I've only run out of fuel once, ever. It was when I was a kid driving an old 1970's IH tractor. I was about 13 years old, doing some field work about a 1 1/2 miles from the house/shop/fueling area on the farm. The tractors fuel gauge didn't work, but it was easy enough to simply stand up, take the fuel cap off (tank was right behind the steering wheel (or in front, if you want to look at it that way)), and look in. I saw that I needed fuel, it was getting low, and it was about lunch time anyway.
So, I folded up my implement and made the road move to the house. I pulled in the drive and thought I'd just run in, grab a bite really quick, come back out, fuel the tractor, and drive back out to the field. Well, I pulled in the drive, idled the tractor, ran inside, bathroom break, make a sandwich, park my butt in front of the TV, eat, finish TV show, run back out to the idling tractor, and drove back to the field....
About half way there, I realized I forgot something... the friggen FUEL! And just then, the engine started looping, and idling down. I pulled off the road and shut off the engine as quickly as I could. Now, I'm in trouble. I start walking back home, and got picked up by my grandpa. Told him what I had done, who scolded me. We got a can of fuel and some tools. It took us... well, him, about 30 minutes to bleed the lines and get it running again. All the while, he was scolding me. I did help, where and how I could, but it was his show.
I never let that tractor, or any other tractor, get that low on fuel again.
Thats not to say that break downs dont happen. I've ripped fuel lines, bad pumps, etc. But I've never again let it run out of fuel.
