Diesel Newbie Here

[TableRocked]

Hopefully will take receipt of my 2014 Kubota 1140 CPX RTV soon and needed some advice on fuel storage and use.

On the gas side, I always use 93 octane and Marine Stabil for all my toys and engine driven tools..... 100% synthetic oil in all my toys/tools..... Honda GX motors

...I have 6 brand new JustRite Type II 5 gallon safety cans with 1" hoses that will be stored in my shop.....

Based on the above description, how does a guy like me best handle Diesel that is in my RTV and in my cans?

.....I've not noticed if there is a premium diesel or not, but have heard some talk about ag diesel.

Thanks much

 

[diesel lover]

Hello, important questions here before I give out any answers. How long will you be storing the fuel and how much? New blends of diesel fuel now have a lot of bio- products and there's lots of bio diesel out there! The problem with bio- diesel is it hard to keep water removed from it. In older blends of diesel water would simply come out of diesel over time due to the fact water and diesel fuel have different suspific gravitys water being heavier than fuel.

New blends of diesel fuel and ethanol prove to be tough to keep water out of at times. Colder temperatures slow down the process even more!

If possible keep your fuel tank full as much as you can. The more fuel in your tank the less room for moisture and water!

 

[k0ua]

Hopefully will take receipt of my 2014 Kubota 1140 CPX RTV soon and needed some advice on fuel storage and use.

On the gas side, I always use 93 octane and Marine Stabil for all my toys and engine driven tools..... 100% synthetic oil in all my toys/tools..... Honda GX motors

...I have 6 brand new JustRite Type II 5 gallon safety cans with 1" hoses that will be stored in my shop.....



Based on the above description, how does a guy like me best handle Diesel that is in my RTV and in my cans?

.....I've not noticed if there is a premium diesel or not, but have heard some talk about ag diesel.

Thanks much

Hello neighbor, I treat my diesel with the recommended amount of white bottle Power Service (available at Wal-Mart), for the winter months. Other than that, nothing more. Ag diesel is diesel fuel with red dye in it. The purpose of the dye is to that if you run it in your on road vehicle (car or truck) the dye will be visible to the inspectors and they can fine you for not paying the road tax. Ag diesel is available, but sometimes difficult to find down around here, as this is not exactly farming country. I have never heard of Premium diesel. There is bio diesel, but I have never seen any for sale around here. And I would not buy it if it was.

 

[TableRocked]

thanks everyone, and hello to k0ua, I'm south of Kimberling City off H highway..... Breadtray Mountain is the entrance to our little neighborhood down here......

I also should have likely added to my post - as I don't believe in Global Warming, I'm only interested in what is optimal for my equipment (guessing Bio Diesel isn't anything I'd care to look into)..... as I'm unsure how quickly I'll run through diesel, I planned to have a minimum of 15 gallons on hand at all times, possibly sitting for 6 months or more.....again, unsure how thirsty this toy/tool will be.....I have no other diesel toys/tools, yet...... L45 is likely my next purchase, but need quite a few more dollars in my toy budget before that happens......

 

[k0ua]

Stay away from Bio Diesel if you can, for the reasons diesel lover mentioned. I haven't seen any at the stations I go to. I am on the north east side of Branson. I just have two 5 gallon cans. The tank on the Kioti holds about 10 gallons, I use about 1 gallon an hour in most of the work I do with the tractor. The L45 might use a bit more than 1 gallon an hour, depending on how hard you work it. But these diesel machines are pretty easy on fuel. This has been a cold winter, and I am glad I used the Power Service treatment this time for sure, as some of the guys up north were starting to have diesel gelling with untreated fuel at temps in the teens, and we have sure had that here. I have had no problems so far with starts in these low temps and the tractor is kept in an unheated barn. One problem with the bio diesel and getting water in the fuel is the growth of "diesel bugs" or algae in the fuel that stops up the fuel filter. The algae needs some water to thrive, and once you get a case of it in your tank they say it is hard to get rid of. Fortunately I have never had any problem with this.

 

[dodge man]

All I run is bio-diesel. I don't really have a choice as that's all that is available at the pumps. Its not that big of a deal to use it and it also has the best lubrication of any additive to diesel. If I had a choice though, I probably wouldn't run it.

In my experience, diesel lasts longer than gas, but I still don't like to let it get older than 6 months old. I have a diesel pick up that I can burn it in though.

 

[DeereMann]

Minnesota is same as Dodge Man in Illinois - Agri-Lobby runs politics, so they force blend of 5% soybean squeezin's into all diesel fuel - state law. So check what Mizzou is doing.

If'n they force biodiesel on you, best you add a good water demulsifier additive to keep that water out of your fuel injection system. It does bad things. It also gels at a higher temperature than petroleum diesel & biodegrades faster, so make sure your additive also has antigel for the winter & preservative for the summer. I posted an additive chart elsewhere in this forum if you're interested.

Biodiesel isn't all bad - it improves pump & injector lubrication, and it doesn't take the energy to make like ethanol does (it doesn't have to be cooked & distilled).

Always use purpose-built plastic fuel jugs for diesel fuel, keep all vents closed unless you are filling tractor, and keep tractor fuel tank full. Change tractor fuel filter once a year, or more if you see water separated out.

Seems like a hassle compared to gasoline engines, but when you feel that torque blast through your work while burning 1/3 the fuel, you'll know it's worth it. It seems like 2nd nature to long time diesel owners.

Enjoy your new tractor! :thumbsup:

 

[DT86]

The only "premium" diesel I've ever seen claimed to have a higher cetane rating. Most, if not all, diesel additives you buy will boost the rating also.

 

[mikesee]

My RTVs sip fuel. I would estimate 0.5 gallons per hour of operation. So that 15 gallons of fuel you have should get you at least half way to your 50 hour service. Good luck with the 1140 CXP. The fuel cans you have are the good ones. If they are yellow all the better. If they are red you will need a system to differentiate the diesel fuel from gasoline you may have in the shop. I use zip ties on the handles of all by fuel containers. One tie for gas, 2 ties for 2 cycle and three ties for diesel.

 

[texasjohn]

Diesel is drippy and smelly.
Get a pair of gloves, plastic or rubber, and dedicate them to your diesel chores.
Get a pan to sit your diesel cans in as you transport them to and from the gas station...keeps things cleaner in your transport vehicle.
If using the RTV a lot, a fillup a week is not out of the question.
I turn my RTV off when I step out of it to save fuel and keep hours off the hour meter....that's just me.
Enjoy your RTV!!