Refueling

SageBrush · Jul 10, 2003

Thats real close to the prices down here. In GA off road is an even $1.00 from the truck, probably .95 or less self serve. In AL the service station charges $1.13, I hope the oil company in Oxford can beat that if I pick it up. Farm is in Alabama, home is in Georgia. That .13 makes a differance for my volume.

icat · Jul 14, 2003

Chief - That's a pretty nice setup.

Had the oppertunity to refill for the first time this weekend. Took the big yellow 5 gallon plastic wally world special jug down to the local Exxon and loaded up. That was my first mistake. Put the jug in the back of the SUV. That was my second mistake. Dove VERY slowly back to the farm (only thing I did right). Tried to pour 5 gallons of Diesel into the fuel container without spilling any - I don't think that's even possible! /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif Anyway, got most of the 5 gallons in and only spilled a little. But it's quite obvious that there are better ways.

My local fill'em up station is about 2 and a half miles from the farm. The highway isn't a real busy road and it has a nice wide shoulder - so, what do you guys think about just driving over next time? In high gear I should be able to do 15 mph or so. Maybe take 10 minutes to drive over - 5 to filler up and pay for the fuel - 10 to drive back. Total time out and back should be less than 30 minutes. The trip by SUV was quicker, but the smell of the Diesel in the back wasn't pretty. Had to drive back with the windows down. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I think I'd really prefer to install a refueling station at the farm. Just got to cost justify with the CFO! /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

Magruder · Jul 14, 2003

Now t that is a good idea. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

Pks · Jul 17, 2003

Casimir,

How fast is your method with the TSC hand pump?

jwstewar · Jul 17, 2003

I'm not Casimir so I can't speak for him, but I have the same pump Han-D Pump from TSC. On my New Holland TC24 I only have a 5.3 gallon tank. Since I haven't let it go below 1/4 tank I usually only have to pump about 3 1/2 gallons. I'm usually just there leisurely pumping as so far I've been talking to someone while doing it and it might take 2 - 3 minutes. Which isn't that much slower than pouring straight from the can't as the can I have is one of those "self-venting" and doesn't have the little air hole. Doesn't pour real fast. W/o having counted the pumps I would say maybe 20 - 30. Quite a bit of gas - ooops /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif diesel comes out w/ each pump. I was really surprised how well this thing worked. Usually the cheap aproach doesn't work very well. Would I want to fill one of the big boys up with a 50 gallon tank, but for my little 24 it works great.

DavidJ · Jul 19, 2003

what do you guys think about just driving over next time? 

Remember, If you're on the tractor going to get fuel, it's seat time /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif, If you're in the SUV it's a chore /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif . Besides you'll get to enjoy the scenery more from the tractor seat /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif .

I feel really lucky about my situation. The closest station is about 3/8 mile around an unpaved road and the pumps are set up so I never have to leave the platform to fuel up, so no question about hauling fuel. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

icat · Jul 20, 2003

Well I have to admit, "driving over" sure was tempting this weekend. Ran out of fuel TWICE! Now that's seat time. Went and bought a second yellow can so I wouldn't have to put quite so much fuel in each. Then went and spilled diesel all over the can when I glanced up to check the gallons on the pump! /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif As you can tell, I don't usually refill from cans. Anyway, after cleaning up the "fuel spill" - and feeling quite glad that I was in a truck instead of the SUV - I then went and spilled diesel all over the tractor on the second can! /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

Needless to say, when I ran out this morning I figured I had done enough damage and went home. I'll tackle the refill when I go back next weekend. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

DavidJ · Jul 20, 2003

Sounds like a candidate for a han-d-pump /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif. If you've ran out that many times, you are getting in some serious seat time /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif .

AndyM · Jul 20, 2003

I've never driven the tractors to refuel at the local gas station (about 3/4 mile away), but I have used their self serve car wash bays to take advantage of their soapy pressure washers. They came in real handy when I buried the 8N up to the rear axle in mud. Had to wash it all off somehow...

You get some strange looks when you're in the car wash bay with a tractor and the guy in the next bay over is washing his BMW!!! /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif Make sure you bring plenty of quarters though!

icat · Jul 20, 2003

Andy, that's a pretty good idea. Here I was looking at pressure washers and wondering how to get that one past the CFO! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif As it turns out, there's a car wash bay just down from the station. Oh, in Yoakum, there's no need to worry about a BMW in the next bay (unless maybe they're lost). Heck, they look at my Isuzu Tropper SUV like it's from outer space or something. No telling what they would do if I showed up in the Porsche! /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Nik · Jul 20, 2003

I bought a no spill spout and attached it to a 5 gallon plastic diesel container. I bought a cheap strap wrench from SEARS which I use to tighten and unloosen the spout from the container. That way there are no leaks. Also I sometimes only fill it with 4 gallons to make lifting easier. The spout is designed to stop fuel flow when the tank is full. I use this setup to easily fuel a Kubota L3710, NH TC33 and a smaller kubota. I will try to post pictures of it. Had a hand pump in the past but this was laborious.

