I was told today that you couldn't switch from the two fuels. You could use one or the other but if you switch it will cause the O rings in the pump to swell and damage the pump.
This person also said the he got better performance from "on road" fuel.
Is this true????????
to my knowledge, the only difference between on-road and off-road fuel is a dye. on-road fuel also costs more per gallon in my area. as for switching fuels, in my state it is illegal to use off-road fuel in a vehicle designated for highway use. if caught using off-road fuel, the fine is expensive.
a mechanic friend of mine told me that in older diesel engines using off-road fuel when on-road fuel should have been used could result in premature failure of the fuel pump. it had something to do with sulfur content in the fuel and its effect on lubrication in the pump itself. apparently the pumps burn up faster.
alot of farms in my area use one type of fuel for everthing diesel that they own. the savings per gallon in using off-road fuel are significant enough that it is is worth it to the owners to replace fuel system components on trucks used on the highway.
I have been told by more than one of the areas better diesel mechanics to put a quart of transmission fluid to 10gal. of on road fuel. It is supposed to replace the lube qualitys of the off road. This applies to the older diesels with straight mechanical injection.
The reason for this question is that I have a diesel powered stump grinder ( 1997 year model) that had only run "on road" fuel until about a month ago. The only reason I changed to " off road" fuel is because it's cheaper. I also bought a new tractor this week and thought I would run " off road" fuel in it as well. Is this legal? I don't own any other diesel powered equipment. My only tow unit is gasoline power. Should I go back to "on road" fuel for any reason?
OK, here's the down low on on an off road diesel fuel. The only difference is the added dye. The cetane rating is the same as well as the sulfer content. It wouldn't be very advantageous on an oil companies part to go to the added expense of another refinery for merely another type of diesel. There are some diesels however w/higher cetane ratings than others. The only reason for the dye is taxation plain an simple. I run off road in everything I have. I figure the washington bureaucrat's are fat enough on capitol hill w/out my money.
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Yes, the dye is the only difference. Federal law, however, do not put the dyed diesel in a licencsed highway vehicle. We have to report every three months to the state any dyed diesel fuel that we use on road and pay the tax. This includes any work on highway contruction like road side seeding etc.
Suggest using soy or bio diesel in older equipment. The small percentage of soy oil in the mix adds significant lubrication and is especially useful in older engines. We have an 82 IH with 9 liter engine. When I use soy diesel, I get several mpg better fuel consumption, and the truck moves faster and snappier.
I run on-road fuel in my tractor only. I keep all my receipts, which I'm sure everyone does. The extra tax that I pay on the fuel now is taken off as a credit when I file my taxes at the end of the year. I even purchased a seperate fuel tank to put off-road in until my accountant told me it wasn't worth it. My buddy bought it off me when his furnace tank got a hole.
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