Gravity Farm Diesel Tank, is it worth getting one.

[EddieWalker]

When I first bought my land and doing a lot of work, I was going through a lot of fuel. I looked into a gravity tank, but the cost to deliver it made it more expensive.

Instead, I bought two used aluminum fuel tanks for semi trucks and mounted them to an old trailer. Each holds 100 gallons. I had a nipple welded up to mount a 12 volt fuel pump to one of the tanks and I installed two hoses to the bottom of the tanks so the fuel would go from tank to tank. One tank has the filling cap, the other tank has the pump.

I've only been able to get 180 gallons into it. With my Farm Tax ID, I'm able to get red farm diesel, so that was something like .35 cents less per gallon.

I haven't used it in years. Now I just fill up two 5 gallon plastic fuel cans for what I'm doing.

 

[Hay Dude]

I use about 5,000 gallons of diesel per year and have come to the conclusion that a truck mounted 100 gallon tank is best for MY needs. I can take fuel wherever I go.
I used to have 2 stationary tanks and it became more of a hassle to run the tractor to the tank than to run the truck to the tractor.

 

[Rockbadchild]

the tank the OP posted is worth $2000 that a lot of money at that price I can haul lots of 5 gallon pale before I could justified it ... around here I always see these 100 gallon tote for sale for $100 if I would require one I would be tempted to make one with that but not sure if there is any issue with using these tote ?

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

Yes

Pump or drain the condensation water out of it once a year, or it can rust from the inside out where water sits on the bottom and does not make it to the water separator filter.

Can water get oxygen through the fuel to cause rust? Ours was a used tank 30 years ago. I better get to checking it for rust. It's never been drained.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

I use about 5,000 gallons of diesel per year and have come to the conclusion that a truck mounted 100 gallon tank is best for MY needs. I can take fuel wherever I go.
I used to have 2 stationary tanks and it became more of a hassle to run the tractor to the tank than to run the truck to the tractor.

I fill tank on truck from farm tank. Not in town. I dont have to fool with fuel in town. They bring it free.

 

[sea2summit]

the tank the OP posted is worth $2000 that a lot of money at that price I can haul lots of 5 gallon pale before I could justified it ... around here I always see these 100 gallon tote for sale for $100 if I would require one I would be tempted to make one with that but not sure if there is any issue with using these tote ?


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Well you'd need to figure out how to keep the light off the diesel which will break it down or grow oranizims in the diesel.
The valve seal(s) are likely not suitable for fuel.
Other than that HDPE will hold fuel.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

the tank the OP posted is worth $2000 that a lot of money at that price I can haul lots of 5 gallon pale before I could justified it ... around here I always see these 100 gallon tote for sale for $100 if I would require one I would be tempted to make one with that but not sure if there is any issue with using these tote ?


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Issue is white totes crack and bust in Sun. Just emptied one that was full of used motor oil. A big tote.

 

[Reddogs]

It depends mostly on how much fuel you go through per year. Around here the fuel suppliers will not deliver less than 200 gallons at a time, so farm tanks are 250+ gallons, the one you linked is 525 gallons. In general you want to go through at least one tankful per year, else your fuel will end up getting stale, have issues with water due to condensation, and algae growth due to the water. Also note that you will get whatever blend of diesel is currently being sold at the pump when your tank gets filled, so if you get it filled in the winter, you will get winter blend diesel, and if it is filled in the summer, summer blend diesel. This may or may not be a big issue depending on your climate and how quickly you go through fuel.

I see in your profile that you have a couple of compacts with about 30 HP in your profile. If you got a 250 gallon tank, which is the smallest widely used (at least around here), you will probably need to run your tractors for at a minimum 200 hours per year (and in typical usage, probably 300-400 hours/year) to empty the tank in a year.

You would need to buy a shutoff ball valve, filter/water separator, hose, nozzle, and a couple of padlocks- one for the fill cap and one for the ball valve.

Ok, that is good to know. So lets look at the diesel use, on the L3301 I use about 3 gallons per day, on about 2 days a week, so lets say over 300 gallons a year, and just barely over 200 hours a year. So that seems to just reach the minimum...

 

[MotorSeven]

Can water get oxygen through the fuel to cause rust? Ours was a used tank 30 years ago. I better get to checking it for rust. It's never been drained.

I bought a used 300 gallon one on a stand about 12 years ago. It was a few years old and looked to be in great shape. Last year I was filling the tractor and I saw what looked like condensation dripping underneath....nope, it was diesel. It was equipped with a water separator filter, shut off valve and fill nozzle w/hose. When I set it up I was told to tilt the end away from the filter/fill end to keep the water out of the filter longer.

I have a transfer pump, so I drained the fuel off into 55 gal drums and a clean tote. When I took down the tank, the bottom was rusted extensively, exactly where the water had accumulated at that opposite end. I can weld, but can't bend plate into a curve, so I bought a brand new identical tank from the CooP for $650 and mounted it back on my stand.

As to your question, it is possible the damage was there before I bought it, but my guess is that since I never drained the whole tank empty, somehow that water caused the rust. Btw, every year I put a gallon of PowerService, some Diesel Algae killer, and change the filter(never saw any water in the filter).

So, now, I am questioning the practice of tilting the tank back, and might re-level the stand to force any and all water to the filter. I go through about 250 gallons a year.

 

[Fxfymn413]

If you decide that a tank is the way to go you may want to start checking the government auction sites. They pop up occasionally and often go for a low price. My friend bought a 500 gallon Con-Vault complete with pump, filter, etc. for around $500.00 awhile back.