emergency use of kerosene

some zilch · Feb 1, 2010

the OP is concerned about kerosene in his tractor; he keeps 40gal of diesel on hand (presumably in 5 gal cans-he didnt say); he has a farm. what is the issue of having another tank for diesel fuel only? what kind of farm does not have or need fuel onsite? how long does it take to through 40gal that is onhand, and what would cause a condition where those cans could not be refilled, or had to be mixed w/ kero out of the furnace tank?

nybirdman · Feb 1, 2010

The whole thought of this post was in case of an extended power outage
which can and does happen here.....I wanted to run my diesel tractor to power my pto generator to maintain the house and business.Forty gallons of diesel will run me for about 35 hours of continuos running.
I carry forty gallons in five gallon cans........when the tractor is in the field and woods that is how it is refueled.The price of fuel(delivered)is no cheaper than buying at the pump.......I don't want the hassel(In New York State) with another above ground tank.150 gallons a year doesn't justifiy a tank,if I bought bulk in the summer I would have to add for a winter blend.

chipsndust · Feb 1, 2010

tawilson said:
Many people round here use kerosene in their furnace if the tank is outdoors. Including me.

me, too

some zilch · Feb 1, 2010

i am in NY also, and my local fuel company has no problem delivering fuel and pumping it into 55 gallon barrels-no "tank", no hassles--just a thought

California · Feb 2, 2010

some zilch said:
...Nothing runs like a yanmar, right?

I love that sig line! Is that Deere green ... or lime-green like my Yanmar?

clemsonfor · Feb 2, 2010

it will run yes he is concerned about damage. I think a good rule is the Marvel mystery oil and Powerservice combination and try not to get into that situation. I agree the 55 gal. drums would be a good choice, get it delivered and get a 12v or hand crank pump to use. 55 gal drums are like $10 get them from a garage that buys motor oil in bulk.

About the old time deisel trucks that mixed oil and kero. Those engines are much diff than modern engines and they probly had like 10 gals of deisel left anyway. You can run a deisel on gas for a little while to long and not enough deisel mixed in and you'll melt the darn thing, dosent mean its good for it just because it will run on it.

I would try and have 55 gal drums on hand personally of off-road fuel.

Kero is in the $5-6 range a gal here too. How can you buy it for $3? our fuel i though was some of the cheapest in the nation here in SC Off road deisel is hovering around $3.30/gal, but i only buy 5 gallons every like 9 hours of tractor useage.