Steve's post of the year, smart folks please reply

stevenf · Apr 19, 2006

Re: Steve\'s post of the year, smart folks please reply

Thanks to everyone who replyed this is still the best and only tractor site that I have ever corresponded with, you guys are the greatest. I have printed out charts, figured out the math and laminated my results to put in the barn. Now if I can just figure out when the best time to fill my tank will be based solely on when fuel is the cheapest. I missed a hickup a month or so back the wholesalers were at $1.80 for about a week now its over $2.20 again and they are telling me it'll stay that way until after June and possibly all the way thru the summer.
Steve

KiotiJohn · Apr 19, 2006

Re: Steve\'s post of the year, smart folks please reply

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I missed a hickup a month or so back the wholesalers were at $1.80 for about a week now its over $2.20 again and they are telling me it'll stay that way until after June and possibly all the way thru the summer. )</font>
Someone just gave me a really nice tank, about 250 gallons I would think, and I need to do some work and get it mounted, so I haven't oredered yet. I'm out of my stock and have been for a little while and paying pump prices!!!! I need to get off my butt and get the tank in place so I can order. I get the cheapest price at 100 gal. minimum and really don't want more than that at a time due to having to treat for growth over time.
Pump price last time was $2.79, no off-road pumps close to me.
John

755inNY · Apr 19, 2006

Re: Steve\'s post of the year, smart folks please reply

Steve,
I may have been learning physics and calculus while your were learning to operate a printing press but I bet you remember more about operating the press than I do about physics and calculus /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Jeff

Ken_CT · Apr 19, 2006

Re: Steve\'s post of the year, smart folks please reply

Steve,
Here is a chart for determining the amount of oil in various size tanks by the depth of the oil.

Farwell · Apr 19, 2006

Re: Steve\'s post of the year, smart folks please reply

I am not going to read all of this thread to see if anyone gave you this answer. Mount a site tube or gage on the tank. You may have to punch a hole in the tank bottom in order to mount the gage. Not sure where to buy one. You could use a float with a rod fastened to it but this will also require making a hole in the tank.
Just a couple of suggestions that do not require an engineering degree.
Farwell

Pooh_Bear · Apr 20, 2006

Re: Steve\'s post of the year, smart folks please reply

So you have a cylinder 45 inches in diameter and 50 inches long.

The volume is pi * 22.5^2 * 50

But you want to know how much is in the tank per inch on its side.
If you know a little calculus you can do this easy.
The formula for a circle is x^2 + y^2 = r^2
So x^2 + y^2 + 22.5^2 = 506.25
Transpose the equation to get y=square root(506.25-x^2)
Now a circle is technically not a function but to get around this
you use the positive root of the equation.
So integrate(square root(506.25-x^2)) and multiply times 50 to get the volume.
Use integration limits of 0-1, 0-2, 0-3,.......0-44, 0-45.
Then multiply the amounts you get by 2 since you only used the positive root of the equation.
This will give you the volume at each inch of height in the tank.
You will have to convert cubic inches to gallons.

Pooh Bear

gizmo · Apr 20, 2006

Re: Steve\'s post of the year, smart folks please reply

Attached is an image of the calculation described by the previous post. It shows the volume per inch up to half full for the tank as described.

stevenf · Apr 20, 2006

Re: Steve\'s post of the year, smart folks please reply

755inNY, See Pooh Bears post on the equation to use for volume in a cylinder, OH MY GOD! That is exactly why I was in Vocational classes in High School. On a small printing press there are 2 switches one turns the press motor off and on the other turns the vacuum pump off and on, with a little magic applied via a water fountain roller and a few ink rollers (water and grease don't mix) you are off and running. Blank paper goes in one end and printed paper comes out the other. Clear as Mud.
Steve

rback33 · Apr 20, 2006

Re: Steve\'s post of the year, smart folks please reply

THAT is why I have a biology degree....lol... I could NEVER make sense of all that....just give me plain geometry.. I can SEE that stuff.... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

BillyP · Apr 20, 2006

Re: Steve\'s post of the year, smart folks please reply

Rob, that set up does make it easy to check the tank. Mine is set up that way. The only thing and a very important one I'd add is to install a shut off valve at the bottom fitting. When you want to check the fuel, turn on the valve then shut it back off. It's a safety feature for in case the sight tube (hose) was to spring a leak. A 300 gallon diesel spill would be very bad. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

If you really needed to know exactly how many gallons you had left, you could mark the hose at several locations using the formula posted earlier.