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Off road diesel set up for my skid steer

clydesdale6

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 18, 2019
Messages
100
Location
NY
Hi Folks,
I am getting tired of paying $5.50 per gallon of diesel for my skid steer. I use it for all sorts of stuff on my property from plowing snow, grappling logs, backhoe use for planting, etc..... It didn't bother me so much when diesel was reasonable. I do not see it coming down in my area. So..... how do I get a small off road diesel tank to fill with home heating fuel. A 275 gallon tank would be fine and maybe I could just schedule it with my home heating fuel deliveries. It is just driving me nuts to pay this much for diesel. I also rent diesel wood chippers and stump grinders. I may not have high volume, but it is convenient and I think would eventually pay off. Any advice on how to do this or where to get a tank from? Thanks.
 

cosmaar1

Senior Member
Joined
May 14, 2020
Messages
509
Location
Ohio
Hi Folks,
I am getting tired of paying $5.50 per gallon of diesel for my skid steer. I use it for all sorts of stuff on my property from plowing snow, grappling logs, backhoe use for planting, etc..... It didn't bother me so much when diesel was reasonable. I do not see it coming down in my area. So..... how do I get a small off road diesel tank to fill with home heating fuel. A 275 gallon tank would be fine and maybe I could just schedule it with my home heating fuel deliveries. It is just driving me nuts to pay this much for diesel. I also rent diesel wood chippers and stump grinders. I may not have high volume, but it is convenient and I think would eventually pay off. Any advice on how to do this or where to get a tank from? Thanks.
Keep in mind that not going through it in a quick fashion requires you to be diligent in treating the fuel. You don’t want issues like I had in 2022. I’m still paying the price for it 8 months later.
 

willie59

Administrator
Joined
Dec 21, 2008
Messages
13,361
Location
Knoxville TN
Occupation
Service Manager
Keep in mind that not going through it in a quick fashion requires you to be diligent in treating the fuel. You don’t want issues like I had in 2022. I’m still paying the price for it 8 months later.

I was kinda thinking the same thing, a 200 gal tank to feed a skid steer and how long it would take to empty that tank, the amount of moisture that would condense? I see two other options, one mentioned above, purchase a transfer tank for your truck, I assume you do have a truck. Fill at local fuel supplier as needed. Or, you have fuel oil delivered for heat, from what I understand, and someone correct me if I'm wrong, home heating oil and #2 off road fuel is the same thing. If that's correct, install a pump in your heating oil tank to fill your skiddy as needed. Is that out of the realm of possibilities?
 

clydesdale6

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 18, 2019
Messages
100
Location
NY
Couple questions from the responses so far:
1. what is a keyed pump?
2. what is the coop? I would consider going to a supplier with two 5 gallon jugs, but I am not sure they would entertain that. I can ask. Is that usually received well?

I found this tank, which seems pretty nice. https://www.leeagra.com/diesel-fuel-trailers/dt-200-diesel-fuel-tank/

I am thinking I can always use it as a reserve for my home heating fuel and pump off into 5 gallon cans and pour into my home heating tank.
My home heating tanks are in my basement, so I can't really pump from those. But, I did pour about 60 gallons of diesel into my home heating tank this summer when home heating reached $6.15 a gallon. I did not want to get a delivery at that price. I used 5 gallon jugs of diesel to hold me over until home heating dropped to just over $4. So, a tank could also give me some extra room as to when I would need to take delivery, in theory.
 

treemuncher

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 31, 2006
Messages
733
Location
West TN
Occupation
eatin' trees, poopin' chips
Look for fuel tanks on FB Marketplace and Craigslist. If nothing else, get a couple of old semi tractor fuel tanks and mount on a trailer. You can always plumb multiple tanks to one pump and isolate each tank with ball valves. Pumps are readily available in 120v, 12v and mechanical, depending on what works best for your needs. Ebay is where I purchased my last new pump.

Get a biocide to treat your tanks at least once a year to prevent bacterial infection of the fuel. It's cheaper to treat than deal with the issues, don't I know!
 

cfherrman

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 3, 2022
Messages
1,665
Location
Hays, Kansas
Co-op, cooperative, where you sell grain too and they always have a few farm related items and fuel, they always have red diesel.

A few more places have red diesel besides co-ops. There are several places that give you a card that looks like a credit card so you can get fuel anytime and they send you a bill, no cc chargers that way.

I used a 55 drum to fill my rig for a short while, it actually works rather goo and I bought a 13v transfer pump for $20 and put a short garden hose on it. Worked enough till I got a transfer tank in the pickup bed.
 

