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Adding Kerosene to Diesel to stop Gelling

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buzzlight
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 13 St. Andrews, Manitoba
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2008-01-23          150628

I am having trouble with fuel gelling in fuel lines, even after two hours of running. Have already used generous amount of power service. QUESTION::
Is it really safe to add kerosene to the tank, like so many people are suggesting?

The tractor is 30 years old, and i have only owned it two weeks! I don't want to blow it up....
temps are in the MINUS 30's right now. Brrrrr.


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Adding Kerosene to Diesel to stop Gelling

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hardwood
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 3583 iowa
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2008-01-23          150630

Buzz; Yes kerosene is added to diesel when needed even some more daring than me add some gasoline and seem to get by with it. Only do it when really needed as kero and especially gasoline have little if any lubrication properties for your injection pump. At minus 30 not much works real good but enough kerosene, not more than 50% will get you going. The hardest part is getting the gelled stuff out of the system first. Good luck. Frank. ....

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harvey
Join Date: Sep 2000
Posts: 1550 Moravia, NY
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2008-01-23          150631

You should be able to blend your fuel up to 50/50, this was and still is a very common practice.. If you were going to really work the tractor hard at full RPM I'd only suggest 25% kero.

Even our large Cat loaders are cut 50/50 early season to get the mixes down. As winter progresses we move to 30% kero. March we move back to straight fuel. Some of equipment will enter full summer with cut fuel and no problems. We just do not work them hard a full throttle. ....

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Adding Kerosene to Diesel to stop Gelling

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candoarms
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 1932 North Dakota
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2008-01-23          150632

buzzlight,

Kerosene burns quite hot. It also produces less power.

I am currently using #1 Diesel, along with an anti-gel additive. #1 diesel is a mix of diesel and kerosene.

Once your fuel system has gelled up, the kerosene won't cure the problem. Kerosene will prevent gelling, but it won't correct it. You'll have to warm up the tractor using a heater of some sort (Knipco for example), and then either replace your fuel filter, or bring it inside and let it warm up.

Once your fuel system is back in order, you can then add kerosene to prevent the problem from reoccurring.

Once your tractor is running, please allow at least 15 minutes for it to warm up properly before attempting to use the hydraulics.

Joel ....

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Art White
Join Date: Jan 2000
Posts: 6898 Waterville New York
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2008-01-23          150633


The newer diesel fuel has been tough to keep from gelling with many of our normal standby products that have long been very effective. Here in the northeast we have seen far more freeze ups this year then before and we have yet to find a solution but we are still playing with options. You didn't say what make tractor it is but many of the older tractors had the tank close to the engine and it might help to add some type of shields to use the engine heat. ....

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candoarms
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 1932 North Dakota
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2008-01-23          150637

Art White,

The newer (federal mandated) diesel fuels are low in sulfur. These fuels have higher cetane ratings. Higher cetane ratings are good, except when it comes to cold weather. The higher the cetane rating, the higher the gel point. This means that the fuel will begin to cloud (gel) at temperatures well above the old, high sulfur, diesel fuels.

I hate federal standards on anything. Those idiots in Washington D.C. don't have a clue what's it like living in a place where it gets down to -40....or lower. Those clowns in D.C. make life hell for people like me.

At some point, I'm hoping our State governments will finally get tired of this federal micro-management of everything under the sun.

Joel ....

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Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999
Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2008-01-24          150650

If the fuel is not responding to a healthy dose of PS you may have enough moisture in the system that have ice forming.

If so it doesn't matter how much kerosene you pour in, it won't break up the ice or water.

Try to find some Power Service 9-1-1 additive, it will open frozen filters and lines, it's the only stuff I've ever found that will do that.

Best of luck. ....


Link:   Power Service 9-1-1 additive

 
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hardwood
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 3583 iowa
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2008-01-24          150651

Murf; I just was at the local convenience store, a trucker came in and grabed two bottles of 911. Twenty four below here right now, I'm not even going to try nto start anything diesel today. Frank. ....

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buzzlight
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 13 St. Andrews, Manitoba
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2008-01-24          150687

thanks guys. Just need to find the 911. Anyone know where to get diesel 911 in canada? ( manitoba)
I took the filters off and in to the house today.
added kerosene and PS antigel, hopefully with the warm weather tomorrow, she will start. ( -12 cel.)
Anyone ever put a battery blanket or such heater over the injector pump and lines to the filter? How about insulating the filters? ....

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candoarms
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 1932 North Dakota
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2008-01-24          150688

Buzzlight,

I've never tried putting heaters on my fuel lines, or in my fuel tanks......but they do make such things.

