Today's Off Road Diesel

Bill VA · Jan 27, 2016

I am to understand that with the newest variant of diesel, ultra low sulfur, there is really no difference between on road and off road - other than red dye in off road diesel and no highway tax added to the price. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

With this 2015/2016 year diesel, with respect to off road, are there still winter/summer formulas?

Just read that the stock market was up yesterday as crude oil prices turned up a tad. Probably going to pull the trigger on whatever off road diesel at it's lowest price - for the year before any price increase. Saw it for $1.39 per gallon a week or so ago. Don't know where it is today.

So any difference between today's off road diesel summer/winter variants? Any downside/harm in running the tractor hard with winter formula in 100 degs F August weather while haying?

Thanks,
Bill

Mike M · Jan 27, 2016

I'm going out on a limb and say that I'm betting all fuel be it gas or diesel is blended different for winter. And the winter blends do not get as good of mileage either.

jon f mn · Jan 27, 2016

Off or on road diesel is the same at any given time from the same distributor the only difference being the dye. Winter and summer blends vary tho and summer blends have more energy in them hence more power/better economy. For farm use you may be able to buy for later delivery to get summer fuel.

caterpillar guy · Jan 27, 2016

There is no threat of problems running winter fuel in summer time. Might be a small amount of difference in consumption, for the winter over summer fuel. I usually fill tanks in the fall for the year. I have not had problems with winter freezing, nor summer time running.
I am about to fill up for the next year soon. I would like to get enough for a couple of years.

Jim in rush co · Jan 27, 2016

Bill, our co-op DX-4 is different but I don't know how much. Not sure what month they do the switch. I was going ask today while I'm in there and also check on price.

onefarmer · Jan 27, 2016

I'm going to say my local Off-road dealer has the same fuel year-a-round. It gells very easy in cold weather and I have to treat it myself. Which is ok with me since I use it most in summer anyway.

They do treat their on-road since the local warehouse uses them as their supplier for their trucks.

VADAVE · Jan 27, 2016

Bill I have found that in VA there very few dealers handling Mixed fuel. You can restore some of the lubricatiy when soybean oil is added. The price doesn't change much and older tractors like it better.

hd6gtom · Jan 27, 2016

Bill I spent 15 years in the fuel business hauling the the farmers. The fuel diesel delivered to my bulk plant was the same summer or winter. It was up to me to blend it 1/2 X 1/2. I started around the first part of October. All the farmers I delievered to had livestock to feed, they insisted it be blended that way. some of the heavy cattle feeders ran straight #1 in the winter. I have been out many a time to competitors accounts in the middle of winter because those guys did not blend and would not come out to deliever fuel after hours or on holidays.

JayinNY · Jan 27, 2016

I run home heating oil in my tractors treated with power service in the winter, the guy that sell the home heating oil at a pump has a 2000 gallon tank inside an uninsulated building, I don't know if he treats it or not, but iv never seen any problems pumping it from his tank into my cans.

Jim in rush co · Jan 27, 2016

Bill,I made it back form town. Harvest Land Co-op said they start blending in November and again in Febuary for the DX-4 prenimun low sulfur. Price in Indiana today $1.609.

Jerry/MT · Jan 27, 2016

Off road diesel = on road diesel with red dye and you don"t ay the road tax on it.
Depending on how your winter fuel is blended, there may be a little more #1 diesel in it and it has a reduced lower heating value which means your fuel usage might increase a bit. Nothing will be hurt by running winter fuel in the summer. What you don"t want to do is have summer fuel in the tank when the ambient temperatures are below freezing. You can treat summer fuel to winterize it. Last time I looked (last week) our off road diesel was $1.28/gallon.

Frank41 · Jan 27, 2016

I have done two things. I do not use bio in my farm tractors but only some times in trucks. Caseys new store has non-bio diesel. In my trucks, I use an additive in the winter in my semi(1993 N14) plus 1 gallon of gas per 50 gallons of diesel if it gets real cold but I do not use it that much. I use gas in my tractors if it gets real cold. In my 6.7 Ford I use Power Service year around. When I can not get to the non-bio, I try to hit the stations that do not cause problems. I have a station that I was changing filters every other day. So I definately do not buy fuel there in the winter. Out of state trucks buy it but they never shut their trucks off and have tank heaters.

notjustair · Jan 27, 2016

I paid extra in the fall for dyed fuel good down to zero degrees or some dang thing. The Co-op came out and I caught that sucker dumping power service in the barrels and then regular old dyed diesel. Ugh!! I could have done that. I have since isolated one tank (four 500 gallon tanks plumbed together) and treated it a little more to be sure. We had a heck of a cold snap and I got to worrying about it. I just pulled the vent and turned on the pump with the hose in the vent for about 10 minutes. I don't use over 500 gallons in the winter.

casenut1 · Jan 27, 2016

Back when I was farming I used no.1 diesel fuel year around . It never jelled and never noticed a differance in the summer. Best of all was a very clean engine, never any carbon build up of any kind.

Today's Off Road Diesel

Bill VA

Well-known Member

Mike M

Well-known Member

jon f mn

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caterpillar guy

Well-known Member

Jim in rush co

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onefarmer

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VADAVE

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hd6gtom

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JayinNY

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Jim in rush co

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Jerry/MT

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Frank41

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notjustair

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casenut1

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