Transporting and storing gas/diesel

Homesteading & Country Living Forum

Help Support Homesteading & Country Living Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

AdmiralD7S

Senior Voice of Reason
Neighbor
Joined
Nov 30, 2017
Messages
153
Time once again to turn to the experts!

The wife and I have put a down-payment on a tractor to take care of the 16 acres that we're building a house on this summer. I anticipate burning 200-300 gallons of fuel this first year as we get the fields and woods in shape. As you can imagine, I'm not looking forward to hauling multiple fuel cans to town and back all the time. Also, I'd like my wife to be able to fill up the tractor on her own, and holding a 40# fuel can 4' away from her at chest level is a non-starter.

I'd like to get, say, a 100 gallon above-ground fuel tank that has a fuel nozzle so the wife (and I!) can pull up next to our "home pump" and fill up the tractor. However, I know there are laws regarding the filling of containers that are in the bed of trucks or on trailers. I'm also pretty sure there's safety concerns with fuel sloshing around a metal container (static electricity and gas fumes). I also can't go too large or I won't be able to get the fuel tank OFF my truck/trailer.

Any thoughts, product recommendations, or general advice?
 
I think a 100-300 gallon tank on a stand at your house/shop. Get a 50 gallon or so tank for your truck/trailer and transfer to the larger tank at home. You don't want to haul a large amount of fuel any further than needed. It'll drive your fuel expenses up drastically. You could also check with your local Co-op or feed/seed type store. A lot of them will make large farm deliveries. The cost is not great and will save you a lot of time.
 
Congrats on your new tractor. Would you tell us what mfgr and model? Wondering the size and whether it's gas or diesel and if you got a loader for it.
Assuming it's a diesel, unless you bought something pretty big or plan on spending a lot of seat time on it, you may be overestimating your fuel consumption.

If you bought a FEL (front-end loader):
A) You'll find it's by far the best attachment you'll have for your tractor.
B) It'll come in very handy for loading and unloading fuel tank you put in your truck to run and get gas.

I agree with Bacpacker's suggestions with these add-on thoughts.
1. Check Craigslist for fuel tanks and pumps that may meet your needs.

2. A fuel pump for gas is a lot more expensive than one for diesel.

3. I find 5-gallon plastic fuel cans my friend. If you don't find a decent fuel tank/pump for in your truck, go with the cans. When I go to the station for fuel, I take and fill 18 5-gallon cans (that pretty much fills the bed of my truck). That gives me 90 gallons per trip to the store. Bring those home and put them in a bulk tank. I can load the cans, go to the station, fill cans, return home & unload those 90 gallons in under an hour. If you installed an elevated bulk tank, you could A) fill the tank from the 5-gallon cans while standing on the bed of your truck and B), gravity feed into your tractor without the need for a pump.

4. If you are considering 5-gallon cans, again, check Craigslist, yard sales... They're too expensive when new. If you're dumping into a bulk tank, either have a good, high-volume funnel or replace those cheap nozzles with EZ-Pour nozzles. I'd go with the high-volume type.

5. If you're looking for a fuel tank you can carry in your truck, look at what you're buying carefully. Most are not made for gas. Most have lifting rings on top but they're not for lifting the tank when full. You can't just lift the tank out when it's full and use that on your farm.
 
Install a above ground storage tank that is gravity feed to fill your tractor. Call the local fuel supply company and have them fill it for you.

Tank.JPG
 
Congrats on your new tractor. Would you tell us what mfgr and model? Wondering the size and whether it's gas or diesel and if you got a loader for it.
...

It's a Rural King RK24 w/ the FEL and the 3rd function factory installed for a future grapple (http://www.rktractors.com/products-tractors-rk24-series-rk-tractors.php). It's as large as I could go without getting so big I'd be tearing up the yard when I use it to mow. It's also small enough that my wife can handle it very comfortably.

...
Assuming it's a diesel, unless you bought something pretty big or plan on spending a lot of seat time on it, you may be overestimating your fuel consumption.
...

It's only a 24HP Yanmar diesel engine, but it'll be mowing around 11-12 acres 1-2 times a week, plus moving all the feed around the farm and rototilling a large garden (last one was 10,000 square feet). It will also be running a wood splitter, a wood chipper, and possibly a (small) stump grinder. I'll also be getting an auger to put in 200-300 trees plus fence posts (although I may just hammer those in).

On top of that, I'll be using a borrowed diesel Ford 4500 w/ FEL and backhoe to clean out ~2,500' of road ditch from all the junk trees/brushes, reestablish the slope of the ditch, and dig all the junk trees and brush from the woods (4-5 acres).

I figure that I'll use 200-300 gallons the first year, with 100 gallons annually afterwards. Right now, I use 30 gallons of gas a year for our old Dixon 4515B ZTR to mow and rake the 2 acres where we're at now (42" deck).

...
If you bought a FEL (front-end loader):
A) You'll find it's by far the best attachment you'll have for your tractor.
B) It'll come in very handy for loading and unloading fuel tank you put in your truck to run and get gas.
...

Yup!...although I'll probably get more use out the pallet forks (Land Pride PFL2042 - (https://www.landpride.com/products/97/pfl20-pfl30-pfle45-pfle55-pfle64-series-pallet-forks) than the bucket.

...
I agree with Bacpacker's suggestions with these add-on thoughts.
1. Check Craigslist for fuel tanks and pumps that may meet your needs.

