Oil & Fuel Fuel Station

PILOON · Dec 4, 2005

The tank was some sort of industrial chemical container.
It contains about 25 gals and is manageable when full. ie, I can unload it from the pickup but would never try to load in.

Tricky part was fitting the pump as this tank has non standard threads. (not pipe threads).
What I did was use about a 6" length of 1 1/2" abs water pipe with three slits cut 1/3 lengthwise and firmly clamp with pipe clamps (jublee clamps).
The result is a nice snug taper fit that is 'just right'.
I can crank away as much as I want and it remains in place.

Sure beats the bucket/5 gal pouring with a bench.

Forget actual GPM of the pump, but it is very adaquate and sure makes fueling a pleasure.

And the pump was a mere $15-20. on EBay.

LBrown59 · Dec 5, 2005

1*The tank was some sort of industrial chemical container.
It contains about 25 gals and is manageable when full. ie, I can unload it from the pickup but would never try to load in.
2*Sure beats the bucket / 5 gal pouring with a bench.
PILOON 
************************ 
1*I'm looking for a 15 gallon tank.
I don't use enough diesel to warrant a bigger tank.
Also the smaller tank being lighter to maneuver around when full would be easier to handle.
I want to set it on a dolly rather than a hand truck so that I can roll it on and off the tail gate of my pickup to a dock / stand that is the same height as my lowered tailgate.
----------------This set up would make loading and unloading the tank a breeze and taking the tank to get it felled up a snap.
2*It sure don't take much to beat the ole 5 gallon can method does it?

19977 · Dec 5, 2005

Your right PILOON,anything beats the 5 gal. jugs. Seems all i did was spill it over me and the tractor.Actually my 35 gal. came from my local car wash ,they get there soap in it,they were glad to get rid of it.
mike

Gumby6 · Dec 8, 2005

Guess I'm getting a car wash! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

I saw mention of static discharge concerns in this thread.

Does that really play with diesel fuel? I've put a torch to some and it just smokes.

19977 · Dec 8, 2005

Well, i guess static discharge can happen.It can happen dumping feed bags , 5 gal. jugs of fuel,static can happen almost anywhere theres movement of any material.I have been using this set up for 2 yrs. and no problems,NOT TO SAY IT WON'T .I guess it's like alot of things i do everyday in life,i'll just have to take my chances.

mike

BloomingtonMike · Dec 8, 2005

( Your right PILOON,anything beats the 5 gal. jugs. Seems all i did was spill it over me and the tractor. mike )

There is a device called the Han-D-Pump that works with 5gal vented plastic $5 gas cans. I put the full can on the floor board, lift the nozzel into the screened/filtered funnel and then pump the gas from the tank into the tractor. Zero mess. It pumps the gas very quickly. Cost was about $9 for the Han-D-Pump at TSC. Just $.02 for another spill proof solution.

LBrown59 · Dec 8, 2005

( Your right PILOON,anything beats the 5 gal. jugs.)Seems all i did was spill it over me and the tractor. 
 There is a device called the Han-D-Pump that works with 5 Gal. vented plastic gas cans. 
 I put the full can on the floor board, lift the nozzel into the screened/filtered funnel and then pump the gas from the tank into the tractor. Zero mess. It pumps the gas very quickly. Cost was about $9 for the Han-D-Pump at TSC. Just $.02 for another spill proof solution. 
==========
 This takes care of the pumping / transferring but does nothing about the lifting lugging shuffling and handling of the 5 gallon cans.

BloomingtonMike · Dec 8, 2005

What about the fuel pals.

Something like http://www.nbmc.com/caddy/pal.html

19977 · Dec 9, 2005

Mike,handy-d-pump sounds like another good way to get fuel to the tractor.Heres a question,what engineer or person came up with the idea NOT to put a vent on these new fuel containers,apparently these people have never filled a chainsaw or weed eater before.

Mike

PILOON · Dec 12, 2005

( What about the fuel pals.

I must admit that this is what prompted my idea. (the concept, not the price)

The cart I had as well as the container.
The pump came from EBay for, I think about $20.00.
It pumps (quote from the label) 10 gals/min. Guess that depends on how fast you crank. Just right for me!
I know harbor freight stocks that 'barrel pump' at, I believe $39.oo.
Must admit it sure is nice to wheel the handcart over to the tractor, insert hose and crank. Couple of minits and she is full.
A turn or 2 in reverse empties the hose back to the drum to avoid spills.
Had heating oil delivered last week, so he topped up my 'caddy' as well.

PILOON · Dec 12, 2005

I come from aviation background.
Yes static is always a concern, less with fuel than gas and less yet in winter, but still there.

