High Sulfur diesel in 2014 L3800

[GeoHorn]

Yes, you can with confidence just fuel with road taxed diesel. You can also used off-road (untaxed) which will be dyed red. They are identical except for the color. I personally use taxed diesel from a large volume station. The dyed fuel that is available close to me burned me with contaminated fuel years ago.


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My supplier has two nozzles at his distribution point. I pull up to the Off-Road/DyedDiesel nozzle and fill my storage tank. The ACTUAL fuel being delivered with red dye into my tank...comes from the SAME tank as that sold as ON-Road fuel. The difference is that Red Dye is injected into the line supplying the Off Road nozzle.... and there's no road taxes charged resulting in much lower cost per gal.

I.E., there's little concern at this sort of place that the fuel is more contaminated than Road Diesel. If the plumbing at the delivery station isn't in full view (as it is where I get my fuel) then simply ASK the SELLER.

I do treat my tank with a biocide because it's unlikely I'll use it all up in one season.

Forget about adding anything not specifically claiming to add lubricity to diesel fuel. I.E., don't do what Bubba does when he adds 2-stroke oil to his diesel. That is a decidedly bad idea proven by those that test such things. Lubricity is added at the refinery that produces ULSD, so it's really an old wives tale that has Bubba worried.
Got time to read about it? https://www.fuelexpert.co.za/2-stroke-oil-in-diesel-technical-study.php

 

[DeepWoods]

I am amazed at all of the quick responses. That is great! Now to continue with a couple of follow up questions,

Living in northern Minnesota, would it just be good practice to treat the fuel with Stanadyne year round?

How long does diesel stay fresh, when treated properly?

I ask these questions as not having any previous bad habits developed, I would like to practice doing the right things from the start.

Thanks for listening

 

[Daren Todd]

Around here the revenue police check pickup truck tanks (with a clear hose) at farm auctions for red dyed diesel because farmers cheat...lol I don't however, not that it isn't a temptation sometimes with 1000 gallons of off road in my bulk tank when it's full......

It's (I think) an initial fine of $1000 bucks if you get caught running off road diesel in an on road diesel engine.

We had an employee think he was being thrifty and run down and top the 45 gallon pup tank in our F250 with off road diesel. What he didn't realize was that pup tank was also plumbed and gravity fed into the trucks fuel tank. Thankfully the trucks tank was full and there was about 10 gallons of regular diesel in the pup tank before he filled it, so the trucks tank was slap full. And he used the station that was only 1/4 of a mile from the shop.

Us shop mechanics were cussing him though since we had to fill up everything in the shop that could take off road diesel. Then pull the pup tank, and steam clean it as best we could. Dry it out, then reinstall it. There bright neon yellow signs on the pup tank now saying highway fuel only.

 

[SidecarFlip]

I carry in the summer, a 110 gallon diamond plate aluminum L shaped fuel tank in the back of my F350 for fueling in the field (call my wife on the cell phone and have her deliver fuel...lol). I has off road in it all the time and I've been pulled around back at weigh stations and questioned about what is in the tank and if it's plumbed into the truck tank (has a pump on it too). I always tell them it;s off road and no, it's separate. Always looking for that pound of flesh.... Never had them look close but I'm not about to lie anyway.

One bust can buy a lot of legal fuel. Always wondered what kind of dye they used, it's pretty potent. Just a little off road in on road changes the color of the on road to red.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Living in northern Minnesota, would it just be good practice to treat the fuel with Stanadyne year round?

How long does diesel stay fresh, when treated properly?

Diesel doesn't breakdown and varnish like gasoline, so treated and water free diesel will last for many many years, not uncommon for someone to go out and start a diesel engine after it has sat for many a year.

Because here we can have such radical shifts in the temps, like 90's during the day and 40's at night, I treat all my fuel with Soltron and Stanadyne all year.

 

[DeepWoods]

Ok, so new diesel fuel will last a while, great. What about #2 heating oil that has been stored in a plastic 55 gallon drum that has been sitting outside the whole time. When we moved up here ten years ago, we switched from oil heat to propane. I pumped the fuel into the drums and it has been sitting since. I used some of it last year for starting a brush pile, and it looked ok. Can it be treated to make it safe to use?, Or best used for starting more brush fires.

 

[GeoHorn]

#2 Heating oil = #2 Diesel. Same stuff.

