Off-road (red dye) diesel

[ovrszd]

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.

Sounds like you use even more fuel than I. You might benefit from a second tank or one with 2 compartments.

My pickup that hauls the tank is diesel.

 

[s219]

I finally found a place where I can buy from, about a 14 mile drive each way (happens to be through a scenic area, so that's a plus). I go get 55 gallons at a time. Saves me 40 cents per gallon over road diesel here, so it's reasonable.

 

[ovrszd]

I finally found a place where I can buy from, about a 14 mile drive each way (happens to be through a scenic area, so that's a plus). I go get 55 gallons at a time. Saves me 40 cents per gallon over road diesel here, so it's reasonable.

Yeah, definitely reasonable, $22 a barrel.

 

[RaydaKub]

I finally found a place where I can buy from, about a 14 mile drive each way (happens to be through a scenic area, so that's a plus). I go get 55 gallons at a time. Saves me 40 cents per gallon over road diesel here, so it's reasonable.

55 gallons * $0.40 = $22. Figuring your pickup gets 15, no, let's go 14 mpg, it costs you roughly $5 in gas (today's price was $2.42/gal) or $5.50 in diesel (Friday's price was $2.73/gal). $16 or $17 for each barrel you drag home. Long term, probably worth it. In a pinch, get it quickly closer to home.

 

[ovrszd]

55 gallons * $0.40 = $22. Figuring your pickup gets 15, no, let's go 14 mpg, it costs you roughly $5 in gas (today's price was $2.42/gal) or $5.50 in diesel (Friday's price was $2.73/gal). $16 or $17 for each barrel you drag home. Long term, probably worth it. In a pinch, get it quickly closer to home.

I guess I was assuming he was making the trip anyway? But maybe not? My fuel point is 6 miles from me. I never drive there just to get fuel.

 

[s219]

55 gallons * $0.40 = $22. Figuring your pickup gets 15, no, let's go 14 mpg, it costs you roughly $5 in gas (today's price was $2.42/gal) or $5.50 in diesel (Friday's price was $2.73/gal). $16 or $17 for each barrel you drag home. Long term, probably worth it. In a pinch, get it quickly closer to home.

I'd need to drive 4-5 miles to get to a regular fuel supplier anyhow, and my pickup averages 19-20 mpg, so it's even more favorable than that if we really want to get down to the math. I wish there was another excuse to make the trip, but it's just to another town 14 miles away basically, with nothing else there I can't get here. I do have a spare 55 gal drum that I could fill if I even needed 110 gals at a time, but so far that hasn't been the case.

Sadly, when I filled my 55 gal generator tank 1.5 years ago, diesel was a lot more expensive and I could only find on-road at that time. Spent almost $220 to fill that tank! Wouldn't you know it, we haven't had a single power outage since I spent the time/money on the generator either, so the fuel has been sitting there and only slowly going down from my monthly generator test runs (about 15 minutes each). I'm really waiting for a multi-day outage so I can demonstrate to my wife the whole investment in generator, storage tanks, transfer tank, etc was a good idea....

 

[ovrszd]

I'm really waiting for a multi-day outage so I can demonstrate to my wife the whole investment in generator, storage tanks, transfer tank, etc was a good idea....

Be careful what you wish for!!!!

 

[Sprinklerman]

For my tractor I just pump heating oil out of my tank for my house .

 

[PILOON]

You guys are lucky. Here in Quebec the only legal usage of 'off road' is in a stationary generator*.
All tractors, dozers, etc must use taxed road fuel.
If caught the fuel police hand you an $800. fine. (yes they have mobile units that take samples).
Our gov't needs the taxes.

As usual it is not illegal to sell it, only illegal to use it.

Just today discovered a new tax. We now are taxed 11% on insurance premiums.

Then our hydro added a 2% tax to pay for installation of 'smart meters' to save themselves meter readers salaries. Sure someone would pay me to save money!

