#1 missed maintenance item

[MapleLeafFarmer]

so our retired farmers club (our morning meet up group for coffee and pie at local diner) consists of our group of over the hill farmers. We talk / argue / fight over all kinds of things prior to starting our days work. non of us overly educated / some days our table is full and counting years of experience we often get near 1,000 combined years of farming experience across the group. It amazes us.

today the topic was delayed / missed maintenance on our equipment.

what kind of maintenance (preventative/seasonal/other) is most often missed by your hired help / family members?

seems like we are seeing a lot of fuel issues these days as bio-diesel is creeping onto more yard sites. given we get petroleum only diesel delivered to our yards I never thought this topic would kick up such a hornets nest of hate. I just didn't know as I rarely ever get exposed to bio diesel.

So Kubota says no troubles using up to B20 but:
- replace fuel filter every 200 hrs
- replace all fuel lines every 2 years
- If using up to B5 drain fuel tanks and replace with fresh every 3 months, and if B5 to B20 is used then the tractors tanks should be drained every month! so an extreme keep your fuel fresh approach is needed. Must be hard for guys that don't run a tank of fuel a month or so.

our local dealer e-mailed me the following clip and I had no idea. no wonders so much fuel related problems are surprising guys.

I got schooled.

 

[armylifer]

You may get arguments from some people concerning bio fuels but they are recognized as unstable by most government agencies that depend on their emergency fleets being dependable. Even the US Army used only straight non-bio fuels when I was in the service. I don't know what they use these days but I suspect that it is the same. Bio fuels are just a plain bad idea.

 

[Bee-Positive]

I can see why you "poked the hornets nest"

I'm a complete "knob" when it comes to diesel fuel (and most other things) so be kind with your answer.

Here's my (derailed) train of thought.
Local gas stations sell ethanal gas at some percentage almost exclusively.
I get my diesel from the local gas stations, granted only 10 gallons every couple of months.
Is the diesel they sell straight petroleum or could they incorporate some % of bio mixed in.
And would they have to label it on the pump as such like they do with E-gas?

 

[JasonW]

All my local stations have a sticker by the diesel pumps that state Up to 20% biodiesel. So it could be 0% or up to 20% at any given time.

I have used diesel that has sat over a year in my transfer tank with no issue, on several different machines including my truck. Although it was treated with Power Service or Hot Shots Secret.

 

[armylifer]

In my state they used to have to label any pump that had B5 or above. However, some years ago they changed the law so that they only have to label B20 and above. If you want to know what you are getting for sure, you will have to ask the manager what they are ordering. Even then it is questionable as to what you are really getting if you are buying from a convenience store. You have to purchase from a major dealer to really know for sure that you are getting what you want.

 

[Bee-Positive]

Being NY State I imagine they'd have to label it.
I just never thought to look but sure will next time I fill up.

 

[MapleLeafFarmer]

It can be confusing.

first pic is #2 with undefined bio content, next 99% bio diesel from this pump, then 20% from this pump, and finally these guys say somewhere between 5 and 20% but wont tell exactly. Confusing? My supplier has reg. and premium diesel, no bio to farms, blended #1 and #2 depending on expected temp. but won't say exactly.

 

[NCL4701]

Is there a treatment that stabilizes bio-diesel?