Fuel, Internet & Insurance

[Jlblake]

Good morning everyone - figured I'd lump a few things together. I appreciate any advice.

1. Fuel - I have a diesel tractor that I use for cutting and general ranch work. Probably will only use it every other week or so I'm guessing. I read about red-dye diesel. I'm trying to figure out if it makes sense to buy a tank and have fuel delivered. It looks like the advantage would be really more about convenience than cost savings in my case. I'm having trouble getting any fuel providers to call me back...makes me think I don't have enough volume. At what point would you guys have fuel set up versus taking cans to the gas station?
a. Would the same apply for gasoline? I have a mule, saws, mowers and my truck all using gasoline.
b. any safety concerns or recommendations?
c. any recommendations for providers in Leon County Texas?

2. Internet - I reached out to some of the recommended providers on here. Ubifi doesn't have equipment. The folks that go through AT&T won't give me any insight on what coverage would be like in my area...basically is asking me to sign up without knowing if it will even get a signal. I use Verizon for my cellular provider and it works perfectly on the land. Have any of you found a solution that would allow me to have pretty good internet in a rural area?

3. Insurance - so I have the standard insurance on my new John Deere 5065E. I have homeowners on the home and it covers my barn and equipment. I think my homeowners deductible would apply. I have a 3% deductible on the home so if someone stole my Mule, I'd have to pay $6k for a deductible since the home is valued at $200k. What type of policy do you guys use to protect your equipment? Do you have policies that just cover theft or do any of you have policies to cover damage and/or maintenance?
a. Umbrella policy - I have an umbrella policy. I worry that the bigger the policy, the bigger the claim. However, I don't want to be bankrupted by a visitor if there were a snake bite, accident or something else. What do you guys do?

Thanks!

 

[Diggin It]

Bulk fuel suppliers won't consider much less than 300 -500 gallons a year. Neighbor has a 500 gallon tank, has to buy 300 gallons at a time to get delivery.

I have 25Mb DSL. The same neighbor above ( a mile away) can't get DSL at all, too far. Neighbor a mile in the other direction can get 50Mb. Satellite may be an option, but can be costly.

 

[Jlblake]

Bulk fuel suppliers won't consider much less than 300 -500 gallons a year. Neighbor has a 500 gallon tank, has to buy 300 gallons at a time to get delivery.

I have 25Mb DSL. The same neighbor above ( a mile away) can't get DSL at all, too far. Neighbor a mile in the other direction can get 50Mb. Satellite may be an option, but can be costly.

Thanks. Is the fuel worth it at that level? I wouldn't mind buying 300 gallons at a time but I don't have a good idea of how long that would last. I was thinking I'd probably use about 50 gallons a month. Does your neighbor have a problem with water/condensation in the tank?

Internet's proving to be tougher than I thought. The tower may be the best option but it's $2,800 for the tower and then $100 per month for service. I thought Ubifi worked everywhere...it must be satellite.

Thanks for the feedback.

 

[Rebeldad1]

Wouldnt store gasoline in large quantity unless you go through a lot.. Codes, insurance and storage tank all add up.

Diesel.. Easily stored. figure out what you would use in a year and thats the max size of tank you will need. I have a 50 gallon tank. When close to empty I throw it in the back of the truck and fill it when we go to town.

Internet. Sounds like your Verizon hot spot on your phone is the simplest. Check with USCELLULAR. they have a stand alone wireless internet thats reasonable with no contract.

Insurance... Sounds like you are ok but would also make your equipment hard to steal. dont leave keys in them. disable ignition and make it hard to get to and move. GPS tracker would help find it. Also out of sight is out of mind. Dont leave anything you have in plain sight if you dont have to. If you cant put it on the barn park on the blind side etc.

Just my 2 cents

 

[Jlblake]

Wouldnt store gasoline in large quantity unless you go through a lot.. Codes, insurance and storage tank all add up.

