Portable Fuel Storage Question

[TCR78]

I am interested in purchasing one of the 28gal. gas caddys from Plastic Mobile Fuel Tanks. This will be a temporary solution until we buy a tank for our truck. Initially we will be using it to fuel our tractors with diesel. Once we get a truck tank, we want to flush it out and use it for our mowers which use gasoline. The deisel tank is $50 more and I can't figure out why. I emailed the company and this is what they said: "Thank you for your interest in water tanks, plastic tanks, septic tanks! The manufacturer makes the Caddies in accordance with DOT and OSHA regulations - (diesel for diesel, gas for gas and waste for waste, etc). Resins that the caddies are made of and even the coloring play an important role as to compatibility for the application. A fuel is supposed to be used with the proper tank, the tank should not be used to store any other different kind of fuel or matter." Excluding DOT & OHSA Regs, Can you really not put gas in a deisel container and vice versa because these tanks are made differently or are they just trying to make an extra $50 and blow smoke up my a**? We use six 6gal. containers now, all the same brand and kind. 3 for gas and 3 for deisel. Never had a problem. Any info would be greatly appreciated and TIA.

 

[beenthere]

There are certain colors for diesel and red for gasoline. I believe those are federal regs.

 

[TCR78]

There are certain colors for diesel and red for gasoline. I believe those are federal regs.

Maybe I wasn't clear enough. I want to know if the two types of tanks (deisel & gas) are made differently, ie would it be bad to put gas in the deisel tank or vice versa because they are not chemicaly compatable. Will the gas break down the deisel tank becaues they are made with different resins or polymers? That's what it seems like the sales rep is saying and it sounds fishy to me.

 

[brin]

I have a big blue 55 gallon drum that I store my diesel in ..the drum cost $20.00 and I added a hand pump and filter...previously the drum had contained some kind of cleaner and we flushed it out and cleaned it real good before use. Other than that I have used the red plastic cans for diesel and I also have the yellow ones that are marked diesel ..they have worked fine for years. I personally think the color difference is so you can tell the difference between which container has gas & which has diesel. Just my opinion

 

[LBrown59]

1*I am interested in purchasing one of the 28gal. gas caddys from Plastic Mobile Fuel Tanks.
This will be a temporary solution until we buy a tank for our truck. Initially we will be using it to fuel our tractors with diesel. Once we get a truck tank, we want to flush it out and use it for our mowers which use gasoline.
The deisel tank is $50 more and I can't figure out why. I emailed the company and this is what they said: "Thank you for your interest in water tanks, plastic tanks, septic tanks! The manufacturer makes the Caddies in accordance with DOT and OSHA regulations - (diesel for diesel, gas for gas and waste for waste, etc). Resins that the caddies are made of and even the coloring play an important role as to compatibility for the application. A fuel is supposed to be used with the proper tank, the tank should not be used to store any other different kind of fuel or matter."
Excluding DOT & OHSA Regs,
2*Can you really not put gas in a deisel container and vice versa because these tanks are made differently or are they just trying to make an extra $50 and blow smoke up my a**? We use six 6gal. containers now, all the same brand and kind. 3 for gas and 3 for deisel. Never had a problem. Any info would be greatly appreciated and TIA.

1*I would never pay the price they ask for a caddy to store fuel in when they aren't even designed for that.
I can build a much better Storage and Transfer Rig
withe more features and functions for about the same money .
2*This is incorrect. The containers/tanks are the same except for the colors and are suitable for Gas or Diesel either one. The only purpose for the color is to identify the contents.
They could have just as easly made the same claim /statments and charged 50 bucks more for the red ones instead of the yellow ones.

No way in heck would i pay em 50 dollars more for a yellow one .

 

[LBrown59]

I personally think the color difference is so you can tell the difference between which container has gas & which has diesel.

You are 101 Percent correct about that.

 

[radioman]

good question TCR78! I don't see any hard facts online supporting this. All I see is blah blah dot ohsa. I understand the color shows WHAT feul is in the can. But do they really add other additive in the plastic chipswhen making the cans ? I dont see how. I used to work in a plastic manufactering plant making parts for cars and computers. All it is plastic chips melted and extruded through a die.

Currently I am using a blue can for my diesel as it what I had on hand. I don't see the point of paying extra for a yellow can and take up more space at home.

 

[LBrown59]

good question TCR78! I don't see any hard facts online supporting this. All I see is blah blah dot ohsa. I understand the color shows WHAT feul is in the can. But do they really add other additive in the plastic chipswhen making the cans ? I dont see how. I used to work in a plastic manufactering plant making parts for cars and computers. All it is plastic chips melted and extruded through a die.

Currently I am using a blue can for my diesel as it what I had on hand. I don't see the point of paying extra for a yellow can and take up more space at home.

All the color is for is to identify Red Gas or Yellow Diesel.
This is still not fool proof as any nut can put gas in the yellow or diesel in the red .
It's really impossible to legislate Wisdom or Common Sense.

 

[IslandTractor]

All the color is for is to identify Red Gas or Yellow Diesel.
This is still not fool proof as any nut can put gas in the yellow or diesel in the red .

Isn't that what you just advocated?

It's really impossible to legislate Wisdom or Common Sense.

Or, apparently, consistency.

I agree the tanks are all the same. The color is just to mark the type of fuel and some marketing guy apparently believes people will pay extra for yellow. He must be right as there has been a price differential for several years on these portable rolling tanks.

There are situations where you don't want to have the wrong color tank though. I can take any number of yellow diesel containers on the ferry to our island but the Coast Guard will not allow even a one gallon gas container on board. If I put diesel into red containers I could not bring them aboard ship.

