Oil & Fuel Home heating fuel in a tractor??

[BX23S-1]

I'm wondering if the OP really cares about how much sulfur or other changes have been made in diesel fuel over the past 16 years. His question had nothing to do with Tier 4 requirements as they were a decade away.

Perhaps if anyone is interested a new thread can be started.

I hope the OP is still not waiting for a viable answer to the original post.

Sure, i ain`t bashful, i`ll go start one! I happen to think this is a great topic with where it ended up after 16yrs!

 

[PILOON]

LOL, at one time I was given some aircraft JET fuel .
Well that is about as close to kerosene as U wish and my tractor just loved it.

Diesel, Jet fuel and off road is all very closely the same other than the dye to identify who pays taxes.
Kerosene is also in that ballpark.

Actually my supplier suggested that for cold winter operation I should use kerosene vs diesel to avoid gelling.
(I opted to use cheaper fuel and simply use anti gelling additives.)
No regrets for 8 years now.

Once you gell up you'll never do so again. LOL.

 

[JWR]

LOL, at one time I was given some aircraft JET fuel .
Well that is about as close to kerosene as U wish and my tractor just loved it.

Diesel, Jet fuel and off road is all very closely the same other than the dye to identify who pays taxes.
Kerosene is also in that ballpark.

Actually my supplier suggested that for cold winter operation I should use kerosene vs diesel to avoid gelling.
(I opted to use cheaper fuel and simply use anti gelling additives.)
No regrets for 8 years now.

Once you gell up you'll never do so again. LOL.

I've said way too many times on other threads but just mix 50/50 #2 fuel oil and #1 kerosene and you will be fine for very cold diesel tractor operation. Running JUST #1 for long periods is not a good idea.

 

[BX23S-1]

I've said way too many times on other threads but just mix 50/50 #2 fuel oil and #1 kerosene and you will be fine for very cold diesel tractor operation. Running JUST #1 for long periods is not a good idea.

I`ll agree with JWR, i just posted on another thread that i have a couple friends that live in Nome Alaska and i`ve heard them talk about a 50/50 mix of diesel & kerosene. But just running straight kerosene, bad idea.

 

[moship]

I find the #2 vs #1 debate interesting along with the other fuel discussions How about if everyone simply goes to their owners manual or WSM and reads the fuel requirements. Of course this may change with tractor model but below is a copy and past from my L4740-3 WSM and I've seen similar in other manuals.

Fuel
Cetane number of 45 minimum. Cetane number greater then 50 is preferred, especially for temperatures
below −20 ｰC (−4 ｰF) or elevations above 1500 m (5000 ft).
If diesel fuel with sulfur content greater than 0.5 % sulfur content in used, reduce the service interval for
engine oil and filter by 50 %.
DO NOT use diesel fuel with sulfur content greater than 1.0 %.
Diesel fuels specified to EN 590 or ASTM D975 are recommended.
No.2-D is a distillate fuel of lower volatility for engine in industrial and heavy mobile service. (SAE J313
JUB87)
Since this engine adopts EPA Tier 4 and Interim Tier 4 standards, the use of low sulfur fuel or ultra low
sulfur fuel is mandatory in EPA regulated area (North America). Therefore, please use No.2-D S500 or S15
diesel fuel as an alternative to No.2-D, or use No.1-D S500 or S15 diesel fuel as an alternative to No.1-D if
outside air temperature is below −10 ｰC (14 ｰF).

In another section of WSM:
No. 2-D diesel fuel
No. 1-D diesel fuel if temperature is below ?0 ｰC (14 ｰF)


So while everyone is worried about diesel fuel, how many are able to buy diesel fuel in their area that meets the minimum 45 cetane rating? My guess is that less than 1% of the folks in North America can even buy the recommended fuel.

Just how important is Cetane rating... It's called out as a root cause in the Troubleshooting Section of "Engine does not start". The 5th item to check is Fuel with low cetane number. Given that it is 5th item out of 18 listed items to check it is relatively important.

 

[BX23S-1]

I find the #2 vs #1 debate interesting along with the other fuel discussions How about if everyone simply goes to their owners manual or WSM and reads the fuel requirements. Of course this may change with tractor model but below is a copy and past from my L4740-3 WSM and I've seen similar in other manuals.

Fuel
Cetane number of 45 minimum. Cetane number greater then 50 is preferred, especially for temperatures
below −20 ｰC (−4 ｰF) or elevations above 1500 m (5000 ft).
If diesel fuel with sulfur content greater than 0.5 % sulfur content in used, reduce the service interval for
engine oil and filter by 50 %.
DO NOT use diesel fuel with sulfur content greater than 1.0 %.
Diesel fuels specified to EN 590 or ASTM D975 are recommended.
No.2-D is a distillate fuel of lower volatility for engine in industrial and heavy mobile service. (SAE J313
JUB87)
Since this engine adopts EPA Tier 4 and Interim Tier 4 standards, the use of low sulfur fuel or ultra low
sulfur fuel is mandatory in EPA regulated area (North America). Therefore, please use No.2-D S500 or S15
diesel fuel as an alternative to No.2-D, or use No.1-D S500 or S15 diesel fuel as an alternative to No.1-D if
outside air temperature is below −10 ｰC (14 ｰF).

In another section of WSM:
No. 2-D diesel fuel
No. 1-D diesel fuel if temperature is below ?0 ｰC (14 ｰF)


So while everyone is worried about diesel fuel, how many are able to buy diesel fuel in their area that meets the minimum 45 cetane rating? My guess is that less than 1% of the folks in North America can even buy the recommended fuel.

Just how important is Cetane rating... It's called out as a root cause in the Troubleshooting Section of "Engine does not start". The 5th item to check is Fuel with low cetane number. Given that it is 5th item out of 18 listed items to check it is relatively important.

I`ve never seen a gas station have a cetane rating any higher than 40. Nobody seems to complain about it being at 40 here.
Only complaints i hear about around my area is the amount of water they find in it.

And we dont even know how much ethanol is getting mixed into the ground tanks from the tanker trucks during dumps.
Ethanol attracts moisture. Now we have less sulfur content, which use to take care of most of the bacteria problems that the water caused.

So today, we have all these additives that claim to do this and do that. Then we`re all left with the trust factor... which ones work, which ones dont, what to use, what not to use.
Then when we read manuals telling us to use this and not that... leaves a lot of mass confusion for alot of people.

 

[Paystar]

That is what I've been told by various people who work in the industry.
To be 100% clear, they say that (in Upstate NY) on-road diesel, off road diesel and home heating oil are all the same #2 diesel, all three come out of the same tank at the distribution depot, but off road diesel and home heating oil get red dye injected in as they go into the tank on the truck.

Aaron Z

That's how it is here in Northern Ontario. We own a truck stop/gas station so I talk to our fuel suppliers regularly. And our home heating oil went ultra low sulfur at the same time it was mandated in the on-road fuel. And like I said, they told us there is no longer summer and winter fuel here. It is now all treated the same all year round. (Petro Canada anyway.)

My tractors and furnace run on both on and off road fuel....whatever I happen to put in my tank.

 

[mini14]

what fuel one person uses to power their machines and or vehicle is all relative to that persons situation. Newer electronic injectors or older mechanical injectors, will require certain fuels in certain situations. I have machines and trucks that are old and newer. I try to just use regular Diesel from fuel stations because I am under the assumption it is filtered and relatively free of water. Water being the cause of most contamination issues. I learned lessons from old timers trying to save a few cents in the short run, only to pay a few dollars in repairs in the long run