2. A fuel pump for gas is a lot more expensive than one for diesel.

3. I find 5-gallon plastic fuel cans my friend. If you don't find a decent fuel tank/pump for in your truck, go with the cans. When I go to the station for fuel, I take and fill 18 5-gallon cans (that pretty much fills the bed of my truck). That gives me 90 gallons per trip to the store. Bring those home and put them in a bulk tank. I can load the cans, go to the station, fill cans, return home & unload those 90 gallons in under an hour. If you installed an elevated bulk tank, you could A) fill the tank from the 5-gallon cans while standing on the bed of your truck and B), gravity feed into your tractor without the need for a pump.

4. If you are considering 5-gallon cans, again, check Craigslist, yard sales... They're too expensive when new. If you're dumping into a bulk tank, either have a good, high-volume funnel or replace those cheap nozzles with EZ-Pour nozzles. I'd go with the high-volume type.

5. If you're looking for a fuel tank you can carry in your truck, look at what you're buying carefully. Most are not made for gas. Most have lifting rings on top but they're not for lifting the tank when full. You can't just lift the tank out when it's full and use that on your farm.

Good advice, thanks! I've seen ones with the lift rings, but also read it was for empty lifting. I'd love to find a tank that could be lifted out with pallet forks. I'd be limited to lifting around 125 gallons of diesel at a time, but that'd be fine as well.
 
Install a above ground storage tank that is gravity feed to fill your tractor. Call the local fuel supply company and have them fill it for you.

View attachment 10011
Would they even bother with me getting something like 100 gallons at a time? The farmer I've rented the land out to for the last couple years buys 4,000 gallons at a shot. Guess it'd be like the concrete companies, waiting for enough orders in an area to justify a full load, and then start piece-mealing everyone out.
 
Would they even bother with me getting something like 100 gallons at a time? The farmer I've rented the land out to for the last couple years buys 4,000 gallons at a shot. Guess it'd be like the concrete companies, waiting for enough orders in an area to justify a full load, and then start piece-mealing everyone out.

100 gallons is a 100 gallons, they would not get rich off of you but business is business. They have routes and they would fill yours when they fill others on the same route. A call to them and asking costs you nothing.
 
That 24HP Yanmar is just going to sip fuel. I'll bet you easily get over 2 hours of run time per gallon doing general chores. It might go a little below 2 hours per gallon when running at PTO speeds. Basically, if you run it all day, you'll only go through about 3 gallons.

Some other thoughts/notes based on your post:
Log splitter - personally, I definitely prefer a stand-alone wood splitter. Why put all the hours on your tractor when the splitting can be handled by a little 5HP Briggs engine? Also, if you have it attached to your tractor, A) you have to swap implements more often than you want and B) your tractor is tied up and can't do other things (like haul wood to your splitter) with the splitter attached. Myself, I just store a stand-alone splitter in or next to the wood shed and my tractor is always free to do other things.

Wood chipper - Wood chippers are like boats. Your 2 happiest days with it are the day you buy it and the day you sell it. All those days in between, you're going to find they're too slow and not worth the effort. Just take that stuff you were going to chip up and burn it. It's 20-times faster.

Post hole digger - They're pricey for as often as you'll use it. I'd ask your friends or neighbors if they have one you can borrow. If not, you'll use it maybe 5-10 days then you have to store it forevermore.

Fuel - 100 gallons is a bit small for a truck to come to you. Around here, it's a 250 gallon minimum unless you want to pay a delivery fee. I'd ask that guy that buys 4000 gallons if you can buy from him or at least put your tank(s) next to his and have yours filled the same time the truck delivers to him.
 
Damn. You're pretty far away from the PA line. Was thinking about loaning you implements but you're too far away.
PS. Love Wright-Patt. I was in USMC aviation for years but the Air Force has an awesome place (and museum) at Wright-Patt.
 
Install a above ground storage tank that is gravity feed to fill your tractor. Call the local fuel supply company and have them fill it for you.

View attachment 10011
Lazy, my tank is almost an exact match for that. I bought mine off Craiglist from a guy that had used it for home heating oil. It's 285 gallons and IIRC cost $85.

Admiral, I'd like to know how your tractor does this year. My old boss at work is looking strongly at getting one. zoomzoom had some good ideas. I certainly agree with him about the log splitter and chipper.
I don't know what the minimum delivery amount is around here, but I bet they will combine deliveries and parcel out smaller amounts sometimes. Losing business if they don't.
 
...
Admiral, I'd like to know how your tractor does this year. My old boss at work is looking strongly at getting one.
...
Absolutely! I'm getting the RK24 w/ FEL, 3rd function for a (future) grapple, front pallet forks, a 1.5 ton hydraulic dump trailer, 54" rototiller, 60" (maybe 72") rear-discharge finish mower, and possibly a few other implements. My dad purchased the RK37HC w/ FEL and backhoe. The H is hydrostatic and the C is the cab, which gives you heat, A/C, wipers, "normal" radio, and shortwave radio.

I'll make a dedicated thread for my thoughts on those tractors and to answer any questions. Expect to see that sometime in the next month when mine actually shows up :)
 
Thanks Admiral. I don't know what model he was looking at. But we have talked about the brand many times. They are good looking tractors. We just had a new Rural King move in an old abandoned KMart last year. I was glad to see it. Maybe start driving prices at Tractor Supply down a little too.
 
I like the setup that The Lazy L showed. My folks have had a 500 gallon tank like that for longer than I can remember. A year later have them top it off, or wait till the end of the second summer. Look into the price breaks. around here a 500 gallon break is common. Oil companies make regular runs or they don't sell enough fuel to stay open.

Around here 55 gallon drums range from $25 to free. You could put a couple of those in the back of your truck.
 
Tractor supply sells the ones made to go in the bed of a truck. Put a transfer pump on it to move to a free standing tank and use the tractor to move the empty out of the truck until needed again.
 
Back
Top