I think the drums are returnable also or maybe one could get it in the 275 gallon TOTE tanks for really big savings.
Diamondpilot
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oldnslo
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Depending on how you set your shop up bulk can be easy to handle also. I believe the buying in 300 or 55 gallon drums would be less costly that quarts or gallon jugs if you had the volume usage to justify the upfront expense. When I was still farming we bought everything in either 30 or 55 gallon drums. Today I see plastic totes that are probably 200+ gallons in use also.
Of course back then oil came in quart cans that required a special opened / funnel to use and where also messy.
Of course back then oil came in quart cans that required a special opened / funnel to use and where also messy.