On Site Fuel

[thebmrust]

How many of you have on site fuel tanks? Gas and/or diesel (on and off road).

Some questions have…
How big is your property?
How is it to work with your local fuel distributor?
What’s your setup? 55gal drums, ground level with pump, elevated gravity feed, mobile trailer/truck?
Do you use more/less fuel than you planned?
Any cost savings?
Is on-site worth it?

 

[oldnslo]

How much fuel do you want to store and what type of equipment do you want to refuel at that location?

Gravity feed only works if the vehicle fuel tank is lower than the tank and depending on hose size can be slow.

Around here the delivery truck will not stop for less than 100 gallons and prefer tanks they can fill without climbing a ladder while wrestling with the hose.

Most farmers in this area have both bulk storage on-site and mobile trailer to fuel equipment in the field. But these farms also use 500+ gallons a day during busy seasons.

 

[HawkinsHollow]

No, but one of these days! I would probably go with a pallet mounted 55 gallon drum and a 12v pump. Throw it up on the trailer and drive to the gas station and not have to deal with delivery. I need to find a place to get off-road diesel around me when I get this set-up going. If I end up getting a chinese mini ex with a diesel I will definitely do it then.

 

[scootr]

No, but one of these days! I would probably go with a pallet mounted 55 gallon drum and a 12v pump. Throw it up on the trailer and drive to the gas station and not have to deal with delivery. I need to find a place to get off-road diesel around me when I get this set-up going. If I end up getting a chinese mini ex with a diesel I will definitely do it then.

I had a 55gal barrel with a fuel pump and later upgraded to a 100 gal tank that I haul to town for red diesel. I mostly mow 10-15 acres a few times a yr and maintain a mile of gravel road.
Tank has a 12v pump and nozzle on it. Fits in the pickup for refueling 1-2 times a year depending upon the rainfall. I gave the 55 gal drum to a friend with 5 acres. Anything beats 5 gal cans!

 

[WM75Guy]

John Dow 58-gallon diesel tank strapped to a Big Tex trailer. Self-contained unit with tank, pump, and hose. Mounted a deep cycle battery and solar panel charger to power it. I take it to fill up almost every month during the mowing season, which is from March to November for me.

 

[bdhsfz6]

I store home heating (red) fuel in a 1000 gal tank which I use for heat as well as to fuel my diesel equipment. I can pump it directly into my tractors or fill a 30 gal drum on wheels for fueling stationary equipment.

I used to store gasoline in 5 gal cans for my portable generators but gas is problematic to store. It's more volatile than diesel and goes "stale" after a few months. Due to the frequent power outages we get, I switched to a whole house diesel model and fuel it from the 1000 gal tank. No more gas.

I'm on 25 acres and between, heat, generator and tractors, I use around 800 gal of diesel per year. Not sure how much I save by using red fuel, but delivery isn't a problem since I easily make the 150 gal minimum. I never used enough gas to qualify for home delivery. On site storage is a definite advantage since I can easily survive a month long power outage. There are also no more trips to the gas station.

 

[Mtsoxfan]

Just a homeowner maintaining 10 (soon to be 50) acres. Brush hogging 15 acres, flail mowing same, several times a year. I don't use enough for quantity, and lowest price around is 7 minute drive. I keep 2- 5 gal containers for tractor and torpedo heat in garage during winter. I always wondered if buying 55 gals at a time would save money, but I doubt it...

 

[scootr]

Just a homeowner maintaining 10 (soon to be 50) acres. Brush hogging 15 acres, flail mowing same, several times a year. I don't use enough for quantity, and lowest price around is 7 minute drive. I keep 2- 5 gal containers for tractor and torpedo heat in garage during winter. I always wondered if buying 55 gals at a time would save money, but I doubt it...

Significant savings here, at least $1 a gal on red diesel due to high road tax so going to town for 100 gal makes sense.

 

[rgr33]

I prefer the 100 gal steel tank mounted on a pallet.
The advantage of no road taxes, which are about to increase in this state, will eventually pay for the tank/pump

It’s also nice not to have to fill 5 gal cans at the gas station, or have to lift them up to the fuel tank.

I am running 3 tractors, and a UTV, so bulk storage is the best way to handle the fuel storage here

 

[Mtsoxfan]

Significant savings here, at least $1 a gal on red diesel due to high road tax so going to town for 100 gal makes sense.

I'm also buying ORD. I didn't think 55 gallons would warrant a discount at the pump.

 

[bearthebruce]

We have (2) 50g tanks, each mounted on their own pallet. We have a fuel dolly where we place one 50g pallet on the dolly and then can roll the dolly to the machine to be filled. We have a 5g/minute pump running from a battery which we keep on a battery keeper for a few hours after use. Fuel is pumped through a filter so if we ever get water, we hope we catch it before it goes in the machine.

