cleaning a used 55 gal drum for fuel use

bucktaker · Jan 19, 2014

Picked up 55 gal barrel that had locomotive diesel engine oil in it. I cut the top off one to use as a burn barrel there is a bit of oil remaining inside. The other I want to use for Diesel use with my pump

Besides turning it over for a week to drain the remaining oil What are my options to clean out clean new oil residue?

Diamondpilot · Jan 19, 2014

bucktaker said:
Picked up 55 gal barrel that had locomotive diesel engine oil in it. I cut the top off one to use as a burn barrel there is a bit of oil remaining inside. The other I want to use for Diesel use with my pump

Besides turning it over for a week to drain the remaining oil What are my options to clean out clean new oil residue?

How much is in there? If less than a gallon I wouldn't bother cleaning. Just add 50 gallons of diesel, cap it off, roll it 100' on the ground and use.

If you do want to clean it use some old gas or better yet fresh diesel. 2 gallons or so. Roll it around in the same manner and drain.

Chris

Industrial Toys · Jan 19, 2014

That's what I would have said. Your good to go.

7879fordman · Jan 19, 2014

I would just add diesel and pump and use . The little bit of oil want hurt anything . It will burn fine mixed with the diesel .
Heck there's a few around here that run straight oil and no diesel in there tractors . They get used oil and filter it and run it straight .

We have used new empty oil drums that still had a little oil in them . We just fill them fuel of diesel and went to burn'n it . Never had a problem .

Sent from my iPhone 5 using TractorByNet

Gary Fowler · Jan 19, 2014

As long as the contents are diesel (regardless of grade) or oil, I would just fill it with diesel and put the pump in it. Fuel drums will drain all but a very small amount(perhaps a pint) of contents when tipped on their sides. Even if this was gasoline, diluting it with 55 gallons of fuel will make it usable for diesel tractor fuel.
Make sure it isn't water. You could tip it and stuff in some rags inside to absorb what ever is in it if you wanted to make sure you got everything out.

bucktaker · Jan 20, 2014

ok thanks kinda what I was thinking....Drain all that will come out, add some diesel roll and drain again then fill with diesel.

The burn barrel had about 1/2 gal of engine oil in it....its already working as a burn barrel. Added remodeling debris and splashed some gas on it to get it burning then burned it for about a week

Gary Fowler · Jan 20, 2014

I think if you have locomotive fuel in the barrel you have #2 diesel (maybe even a heavier grade than #2)but not the ULS that we have to use. It would be better for your tractor than what you are buying now. I know they were exempt for some period of time in using LSD AND ULSD fuels.
Diesels will burn motor oil just as well as diesel, the heavier the more power it has. Lots of folks filter and burn their used transmission oil and motor oils by mixing 50/50 with diesel with no harm to tractor other than having to replace the fuel filter more often.
I use my used motor oil for starting burn piles but I will for sure use my hydraulic oil for fuel when I have to change it next time as it was just as clear as new oil when I changed it in my RTV. I should have just dumped it in the storage tank. Hindsight, yeesh!!!