Oil & Fuel Safe to use diesel from a pickup transfer tank in a new tractor?

troverman · Jul 16, 2018

Hi folks,

I have a couple of older tractors with indirect, mechanical injection. Just bought a new tractor with common-rail direct injection. In the past, I've used my 60-gallon transfer tank and pump in the bed of my pickup to fuel up the tractors when they are in the field. That tank has a Fill-Rite "Hydrosorb" filter on it but who knows how effective it might be. I've never had issues running my two IDI tractors off fuel from this tank. However, a new tractor with common rail injection uses much higher pressures and it much more susceptible to impurities in the fuel, such as water.

Would you guys have any concerns fueling from fuel in a pickup truck transfer tank?

Thanks in advance.

newbury · Jul 16, 2018

Just make sure it's got "lubricity" and no bugs.

iflywhatevr · Jul 16, 2018

Might be a cheap insurance policy to change the filter on the transfer tank you have if you don’t know it’s status or how good a filter is on there. Otherwise it’s all good what small amount of junk gets in your tractor tank should be caught by the filter on your tractor.

ruffdog · Jul 16, 2018

I have seen some NASTY stuff coming from transfer tanks. I would pump some in a clear container to have a look at it. If it is milky, don't use it. Then, I would poor the fuel through a white cloth to see how dirty it is. I run all my diesel through a fine paint filter in my funnel and I only use 5gal plastic jugs. Yes, the filter does pick up some debris.

dieselscout80 · Jul 18, 2018

Don't the new tractors use On Road ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD)?

boomer1025 · Jul 18, 2018

dieselscout80 said:
Don't the new tractors use On Road ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD)?

On Road and Off Road is the same, the off road is dyed red. Don't get caught will the red dyed fuel in a on the road vehicle fuel tank. Big fine for using off road in a highway vehicle since there is no road tax on the dyed fuel.

ovrszd · Jul 18, 2018

All my tractor fuel is transferred using my bed tank.

RjCorazza · Jul 18, 2018

I view my transfer tank as an additional opportunity to run the fuel through a filter. In my case, a 10u water block filter.

moriboy · Jul 19, 2018

ovrszd said:
All my tractor fuel is transferred using my bed tank.

Same here. All of my diesel equipment including my diesel pickup is filled from my transfer tank. (I don’t use off road). I trust my transfer tank and filter setup since I regularly maintain them.