All is stored indoors year round. Putting the tanks on dollys allow us to keep the place clean and neat. We can move the tanks out of our way when needed.

Thought I had photos... guess I will take some next time!

 

[deserteagle71]

I use a 75 gallon square metal tank I acquired years ago. Stuck a 12v fuel pump and filter assembly on it and mounted the tank on a pallet. When it is time to fill the tank I fork it into the back of a pickup or onto a trailer and haul it to the card-lock station in town where I fill it with red (off-road) diesel. Since I don't actually farm, one tank usually lasts about a year. Each tractor has an Anderson connector installed to power the 12v pump.

DONE with lifting 5 gallon cans of fuel and trying to pour them into a tractor - especially the old John Deere where the diesel fill is nearly 6' off the ground. Now it takes about 2 minutes to fuel, no mess, no fuss!

 

[HawkinsHollow]

John Dow 58-gallon diesel tank strapped to a Big Tex trailer. Self-contained unit with tank, pump, and hose. Mounted a deep cycle battery and solar panel charger to power it. I take it to fill up almost every month during the mowing season, which is from March to November for me.

View attachment 4121016

Those things are expensive!!!

 

[chim]

We have 3-1/2 acres and take care of snow and some odd jobs at church and the gun club.

Three 55 gallon drums and a HF 12V pump going through a Goldenrod waterblock filter. All my equipment has a "flat two" trailer plug. The cord and hose reach outside of the shed for driveby refueling. The fuel dealer has a 100 gallon (?) minimum delivery and ORD is quite a bit cheaper in PA.

EDIT TO ADD: Just checked and it was 1.6 years between the last two deliveries. That puts my usage at 100 gallons per year. Almost all is for the L4240 with a little for the Ford 1210 and a few for the generator.

 

[workinonit]

I have a 600 gallon fuel tank with a AC pump on it and a 200 gallon tank on a trailer with a DC pump. I wouldn't own a tractor and ZD1200 without either of them. I use my Tractor Supply 2KW gen to run the AC pump which is under my 40 x 60 farm equipment shed.

 

[RjCorazza]

How many of you have on site fuel tanks? Gas and/or diesel (on and off road).

Some questions have…
How big is your property?
How is it to work with your local fuel distributor?
What’s your setup? 55gal drums, ground level with pump, elevated gravity feed, mobile trailer/truck?
Do you use more/less fuel than you planned?
Any cost savings?
Is on-site worth it?

I live on 6 acres, and mow 36 acres weekly as a retirement gig.
My fuel setup consists of a 108 gallon pallet mounted tank with 15gpm 12v pump, 17u separator and 2u final filters. I load it up in my truck once every few months and fill with ORD. I also keep a 55 gallon drum of diesel stored in a shed for emergency generator use.
I save maybe $150 per year using ORD, but 108 gallons is below delivery minimums.

 

[hayden]

I have a 275 gal home heating oil tank that I use for diesel, plus an AC pump and filter. My local fuel supplier delivers on request. They also supply my propane. Even delivered, the fuel is cheaper than road fuel, but I really do it for convenience more than anything.

When I get a delivery, I immediately treat it for freeze protection no matter what time of year. That way I always have treated fuel in the tank, and in all my equipment, so I never have to think about it when the cold weather rolls in.

In addition to the fixed tank, I have a 36 gal transfer tank that I keep in the back of my UTV. It has a DC pump to run off the UTV battery, and I use it to fuel equipment when it's somewhere else on the property away from the house.

I went through 30 and 55 gal barrels, hand pump, and of course 5 gal jugs. Having bulk fuel is the only way to go if you use perhaps 100 or more gal per year. Currently I get the bulk tank filled about 3 times per year, but there have been times when it's only 1-2 times per year.

 

[WM75Guy]

Those things are expensive!!!

The fuel tank wasn't too bad, $900 off Amazon with free shipping. The trailer was the expensive part. I fuel 3 tractors, a diesel ZTR, and a diesel UTV. After back surgery it keeps me from lifting and pouring 5-gallon jugs of diesel. It is worth every penny.

 

[anomad]

Dear old Dad once had the great idea to use the 40 gallon tank in the Ford as a "transfer tank" with a little electric pump he rigged up. Plenty of capacity for his small tractor and little diesel heater in the shop. Unfortunately he ended up with a wicked slime infection. Had to have it towed and the whole fuel system cleaned out. Ugh...

I'm still wrestling jugs and reading this thread with great interest to gather ideas.

Edit to add: My recently passed neighbor (95 years old) was still poking around on his tractor till the end. He had rigged up a pulley and rope where he hoisted jugs to fill.

 

[newbury]

I store home heating (red) fuel in a 1000 gal tank which I use for heat as well as to fuel my diesel equipment. I can pump it directly into my tractors or fill a 30 gal drum on wheels for fueling stationary equipment.

View attachment 4121043

Could you elaborate on your DeWalt powered gas pump? I have not seen that accessory