Does anyone have any info on the sulphur ratings of Off Road Diesel compared to On Road Diesel. Other than the dye, used for tax purposes, what is the difference? Is there a major cetane difference? High Sulphur has a higher lubricity, but has bigger particulates right. Any info on this would be great

from what i understood, there are several types. most comon is low sulphur- same as on road fuel. there is also high sulfur fuel , and " dripings" or barely refined crude.

My dad works at a fuel distribution plant. Here in Indiana the off-road deisel is exactly the same as the on road stuff, except for the dye.

Originally posted by SewerBoss
My dad works at a fuel distribution plant. Here in Indiana the off-road deisel is exactly the same as the on road stuff, except for the dye.

Wrong answer. The sulphur is less due to EPA regulations and the diesel engs having to meet emission standards.

edit: check out this site for more info:
http://www.epa.gov/otaq/diesel.htm#regs

the only local place I found off-road and on road diesel, the pump for the off road said high sulfer...

you can run it.will not hurt any thing

yea you can run it, but the dye lingers in your fuel system for a loooong time, so if you get pulled over for somereason, and they dip that strip in there, its gonna cost ya $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

I work in a refinery and can tell you it is the same except for the dye that is added to the offroad stuff..

ya know I always wondered about this little debate.

HAS ANYONE EVER HAD THEIR TANKS CHECKED???

I mean in your pickup... not a large truck. putting off-road

diesel in a large truck would be very stupid due to the

tickets you would receive.

but in a pickup? I have enough space for a 500 gal ag tank,

and I could make it sorta "portable" so that it could be

loaded in a back of a pickup, and filled at the jobber, then

put back on a stand in the yard.

hmmmmm...


--Sherpa

Here in SD, particulally the rural areas,it's fairly common for them to test pickups.

I've never seen them pull over a diesel Suburban or Scout, though....

Originally posted by SHERPA
ya know I always wondered about this little debate.

HAS ANYONE EVER HAD THEIR TANKS CHECKED???

I mean in your pickup... not a large truck.

I've never seen anybody, or known anyone to ever be pulled over and checked for offroad diesel.

I suppose living in Kalifornia must have SOME advantages :D:D

I had my tank checked two years ago. To make a very long story short I was a couple hours back in the woods needed fuel to get out.
Bumded a couple gallons from my customer and low and behold there was a check piont set up that day right before town.

Youd have thought they just cought osama or somthen the way they treated me I have a 99 550 super duty.

heres the brakedown on fines, fedral is $1000. or $10. a gallon wich ever is greater. They then send the imfo to the state and they in turn impose the same fine

Now I fought the fines and suprising as it may sound the IRS was very nice to deal with all I did was show them a few months of fuel reciepts and they threw it out.
The state of Ca. were fuckers it took almost two years to get someone on the phone that spoke the language :mad3: but being that they follow on the shirt tails of the IRS and they threw it out the state had no leg to stand on so I refused to pay and after a couple years some called and wanted to settle it (spoke the language buy the way) and we settled back in july for$ 0.00

Long story short I make sure I have extra fuel now

Pops used to be a fuel distributor. According to him, here in CA there is no difference between on-highway and off highway diesel other than the dye.

Now he used to run both through the same pumps and tanks on his tanker trucks and never had any problems with cross contamination so, I don't know how permanet the dyes are.

It may be different in other states (since CA like to have their own special fuel regs.).

Her in oklahoma, checks are quite common, especially at state and county fairs, and livestck shows. we have purchased off road diesel for years, and it is identical in cetane, and sulphur, and the dye is VERY permanent. you can pull the fuel filter, and if even a minute amount has been run, there is no mistaking it.

Originally posted by JeepinIan


Wrong answer. The sulphur is less due to EPA regulations and the diesel engs having to meet emission standards.

edit: check out this site for more info:
http://www.epa.gov/otaq/diesel.htm#regs

I don't see how that is the wrong answer. They have 1 6" line coming into the plant with diesel. This line goes to a 1 million gallon tank through 1 gate valve. Then the line goes from the tank to the loading dock. This is a top loading gravity type setup. For offroad, the dye is injected from a much smaller tank. So, YOU ARE WRONG. I know I'm a newbie, but I'm right this time.

Loggers get checked allot around here.. if you have a diesel tank in the back of your truck for equipment refueling its like a red flag for an audit.

I do however know that you can buy JP4 relatively cheeply at small airports and it has no dye.

Well, I buy fuel for our motor pool at 1000 gallons a pop. Uncle Sam doesn't pay road (fuel) tax for his vehicles, so I have to specify "Non-taxed fuel" when I order from a local commercial fuel oil distributor. Our purchase agreement spells out "Non-taxed Low-sulfur" but he delivers non-taxed high sulfur. He even called to check last month, said "all the local construction companies run the high sulphur".

Where as alot of my equipment sits for long periods and may be occasionally fueled with JP8 (from an active duty post, the Army runs JP8 in everything!). I'll stick with the good stuff.;)

I work for the DMV here in NC and I will tell you the guys that audit fuel look for the ton and up flatbed work trucks that are diesel because they are the easiest to catch. I hope that everyone that knows that even if you run dyed and get away with it even once there still is residual amount left in the tank and if you get checked and even if it appears to look green the still send it off for analyisis and will fine you if you have a couple of parts per million of dye remaining in the tank.

Around here (WV) there is absolutely no difference, except one has $0.43 road tax and dye.

I have heard of people being tested, but never any first hand accounts. The penalties are so stiff, very few are willing to take the risk. Have some good friends that are contractors both large and small. They say, "It isn't worth it". Pay the road taxes.