Diesel.. Easily stored. figure out what you would use in a year and thats the max size of tank you will need. I have a 50 gallon tank. When close to empty I throw it in the back of the truck and fill it when we go to town.

Internet. Sounds like your Verizon hot spot on your phone is the simplest. Check with USCELLULAR. they have a stand alone wireless internet thats reasonable with no contract.

Insurance... Sounds like you are ok but would also make your equipment hard to steal. dont leave keys in them. disable ignition and make it hard to get to and move. GPS tracker would help find it. Also out of sight is out of mind. Dont leave anything you have in plain sight if you dont have to. If you cant put it on the barn park on the blind side etc.

Just my 2 cents

I was tired of lugging 5 gallon cans...didn't think about 50 gallon tank. That would work.

I'll check out US Cellular. Hadn't heard of them. I keep my equipment in the barn, no keys and I actually bought some cheap boots to put on the mule and mowers. Won't prevent theft but takes away convenience. If you use GPS trackers, where did you get them and/or how did you select what you're using?

Thanks.

 

[TnAndy]

Diesel is easily hauled in 55gal drums in a pickup. I made some 'drum' pallets shown below hold a drum and make it easy to take off the truck full and move around (full drum of fuel is somewhere around 400lbs and I'm not wrestling them). I have done gasoline that way too, but I'm sure it violates laws, codes, and somebody will be by this thread in a minute to say "don't". They don't say a word when I pull up to a pump and fill it.

Now days, I get both diesel and gas from the local farmer's co-op delivered. I put a 500 gal gasoline and 300 gal diesel in a shed out away from everything and find it very handy to filling tractor , min-ex, car, truck (gas), lawn mowers, gas for other small engines around here, etc. I put PRI-D and PRI-G (best fuel preservative on the market) on them, plus ran the lines thru a spin on filter with water drain, and never had an issue.

I don't insure my equipment because theft simply isn't an issue where I live. Dead end road, gate, long drive way, watchful neighbors on the road coming in and a known propensity to shoot first, ask questions later, (all of us) has meant no loss to theft here in 38 years. I figure what I've saved in loss insurance by now would buy a new piece easy. I carry full replacement on house/buildings, with a 5k deductible, and a 1 million dollar umbrella that kicks in after car/house liability (500k) is gone. 200 bucks a year for "lawyer" insurance, but worth it I guess.

 

[George2615]

I use home heating oil for fuel. Its #2 dyed diesel. I have 3- 275 gallon tanks and have them fill the tank I use for the tractor when I fill the HHO tanks. I went this way because my tractor has a 12 gallon tank and it's a pain to refill from 5 gallon cans.

I still have cable TV with internet here and it works very well. Can't speak about cell companies. I do have AT&T for cell but signals here are only 1 bar so don't imagine internet would be very quick or how reliable.

Tractor is insured through Inland Marine. Mainly got that for cab glass coverage, fire, and theft. Home is insured through Farmers. No umbrella policy.

 

[fried1765]

I use home heating oil for fuel. Its #2 dyed diesel. I have 3- 275 gallon tanks and have them fill the tank I use for the tractor when I fill the HHO tanks. I went this way because my tractor has a 12 gallon tank and it's a pain to refill from 5 gallon cans.

I still have cable TV with internet here and it works very well. Can't speak about cell companies. I do have AT&T for cell but signals here are only 1 bar so don't imagine internet would be very quick or how reliable.

Tractor is insured through Inland Marine. Mainly got that for cab glass coverage, fire, and theft. Home is insured through Farmers. No umbrella policy.

You should reconsider the umbrella policy!
Certainly, you may never need it, but it will protect you from the BIG automobile or homeowner lawsuit, which is the REAL killer!

 

[drssg]

I was thinking I'd probably use about 50 gallons a month.

Is that a typo? You stated that you only use your tractor about once every other week. Can you burn 25 gallons of fuel in a day?

I currently keep no diesel supply at home. When I have room for five gallons of fuel in my tractors, I'll fill up a can on my next trip into town.

