I see old lp tractors for sale here in the photo adds often. There aren't many here in NY, most seem to be mid west. So say you bought one and wanted to actually use it from time to time how would you re fuel ? I understand back when they were popular farmers would have a large lp tank. How would you go about it now if you didn't have a tank to refill from ? Just wondering !
- Thread starter 300jk
- Start date
When I had the farm fuel business, the guys that had them had 1000 gallon tanks, most were on wheels like an NH3 tank. Every body that had them told me, "when you go by with the LP truck, stop and fill it up." Several had lp powered pickups too, my orders were to fill them too.
rlp in Co.
Well-known Member
You really need a propane pump. If you fuel up by bleeding off propane, it wastes a lot. With the high price of diesel now days, it might be cheaper to run propane, and plus, it would start in cold weather.
David from Kansas
Well-known Member
I have a couple of LP tractors. A few years ago I bought a 125 gallon propane tank at a farm auction. Still have them on auctions occasionally. Lots of 500 gallon tanks for sale, but more expensive to buy but would work just fine. We heat our house with propane so whenever they fill our 500 gallon tank, I just ask them to fill the small tank, if needed. Have to pay state sales tax on the home propane, but not on the farm propane. Easy to fill a tractor from a larger tank. Just need the tank to have wet leg on it and a proper fill hose.
Kansasredneck
Member
I have an old Schwan's truck. I don't have a pump, so I equipped my set up with a vapor return line. That way there is no loss to air. My tank is elevated so the propane flows by gravity. Takes a while to fuel is the only problem. If I were using the truck a lot I would invest in a pump, but for you, sticking a 250 gallon tank on a raised platform would most likely work.
shaun wallace
Well-known Member
In 50s early 60s LP was pennies a gallon and hired hands couldn't siphon and put in their cars. Drilling rigs ran on LP too. Every roughneck had bootleg setup on car, got theirs off drilling co tanks. Of course them V12 LeRoi,s and Waukesha,s burned 100s of gallons a day. If not tuned rite they don't start good when cold.
All you have to do is use a grill bottle. Locate the ends (anhydrous fittings will work). Just turn your bottle upside down hook to tractor and open the vapor valve on tractor plus 85 % small valve. Liquid will come out this valve when tank is full 85%. You won't loose as much as you think letting vapor out to fill. Never used a pump back in the day 60's. We carried 100 lb. Bottles in case someone ran out.
If you are just going to parade them you can run gaseous fuel from a 20 lb. tank. I you want to work them you would need to run off liquid fuel. When it gets cold enough they don't start/run well. The G1000 LP we had didn't want to start in the negative teens, above that it would start, but run poorly until the vaporizer warmed up. Any place that cal fill RV tanks should be able to fill your tractor tank.
Bob Bancroft
Well-known Member
- Location
- Aurora NY
I can fill my forklift tank about half full, without venting, from the liquid line from my big tank. I run the forklift until it quits[it runs a while on vapor] Then make sure the little tank is cool, and try to fill it when the big tank is warm.
I hated handling/venting anhydrous ammonia, and switched to more expensive liquid N years ago. I won't be venting any propane either!
I hated handling/venting anhydrous ammonia, and switched to more expensive liquid N years ago. I won't be venting any propane either!
Could that have been in only certain areas of the country? I have never hear of that being done here in Ohio. Or of Butain ever being here in Ohio either. Other than on here the only place I have ever heard of butain was as lighter fuel. Started heating with LP around first part of the 60's if I remember correctly. Olny was one LP tractor ever in my area that I knew of and that was a large Moline that he had starting problems with.
I had a propane Cockshutt 30, aftermarket, not factory. (If it had been factory I could have sold it and bought a nice 65-70 hp diesel!) I liked using it as far as it running sweet and being easy starting and doing stuff like raking or pulling a wagon. Using it for real field work it would go through propane like crazy. My propane co got to the point they simply wouldn't show up to fuel it. I spent over $100 to get adapters to use 20 lbs barbecue tanks. I'd get half a day, maybe 5-6 hours doing real light work, couldn't rake a field without having a spare tank with me. The on board tank held 27 gallons, a grill tank is what? 8? In the end I got a factory gas tank and carb and now I'm happy. Unless you want to get a large propane tank, I'd forget it in NYS. I'm up near Ogdensburg in the St Lawrence Valley. Propane is VERY expensive here, usually several times what I read of people out west paying.
Ronnie Budd
Member
I don't know about your area, but propane home heat is common here outside of town. I have 6 LP tractors and refill them using the wet leg on my home heating tank. Most of the time, it's cheaper to run my Lp tractors than my diesel tractor. You use more propane than diesel for the same work, but not twice as much, and propane is 1/2 price, or less, than diesel fuel.
On the occasions when I push my luck and run out of LP away from the house, I just take the bottle off my BBQ grill and hook it to the tractor to get back home.
Tom in Mo.
Well-known Member
Agree with Ronnie Budd above. My 3 LP machines are filled and rescued the same way. And nobody mentioned how smooth they run.
Texasmark1
Well-known Member
You need a wet line on a home propane storage tank to refill a tractor with liquid. I had a JD 4020 and a 100 gallon pull along behind the tractor to the field "Nurse" tank....and nursing it was. When cold vapor pressure is like zero so you have problems getting fuel to the engine and when hot, it is all vapor....vapor is not 91k BTU/gallon. Finiky starting if stopped once started for the day. I figure it was because of what I said about BTUs required to run the engine and BTUs available with boiled fluid....aka vapors in summer. If you didn't play with it and hit the sweet spot (for that split second subject to constantly changing) forget starting it. Operator's station was nice and warm in the winter and burn you to a crisp in the summer. Getting fueled up required the local LP co. to come out and do it.....diesel you just drive your truck or 55 gallon drums in a trailer get your fuel where you choose and be done with it.
That was my first JD and I learned quickly why the little weep holes were on the side of each cylinder in the block casting.
That was my first JD and I learned quickly why the little weep holes were on the side of each cylinder in the block casting.
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