Lubricity

[Coyote machine]

From what I have read as long as the bio is entirely plant based, and not used in excess(or switched over from normal diesel to 100% soy) such as a 10% mix there is no downside.
Or have I miss-interpreted something.
If you have info that shows otherwise I am always open for education/discussion.:thumbsup:

I know just about NOTHING about biodiesel except what little I have read on this forum to date- don't base your decision on anything I've suggested other then carefully weighing the benefits/drawbacks of anything other than off road diesel you might buy locally.

 

[EMB5530]

I know just about NOTHING about biodiesel except what little I have read on this forum to date- don't base your decision on anything I've suggested other then carefully weighing the benefits/drawbacks of anything other than off road diesel you might buy locally.

That is currently what I do.
Purchase offroad diesel(Normal diesel )
and then go to a supplier for a few gallons of soy offroad and mix (10% soy) when I fill my tractor(except winter when its not available)

 

[Willl]

and then go to a supplier for a few gallons of soy offroad and mix (10% soy)

Where do you go to find this stuff ?

 

[Gittyup]

From what I see, there isn't sufficient quality control of the biodiesels to absolutely place your faith in the particular batch of fuel you are buying. From one supplier you may ALWAYS get great quality. From another only SOMETIMES. I worry about consistency of formulation as well as age.

So, for me I just use Power Service in commercially available diesel purchased where they sell a lot of diesel fuel. I do qualitatively sense a difference with and without Power Service w.r.t. starting, smoothness of rpms at both low and high, hot and cold. Maybe more power, but I've never pushed the tractor where power was ever in question. So, can't really say.

I only have about 470 hours of history, and replaced my pump at 300 hours. So, it's impossible to really assess longevity. And at my rate of use, I may never get to the thousands of hours needed to state a significant claim. But, at about $12 a year, it does give me peace of mind. And I feel it's less risky than using biodiesel where the quality is not tightly (and independently) controlled.

 

[ritcheyvs]

Random thoughts:

The lubricity issue is related to wear. From the fuel-pump post-mortem photos on this site, I'd say wear is not the issue but rather failure of the gear materiel or design. Having said that ULSD is a new animal without much of a track record so the jury is still out on long-term effects.

Second bio-diesel quality is indeed an unknown. There should be no problem running on GOOD 100% bio-diesel; but how can you know it's good? On the other hand, a little bio-diesel (maybe 2-5%) probably won't do any harm (even if it's crappy stuff) and it should improve lubrication in the IP and injectors. And that should add life to the machine.

I have owned two Mercedes diesels, I sold a 300TD with 350K miles and I'm still driving a 300SD with 235K miles. Both had the 5-cyl inline engine with inline Bosch IP, not unlike the Kioti configuration. Most of those miles were pre ULSD but it still indicates to me that the basic IP design should be very durable if the right materials are used. With only normal maintenance, these engines should be good for many thousands of hours, not just a few hundred hours. Incidentally, the only fuel additive I used in those cars was a biocide to kill the microbes that grow at the fuel-water interface.

 

[EMB5530]

Where do you go to find this stuff ?

In my area (Topeka, KS) CCO (capital city oil) but I have been told by a friend, whom farms near one thousand acres, that Cenex has quality fuel and he would buy no other brand after using theirs. I have not yet tried theirs. I think they are nation wide company, but I am not sure.

 

[Hoosier Hay Man]

In my area (Topeka, KS) CCO (capital city oil) but I have been told by a friend, whom farms near one thousand acres, that Cenex has quality fuel and he would buy no other brand after using theirs. I have not yet tried theirs. I think they are nation wide company, but I am not sure.

In our area the Co-op is Country Mark. I believe they are similar to Cenex, not sure though.

Here is Country Mark's
CountryMark - Products - Gasoline, Diesel Fuels, Biodiesel & Lubricants web site.

Here is the link to the page on comparing fuels.
http://www.countrymark.com/sdx4.cfm

 

[lilranch2001]

This will get you started - I use Schaeffer's

[/IMG]

I use Optilube XPD, its the most expensive (if I remember correctly) but no more than I use, cost is almost meaningless to me in the quantities I burn