Oil & Fuel Best fuel for my Mahindra?

[brisimon]

Just received my new 7520 and must confess I am not well-versed on diesel fuel, since I've been using gas tractors up until now. I'm working on ordering a bulk delivery and need to understand the options better before ordering. It's probably in there, but I couldn't find a mention of this in the manual.

I am under the impression I should use offroad diesel. What's the difference between diesel #1 and #2?

Also, the local BP / Amoco distributor has Amoco premium diesel. Would this be beneficial?

Lastly, I've seen discussions on this site regarding diesel additives. Is this 1)a must, 2) a pretty good idea, or 3) just a waste of money?

Maybe I should mention the tractor will be used for cultivating and harvesting hay in the coming months, and quite a bit of logging in the fall and winter.

Thanks!

 

[DieselPower]

#1 is used mainly in the winter and has a lower gel point. It also has less lubricity than #2.

#2 is the most popular in non winter month's.

You can usually get #1 and 2 in on or off road. The only difference is the dye in most cases.

I think the Amoco "premium" is the fuel they sell with a better additive package, correct me if I'm wrong.

Additives, I use them year round. You will get reply's from their a waste of money to they are required. For the low cost and the extra protection they give me it's peace of mind. It only cost me between 3-4 cents to treat one gallon or exactly $34.90 to treat 1,000 gallons at the strongest treat level.

 

[bill6]

Hi Brisimon; Yes, if you are buying in bulk, buy #2 diesel off-road, so you can avoid paying road taxes.

The key thing to remember is that the quality of diesel VARIES much more than gasoline. Just get a reputable brand. Yes, additives are a must, in my opinion. Power Service is the probably the most common brand used by readers of this site. Also, do a google search and check out Stanadyne, that is what I use and I think it's excellent. The main purpose for these additives is to rid the fuel of any possible water, to reduce the wax-point temp, and to increase the cetane by several numbers. You should regularly check & monitor your fuel filter & drain cup, so you will know if you ever get a particularly "bad" load of fuel.

And by all means, it's pronounced DIESEL, not DEEZEL.....

 

[BamaRob]

Speaking of quality...

If you're buying in bulk, it probably won't be much of an issue. But, I find that the quality of fuel is much better when I buy at the service station where all the loggers get fuel for their equipment (dozers, skidders, feller/buncers, etc.). They go through so much volume, they always have fresh fuel. The other places that sell much less volume of off-road fuel has it sit in their tanks longer. The longer it sits, the greater the chance of bacteria, etc.

Later,

BR

 

[skipmarcy]

Don't know if this is just a local problem or not but I tried offroad fuel in mine back in 2002 when it was new, for maybe 6 months and I had a terrible black sediment build-up. I found that I wasn't the only one in the area to have this problem either - several equipment operators I talked to refused to use offraod in their dozers, trachoes etc. I have also heard of this in one instance in Florida too. I can tell quite a bit of difference in performance as well when I use typical road fuel - starts easier and better power, but this may be due to additives in the fuel. Since that problem in 2002 I've used nothing but a name-brand road fuel in it, now it's the ultra-low sulphur fuel. Oh, another reason for quality fuel - I got over 1200 hours between fuel filter changes this last time - seriously. Only had to drop the sediment bowl once in all that time to get a touch of water out.

 

[Egon]

Aah - avoid confusion - contact your supplier head office and get some facts!

Course you can always add any and all advertised stuff and dilute with kerosene and dance a jig to get proper results!

 

[brisimon]

Thanks so much for the responses - this forum is a must for folks like me! It's nice that there are so many folks out there willing to give freely of their knowledge. I don't receive it lightly.

Last question - when I buy additives, it will probably say which way to go on the container, but if not, is it necessary to add to my tractor tank with each fill, or just do a one-time dump in the prescribed amount to my bulk tank each time I take a delivery? Probably would have to do it prior to the bulk fill when the tank is low to mix it well, huh, or maybe that's the reason it should be done each time when filling the tractor?

 

[bludev]

Ok ... I've brought this up before, so don't be too hard on me ... but has anyone ran bio-diesel in their Mahindra. I think someone posted before that the manufacturer stated that warranties could be voided if a problem was determined to be caused by bio-diesel. But other than that, I was just wondering if bio-diesel could be an option for these tractors. From my experience (I have ran it in a 2005 VW Passat TDI with no problems), and from what I have read with regards to diesels in general, I don't see why it couldn't be an option. Again from what I have read (I ain't no expert), the only potential problem with regards to bio-diesel is that it can be hard on rubber items it could contact in the fuel system. But, again from my reading, newer diesels (at least in the last 10 years) don't use "rubber" in the fuel injection systems ... does anyone know if this is true of Mahindra engines (specifically the ones used on the "00" and "20" models_,

Thanks,
Roger

 

[knute_m]

brisimon,

First, welcome to TBN.

You are kind of in that not-too-cold part of the state, but you still will need to pay attention next winter.

From now through early December, you can easily run standard diesel from the pump, or any off-road diesel. But, come mid-December, January and February, you really should buy special fuel, or include additives. I would suggest that look at engine heating when it gets below zero.

Your dealer, or people in any good farm supply store should be able to guide you into buying fuel for winter use.

Just don't use ether next winter!

Maybe take a fishing trip to the area north of Duluth and talk to the tractor dealers and farm stores up there.

Good luck,
Knute

 

[George2615]

I don't use my tractor on a daily basis. But I do live in a snow belt area of Upstate NY. My owners manual says to use #2 diesel or I can use a mixture of #1 and #2 in the winter which I do. I also have a diesel truck which ran fine on #2 diesel all winter with no additives. I buy my fuel from a local truck stop that sells a lot of fuel. I am leary of bio-diesel since it is in limited supply in my area and I worry about it gelling in the winter. I'd stick with #2. If you will buy in bulk you can save by getting offroad diesel.