Off-road (red dye) diesel

[STx]

How many of you you guys run off-road diesel in your tractors? Where do those of you that do get it from?

I'd really like to get a 55g drum of off-road diesel to just keep at the shop to refuel the tractor from instead of having to file for a refund on the road use tax from pump diesel but I'm having a hard time finding where to buy it...

 

[davesl708]

I run it all the time. My local Phillips 66 carries it here in town. Have found it at truck stops also.
Have you used an online search? Are you need a small farm town or elevator? Might contact a COOP dealer and ask for locations.

 

[LarryD]

I get it at the local feed store, Cenex is the company.
Looks like one in Cypress, TX.

 

[rgr33]

I get mine at self fueling stations for diesel over the road trucks, they can't use the red dye fuel in their trucks, but it is there for refer units and off road equipment,dozers etc.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I have mine delivered from the local bulk distributor but he requires 150 gallon minimum purchase to avoid a delivery charge. We split the delivery with my brother in law who is just across the pond from my house so it is considered as one stop. We have to check the pricing before hand to make sure it is cheaper than at the pumps when the price is fluctuating up and down rapidly. He charges what he paid for it when he filled his bulk tank + seller commission of course. So if he bought high and the prices fell he could be higher than pump price. So far we have beat the price at the pumps by more than $1.00 per gallon by watching for his lowest price.

Check around for bulk distribution companies in the phone book. You can likely just take your drum to them and they will fill it at their business site.

 

[Happy Gilmore]

I buy my fuel from my neighbor, I either bring my tank over when I'm empty or have them swing over to fill it.

 

[Ed of all trades]

Bulk fuel companies here sell it and have a 100 gal min delivery, but they told me that if I called and said bring me some fuel next time you are in the area he would deliver 50. It would just take 3 or 4 days. I need to do that, I keep putting it off.

 

[TerryR]

Our local fuel distributor has pumps at their depot for highway and off-road diesel, and kerosene. I just drop by with a couple of cans when I need fuel and pick it up.

Terry

 

[rd_macgregor]

I use red-dyed home heating fuel in my tractor. I don't have a bulk storage method, so I just buy two 20 liter jug fillups when I need it, from a pump at any of several local gas stations.

 

[kebo]

That's all I run in mine. I am very fortunate, there's a store just 3/8 mile up the road that sells it, I just drive right up to the pump and fill 'er up. They serve most all of the logging crews in the area so they are the main reason they offer the red dye diesel. Very convenient for me!

 

[RPW]

Local distributor. When I empty my 50gal drum I load it up in the truck and go get it. Then use the tractor to unload it.

 

[Will_C]

I buy mine at the pump-a benefit of living in a rural area with loggers, small farmers and contractors, all who but at the pump. For example, my brother uses about 100 gallons a week in the summer with his excavating business and he finds it simpler to fill his transfer tank 2x a week rather than having a pump at his shop.

Will

 

[BAP]

Around here, most of the convenience stores that sell on road diesel now sell off road diesel to. I have 2 places within 5 miles of my house that carry it.

 

[farmer2009]

I have a local bulk company and a farm supply that deliver bulk fuel. The bulk company doesn't charge for delivery on 300 gallon tanks. Even if you only hold 250. The farm supply buys their fuel from the bull company so it's higher. Plus they charge for fuel deliveries of less than a full truck 2000 gallons.

 

[KevT]

Google it with your zip code

 

[Looking4new]

I get mine out of the 200 gallon home heating oil tank. I am far enough north that we heat the house with #1 diesel oil rather than furnace oil.

 

[bdog]

If you don't burn a ton of fuel it really isn't worth the hassle. I have 9 diesel things that I could legally run red in. I don't. The reason is I have several on road diesels as well and I like being able to use one tank to fill them all up.

With a compact tractor unless you are running it 8 hrs a day everyday you likely are not burning enough fuel for it to matter much. Now if you were running a huge dozer and went through 1000 gallons of fuel a week I would be looking for ways to save every penny I could on fuel.

 

[Budweiser John]

If you don't burn a ton of fuel it really isn't worth the hassle. I have 9 diesel things that I could legally run red in. I don't. The reason is I have several on road diesels as well and I like being able to use one tank to fill them all up.

With a compact tractor unless you are running it 8 hrs a day everyday you likely are not burning enough fuel for it to matter much. Now if you were running a huge dozer and went through 1000 gallons of fuel a week I would be looking for ways to save every penny I could on fuel.

I've run red diesel for several years and my propane/fuel company deliveres diesel 100 gallons at a time to my re-purposes transfer tank on skids fitted with a 110V pump. No more lugging 5 gallon cans and stinking up the truck with spilled fuel.
The true cost saving is not having to drop everything and race to the truck stop, a 16 mile round trip, to fill up several fuel containers.

 

[ovrszd]

I have a transport tank in the bed of my pickup. I average 140 gallon a month thru it. I'm not enough of a financial wizard to even tell you how much I save by using red fuel. But for the sake of discussion, let's just say it's 30 cents a gallon?? That's $42 a month, or $504 a year. Definitely worth the "hassle" to me.

 

[bdog]

I have a transport tank in the bed of my pickup. I average 140 gallon a month thru it. I'm not enough of a financial wizard to even tell you how much I save by using red fuel. But for the sake of discussion, let's just say it's 30 cents a gallon?? That's $42 a month, or $504 a year. Definitely worth the "hassle" to me.

In your case it is but you are using 35 gallons a week on average. The typical compact tractor person probably doesn't burn a whole lot more than that a year.

If you don't have a diesel pickup or pickups then red makes sense I just always find myself using my transfer tank to fill pickups and big trucks and thus the flexibility of not having red that is limited to off road is worth it to me.