Refueling effort

[greggh]

I still think that pulling your pickup along side the tractor and filling the tractor from the bed of the pickup is the simplest and quickest solution. This is in reference to the 5 gallon can.

The three hundred gallon solution is for those that have their deisel delivered. Which is good if you are a full time farmer and can afford the cost at one time.

Anyway I am only lifting 5 gal at a time, but I still use a funnel and not the spout. The spout gives me more trouble that it is worth.

Best wishes to all.

 

[canoetrpr]

I am far from a full time farmer - I get no more than probably 60 hours tractoring per year and I also have the 300 gal steel tank solution. The tank was there when we moved into the farm. I only get 100 gal filled at a time. It probably lasts me about a year I would guess.

I have a hand pump installed on my tank. Would much prefer ccsial's electric pump but could not justify the cost.

The setup is super convenient. The drawback is having 100gal of diesel sitting for a year before it is topped up. No issues so far. I have been using a powerservice type additive to extend the life, prevent gelling and dispel moisture. I also have a filter attached to the tank that is supposed to take out impurities and moisture.

The only real irritant of my setup is not being able to tell when it is full as I am pumping. I have to go and check every so often and there has been one time where I really misjudged it and overfilled.

It is super convenient and I don't think I could imagine doing it any other way.

 

[LBrown59]

No electric pump leads to the irritant of not being able to tell when it is full while pumping.
A hand pump turns refilling into a 2 man operation.
== L B ==.

 

[firemanpat2910]

2 comments, The old fridge works good to store welding rods in, and other items you want dry,and bug free. Throw some of those "DO NOT EAT" silica bags in there and your good to go. As for a fuel locker, I think it would work fine. I agree I would have top and bottom vents, But Im in Fla and everything gets a vent.

 

[LBrown59]

2 comments, The old fridge works good to store welding rods in, and other items you want dry,and bug free. Throw some of those "DO NOT EAT" silica bags in there and your good to go. As for a fuel locker, I think it would work fine. I agree I would have top and bottom vents, But Im in Fla and everything gets a vent.

I've been using an old fridge since 1966 to store gasoline in.
So far it's working ptetty good.
In 41 years I've never lost a house, garage pole building or any other structure as a result of storing gas in that old fridge...............

 

[ccsial]

The drawback is having 100gal of diesel sitting for a year before it is topped up. No issues so far. I have been using a powerservice type additive to extend the life, prevent gelling and dispel moisture. I also have a filter attached to the tank that is supposed to take out impurities and moisture.

I have had a 300 gallon gravity feed tank for almost 30 years until I put the new tank in this year. Early on I got 300 gallons and kept if for over three years. Then I started getting 100 gallons per fill. I use about 75 gallons per year. I buy 100 per fill. I do not get BIO fuel and I do add the white Power Service. Always used a 10 micron filter. Never had any trouble in the 30 years. The electric pump now uses a 2 micron filter.

I still have the Ford 1910 that has used this fuel and is still in great shape. I suppose the cetane rating may drop after a while but I have never noticed any difference in performance as the fuel ages.

 

[patrick_g]

About venting vs not venting a chest type freezer or a refrigerator used for storage of flammables.

If you vent top and bottom you get convective air flow at least part of the time which will help keep fumes below the concentration required for an explosion. If a fire got started the vent would keep a supply of air going to the blaze. It is possible the heat of a prolonged fire could distort the metal and let flammable liquids leak out and spread the fire.

If you don't vent, I'd think it is likely that a fire would go out due to lack of oxygen. If somehow a fire started it should go out unless you were unlucky and had an explosive mixture of fuel and air.

I don't store large quantities of flammable liquids in the reefer and I think if I ground it to prevent static sparks it is unlikely to ever catch on fire and if it did most likely it will starve for air and go out before creating the intensity of heat required to distort the shell sufficiently to leak.

Still the uncertainty of whether or not an explosion is possible bothers me. I guess venting it well and placing it where there is no problem of the fire spreading to other fuel is a reasonable combination of measures. I'll have to think on this a bit.

Pat

 

[davitk]

lots of great labor saving ideas here, but I do believe I have you all beat. My 17 year old nephew came to see and try out the new tractor today, and when he had finished breaking it in and had backed it into the barn asked him to hoist the 5 gallon can and refuel. I held the funnel.

 

[MossRoad]

lots of great labor saving ideas here, but I do believe I have you all beat. My 17 year old nephew came to see and try out the new tractor today, and when he had finished breaking it in and had backed it into the barn asked him to hoist the 5 gallon can and refuel. I held the funnel.

So you fueled inside the building? Here come the safety police!!!

 

[patrick_g]

So you fueled inside the building? Here come the safety police!!!

Their arrival may be delayed as they are all over at my place arguing about vented vs unvented used refrigerators for storing a jerry can of fuel.

They'd have left already but my wife made the mistake of brewing them some coffee which got a couple of them measuring the temp of the Mr. Coffee's output and another couple arguing whether it was enough that our kitchen outlets are controlled by centrally located wall switches or if we still need to unplug them when leaving the house.

Pat