Winter fuel

[ruffdog]

A quick and easy way to check to see if your diesel fuel has been treated is to put a small clear glass bottle/jar with a cap or lid with fuel in it in a freezer. Let it sit there for 6 hours then look at the contents. Depending on how cold the freezer is you'll want to see clear the sample is. In most cases a cloudy sample shows wax crystals forming. The fuel will still pour but those wax crystals will collect in the filter and restrict the flow.

I found that it may take a couple of days for the gel to fully form. I now test the fuel before I dump it in because even a good source may not be gel free.

 

[dodge man]

I’ve read but never really confirmed that overdosing with an additive can have a negative effect on gelling. I measure mine but it’s a Lucas additive and it says on the bottle overdosing doesn’t hurt.

 

[Hay Dude]

We always have “fuel tank (like a stationary tank) storage” and “fuel tank (on board tractor) storage” topics on TBN.

One side says they store fuel in tanks in their shops for “years” with no issues and scoff at the notion that diesel fuel goes bad, and others add all sorts of additives and winter blends indicating that stored fuel WILL go bad-especially if it’s a tractor fuel tank.

Heck, there was one TBN’er who said he had 10 year old diesel fuel in a tank that he uses and he lived in a 4 season climate.

So which is it? I know what MY answer is, but there seems to be a lot of disagreement.

Shop Storage tanks can go years without treatment??? but tractor fuel tanks need frequent attention??? Why?? What’s the difference? Both are just vessels that hold fuel that’s eventually going to your injectors.

I always treat fuel and would not trust fuel stored much more than a year.

 

[DarkBlack]

Back home here in NC I have never had to do anything special. It's supposed to be in the high teens this weekend.

We’re only getting down in the 20’s up here in NH. I’d be amazed if you actually get down in the teens tonight/tomorrow morning, way down in North Carolina. I bet you don’t actually get lower than 20’s either

 

[RandyT]

We always have “fuel tank (like a stationary tank) storage” and “fuel tank (on board tractor) storage” topics on TBN.

One side says they store fuel in tanks in their shops for “years” with no issues and scoff at the notion that diesel fuel goes bad, and others add all sorts of additives and winter blends indicating that stored fuel WILL go bad-especially if it’s a tractor fuel tank.

Heck, there was one TBN’er who said he had 10 year old diesel fuel in a tank that he uses and he lived in a 4 season climate.

So which is it? I know what MY answer is, but there seems to be a lot of disagreement.

Shop Storage tanks can go years without treatment??? but tractor fuel tanks need frequent attention??? Why?? What’s the difference? Both are just vessels that hold fuel that’s eventually going to your injectors.

I always treat fuel and would not trust fuel stored much more than a year.

I think most of the time it is the luck of the draw. I normally get 250 gallons of red offroad fuel delivered normally in the middle of winter to get the winter blend. It is stored in an overhead tank outside in the elements and I never treat or do anything with the fuel other than put it is my tractor, my nephews skid steer, and run it in my torpedo heaters. It will normally take me 4-5 years to use that amount and have never had water or other issues with using that fuel. And I have been doing it for 20 years.

Now part of my situation may include that my overhead tank has a pressure cap like what is used on storage tanks in the back of pickup trucks. It holds 3 psi in the tank, which would limit the amount of air transitioning in and out of the tank, limiting exposure to water and other contaminates.

Here is another example of how thinks can vary just by even a few feet. I have 2 of those Arrow brand storage buildings out back. My dad's chainsaws sit in one building and my chainsaws are in the other building just 10 feet away. We both use fuel from the same source and same fuel can. If his saws sit in that building for months he can walk out and start his saws just like normal. If I go get one of my saws I will have to drain the fuel tank to get the collected water out of the tank before starting.

 

[dodge man]

I’ve had diesel fuel gel but never get old. I also doubt I ever have diesel that over 6 months old. I also deal with small quantities of fuel, 20 gallons on hand at the most.

 

[JJT]

I had a tractor gel up once and swore to never let that happen again. 25+ years of double dosing with Howes and no issues, even down to -30F. I also fuel up at the local truck stop, they say 11/1 is the winter mix cutover date. I still double dose to be safe.

I keep a bottle of 911 on the shelf just in case, as well as 10 gallons of kerosene for the shop heater.

On the farm back in the 70's we did a 50/50 mix of #2 and kerosene in the winter.

 

[greenie]

I used to own a burner service (small, part time side job) and had plastic bottles of anti-gell treatment become semi solid in the unheated cap of my service truck.

 

[bigtiller]

Last winter my tractor wasn't needed very often to move snow. So, I only used about 4 ounces of 911-white bottle.

What do I do with the remaining 28 ounces?

 

[dnw64]

OK, so I will wait a week or two and buy some hopefully-winter blend, but test it in my freezer. And then fill the tank and run it for a bit to make sure I have a good mix through the system.

I do keep my tractor in an enclosed shed, which, while not heated (or insulated, I assume) does stay a bit less cold than out in the wind. So that's another slight plus for me.