gelling up

so, we got 8 inches of snow....... dang it...... i went out to start the tractors to move snow, and 2 of 3 are gelled up..... i went and tried to buy some powerservice or 911 fuel treatment, and there isnt any in town..... the oilfield companies have got it all bought for the next 2 weeks...... anybody got any ideas of how to keep them from gelling up, once i get them unthawed?

Stock up on Kerosene and remember to plug in the block heater. Most places will stock D1 (15-20% Kerosene) during the winter but you can add more. I would try adding a few gallons to each tank. That should do the trick.

do what merlin said and add some kerosene. Itll help some. I think ive even heard of people adding a half gallon or so of gas to a full tank, but I'd be wary about doing something like that. Dont know if yall run bio or not, but i wouldnt in the winter. Just saying cus i had a generator in the other day that was gelled up with bio in it. It was like trying to siphon out jelly...........not fun.........

I would not add Gasoline, thats just asking for trouble. Use Kerosene or if you can find it JP-4 or JP-8, those will work as well. John is right about the bio, if your using it, save it for the summer. When that suff gets cold its like jello.

I didnt think of kerosene...... the diesel we have isnt bio diesel, its just a number 2, summer blend diesel... good down to 20 degrees farenhieght........... Its been -15 this whole last week......... I have had the block heater plugged in, but the diesel is like jello right now...... What really pisses me off, is the fact I ordered a 60-40 winter blend when I ordered the fuel for the bulk tank at the ranch this spring..... guess the fuel company is going to get a visit in the morning with my reciept, and they can fix it for me...... I have a receipt saying it was a 60-40 fuel...... IT should be good down to -25....

Any update on this Batty?

yeah, i covered the tractors with a tarp, threw a space heater under them, got them started and running, parked them in the shop......... about a week after i posted this, i took my fuel reciept down to the fuel company, and asked them what the hell was the deal.... well, they sent a guy out, and he took a gallon of our fuel back to the shop with him...... next day, i had a tanker show up with number 2 diesel, and they gave me 150 gallons of fuel for free..... he did add about 2 gallons of heat911 fuel treatment in it as well........ he told me that they did a plug test on the fuel, which they take a certain amount of fuel, and start to cool it down till it gels...... thats how they determine the fuel mix...... he figured instead of 60/40 blend that i ordered, i may have got 90/10, if that.... he told me it had to be 10 degrees farenheight for my diesel to gel...... with the 150 gallons of diesel added to the tank, im now sitting at a 45/55 blend..... good down to -34 degrees.......

the best way, if you live where you know it gets cold, buy and keep a quart of heat911 fuel treatment on hand, and make sure you use the right blend of diesel..... be sure it has a good winter blend...... but, do note, that winter blend diesel(number 1 and number 2) doesnt have as much btu potential, so your mileage is going to drop, or your hourly consumption will increase, which ever you track on your diesels...... for instance, or hitachi 1800 hydrolic shovel at work goes through 32 gallons an hour with straight number 1, and it goes through 43 gallons an hour with a 50/50 blend......

Glad you got it seetle out batty. Gelled fuel can be a royal pain.

As for winter fuel, I totally agree. During the winter MA sells D1 (20% Kerosene) and because of that I get a 1-2 MPG mileage drop. But it beats the truck not starting.

That problem is why I love gas engines and living where it will only get into the single digits. No negatives here!

i keep saying im going to move..... but, i live in a valley in the uintah mountains, that run east and west in the rocky mountain area.... my house sits at 5,383 feet above sea level, and in the 18 mile trip to work, i am at 7800 feet above sea level.... i see 28-32 inch wide 4 point mule deer weekly, i see 6 point bull elk daily, i can ride my horse for days on end, and never see another person, i can shoot any gun i own anytime, and my dogs dont have to be leashed..... all just 15 minutes away from town........ so bring on the -40......

I got all the critters, and the dogs run free and I'm 15 min outta town, but its warmer. I would like to like in Colorado for a while and see whats its like. I've been to Fair Play CO. It's about 9000 feet, great views and dont get too cold cause its a huge valley.

im 30 minutes from the colorado border, and 45 from the wyoming border...... in 30 minutes drive, i can be sitting at 11,000 feet..... we are in a valley, but we get cold.....

Sounds like it, single digits is cold to me!