Fuel, Internet & Insurance

[Jlblake]

Good morning everyone - figured I'd lump a few things together. I appreciate any advice.

1. Fuel - I have a diesel tractor that I use for cutting and general ranch work. Probably will only use it every other week or so I'm guessing. I read about red-dye diesel. I'm trying to figure out if it makes sense to buy a tank and have fuel delivered. It looks like the advantage would be really more about convenience than cost savings in my case. I'm having trouble getting any fuel providers to call me back...makes me think I don't have enough volume. At what point would you guys have fuel set up versus taking cans to the gas station?
a. Would the same apply for gasoline? I have a mule, saws, mowers and my truck all using gasoline.
b. any safety concerns or recommendations?
c. any recommendations for providers in Leon County Texas?

2. Internet - I reached out to some of the recommended providers on here. Ubifi doesn't have equipment. The folks that go through AT&T won't give me any insight on what coverage would be like in my area...basically is asking me to sign up without knowing if it will even get a signal. I use Verizon for my cellular provider and it works perfectly on the land. Have any of you found a solution that would allow me to have pretty good internet in a rural area?

3. Insurance - so I have the standard insurance on my new John Deere 5065E. I have homeowners on the home and it covers my barn and equipment. I think my homeowners deductible would apply. I have a 3% deductible on the home so if someone stole my Mule, I'd have to pay $6k for a deductible since the home is valued at $200k. What type of policy do you guys use to protect your equipment? Do you have policies that just cover theft or do any of you have policies to cover damage and/or maintenance?
a. Umbrella policy - I have an umbrella policy. I worry that the bigger the policy, the bigger the claim. However, I don't want to be bankrupted by a visitor if there were a snake bite, accident or something else. What do you guys do?

Thanks!

 

[Diggin It]

Bulk fuel suppliers won't consider much less than 300 -500 gallons a year. Neighbor has a 500 gallon tank, has to buy 300 gallons at a time to get delivery.

I have 25Mb DSL. The same neighbor above ( a mile away) can't get DSL at all, too far. Neighbor a mile in the other direction can get 50Mb. Satellite may be an option, but can be costly.

 

[Jlblake]

Bulk fuel suppliers won't consider much less than 300 -500 gallons a year. Neighbor has a 500 gallon tank, has to buy 300 gallons at a time to get delivery.

I have 25Mb DSL. The same neighbor above ( a mile away) can't get DSL at all, too far. Neighbor a mile in the other direction can get 50Mb. Satellite may be an option, but can be costly.

Thanks. Is the fuel worth it at that level? I wouldn't mind buying 300 gallons at a time but I don't have a good idea of how long that would last. I was thinking I'd probably use about 50 gallons a month. Does your neighbor have a problem with water/condensation in the tank?

Internet's proving to be tougher than I thought. The tower may be the best option but it's $2,800 for the tower and then $100 per month for service. I thought Ubifi worked everywhere...it must be satellite.

Thanks for the feedback.

 

[Rebeldad1]

Wouldnt store gasoline in large quantity unless you go through a lot.. Codes, insurance and storage tank all add up.

Diesel.. Easily stored. figure out what you would use in a year and thats the max size of tank you will need. I have a 50 gallon tank. When close to empty I throw it in the back of the truck and fill it when we go to town.

Internet. Sounds like your Verizon hot spot on your phone is the simplest. Check with USCELLULAR. they have a stand alone wireless internet thats reasonable with no contract.

Insurance... Sounds like you are ok but would also make your equipment hard to steal. dont leave keys in them. disable ignition and make it hard to get to and move. GPS tracker would help find it. Also out of sight is out of mind. Dont leave anything you have in plain sight if you dont have to. If you cant put it on the barn park on the blind side etc.

Just my 2 cents

 

[Jlblake]

Wouldnt store gasoline in large quantity unless you go through a lot.. Codes, insurance and storage tank all add up.

Diesel.. Easily stored. figure out what you would use in a year and thats the max size of tank you will need. I have a 50 gallon tank. When close to empty I throw it in the back of the truck and fill it when we go to town.

Internet. Sounds like your Verizon hot spot on your phone is the simplest. Check with USCELLULAR. they have a stand alone wireless internet thats reasonable with no contract.

Insurance... Sounds like you are ok but would also make your equipment hard to steal. dont leave keys in them. disable ignition and make it hard to get to and move. GPS tracker would help find it. Also out of sight is out of mind. Dont leave anything you have in plain sight if you dont have to. If you cant put it on the barn park on the blind side etc.

Just my 2 cents

I was tired of lugging 5 gallon cans...didn't think about 50 gallon tank. That would work.

