I just had a few questions about off-road diesel? I know you aint supposed to use it, but for 2.19 a gallon, it's highly tempting! Will it harm a CTD engine? What are the pros/cons of offroad diesel?

 

Not worth the risk. If it's red, you're dead. With a lube additive it would be mechanicly fine, but it aint worth the risk.

 

Chemically, it's actually better from what I hear, due to the fact it has less sulfur taken out of it. The removal process takes out some lubricant as well. I have ~1000 gals of it sittin here and it's so dang tempting, but I just don't have the testicular fortitude to run it on the road, especially to farm shows and the like, that's where I hear of people getting dipped the most.

 

Yeah, I've heard tell of diesel pickups getting stopped by DOT cruisers and getting their fuel tanks 'dipped.'

 

In most places offroad/farm diesel and on-road diesel is the exact same thing. The ONLY difference between the two is the offroad stuff has the red dye and a chemical tracer. From the refiners standpoint its easier/cheaper to produce one grade of diesel fuel than it is to refine a low sulfur and a high sulfur version.

 

I guess it depends on where you live, where you go and how you use your truck. A friend has used diesel pickups for personal transportation for twenty years (Isuzu then Ram) and never even seen anyone checked. My dealer for off-road yesterday was $1.99 and $2.57 for on-road. Some other dealers are as high as $2.79 for on-road. As long as the government allows us to be ripped off to the extent we are, I loose no sleep using red.

I keep on-road in my main tank and red in the 100 gal aux which I don't have the key for! I am not registered as, nor do I use the truck commercially and wouldn't know where to find a farm show, so I feel my chances are very slim. Your area of the country might be different.

As an aside, I would seriously question the legality of dipping a vehicle like mine, I don't know what law gives them the right on private vehicles. If I did ever have an encounter I would certainly not allow it even on the legal tank without a lot of convincing.

 

Its the same thing, just has dye. I got red out of the normal pump at Flying J during all of the Hurricanes. Well, it was more pink I guess.

 

If you're driving that vehicle on the State maintained public highway, the taxes included in the On-Road diesel help maintain those same roads.
As for the legality of dipping your 'private vehicle', you still have vehicle taxes to pay, State issued tags, State issued Driver's Permit, State Monitored safety inspection programs (in most states), and State enforced motor vehicle laws.
One of which is on the subject of Non-Taxed diesel being used in a vehicle registered for on road use.

Any way you try to justify the act in your own mind, it's stealing.

"The measure of a man's real character
is what he would do if he knew he would never be found out."
Thomas Babington


For a few month after Katrina, the Feds approved RED to be used on road if the local on-road diesel supplies were limited.
As I recall, that went away late last fall.

 

Quote:

I would seriously question the legality of dipping a vehicle like mine, I don't know what law gives them the right on private vehicles.

In several states where people have gone to court citing that tank dipping without probable cause (they actually see you filling up with red) is an illegal search they have won. If someone was to take it to the Supreme Court on the same grounds I'm sure the practice would be deemed unconstitutional.
Commercial drivers give up this right when they sign the dotted line.

 

I think the current price of Diesel fuel falls under "probable cause" right there.

The only way offroad would ever be in my truck is if it happened accidentally,
I.E. the pumps were mislabled, or the tanker driver dumped the wrong fuel into the inground tanks.


phox

 

Not sure if you were joking but if not it would be like saying it's ok to pull people over and search them just because they are in a part of town where drugs are cheaper.
I've burned lots of red fuel onroad without problem but don't anymore.
No matter how you try to justify it it's still cheating.

 

And the eight or nine or ten BILLION dollars that Exxon-Mobil made last quarter in profits while some people have to choose between heat and food or prescriptions is the hallmark of a socially responsible corporate philosophy. That's on top of their lobbyists successful efforts to procure twenty two billion in tax breaks for E-M and others to search for the very same product they need in order to make grotesque profits - oil! Now who is going to make up that 22 bil for the treasury? I would say you and me, but in reality it is probably going to be our kids. At the same time can there be emergency funds made available to help people cope with the high heating costs? - Nope we can't afford it says the U.S. Senate!

I agree with Mr. Babington's quote. I just wonder how he would modify it if he was dealing with a government that has obviously sold out to big business at the expense of the citizenry in the 21st century.

 

God only holds me accountable for MY OWN actions.

"Just 'cuz someone else does it, doesn't make it right."
My Mom


Speaking of affording prescriptions.......
I don't see too many complaining about other industry's profits.

 

And I pretty sure that even then you were supposed to pay the taxes to the feds when you filed income taxes.

 

Yes oil companies make a lot of money, but they also spend a lot. It takes a lot of money to develop the technology they use on a daily basis. It aint just drill a hole and sell what shoots out.