 

[Jlblake]

Is that a typo? You stated that you only use your tractor about once every other week. Can you burn 25 gallons of fuel in a day?

I currently keep no diesel supply at home. When I have room for five gallons of fuel in my tractors, I'll fill up a can on my next trip into town.

well it's 2200 acres...just kidding. I have no idea how much I'll use. Just bought the land and just bought the tractor. I burned through 20 gallons pretty quickly though over a weekend.

 

[drssg]

well it's 2200 acres...just kidding. I have no idea how much I'll use. Just bought the land and just bought the tractor. I burned through 20 gallons pretty quickly though over a weekend.

Congratulations on your new (to you) land and tractor! That's quite a milestone.

It might make sense to hold off a bit and see how much fuel you really use longer-term. Then the solution that fits you best will become more apparent.

 

[ericm979]

Thanks. Is the fuel worth it at that level? I wouldn't mind buying 300 gallons at a time but I don't have a good idea of how long that would last. I was thinking I'd probably use about 50 gallons a month.

Figure a gallon of fuel per hour of operation. That's probably high (it depends on the tractor and what you're doing with it) but it makes the math easy.


We have radio based internet from a local provider. We had to trim trees to get a good connection. We hit a repeater on the next ridge and they have line of sight to a base station. The first system we had 20 years ago used a 3' dish on the roof that looked ugly but the current one is a 9" square.

 

[GSVette]

I use a 35 gallon diesel caddy for fueling (everything except the dump truck)-35 gallons generally lasts me most of two months-provided I’m not running the 580E much. Find the caddy most convenient as I can wheel it about easily and refill it easily.

We ended up with HughesNet-still hoping for one of the other land systems to put in a tower that is L.O.S. HughesNet works ok but it isn’t really speedy-adequate for streaming but just barely.

My shop is insured as a rider to my primary residence. Once we build our home on the site that will change. Looked at an Inland Marine policy for my LS but just couldn’t stomach the premium. So self insured on the tractor (unless it is in the shop and lost as part of the shop).

 

[shooterdon]

I had a 300 gal storage tank for gas for a few years. I had water issues with condensation even though I used Seafoam. I sold the tank this year. When I converted to a propane stand by generator I did not need to store as much gas.

I use a 50 gallon tank from a reefer for diesel. I built a wood frame that I can lift onto the truck to fill with off-road and save $.50/gal. Store it in the garage as it is OK with my insurance company. Fuel is treated as well to prevent algae, and also anti-gel in the winter. I go through 2-3 reefer tanks a year. It seemed like a better option for me than having a large tank that would last more than a year that may have condensation issues. I have paid for the setup with my fuel savings.

 

[TheMan419]

Thanks. Is the fuel worth it at that level? I wouldn't mind buying 300 gallons at a time but I don't have a good idea of how long that would last. I was thinking I'd probably use about 50 gallons a month. Does your neighbor have a problem with water/condensation in the tank?

Internet's proving to be tougher than I thought. The tower may be the best option but it's $2,800 for the tower and then $100 per month for service. I thought Ubifi worked everywhere...it must be satellite.

Thanks for the feedback.

Ubifi is AT&T based. All you really need from them is the SIM card. You can buy equipment off of amazon or elsewhere.

Remember on the ubifi as long as you get decent reception on your cell you can add an antenna to the equipment to boost your speed w ubifi.

 

[grsthegreat]

i personally only store gasoline (ethanol free only) in 5 gallon jerry cans due to moisture/age issues and flammability. just my own fears im sure, but i dont want above ground storage of gas on my property. for diesel i use off road dyed diesel and store 55 gal at a time in my poly fuel tank. like poly as i've had rust/corrosion issues in past with steel tanks. My poly tank is on pallet and can load into truck easy. Tank also has its own battery and self contained 10 gpm pump system. .


i have umbrella policy also...not very expensive compared to main policy. i also have insurance on tractor and equipment, but im probably going to let that lapse this year. im no longer using tractor in my business, so homeowners policy will be enough.

we use microwave antenna to earth mounted tower aprox 9 miles away from house on top of mountain. WAY better internet than i had from satellite. here cellular internet is WAY to expensive and limits download. my internet still costs $69 per month (no throttling and no limits), but verizon quoted close to $350 per month for the level i requested for my business. i have been told that we may get fiber out our way within a year, but im not holding my breath. the company putting it in told me to check back in 6 months. they promise its coming our way soon.

