longway5
Silver Member
I once ran into a problem with "bad" diesel once a few winters ago...turns out it was unleaded gas. I was at work during a snow storm, and had been moving snow with our L2850 all night. I went into the shop around 5am after the tractor had been running all night, and after a small break filled the tractor with "diesel" and headed back out. There was enough diesel in the tank that the gas didn't start to really affect anything for about 40 min, then I started loosing FEL power and the tractor would stall like under a heavy load. I ended up getting pulled back to the shop by our backhoe, and after the tractor sat for a few days over a holiday weekend, the mechanic drained the tank and changed the filters and she started right up. He told me that gas burns hotter than diesel, and after 40 min or so, the whole block had heated up and essentually locked up. After cooling down, it was fine.
When I had filled it with "diesel," I had actually grabbed the gas hose. I blame it on the early morning hours, that I hadn't filled anything up at those tanks in months, and the tank lables were covered in snow. All of our tractors have been filled with gas several times before by just about everyone on the crew, although it is usually caught before they head out. Look for the foam in the tank: diesel foams a lot more than gas.
When I had filled it with "diesel," I had actually grabbed the gas hose. I blame it on the early morning hours, that I hadn't filled anything up at those tanks in months, and the tank lables were covered in snow. All of our tractors have been filled with gas several times before by just about everyone on the crew, although it is usually caught before they head out. Look for the foam in the tank: diesel foams a lot more than gas.