over the road diesel

[llapanowski]

I saw a local gas station advertising 'over the road diesel' for like $1 cheaper then normal diesel. Does anyone know what the difference is and if I can burn it in my 1998 NH 1925?

 

[gordon21]

Either they meant OFF ROAD diesel or they are trying to get rid of some bad product. Does this place normally sell a lot of diesel? A lot being defined as more than 1000 gallons per day. Or more like 10 gallons per day.

 

[llapanowski]

Maybe it did say OFF Road, what is that? I doubt the station sells a ton of diesel, it is just a normal gas station. No facilities for Rigs to fuel.

 

[MikePA]

Maybe it did say OFF Road, what is that?

Diesel fuel that's not subject to road use taxes, hence the lower price. Some places it's the same as on road, while in others it's not. In either case, it's OK to use in your tractor. This is a FAQ.

 

[jbrumberg]

llapanowski:

Welcome to TBN ! Your NH 1925 can burn "on" and "off" road diesel. MikePA is right about the difference. I would be cautious about fuel quality though. I go to a local station that serves all the local operators and school buses. It is a high volume dealer, so I believe the fuel to be less "contaminated" with water, etc. Jay

 

[shvl73]

$1 a gallon seems to be a substantial difference. Is that the normal spread? If so, I'll look for a station that sells off-road.

 

[deereguy]

That $1 is probably in taxes, surcharges, etc. There was a local station that was selling "farm diesel" (off road diesel), but the state shut them down because they made the station jump thru hoops to document where the off road diesel was going (ie. truck bed "L" tanks, etc). After one year of harassment the station did away with that pump and took the loss of that expense. It was a VERY rural station and seemed like it would fit in with the economics of the area.

 

[RobJ]

Off road diesel is also dyed red. This does not affect the fuel, just the color. Right now on the gulf coast we are selling dyed diesel for $3.35 + applicable taxes & fees.

 

[gordon21]

Off road diesel for tractors is the same as off road diesel for boats at marinas. No road taxes. Every state is different, but the spread can typically be $0.30-$0.60 less per gallon. The dye is harmless UNLESS you get caught with dye in your pickup tank on a public road. Mucho trouble and fines.

I have been told that the dye from one tank of cheaper off road fuel will linger in the tank in detectable quantities for a couple more tankfuls of fuel.

The most important thing is to buy from a station that sells a lot of diesel.

The ULSD rating does not matter to your tractor. Either the 50 or 500PPM will work fine. 500PPM will be cheaper if you can still find it. That is not true with 2007 or later diesel vehicles. They MUST have the 50PPM fuel.

 

[EastTexFrank]

I think the difference in taxes in Texas is around 20 cents a gallon between on-road and off-road diesel. Maybe someone else will come up with the exact figure. One thing is that most places around here won't sell you off-road diesel unless you have an agricultural exemption on file with them to prove that you qualify to buy the off-road fuel and the granting authority has been known to turn up at your place to ensure that you have diesel burning equipment at that location. They turned up at my B-I-L's place when he made his application because there had never been an exemption granted for that particular property before. They wanted to ensure that he did in fact have a tractor there.

One other thing, don't be tempted to use off-road diesel in your on-road vehicles. If the cops stop you and find any trace of red dye in your tank, I think that they have the authority to confiscate the vehicle. That's what a DPS trooper told me when he stopped me up in Wyoming. I guess he was just having a slow day.