Which fuel?

[Anonymous Poster]

I am new to diesel tractors and have a question about which grade of diesel to use. One local supplier only carries the grade that is placed in cars/trucks for on-road use, but a supplier about 10 miles from me carries fuel labeled as "off road". Is there a difference? Can I mix them in the same tank?

Thanks

 

[Bird]

<font color=blue>Is there a difference?</font color=blue>

Maybe, maybe not./w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif "Off road" diesel may be higher sulphur content, and it may have red dye added. On the other hand, I always bought the regular diesel, no dye, for off road use (with the proper paperwork filed with the state) so I didn't have to pay the road tax.

<font color=blue>Can I mix them in the same tank?</font color=blue>

Yes, no problem.

 

[Trev]

To second Bird's opinion, the difference is that red dye is added to off-road fuel, and you don't get hit with the same taxes. Presumably, if they catch you running off-road fuel in a road vehicle, you will be in moderately deep caca.

Which brings to mind a question I have.. if I run my tractor on the road, say a few miles to a friend's house, is this still considered "off-road" use?

 

[Bird]

Bob, I don't know the laws at all in your state, but I think the basic answer to your question is that you're OK. If I understand the lengthy technically written laws in my own state, it's just fine if the purpose of your trip is agricultural, construction, etc., but if it's just for personal transportation, then you have to abide by all the auto/truck rules and not be using off road fuel./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif And I know that no police officer in the rural area I lived in is ever going to stop a tractor to inquire about the purpose of the trip./w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

 

[Surge]

Well, probably one of the fuel experts can give you more specific's on any actual chemical property differences , but there are a couple of that are known...

First, the off-road would be dyed "Red" to designate it as "off road". This is done as a tracing mechanism to ensure "off-road" diesel does not end up in "on road" trucks, cars etc...Truck stops frequently take fuel samples and if red dyed diesel is found in road vehicles, the federal penalties are stiff.....

The reason is the off road diesel does not have the associated road taxes and while you did not state it in your post, it should be much cheaper than the regulardiesel you will find at the truck stop or gas station...

Currently, winterized off road diesel here in Nebraska is $1.08 per gallon at my local Cenex Co-op, and the last time I noticed at the local truck stop, road diesel was around $1.45 per gallon... Most all of the difference is your Federal and State road tax. If you are not seeing a similar difference in price, someone is making alot of money on the off road fuel, ... I generally load up with an extra 5 gallons of diesel before the winter and I am still using $.82 cent off road diesel I bought in October before the latest fuel price run up...

I do not worry about the winterized as I use Power Service Diesel fuel supplement that adds an anti-gelling agent and also other additives to lubricate the fuel system etc...

I personally will not buy the road diesel due to the price but also would not mix the two either.... I would presume the properties are similar... not sure how the winterized diesel plays into this as I am not sure what the road diesel does for winterzation ie: mixing diesel grades....

I am sure one of the experts can jump in a clarify the actual performance or chemical differences, if any, other than price....

 

[Trev]

<font color=blue> And I know that no police officer in the rural area I lived in is ever going to stop a tractor to inquire about the purpose of the trip. </font color=blue>

Thanks yet again, Bird. I was relieved the other day, when, for the first time, I had my tractor at an intersection and encountered a full-dress State Police Battle Cruiser. He just smiled and waved, and off we went. I always wondered if they'd just ignore me here in farmland, or if they'd be checking me out. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[whoodle]

I have only been ckecked for dye once, and it was done by and IRS agent at a weigh station!

 

[thcri]

I don't think any police officer would check a tractor for the red dye, basically because for the most part they are legal to have it, unless it is a construction tractor or for business purposes?? The red dye is specifically to tag fuel that is not taxed. (over the road trucks, diesel pickups and cars that are not farm use) That is kind of my understanding of it. I use my tractor for mostly mowing, snow plowing and moving some dirt. Legaly I don't think I could have the red dye fuel. Only farm implements are allowed to have it. Again what cop is going to pull over a compact tractor? If someown knows the real law regarding the red dye please post it.

murph

 

[Bird]

Murph, I just answered your similar question in another thread./forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif But if you'd really like to know the law in Texas (which won't help much in Minnesota), you can click here and read the law in Texas (if you have the patience to read that much/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif). If you scroll down over a third of the way to Subchapter C, it gets into the diesel fuel.

 

[thcri]

Bird,

I guess I did find your posting in another thread. I guess I should have done a search before I asked my question. Sometimes you get reading a thread and all of a sudden you have a question. Anyway I did go and read your Texas Law. I am sure Minnesota is pretty close as I think the red dye is somewhat of a federal law where is governs all the states.

Again Thanks
Murph

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Hi,

I don't know much about the law...

But I do know if my neighbor can burn diesel in his stove to heat his home, and run his car on on the road using natural gas, then I am not going to worry about feeling guilty because I heat my home with natural gas and burn off road fuel in my tractor!

Bill in Pgh, PA

 

[OkieG]

<font color="blue">I don't know much about the law...</font>

Here's a current thread trying to sort out the legal/tax aspects of Which fuel?
<font color="blue"> http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=genoperating&Number=231777&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=1</font>

OkieG

 

[wdn]

I am paying a whopping $1.19 a gallon for off-road diesel recently (versus $1.05 during the summer). The extreme cold weather has jacked up the price ... it is just home heating oil that is dyed red color). It is still about 35c a gallon cheaper than on-road diesel fuel. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[soarkrebel]

Off road diesel. at $1.00 to 1.15 @ gallon i will run it. buy some diesel cans and buy a extra 6 gallons to make your trip worth it.

 

[wdn]

I have 7 of the 5-gallon plastic fuel cans at home, I refill every time I am down to the last 2. So I buy 25 gallons worth at a time. I stop by there maybe 3 times a year.

For fellow tractor friends in S. New Hampshire: I get mine at Ciardelli's in Milford, NH. They have a fuel pump for off road fuel. They can't be making too much money on it, but it is a courtesy for their customers. I have never had a problem with fuel there. I believe it is a lot better than the winter blend of on-road diesel fuel at a regular gas station, which is cut with kerosine. The off-road is pure #2 fuel oil, a/k/a home heating oil.

In the winter I add some diesel additive made by Gunk to keep the fuel from gelling, never had a problem with that either. I have taken it out in below zero weather, always starts right up after 5 seconds on the glow plug. But I always let it warm up to operating temperature before I operate the tractor. Getting very close to 150 hours on the BX2200, I hope we are graced with a bit of warmer weather to do the oil change. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[race_engr]

The on-road/off-road tax deal is a big issue and can cost thousands in fines if you screw up--------but-----let me offer some advice. Bite the bullet and search for some 47 cetane on-road fuel. Add the recommended amount of Power Service additive, and you'll think you've gotten a new tractor!! /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif Less smoke, better starting, smoother idle, more power. It's worth the extra $0.20 or so per gallon, but I only burn about 20 gallons per year.

Good luck.
Brian

 

[cowboydoc]

Really no way to screw up if you are running the off-road fuel in machinery. You are legal to run machinery on roads with off-road fuel. The only time you get into trouble with off-road fuel is in a pick-up or a truck that you run on public roads.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

My Kubota manual says to run #2 diesel in the tractor. Is #2 what comes out of the autofuel tank at the service station or something else? The manual indicates that it is a lower grade of fuel intended for off road use but I'm not so sure about that...

 

[BigDave]

My local gas station has a big #2 on the diesel pump. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Look here for a description I found of diesel fuel grades.