Bio Diesel fuel maintenance factors

[Norman]

Tried a search already, hope I didn't miss anything yet so here goes...

U.S. based....was at the pump the other day and saw a decal on the diesel pump that said "may contain up to 5% bio". After going through my manual for the LX2610 it appears that using bio is okay with certain conditions, and 5% appears to be a very low amount.

I just wanted to confirm my findings since I'm new to tractors and especially diesel fuel use and don't want to void any warranties. For my situation of possibly 5% bio there is no change to the fuel and oil filter changes, it seems to only change when 6% and above. Also, for long term storage with up to 5% bio, the tank should be drained if stored longer than 3 months and the machine run with light mineral oil diesel to purge the lines.

Lastly, FWIW, the bio decal was on "road" diesel", I haven't seen the decal on the "offroad" diesel pump nearest to my home. In case you're wondering, the offroad diesel location isn't exactly what I'd call a choice location, so I might need to use on road diesel from a reputable fueling station instead.

Thanks.

 

[sheepfarmer]

You might want to always add an "algae inhibitor" to your tank every time you fill it.

 

[RalphVa]

Bio will clean crud out the fuel tank. That crud can plug fuel filters. One time I ever had a plugged fuel filter on the Benz 240D was after about 3 tankfuls of the part bio fuel. This was over 25 years and 215k miles.

 

[JustLuckey]

Tried a search already, hope I didn't miss anything yet so here goes...

U.S. based....was at the pump the other day and saw a decal on the diesel pump that said "may contain up to 5% bio". After going through my manual for the LX2610 it appears that using bio is okay with certain conditions, and 5% appears to be a very low amount.

I just wanted to confirm my findings since I'm new to tractors and especially diesel fuel use and don't want to void any warranties. For my situation of possibly 5% bio there is no change to the fuel and oil filter changes, it seems to only change when 6% and above. Also, for long term storage with up to 5% bio, the tank should be drained if stored longer than 3 months and the machine run with light mineral oil diesel to purge the lines.

Lastly, FWIW, the bio decal was on "road" diesel", I haven't seen the decal on the "offroad" diesel pump nearest to my home. In case you're wondering, the offroad diesel location isn't exactly what I'd call a choice location, so I might need to use on road diesel from a reputable fueling station instead.

Thanks.

Check out this link, it may help.

Kubota | Biodiesel Fuel Guide - Farm Equipment

Read our guide for selecting the correct fuel for your tractor engine. Learn more about the benefits of biodiesel fuels for approved Kubota products now.

www.kubotausa.com

 

[JustLuckey]

Bio will clean crud out the fuel tank. That crud can plug fuel filters. One time I ever had a plugged fuel filter on the Benz 240D was after about 3 tankfuls of the part bio fuel. This was over 25 years and 215k miles.

I’m no expert, but I’ve done a ton of research and made biodiesel for a couple years. BD is a natural solvent (think of it as the fuel having an additive or detergent), so you’re reply is relevant that it will clean out the crud in the tank/lines and will eventually be caught in the filter. However, this is a good thing if you are expecting it. How soon will it clog things up? Maybe right away, maybe never. Depends on age of the machine, amount of crud in your lines, and age of filter (how clean or dirty it already is).
My advice is to use BD (if nothing else, occasionally), but have a spare filter handy.
Biodiesel is generally a good thing. It has a net positive energy output (takes less energy to manufacture it than it puts out), unlike ethanol (which is net negative), among its many unattractive properties.

 

[Norman]

Check out this link, it may help.

Kubota | Biodiesel Fuel Guide - Farm Equipment

Read our guide for selecting the correct fuel for your tractor engine. Learn more about the benefits of biodiesel fuels for approved Kubota products now.

www.kubotausa.com

Thanks, that's a helpful article from Kubota. They don't list the LX model, but the document might be a few years old since the LX manual does talk about it as acceptable. This and the discussion helps me understand the possible impacts of biodiesel, thank you again.

 

[mattwithcats]

A brief note on biodiesel...

Biodiesel has a Cetane of 50, regular diesel is 40, so it is a little thinner.
You get about 80% power from bio verses regular diesel.

There are three main types, Under 20%, Over 20%, and 20%...

Under 20% is used as a lubricity agent, Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel is stiff, and biodiesel up to 20% is used to make it flow better. Emissions are a little better, and there should be not compatibility problems.

Over 20% has a few problems...
The first, it can act as a cleaning agent on your fuel tank
All the sludge left behind by regular diesel gets loosened up, and can clog your fuel filter, .
Watch "This Old House" on PBS where they remove a home heating oil tank from a basement.
Sludge on the walls and bottom of the tank looks like pudding,
The local food service company ran 100% bio in a few trucks as a test,
they went through three fuel filters on most trucks before the sludge was cleaned out...
After that, they ran fine.
100% bio can have a bad effect on gaskets too.
The higher Centane can dissolve old (made before mid 1990's) gaskets, however most modern tractors use material that is proof to the solvent effect.

And then there is 20%
20% is the magic number for percentage of emissions decrease..
that is if you plot out how much the emissions improves as more bio is added,
it works out to a bell curve
Your fuel filter may look a little gunky, and I would cut the change interval by half, but other than that, it should run with no compatibility problems in a machine built after the mid '90's