Proper precautions would call for a 'static discharge ground'.

Very easy to accomplish. Any conducter grounded to the storage container and attached to the tractor would do the trick.

Example; Electrical cord attached (use star washer on bare metal) to a pump bolt/screw with an aligator clip at other end. Simply clip onto the tractor (before filling) to any bare metal surface.
Ground (static line) would be about 2' longer than the filling hose.

All aircraft have specific grounding points for this purpose and all fuelling rigs/pumps have retractable static ground lines with alligator clips.

 
Thanks for the reminder, I'm going to do that in the next hour.
No risks to be taken!

Deere_parts · Dec 12, 2005

I was a petroleum laboratory technician in the Army and for some tests we had to ground the containers because of the large static buildup caused by the vacuum pumps and the mixtures of explosive chemicals we were using.

We had to run the ground into the fuel, not just the glass or plastic containers. You simply feed a bare stranded stainless steel or copper wire through the hoses and run them out of the hoses where they are clamped onto the container. Then place one clip on the container and one clip on the grounding point. We then had to test the ground with a meter to make sure it was good.

A one gallon JP8 aviation kerosene sample washed down with 300 millileters of very volitale petroleum ether (that has a flash point of -80C) through an extreemly fine millipore filter with 25hg vacuum will blow up an entire mobile laboratory if you don't follow the correct procedures. There was either 1 or 2 soldiers killed running this test a few years back, The pictures were not pretty. This is the extreeme example like a grain elevator explosion and I say anything you can try to do right helps gaurd against this.

Straight diesel, which has a faily high flash point compared to other fuels, through a low volume pump, hand or sandpiper air pump like these examples here, while the container is sitting on the ground should be fine and you will be hard pressed to generate the kind of static electricity like a helecopter or other aircraft. If you have ever done flight ops or sling load ops at night with a helecopter you know what the blue ring of fire at the tip of the rotors is and to watch some idiot shock himself and send out this huge blue spark by touching the bird before it is grounded with the probe is a really funny site as long as nobody gets hurt.

BloomingtonMike · Dec 13, 2005

( Mike,handy-d-pump sounds like another good way to get fuel to the tractor.Heres a question,what engineer or person came up with the idea NOT to put a vent on these new fuel containers,apparently these people have never filled a chainsaw or weed eater before.

Mike )

I looked for 2 months to find yellow vented diesel cans. Finally, Farm and Fleet got them back in stock.

I feel like buying a few extra vented cans to keep for my lifetime - they seem to be another candidate for the endangered species list.

LBrown59 · Dec 13, 2005

.Heres a question,what engineer or person came up with the idea NOT to put a vent on these new fuel containers,apparently these people have never filled a chainsaw or weed eater before.
******************
There is at least 3 different styles of cans
Seperate vented
Self vented
No spill

2nstonge · Dec 13, 2005

I now swear by the 'no spill' cans. I replaced all my other cans with these things (sold the old ones at our annual garage sale). 2 1/2 gal is the right size for me; easy to get into the back of the pick-up, easy to lift over the hood of my JD 4110, easy to maneuver when filling the weed whacker, chain saw, blower...

This company (referred by another TBN'er) was great to deal with.

-Norm

LBrown59 · Dec 13, 2005

( I now swear by the 'no spill' cans.

)

While others swear at them.

How do you pour from them into a funnel ?

2nstonge · Dec 13, 2005

No need to use a funnel in my experience. Since no fuel comes out until you push the little button I just make sure the spout is in the filler neck of whatever I'm filling before I push it! Even on my little Stihl weed whacker the gas opening is at least 1" in diameter, the 'no spill' spout is only about 1/2" dia.

I don't believe I even own a funnel, I haven't had the need for one in years.

-Norm

LBrown59 · Dec 14, 2005

( No need to use a funnel in my experience. Since no fuel comes out until you push the little button I just make sure the spout is in the filler neck of whatever I'm filling before I push it! Even on my little Stihl weed whacker the gas opening is at least 1" in diameter, the 'no spill' spout is only about 1/2" dia.

I don't believe I even own a funnel, I haven't had the need for one in years.

-Norm )

=============
I use a MR FUNNEL when I fill my Tractor.
I put the funnel in the tank then pour out of a 5 gallon self vented can into the funnel to fill the tank.

What I'm asking is can You pour out of the no spill cans into Mr Funnel like this?

2nstonge · Dec 14, 2005

I don't see why not. As long as your MR Funnel is self-supporting in the fuel filler opening I don't see why you couldn't use a no-spill can. The no-spill takes 2 hands to hold/operate as I'm sure most fuel cans do.

-Norm