Columbo

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 31, 2021
Messages
274
Location
New Hampshire
I have a transfer tank mounted to a heavy duty pallet. It sits in my truck some of the time and otherwise I use it as a skid tank off of the truck. The pump is wired with high amperage quick disconnect so I can power it off the truck when in the bed or I made up a jumper lead with the quick disconnects on one side and battery clamps on the other to use when the tank is out of the truck. Very handy!
upload_2023-1-18_10-33-49.jpeg
 

Coaldust

Senior Member
Joined
May 9, 2011
Messages
3,287
Location
North of the 60
Occupation
Cargo Tanks, ULSD, RUG, Methanol, LPG
A used 350 gallon UN 31Y IBC makes for a great, often low cost, fuel storage tank. Can even get them in SS.
 

Coaldust

Senior Member
Joined
May 9, 2011
Messages
3,287
Location
North of the 60
Occupation
Cargo Tanks, ULSD, RUG, Methanol, LPG
These Western Global Trans-Cubes are what all the cool kids are using. Very popular with my customers. Double walked with a lockable lid. Pump & filter is protected under the lid. Many sizes. Can even get them lined for 100LL service. D5338FA3-82E2-476C-97D4-3A69FAB3BE65.jpeg
 

Delmer

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 3, 2013
Messages
8,865
Location
WI
https://www.foxnews.com/us/californ...ons-of-diesel-fuel-in-a-minivan-officials-say
We can laugh at this guy, but he might have been legal with two barrels. Certainly would get away with it in most places.

If you'll use the fuel and don't want to haul yourself, or don't have an off road fuel pump available locally, then another 275 gallon tank filled when you fill your heating oil is a good option if you want that much storage. I'd keep the outside tank reasonably close to your house if possible, so you can siphon the older fuel into the basement tank before you refill. 100' of plastic hose is cheap enough and will move the fuel easier than using cans, even if it takes a whole day.

If you don't want to store an extra 275 gallon, then I'd rig a pump from the basement out, it could be a suction diaphragm pump outside to pull out of a plastic line fished into the vent.
 

cfherrman

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 3, 2022
Messages
1,665
Location
Hays, Kansas
It's legal to bulk haul diesel as long as it's a transfer tank and not a fuel tank.

It does remind me of a story of a guy using a minivan full of 2.5 oil jugs filled with diesel to fill a rig up.
 

Steve Frazier

Founder
Staff member
Joined
Oct 30, 2003
Messages
6,599
Location
LaGrangeville, N.Y.
I've had great results purchasing things like this from Facebook Marketplace. I picked up a 500 gallon tank in great shape with a 12 volt pump on it for $150 about an hour away. I've seen 275 tanks available for free to haul away. Depends on how quickly you need one.

Use caution hauling fuel, I'm not fresh on current rules but back when I was driving regularly you were permitted up to 300 pounds of hazardous material before you need placards and logs, that's just 40 gallons of fuel oil. Fines are big!!
 

digger doug

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 2, 2011
Messages
1,371
Location
NW Pennsylvania
Occupation
Thrash-A-Matic designer
GEDC0138.JPG GEDC0139.JPG ...that's why you use an un-modified 55 gallon drum to haul. It's normal to haul them in your truck as a regular load.

This is my 300 gallon tank, I made the platform & roof structure for it, fuel oil truck delivers it, let him pump it up there. Even welded up a ladder on the opposite side to access the top filler.
Gravity dispenses, no pumps, no electricity needed.
It is a bit too large, as I only fill it about every 3 years, so am running the risk of bacteria.

Hence the recommendation for the OP to simply carry the 55 gallon drum to the vendor, and then lift it
with the skid steer and set in on a rack for gravity dispensing. I would have a local fab shop roll some rings out of 1/8" x 2" flat strap with a 90 bend at the ends to clamp onto the barrel, with a loop welded to each one for a lifting strap. Don't weld the loop directly on the barrel, that is modifying.
 
Last edited:

Rob Gunn

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 18, 2013
Messages
163
Location
Buchanan, MI
As stated above, keep in mind how much you use in a give amount of time. I used a 55 gal drum with hand pump for my farm storage for a few years. Over time I stated to have issues with my fuel. Turns out that I wasn't using enough over time to keep it fresh even with treatment. I now find that a 15 gal portable tank seems to fit my need much better and easier to haul in and out of truck for re-fill in town. Just giving my 2 cent worth...
 
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