diesel gelled no more

jeremy in NE · Dec 8, 2013

What a day, could not get fuel to drain out of the tank, so I put the torpedo heater on it. After an hour the fuel flowed out of the line at the pump at full force. Primed the system and it fired right up and ran good. Let it run most of the day and got as much winter mix in as I could. At least the cows are fed and I am back inside warming up.

4010 puller · Dec 8, 2013

Glad to hear the cows got fed. Whats the temperature in Nebraska? Do you run any fuel conditioner? The few that come to mind for me are howse lubricator, power services, or stanadyne. Most say diesel lubricant and anti gell. Tractor supply carries most of them

Bill(Wis) · Dec 8, 2013

Check around to see who sells the best cold weather diesel. Guys on here mention #1 but there is better than that, if it's sold in your area. I've been able to buy Artic Grade Diesel here in Wis and routinely top off my tractors with it before it gets super cold. Never had one fail to start or quit. The county gets it for their stuff, too. Never see a snowplow quit just because it's 40 below.

wisbaker · Dec 8, 2013

You're not the only one that has these problems. About 25 years ago I was stationed at KI Sawyer Air Force Base, just South of Marquette Michigan. It was January and we'd had 4 Bombers and 6 tankers deployed to Roosevelt Roads NAS in Puerto Rico, coming back to good old KISAFB and an expected daily high of 4 degrees. Seems the Navy doesn't use good old JP-4, they use a similar fuel but without the anti-gelling agent. One tanker came home on an in-flight emergency. The pilot chopped the engines on the port side to drop the wing and bank the aircraft, well the port engines kinda quit on her so she had to bring it home on two engines asymmetrical. Every thing else came back without incident but that darn Navy JP-5 turned into petroleum jelly on us, nothing that was deployed would motor. Had to empty every hanger we could to try to warm them, for the Aircraft we couldn't get inside we were splitting cowling and running every reddy heater we could get to warm engines. One of the Bomber crew chiefs got his bird to motor but with the trail of flame and little burning balls of gelled fuel spitting from the engine exhaust I'm guessing his EGT was probably above Tech Order limits but for some reason he could't hear us on the ground intercom. Of course if we didn't get them to motor we'd have to downgrade 10 sorties, wing commanders tend to get fired when they have to red X 1/3 of their birds.

Bill(Wis) · Dec 8, 2013

We used "Herman Nelson" aircraft heaters in the military. Now, one of those babies would heat up your tractor in about a minute and a half. (;>))
Acquaintance of mine used "Herman Nelson" as an alias when he was "out of town". (;>))

JayinNY · Dec 8, 2013

If the fuel is enhanced or not I always add power service anti gel, or even napa anti gel. Funny story my father in law the know it all said he mixes kerosene in his tractors, well one cold winter 2 of his tractors quit. They froze and or gelled up, I said don't you put any conditioner in you fuel? He said no. Fool had no idea that Kero does nothing for gelling or water removal. I never cut my fuel with Kero and never had a problem, but I always treat my fuel with power service or such. Glad your up and going. I'm sure the cows are too!

Paul from MI · Dec 8, 2013

Glad you are running again. Nothing worse that battling equipment in the cold.

4020deereboy · Dec 8, 2013

But there's no need for additives haven't you heard the expert opinions on here ??

Anonymous-0 · Dec 8, 2013

Back in the days I drove trucks, if in the vinter if I vas going to Minn. or the Dakotas I would leave with full fuel tanks and put aboot 5 gallons of gas in each tank, I never did have any trouble with fuel jelling up, some guys vood buy the expensive fuel additive and still have trouble. If the diesel engine companys found someone vas putting gasoline in the fuel they didn't like it, and might woid the guarntee. We never had any trouble with engines, cause ve didn't do it much.

GordoSD · Dec 8, 2013

I always used "Mike Hunt" Say it fast

Bill(Wis) · Dec 8, 2013

(;>))!

tomNE · Dec 8, 2013

fuel conditioner is a joke with the new fuel. biggest waste of money ever!

Clodbuster · Dec 8, 2013

Central NE has been zero or below to teens. Some places -25 at night. Below our "normal averages."

Mark - IN. · Dec 8, 2013

What's done is done. You're up and running now and the cows are fed. In the future though. I treat my diesel all year around with either PS or Howes, every tank full. Years back I used to only treat in the winter months, and did ok until one time the temps really dropped, then I found myself gelled up and limping along until I could get hold of PS 9-1-1 to thin it out. Never made that mistake again. Ever since, every single tank full all year long, PS or Howes. I'm certain that there are other brands just as good, maybe better. Point is, an ounce of prevention is worth its weight in gold. The best part about our mistakes, is that we learn from them. We all make them. At least I do.

Good luck.

Mark

paul · Dec 8, 2013

My little tractor gelled up too, had some Power Service in it, but not enough. Got up to12 today, suppose the iron and fuel wasn't tho, from the minus 17 a day ago.

Crept back to the shed, put the magnetic heater on the fuel filter, added more PS, did some other chores, came back started it and it went, let it sit in the shed a while to build a little heat. Shed is well vented, but keeps the breeze off...

Worked then.

Paul

Anonymous-0 · Dec 9, 2013

Combine with Howes, gelled up. Tractor with Stanadyne, (implement dealer said it was better than anything else), gelled up. Tractors with #1 diesel, going strong. Guess I know what we will be doing from now on.

ASEguy · Dec 9, 2013

How expensive is the artic grade diesel?

larryanderson · Dec 9, 2013

Several but not all trucks have fuel tank heaters.Nothing more frustrating is diesel gelling when you have no place to get it in as it is starting to gell.We have used all methods and Artic fuel is best but a lot of places don't have it.We usually just fill up with no.1# or have our storage tanks 50/50.If your tractor is in a above freezing shed [Usually] the fuel wont gell.The fuel stops always say their fuel is treated but you see a few trucks on Interstate when it gets below 0 deg. and I have been one of them.Expensive and time lost.

GVSII · Dec 9, 2013

(quoted from post at 18:15:20 12/08/13) We used "Herman Nelson" aircraft heaters in the military. Now, one of those babies would heat up your tractor in about a minute and a half. (;&gt)
Acquaintance of mine used "Herman Nelson" as an alias when he was "out of town". (;&gt)

Yeah, they would heat stuff up in a hurry-IF- you could get them started.We had them in northern Europe in the '60's.Absolutely the most stubborn piece of equipment to get started in cold weather I've ever run across.

wijim · Dec 9, 2013

IMHO, moisture will cause diesel to gel also. You will have fewer problems if you drain the water off the bottom of the tank before cold weather. Jim

Lazy WP · Dec 9, 2013

I'm in north central Nebraska, and I am pretty sure it hasn't been this cold this long, since the mid 90s. That being said, our fuel suppliers aren't blending the fuel like they used to. Our local fuel guy, just said dump gas into your diesel tank. I had never heard of that, other then when I was driving a truck.
Guess it works. He has been doing that since the 70s.

Bill(Wis) · Dec 9, 2013

Same. Some years Fleet Farm has it in their pumps out front. That's all you can get from them. Last year, they had "Gold Diesel" ??

Texasmark1 · Dec 9, 2013

Glad you got her fixed. I don't like to have hungry animals, especially in the winter. Hard to eat your supper when you know they haven't had theirs and they don't have the wood stove.

Mark

diesel gelled no more

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