Fueling Station

[Trev]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I bought the pump at TSC. It runs off 12v. I also got the auto shutoff and the filter. I thought about saving some money with a manual pump, but then I figured I'd only be buying one in my life so get what I want. I'm glad I did. )</font>

I thought about getting an electric pump too.. but then I thought about the times there was no power.. and the hassles of maintaining a battery for just this purpose. I opted for the manual pump.. not much work after all to just turn a crank.

If the tractor is in the pole barn running the generator, and it needs to be re-fueled, I can either pump fuel from the big tank into a little 5-gallon can, and bring it in and fill it manually, or I can just drive the tractor out there and fill it with the crank pump directly.

I'm toying with the idea of plumbing a fuel feed line into the pole barn, with electric pump, and fill the tractor while it's running the generator. That way my wife could easily fill it during extended power outages. I'd just have to train her well in how to do it. This may be too dangerous.. filling a running tractor.. I have to think this out a bit more!

In the event of a *really* extended power outage, like two weeks or more, we'd of course not run the generator 24x7, but instead only use it when it was really needed. But for just a week-long outage, like last winter, we said what the heck, let's be comfortable! We were running TVs, computers, freezers, the furnace.. everything in the house, and our neighbor's house, and the tractor never even breathed hard.

It would have *really* been a drag if I didn't have enough fuel to get us through it easily. It was literally a 30 mile drive to the nearest station that had power, so I would have been on the road, in this ice storm, continually.. trying to keep the tractor/genset fueled.

I got the ultimate compliment, though.. my wife said "You really thought this out well.. good job!!" /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Bob

 

[frank_f15]

I WOULD JUST TELL U TO RE -READ DOCHERBS POST! cna;t imagine many times where u would need more fuel than that! a full tank and 10 gal in reserve.but as always this is just MHO /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[DocHeb]

This is a pretty nice approach, but don't forget about static electricity. Although diesel's flash point is higher, I would worry about filling a plastic container on a truck without an intact path to ground.

 

[Junkman]

Put some diesel into a pan and then throw a match into it.... then light the entire match book and throw that in..... then try some crumpled up newspaper that you have lit, and throw that in..... you will see that you can't light the fuel. Diesel has to be ignited when atomized. Once you have it burning, then if you put in liquid, it will continue to "fuel the fire", but it is very difficult to get it to ignite... As the Home Heating Industry says... "you can't match oil"....

 

[LBrown59]

<font color="blue"> You can get smaller tanks but you'll have to check about
1*minimum deliveries in your area. Usually 100-150 is required
::::::::::::::::: </font>
1*This usually means they will not make a special trip to deliver less than the Mim; however they will top off you tank with less than the Min when in your area. If going right past your driveway they will stop and fill your smaller tank.
If I happen to need a refill of my smaller tank at a time when they aren't going to be in my area I can take my tank to them and they will fill it there the next morning and I can pick it up later that day.
Another thing I probably could do is take my tank to somebody near me who's getting fuel delivered and they will fill my tank when they deliver there.
I have 3 distributors here who do it this way.
I also have 2 stations within 25 miles that have red diesel at the pump that I can take my tank to and fill it if I'm already going to be in their area.

I posted this because Most folks when they hear 100 to 250 gallon min they think it means they can't buy less than the min.
Not So ... as I've just illustrated.

Hopefully this will help those who haven't been getting off road diesel because they thought they didn't qualify to purchase red diesel due to the Min.