*and that mainly is because Hydro Quebec uses generators to power electricity in remote areas that are not served by power grids.

 

[STx]

It appears that in Texas, you now have to have a special tax exemption number to buy off road diesel. I burned about 30 gallons in April and the road tax is $0.245 here so it might save me $50/yr. I think I'm just going to get a 55g drum and pump regular diesel into it (I hate having to go get 5 gallong jugs filled and then using them to top off the tractor), keep good records and file the paperwork for the refund at the end of the year. It'll probably make more sense for me. $50 is worth taking the time to save receipts, keep records and file a form but not worth the hassle of getting the tax id number and setting up an account somewhere out of the way.

Thanks for all the feedback.

 

[xtruckerbob]

Here in Louisiana the fuel distributor will loan or lease you a tank if you don't have one but you have to buy from him buy only We save .50 a gallon for dyed diesel. Also we are lucky our distributors sells at the same price if you buy 100 or 5000 gallons.

 

[ovrszd]

I believe all fuel should be taxed, then apply for a tax refund on fuel used off-road. Would simplify things dramatically for the fuel distributors.

But then, I'm not a large user like my buddy that farms 25,000 acres. He would be opposed to letting the government use his tax money until the end of the year when he could get it back. He buys red fuel by the semi truck load.

So, I understand the complexity of it all.

 

[RPW]

Yes in Texas you need a form on file with the state, takes about 5 minutes to fill out and about a week to get your number. Done deal and now it saves me the tax on diesel. For gas I save my receipts and at the end of the year file on my taxes.

 

[Capricious]

I put (4) gals of diesel into my little Mitsubishi tractor last fall.

About (3) gals is still in there.

I'm starting to worry about the little microbes growing in there.

 

[KennyG]

I put (4) gals of diesel into my little Mitsubishi tractor last fall.

About (3) gals is still in there.

I'm starting to worry about the little microbes growing in there.

I think I need to loan you some of my "To-do" list. :confused3:

 

[ovrszd]

I think I need to loan you some of my "To-do" list. :confused3:

Yeah, he's even in my territory. Would be easier for him to just come on over. I burned more than that yesterday running the brush cutter.

Seriously though, you should treat your fuel with an anti-bacterial treatment. You get fungus in your tank and you'll not be a happy tractor guy.....

 

[grsthegreat]

Yeiks,,, a special permit to by dyed diesel? Here in idaho, alot of stations sell it. The fuel comes out of the same tank as diesel, it gets dye added to it thru an inline mixing chamber.

Just dont get caught with red dye in your on rosd trucks. Big fine.

 

[farmer2009]

Yes in Texas you need a form on file with the state, takes about 5 minutes to fill out and about a week to get your number. Done deal and now it saves me the tax on diesel. For gas I save my receipts and at the end of the year file on my taxes.

Same way it is in Kentucky. Permit is good for life.

 

[Capricious]

I think I need to loan you some of my "To-do" list. :confused3:

Sorry, but I have one heck of a list of my own* !!

I just try to do them with the most minimal equipment possible, such as my 5 acres of mowing on Sunday:

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/craftsman-sears/336596-sears-brush-hog.html

It probably cost me a lot more in gasoline for the little Sears than it would have cost me in diesel for Mitsubishi, but I don't know how much life is left in the Mitsubishi so
I'm "saving" it for jobs that the Sears can't do.



(* "My" list does not include my wife's list of things for me to do, which is another matter altogether...)

 

[MHarryE]

Our dealer won't stop by my house to fill the 109 gallon tank on my trailer because it's too small, but will fill it at the farm if I have it there when he makes his weekly delivery. Of course the trailer is for emergency use only and consequently most of its fills are in town at one of 2 stations that sell off-highway. Same trucker will stop in our yard to fill my dad's fuel oil furnace tank if it takes 83 gallons to fill but won't stop to fill my 109 gallon off-highway trailer. Go figure.