 

[TractorGuy]

Fuel suppliers vary. I talked to one supplier that has a 300 gallon per sale minimum. Mine only has a 60 gallon minimum but I end up paying pump price of road diesel for off road. The convenience of not hauling it is worth it to me. I keep two 55 gallon drums on hand and end up filling them about 3 times a year. I also have a diesel generator and live in a storm prone area so that is another motivation for me to keep fuel on site.

Sounds like you should try to find a internet provider that uses the Verizon towers IF you have a good fast signal in your house. Download a speed test app or use your phone browser to test at fast.com. Finding one that doesn't throttle or short you on data is the trick. DSL is a good deal if you can get it at reasonable cost and you are in an area where they deliver decent speed. I had it for years but could only get 1.5 Mbps down on the best day. My AT&T internet service is working good but phone service from them, not so much. Go figure? We have a Verizon phone that works okay in the house but recently had to add a booster for that. Not sure what they changed but our cell service diminished all of a sudden. We cannot and have never got a decent data bandwidth from the Verizon phone. I can get a steady 15 Mbps down through AT&T but can't get my old Motorola phone to use internet calling.

Are you sure your deductible is 3% of the value of your home or 3% of the claim? A $6000 deductible across the board is pretty extreme. Call your agent and find out how low you can get it and what the cost difference is. We have $500 deductible on our home owners with $100 deductible on contents and everything else. Worth it to me for piece of mind. We use to have $100 on everything but our government regulated us to no better than $500 on the house for the insurance companies benefit.

 

[Jlblake]

Congratulations on your new (to you) land and tractor! That's quite a milestone.

It might make sense to hold off a bit and see how much fuel you really use longer-term. Then the solution that fits you best will become more apparent.

Thank you! It's exciting. I think you're right, I should be a little more patient!

 

[Jlblake]

Fuel suppliers vary. I talked to one supplier that has a 300 gallon per sale minimum. Mine only has a 60 gallon minimum but I end up paying pump price of road diesel for off road. The convenience of not hauling it is worth it to me. I keep two 55 gallon drums on hand and end up filling them about 3 times a year. I also have a diesel generator and live in a storm prone area so that is another motivation for me to keep fuel on site.

Sounds like you should try to find a internet provider that uses the Verizon towers IF you have a good fast signal in your house. Download a speed test app or use your phone browser to test at fast.com. Finding one that doesn't throttle or short you on data is the trick. DSL is a good deal if you can get it at reasonable cost and you are in an area where they deliver decent speed. I had it for years but could only get 1.5 Mbps down on the best day. My AT&T internet service is working good but phone service from them, not so much. Go figure? We have a Verizon phone that works okay in the house but recently had to add a booster for that. Not sure what they changed but our cell service diminished all of a sudden. We cannot and have never got a decent data bandwidth from the Verizon phone. I can get a steady 15 Mbps down through AT&T but can't get my old Motorola phone to use internet calling.

Are you sure your deductible is 3% of the value of your home or 3% of the claim? A $6000 deductible across the board is pretty extreme. Call your agent and find out how low you can get it and what the cost difference is. We have $500 deductible on our home owners with $100 deductible on contents and everything else. Worth it to me for piece of mind. We use to have $100 on everything but our government regulated us to no better than $500 on the house for the insurance companies benefit.

Thanks for the information. I do have 3% deductible...wanted lower premium. It's good for the house since nothing is likely to happen to it. Not good for equipment since the deductible makes up so much of the value. I figure if anyone messes with my stuff, they'll probably mess with all of it.