Diesel Mileage??

[rpeter]

I’m buying my first tractor (probably an orange B3030, at 30 hp) and I am trying to decide how big a fuel storage tank I should buy. I do not want too much fuel sitting around all winter, yet I do not want to be going to get diesel every week either.

I am smart enough to know that the load you are putting on your tractor makes a difference in fuel economy, so lets say I am “brush hogging” with my five foot cutter going through some fairly dry one foot high grass (no brush) cutting it back to 3 inches. How much fuel will I be using per hour of operation /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

I tried doing a search and did not find anything

 

[GerardC]

The 5+ gallon tank that my Kioti CK20 has will go all day on 3/4 to 4/5ths of a tank. That is dirt hauling, rock moving, digging etc. I have 3 five gallon cans that I use. Gerard

 

[dicker]

Good morning

I have a JD 4310 (32 HP) that I use mostly for loader or backhoe work and this tractor uses just under 1 gallon per hour.

Richard

 

[Gatorboy]

<font color="blue"> I am trying to decide how big a fuel storage tank I should buy </font>

I would not get a large fuel storage tank until you start using your tractor and see how much fuel you actually use on a weekly basis. For the time being a few 5-gallon plastic yellow diesel cans should do the trick.

 

[_RaT_]

I bought a 30 gallon container on wheels with a hand pump. I use up the 30 gallons in a month sometimes sooner. I have a small Kubota L3830 HST.

 

[Egon]

Perhaps consider how the diesel storage will be filled. This may be a factor in choosing one.

Egon

 

[RalphVa]

Here's a site: http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/farmmgt/05006.pdf

It says that my JD 4010 should use as much as 0.8 gallon/hr. In reality, it uses about 0.5 gallon/hr, even at full rpm. It's 18.5 hp. Think you'd only use the fuel it says if you're loading the tractor every minute. Think plowing long furrows might be one of the few things that would do this.

The site says my 12 hp Gravely should also use about 0.8 gallon/hr. Think that's close to correct. It drinks gas.

Ralph

 

[Bird]

I agree with the others. I would expect that B3030 to average somewhere between 0.70 an 1.0 gallon per hour, and probably closer to the lower end of that range.

 

[Henro]

I remember some past threads where a number of Kubota B2710/B2910 commented on their experience with fuel consumption on that tractor (including Bird and myself).

If my memory is correct, I believe with average use, that is digging, mowing and everything in between, 5 gallons per 8 hours of use (real time hours, not hour meter hours on that tractor) seemed to be the general estimate of fuel consumption.

That includes idling time, just normal use, on average. I would expect if you were doing constant brush hogging of heavy, high grass for hours, your fuel consumption would be on the high end, maybe 1 gallon per hour like Bird suggested. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Edit: Just a thought, but since this is a specific question related to the B3030, you might want to ask it of B7800/B2910 owners in the Kubota Owning/operating forum... /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Charlie_in_TX]

I have a 26hp tractor. While mowing I use about 1 gal per hour. I can push it and use more but that starts over heating / over loading the tractor. I am not in that much of a hurry.

I wouldn't want more than a month or so stored on sight so how ever many hours you plan to use the machine a month get that many gallons of storage.