From Red Diesel to Regular Diesel

[seriesthreedreamer]

I am 16 this summer, and I hope to invest in a Series III of some sort as a summer project. I will not be driving it on the road for a year or so. As I live on a farm, I will use it on there, but i was wondering if it is legal for me to use red diesel whilst on the farm, then when i pass my test, switch to regular diesel and drive on the road. i know this would save me a lot of money that could be spent on repairing/upgrading it. Someone i know claims to have done this and they say they were tested six months prior to the switch, and given the all clear. Is this believable, and is it a wise thing to do?

Any comments would be appreciated

Thanks in advance

[ArmyRover]

from what I remember about the red diesel is the only difference from pump diesel is the added red dye to mark it as farm use only. So there should be absolutely no issue.

[seriesthreedreamer]

but what im concerned about is there being red dye left and me getting nabbed by the fuzz

[ArmyRover]

make sure to run 2-3 full tanks through it before an inspection and you should be fine. That should dilute the dye enough that it won't be noticeable.

[seriesthreedreamer]

cheers buddy

[polar]

I am pretty sure the red diesel is agriculture Diesel and has a higher Sulpher content. which is fine to run but agaist US Emissions for street use.

[ArmyRover]

Originally Posted by seriesthreedreamer

I will not be driving it on the road for a year or so. As I live on a farm, I will use it on there,

Polar he knows I think he was just curious as to the time frame to clear it once he starts using it on the street.

[polar]

sorry I missed that, fast finger slow read.

[TerryS]

The red dye isn't specific to agriculture. It is also used in home heating oil. The dye will dissipate in sunlight. There are no restrictions in CT,on using home heating, or ag fuel in off road applications, and while I don't know for certain, I imagine this is true for all states. When it's used up, there is no stain left behind. I never saw a DMV inspector look into a fuel tank, and unless you run a clear water seperator, like a racor, no one will even see the fuel.

There are no Leagal restrictions making the use of 15ppm mandatory. In fact, it is not yet available in many parts of the country. Old seals in a 2.25 Land Rover engine will be very short lived using 15ppm, so the longer he uses "normal" sulphur, the better off he'll be

[seriesthreedreamer]

they usually dip it but i'll run a few tanks through and it should be ok

cheers guys

[zed]

I have to believe that the police do not go around popping their heads into peoples gas tanks...

[seriesthreedreamer]

they dip them and the dye shows up

[zed]

when? Just at stop lights? I mean I know you COULD check .. but you COULD get caught speeding.. but someone has to be looking. You planning on doing something that would require the police to disassemble your car looking for something
Anyway.. yes they could catch you .. but run a couple tanks through it.. You said you;d be using it while on the farm yes? I mean.. you can't legally use it in a non farm registered vehicle? Or just not when not actively engaged in living at a farm?

[seriesthreedreamer]

as long as it is driven on private land, it is legal. as soon as you drive it on the road, you are breaking the law

[jimfoo]

I used 5 gal of Red diesel on my offroad trip in Moab. Of course I actually used more than 5 gallons while off road, though in the end I had a mixture of regular and red. I figured that if there were any problems, I could show them the GPS log of where I drove. I have had my Diesel engine for maybe 2 years now, and have never been stopped in Colo. My work truck was a diesel, which I drove for 5 years and was never stopped. Unless you live in a major socialist state, I'd think nothing of it myself. On the flip side of the coin, I wonder if I can keep a mileage log of off road driving and ask for my fuel tax back?