 

[aczlan]

All the color is for is to identify Red Gas or Yellow Diesel.
This is still not fool proof as any nut can put gas in the yellow or diesel in the red

Or (when fueling a Kubota B7510) remove the filler cap marked "Diesel", set it on the yellow, red and black sticker that says "Diesel only" and empty a 5 gallon can of gasoline from a red can marked "Gasoline" into the tank of the B7510 .
Fortunately, he realized it before starting the tractor and I just had to replace the fuel filter and drain the gas/diesel mixture into a gas can.

Aaron Z

 

[radioman]

Island tractor- I agree with you. it could be marketing. or supply and demand. High demand with high supply means cheap .... yes??

It still makes me fret over little things- if color means nothing other then easy identify, then make em all the same price and we will buy the RIGHT one. Otherwise , forget it, I gonna go with lower price. Most of these things are made overseas anyways right ?

 

[LBrown59]

Island tractor- I agree with you. it could be marketing. or supply and demand. High demand with high supply means cheap .... yes??

It still makes me fret over little things- if color means nothing other then easy identify, then make em all the same price and we will buy the RIGHT one. Otherwise , forget it, I gonna go with lower price. Most of these things are made overseas anyways right ?

Sellin the yeller ones and the red uns for different prices sorta defeats the purpose of havin 2 different colors in the first pace as people do lean toward buying and using the cheapest color and put what ever they want to in it.

 

[Cat_Driver]

I bough the red one and put diesel in it, but I stopped using it because it's a pain to fill my equipment with it. It was gravity fed which means you have to get it high above the filler and that was impossible.

I just use 5 - 5gail yellow jugs not because those I can lift by hand and tip up to fill.

 

[LBrown59]

What type of fuel caddy? - TractorByNet.com
Click for more info on this subject/topic.

 

[TCR78]

Thanks alot for all the input. I didn't think they were made differently, but I thought it couldn't hurt to ask. As far as the gravity problem, I was going to leave it in the truck bed when fueling and just wheel it to the tailgate. I was hoping @4ft. would be high enough. 15 revs/gal with a crank hand pump is foolish IMO and would get old very quick. I didn't want to get the truck tank now just to have to switch it to the new truck next year. However that is sounding more and more like a better idea. Even a stationary tank in our garage doesn't sound like a bad idea. I just wasn't sure if that was a good way to go because our business is seasonal and the fuel would just be sitting collecting condinsation for @ 1/3 of the year in the winter.

 

[HCJtractor]

Thanks alot for all the input. I didn't think they were made differently, but I thought it couldn't hurt to ask. As far as the gravity problem, I was going to leave it in the truck bed when fueling and just wheel it to the tailgate. I was hoping @4ft. would be high enough. 15 revs/gal with a crank hand pump is foolish IMO and would get old very quick. I didn't want to get the truck tank now just to have to switch it to the new truck next year. However that is sounding more and more like a better idea. Even a stationary tank in our garage doesn't sound like a bad idea. I just wasn't sure if that was a good way to go because our business is seasonal and the fuel would just be sitting collecting condinsation for @ 1/3 of the year in the winter.

I must disagree with the comment on the hand crank. For years I filled my Kubota with the five gallon worthless containers available today. Now I use a simple 55 gallon drum with a high end Tuthill rotary hand pump. It works great! Cranking it is really easy and quick, and I like the simplicity and don't have to worry about connecting leads to a battery. Now if you can hard wire a 12 V. pump permanently and not have to use the aligator clips, I would consider that route, but if you have to hook it up to your tractor or vehicle battery every time you use it, I would prefer the crank. I could crank out 15 gallons before you could hook up the 12 V pump. Just my opinion.

 

[IslandTractor]

I must disagree with the comment on the hand crank. For years I filled my Kubota with the five gallon worthless containers available today. Now I use a simple 55 gallon drum with a high end Tuthill rotary hand pump. It works great! Cranking it is really easy and quick, and I like the simplicity and don't have to worry about connecting leads to a battery.

I agree. I have the same hand cranked setup (with a 30 gallon plastic drum from a car wash). Works just fine.

 

[LBrown59]

I must disagree with the comment on the hand crank. For years I filled my Kubota with the five gallon worthless containers available today. Now I use a simple 55 gallon drum with a high end Tuthill rotary hand pump. It works great! Cranking it is really easy and quick, and I like the simplicity and don't have to worry about connecting leads to a battery.
Now if you can hard wire a 12 V. pump permanently and not have to use the aligator clips, I would consider that route.
If you have to hook it up to your tractor or vehicle battery every time you use it, I would prefer the crank. I could crank out 15 gallons before you could hook up the 12 V pump. Just my opinion.

Here ya go?

And another one.

AllI have to do is flip the switch and pump away .

 

[amigauser]

I agree with the others that other than the color there is probably no difference.

This is the least expensive portable caddie I have seen.
25 Gallon Capacity Steel Gas Caddy - Greg Smith Equipment Sales, Inc

 

[IslandTractor]

I agree with the others that other than the color there is probably no difference.

This is the least expensive portable caddie I have seen.
25 Gallon Capacity Steel Gas Caddy - Greg Smith Equipment Sales, Inc

That is a fancy version of what I have. I made mine with the same hand cranked pump ($95 Northern), a 30 gallon clear poly drum ($20 local car wash) and the cheapest HF hand cart with a 20% discount coupon:thumbsup: ($15). All held together by a few cam lock straps and a wee bit of duct tape. Does the job.

A potential disadvantage of the steel gas caddy is that you cannot see the fuel level.