diesel on the farmstead

[bookwormom]

how does one keep a goodly supply? 55 gallon drum? in ground? where do you get it, does someone deliver?

[walls0stone]

call your local fuel company, they do all the work and are responcible for much of it... keep it above ground unless your going to be farming big.

[Funkhouser]

I wonder if home-brewed biodiesel from WVO would be more economically feasible on a small to medium-scale operation?

[Drawbar]

We had to get sneaky this year. They just passed a law here in Maine where farmers can no longer use #2 Fuel oil in our tractors. Fuel oil is a lot cheaper then off-road diesel fuel, which of course cheaper then on-road fuel (because of taxes).

Now since our tractors do not travel on the roads, we are exempt from taxes on fuel and have been using fuel oil for years and years. Now they want us to buy off-road fuel (or on road fuel and fill out a tax form to claim the money back) to keep 'better track of fuel oil prices and to make sure it used for heating purposes only."

So for years we have had a 275 gallon tank outside, and three tanks inside my dad's home to keep his boiler going. We figured we would tell the oil dealer to fill it and it would be no big deal. Nope they won't fill it for nothing, farmers have to buy off-road diesel fuel...period.

So my dad and I got sneaky and plumbed the outside tank to the three inside tanks. That way when they go to fill the inside tanks, they are also filling the outside tank. Since the boiler in the house draws off all four tanks, they cannot say anything.

For what its worth, we have a hand cranked pump that pumps the fuel from that tank to the tractors fuel tank. That works very good.

(PS: If you want to know what the difference between homesteading and farming is, it can be summed up in one word. Regulation. You would not believe what it requires now to be a farmer. The regulatory requirements are getting to be insane.)

[walls0stone]

Is that the only diffrance Drawbar? I'm getting sick of the treatment from all sides... that and the nancy-boy wanna be farmers... should show some people the business end of a real rebelion and start shooting milk trucks.

[WRTN]

Home heating oil HHO and #2 diesel are substantially similar but not always the same. In some cases they are the same. The problem is how do you tell?

Rather than go into all of the details. Here is everything you ever wanted to know about diesel and fuel oil but were afraid to ask.

http://www.chevron.com/products/ourfuels/prodserv/fuels/documents/Diesel_Fuel_Tech_Review.pdf

pay special attention to page 29, dialup users beware this is a 2.1 Mb file.

My personal view is that NONE of the current crap aka ULSD is completely safe to burn as much of the lubrication properties were refined out when the sulfur compounds were removed. I run a good fuel additive and 2 stroke lube oil at a 100:1 ration in my Cummins just to be on the safe side to protect the injector pump, injectors, and lift pump.

HHO may not always have the typical #1 or #2 diesel fuel additives to help protect the engine and run properly.

Just be aware and be careful. I have already had my injector pump replaced under warranty because of bad fuel lubrication issues related to ULSD as have 1,000's of others. At about $2500 a pop, you don't want to have this done often.

Anyway enjoy the read. ;D

[bookwormom]

guys, I am so glad you are here. what would we do without you. we do not have an oil furnace. I just found out you can not bury the fuel tank.

[Drawbar]

Oh good golly no. In fact even if you have one outside and its small enough not to be required to have a containment berm or retainment system, you might want to make one anyway. These things can and do leak. Even a berm around it lined with plastic would be better then nothing in case of a leak.

I whine and complain because of USDA regulations, but for the most part it is for my own good. Ditches, water bars, gully's and that !@#$%$%^ CNMP...are all good things to have. I do live here after all.

[max]

I put in a 1000 gal fiberglass tank buried in sand. No way that's going to leak.