 

[SidecarFlip]

Ok, so new diesel fuel will last a while, great. What about #2 heating oil that has been stored in a plastic 55 gallon drum that has been sitting outside the whole time. When we moved up here ten years ago, we switched from oil heat to propane. I pumped the fuel into the drums and it has been sitting since. I used some of it last year for starting a brush pile, and it looked ok. Can it be treated to make it safe to use?, Or best used for starting more brush fires.

Your big issue will be condensation in the drums unless they are filled completely full (to the top no air space. Like Wolfman you have temperature swings and that causes condensation to form in the airspace on top. Might be ok, might not be. Crapshoot at best.

 

[fruitcakesa]

Lots of commercial diesel users in my area, and as they are offering dyed diesel at only a few stations, turnover is high. I've used it for years with no issues.
I also treat my fuel.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Can it be treated to make it safe to use?, Or best used for starting more brush fires.

Best used for starting brush fires!

 

[SidecarFlip]

Best used for starting brush fires!

So is used motor oil...lol

 

[GeoHorn]

Ok, so new diesel fuel will last a while, great. What about #2 heating oil that has been stored in a plastic 55 gallon drum that has been sitting outside the whole time. When we moved up here ten years ago, we switched from oil heat to propane. I pumped the fuel into the drums and it has been sitting since. I used some of it last year for starting a brush pile, and it looked ok. Can it be treated to make it safe to use?, Or best used for starting more brush fires.

How much/How many drums do you have? You didn't say if you had 10 gals or 110 gals... ?? If it's only a few gallons I'd use it for treating weeds and starting fires. If it's 100 gals I'd have it tested and see if it's cetane is 45 or more, in which it could be used in a tractor, etc.

 

[SidecarFlip]

How much/How many drums do you have? You didn't say if you had 10 gals or 110 gals... ?? If it's only a few gallons I'd use it for treating weeds and starting fires. If it's 100 gals I'd have it tested and see if it's cetane is 45 or more, in which it could be used in a tractor, etc.

Cetane and entrained moisture content as well as suspended solids (microbial growth). Blackstone will do that for 25 bucks and a free sample bottle.

 

[DeepWoods]

How much/How many drums do you have? You didn't say if you had 10 gals or 110 gals... ?? If it's only a few gallons I'd use it for treating weeds and starting fires. If it's 100 gals I'd have it tested and see if it's cetane is 45 or more, in which it could be used in a tractor, etc.

I had 2 55 gallon drums, but I have over the years given away half of it. As much as I would like some cheap fuel, After all the concerns brought to my attention, I can't in good conscience bring myself to pour any of it into a brand new 40k tractor. I have no idea where I could take it to have it tested, and I do have some big brush piles that I would like to see disappear, so it won't be a total waste. I've seen a lot of my money go up in smoke anyway.

 

[JerryMT]

the high sulfur diesel is ACTUALLY better for your tractor, the sulfur, despite polluting the air a hellva lot, lubricates all those pumps and fuel related parts. I am wondering if the sticker is just an old sticker - my pump use to have that sticker, new ownership and now the low sulfur is there. Everything made in the last 10 years or more is designed to run on the ultra low stuff, but the older machines really do need that little lube juice - many of us add bottled stuff to make the tractor sing better - and it does help, trust me.

But - your newer machine might not like all that good stuff - since it is a tier iv puppy - you might want to dig in and find out if that will hurt all the little sensors and stuff

here is a good read on high sulfur:

http://www.bellperformance.com/bell...-sulfur-off-road-diesel-you-need-to-know-this

Sulfur in diesel fuel is not a lubricant, it's a contaminant. The process for removing sulfur to get to ULSD removes lubricants from the fuel that are added back in the additive package. The sulfur in diesel is one of the factors that causes diesel engine lubricants to have a additive to deal with the corrosive sulfur compounds that are formed in the blow by gases that end up in the lube oil. With ULSD, there is less sulfur contamination in the oil.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

i had 2 55 gallon drums, but i have over the years given away half of it. As much as i would like some cheap fuel, after all the concerns brought to my attention, i can't in good conscience bring myself to pour any of it into a brand new 40k tractor. I have no idea where i could take it to have it tested, and i do have some big brush piles that i would like to see disappear, so it won't be a total waste. I've seen a lot of my money go up in smoke anyway.

Excellent Call! :d