I'll check out US Cellular. Hadn't heard of them. I keep my equipment in the barn, no keys and I actually bought some cheap boots to put on the mule and mowers. Won't prevent theft but takes away convenience. If you use GPS trackers, where did you get them and/or how did you select what you're using?

Thanks.

 

[TnAndy]

Diesel is easily hauled in 55gal drums in a pickup. I made some 'drum' pallets shown below hold a drum and make it easy to take off the truck full and move around (full drum of fuel is somewhere around 400lbs and I'm not wrestling them). I have done gasoline that way too, but I'm sure it violates laws, codes, and somebody will be by this thread in a minute to say "don't". They don't say a word when I pull up to a pump and fill it.

Now days, I get both diesel and gas from the local farmer's co-op delivered. I put a 500 gal gasoline and 300 gal diesel in a shed out away from everything and find it very handy to filling tractor , min-ex, car, truck (gas), lawn mowers, gas for other small engines around here, etc. I put PRI-D and PRI-G (best fuel preservative on the market) on them, plus ran the lines thru a spin on filter with water drain, and never had an issue.

I don't insure my equipment because theft simply isn't an issue where I live. Dead end road, gate, long drive way, watchful neighbors on the road coming in and a known propensity to shoot first, ask questions later, (all of us) has meant no loss to theft here in 38 years. I figure what I've saved in loss insurance by now would buy a new piece easy. I carry full replacement on house/buildings, with a 5k deductible, and a 1 million dollar umbrella that kicks in after car/house liability (500k) is gone. 200 bucks a year for "lawyer" insurance, but worth it I guess.

 

[Jlblake]

Diesel is easily hauled in 55gal drums in a pickup. I made some 'drum' pallets shown below hold a drum and make it easy to take off the truck full and move around (full drum of fuel is somewhere around 400lbs and I'm not wrestling them). I have done gasoline that way too, but I'm sure it violates laws, codes, and somebody will be by this thread in a minute to say "don't". They don't say a word when I pull up to a pump and fill it.

Now days, I get both diesel and gas from the local farmer's co-op delivered. I put a 500 gal gasoline and 300 gal diesel in a shed out away from everything and find it very handy to filling tractor , min-ex, car, truck (gas), lawn mowers, gas for other small engines around here, etc. I put PRI-D and PRI-G (best fuel preservative on the market) on them, plus ran the lines thru a spin on filter with water drain, and never had an issue.

I don't insure my equipment because theft simply isn't an issue where I live. Dead end road, gate, long drive way, watchful neighbors on the road coming in and a known propensity to shoot first, ask questions later, (all of us) has meant no loss to theft here in 38 years. I figure what I've saved in loss insurance by now would buy a new piece easy. I carry full replacement on house/buildings, with a 5k deductible, and a 1 million dollar umbrella that kicks in after car/house liability (500k) is gone. 200 bucks a year for "lawyer" insurance, but worth it I guess.

Nice, I love it. The pallet idea will work for me now. I wasn't wanting to deal with the drums either but that pallet makes it easy.

 

[George2615]

I use home heating oil for fuel. Its #2 dyed diesel. I have 3- 275 gallon tanks and have them fill the tank I use for the tractor when I fill the HHO tanks. I went this way because my tractor has a 12 gallon tank and it's a pain to refill from 5 gallon cans.

I still have cable TV with internet here and it works very well. Can't speak about cell companies. I do have AT&T for cell but signals here are only 1 bar so don't imagine internet would be very quick or how reliable.

Tractor is insured through Inland Marine. Mainly got that for cab glass coverage, fire, and theft. Home is insured through Farmers. No umbrella policy.

 

[fried1765]

I use home heating oil for fuel. Its #2 dyed diesel. I have 3- 275 gallon tanks and have them fill the tank I use for the tractor when I fill the HHO tanks. I went this way because my tractor has a 12 gallon tank and it's a pain to refill from 5 gallon cans.

I still have cable TV with internet here and it works very well. Can't speak about cell companies. I do have AT&T for cell but signals here are only 1 bar so don't imagine internet would be very quick or how reliable.

Tractor is insured through Inland Marine. Mainly got that for cab glass coverage, fire, and theft. Home is insured through Farmers. No umbrella policy.

You should reconsider the umbrella policy!
Certainly, you may never need it, but it will protect you from the BIG automobile or homeowner lawsuit, which is the REAL killer!

 

[drssg]

I was thinking I'd probably use about 50 gallons a month.

Is that a typo? You stated that you only use your tractor about once every other week. Can you burn 25 gallons of fuel in a day?

I currently keep no diesel supply at home. When I have room for five gallons of fuel in my tractors, I'll fill up a can on my next trip into town.