MikePA · Jul 21, 2003

I will try to post pictures of it. 
How well do they work?

DavidJ · Jul 21, 2003

I think that would be handy to have. Where did you find it? I might consider getting a couple for fueling gasoline as well as diesel equipment.

jmc · Jul 21, 2003

Re: special refueling funnel

In case no one else mentioned it, there is a funnel with tabs on the outside of the neck to lock into the quarter turn slots on your tank . (These are the slots that the fuel cap locks into.) I inherited mine from Dad. It fit his 8n and it fits my Ford 1920 that is 40 years newer. Must be a standard connection. Although you still have to lift the fuel, at least you have a big, rigiid target once its up there. Also you don't need the tiny spout that slows down the flow.

Trev · Jul 21, 2003

Well, what I did was have a 300-gallon skid tank of off-road diesel set up behind the garage, refilled periodically by the same folks who provide our normal heating oil. Hand pump on it. Just stick the nozzle in and crank for a while.

When the big ice storm hit last winter, I was glad I had the extra storage, as the tractor was running 24x7 turning a generator. Of course, in that situation, I was back to filling again with 5-gallon cans.. which was kind of a hassle.. for all the reasons so well-articulated by others. One foot on the operator platform, one on the right front tire, etc.

Maybe someday I'll rig a pump to get the fuel into the garage in case of another extended power outage. Not sure it's worth it.. but during the outage I smelled of diesel the whole time. Get up in the morning, pump some fuel into the cans, lug to the tractor, fuel it, go to work, come home, do the same thing again, and on, and on, and on... power was out a bit over a week here.

This was a time I was glad I had a manual trans.. as I'm told otherwise the HST fluid would have been pumping the entire time. As it was, I just shut it down once, changed oil and filter, and brought it right back on-line. Easy maintenance, although the hour meter went up a bit. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Guess this rambling is to suggest that, if you have any plans of generating power with diesel (whether with your tractor or a standalone unit), having plenty on hand is a good thing. Without power to run the gas station pumps, I'd have been out of fuel in a day or two if just relying on my two 5-gallon cans.

Bob

Gary_in_Indiana · Jul 21, 2003

"One foot on the operator platform, one on the right front tire, etc." 

You know, I never thought about that as a problem. I guess that's a plus to being tall I hadn't even considered. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif I fill my tank from a five gallon container while standing flatfooted on the ground next to it. If I were a foot shorter with appropriately shorter arms it might be tough, though.

Gary_in_Indiana · Jul 21, 2003

"The highway isn't a real busy road and it has a nice wide shoulder - so, what do you guys think about just driving over next time?" 

The only thing I'll mention to you about driving over is, that if you're going to do it, do it on the road, not on the shoulder. If you're on the road, you have all the rights of any other vehicle there. If you're on the shoulder and anything happens it's your fault for driving on the shoulder. We've had two separate incidents here in the past year where a farmer was trying to be a good guy and drive on the shoulder only to be hit. In each instance, the farmer driving the tractor was listed as "at fault" for the accident.

I'm not saying I agree with this. I'm only reporting what happened. When I drive half a mile down to the Kubota store or a mile or so to the truck stop, I do it legally in my lane with my SMV sign displayed and my lights and flashers on.

icat · Jul 21, 2003

Thanks Gary - That's good advice. The SMV triangle and the flashing lights are all ready to go. I think I'll explore a bit in the SUV and see if I can find a back road that will get me there.

Got out on the road in front of the property on Sunday to cut the ditch. First chance I had to actually drive on a road. Man, those R4's make some funky sounds on pavement. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

F350Lawman · Jul 21, 2003

If you want a low cost solution try the local car wash. They have 55 gallon detergent drums and the have a plastic pump that screws onto the top of the drum. Just rinse it out and let it dry and you have a great low cost filling station. You can either ask the oli guy to fill it or use a pick up truck to go wherever they sell off-road fuel and unload it with your front end loader when you get home.

This is what I am going to use. I have had the can for several years. I got it for free but you should be able to "buy" one from the car wash for a $20. I think the detergent distributors charge them a small fee if they don't return the drum and the pump can't cost them much either. Luckily mine came with the pump.

MikePA · Jul 22, 2003

and the pump can't cost them much either. Luckily mine came with the pump. 
You have to make sure that the plastic drum and pump are rated to handle diesel fuel. There were several threads, here's one, a while ago about the different types of plastic and whether it was rated to handle fuel. You wouldn't want the drum or the pump to slowly leach stuff into your fuel system.

I did the research by first determining what kind of plastic the diesel fuel cans are made of (high-density polyethylene), then bought a plastic barrel made of the same stuff. Then I bought a pump designed to pump diesel fuel.