State highway trucks have heated fuel tanks and lines. It's not cheap to do. (they also use heaters on the air compressor drain lines.) However, you might get by with a magnetic heater stuck to the side of your fuel tank. They're designed for use on an oil pan, but they will work on diesel fuel tanks just as well.

Battery blankets are just too cumbersome to be used on the fuel lines, but heat tape might work. (The type used to keep water lines from freezing)

The real problem comes after you unplug these devices. If you plan to operate your machinery outdoors in these cold temps, it's best to have 12 volt DC heaters installed....but then you might find that you'll also need a larger alternator, and possibly a bigger battery. Small tractors just have the room inside the compartments for all of these additional equipment items.

I still like the Knipco heater the best. It warms up the entire tractor.....wheel bearings, transmission, differentials, hydraulic fluid, etc. But, again, it doesn't do me any good once I back out of the barn.

We live pretty close to each other. You're 200 miles northeast of here. It's been a fairly nice winter so far. Nothing in the -40 range YET! hehehe.

Joel ....

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Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999
Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2008-01-25          150705

I would imagine your best chance of finding some 9-1-1 out there would be at a Husky station.

I know Can. Trash (tire?) sells the regular white bottle, maybe they can order the 9-1-1 if they don't stock it.

The other trick that will help you, other than being sure to always leave the tank as close to full as possible, is to get one of those little plastic gizmos they sell for putting in snowmobile tanks to absorb the water. It's a little plastic mesh cylinder with a loop for a retainer cord that you drop into the tank.

Best of luck. ....

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buzzlight
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 13 St. Andrews, Manitoba
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2008-01-25          150740

thanks for all the advice!
She ran today!!! But shut off after 3 minutes, because dumb me, forgot to open the main fuel valve under the steering column. DOH! Another case of operator error!!
I couldn't find diesel 911 but found a similar product, loaded up the filters, and cleared snow for 2 hours. It was great. I can't believe how hard the snow is to move since it has been blown down by the wind and rain for 2 months.
That will teach me to get a tractor in the middle of the winter. So NEXT winter will be great. Just need to keep the fuel tank full, and mixed with all the good stuff ( PS and kerosene!) Just curios....what do people store their tractor in? We don't have a barn, or any buildings right now, but I am considering either one of those fabric garage things, or else building a shed addition to the hay shed. The wife wants another horse shelter, so building from scratch is not an option this year. I'll see if I can clear more snow all weekend, and not have to report back stories of WOE...Have a great weekend! ....

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candoarms
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 1932 North Dakota
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2008-01-25          150742

Buzzlight,

It would be very difficult to get your tractor started when left out in the open air. Any heat you apply to your engine, fuel tank, etc.....must be preserved as much as possible. If you leave your tractor out in the wind at -30 degrees, I'd doubt that you'd ever get it started.

It doesn't take much of a shelter to make your heaters work properly. If you have a place that is sheltered from the wind, you'll be much better off. A cattle wind break would work better than nothing at all.....anything to keep the wind from taking away the heat you apply.

If you don't have a wind break, nor a barn......the next best thing would be a heavy canvas tarp. The tarp will trap the heat from your block heaters, tank heaters, and even the heat you supply from some other source.

The most important thing is to get your tractor out of the wind. If you can't do that, there's little hope of getting it fired up.

Joel ....

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kthompson
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 5275 South Carolina
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2008-01-26          150765

Buzz, it may sound dumb and may not be a good option, but if you stack hay around the tractor it should make a good wind break and insulation for the sides. A few years ago there was some use of hay (probably was straw) for building due to how well it's insulation value was. kt ....

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hardwood
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 3583 iowa
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2008-01-26          150770

Kt; On one of the TV do it yourself shows a few years ago they showed a straw house being built somwhere in the south west US. As I remember they stacked straw bales the heigth of an ordinary single story house wall then plastered over both sides with an adobe type mortar, put door and window frames in and presto a house. I don't remember what sort of a roof they used, but their main points they stressed were the low cost, and the outstanding insulation qualitys. Frank. ....

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1hillbilly
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 10 Chicora Pennsylvania Butler County
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2008-02-11          151233

Everyone gave good advise regarding use of kerosene to prevent jelling. I have used Coleman Lantern fuel in machinery to cut the jelled condition but, you don't want to put it in filters full strength. It has worked by just
pouring in the fuel tank and waiting. ....

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EMERICHSALES
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 75 187 Valentine Road, Charlton/Ballston Lake, NY 12019
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2008-02-16          151420

Try some K100 Diesel Fuel Treatment with about 30% Kerosene. We switched to K100 about 4 years ago and It works Great !! We never had to add any Kerosene but with the New Low Sulfer and Your Cold temps.

http://www.k100fueltreatment.com/k100-products.html
K100

Kevin ....


Link:   

Click Here


 
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