For local farms, keeping track of fuel levels can often fall to the bottom of the packed priority list - being busy out on the fields and taking care of livestock is much more important. However, running out of fuel on the farm can be a complete disaster, it can lead to machinery being parked up and unable to be used which can result in daily operations coming to a grinding halt.
There are a number of different ways in which you can prevent your fuel tank from running dry, making your fuel go further and to ensure that your farm has a reliable supply of fuel when it needs it most. Here are some top tips to keep your farm fully fuelled throughout the year.
Work with a Trusted Local Supplier
A reliable supply of road diesel, red diesel and heating oil is the lifeblood of a working farm. However, demand for the different fuels shifts with the seasons, so finding a fuel supplier who understands this is key. Oil distributors Shropshire work closely with local farms in order to provide them with fuel solutions which work hand-in-hand with their changing seasonal requirements.
Prepare for FAME
Keeping your farm topped up with fuel means that you are keeping your bulk supply in peak condition. However, an increase of renewable content – particularly FAME, a type of biodiesel – in fuels, as required by law under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO), can have an impact on fuel shelf life, performance and consumption.
Reports from farmers across the UK experiencing filter blockages in vehicles and fuel storage tanks have coincided with this increase of bio content in red diesel. FAME-containing fuels absorb and retain moisture at a higher rate than conventional mineral diesels. And when it comes to fuel, higher water content can cause severe disruption.
When the weather gets warmer, greater humidity paired with high water content may lead to an increase in microbial growth – also known as diesel bug – in storage tanks. And when the bug bites, the consequences can be serious – blocking filters, corroding tanks and – in some cases – damaging machinery. In winter, lower temperatures and higher moisture levels can cause the formation of wax crystals, resulting in fuel flow problems that can stop farm vehicles from even starting at all.
Make Your Fuel Go Further
There are a lot of measures that you can put in place in order to protect your farm’s fuel supply from issues caused by FAME. Diesel additives can help to remedy microbial growth, and prevent the formation of wax crystals in a farm’s bulk fuel supply. FAME-free fuels are available to stop the problem at its source.
Tanks
Farms notoriously have extra-long to-do-lists to plough through on a daily basis, so many have introduced telemetry monitoring systems to their tanks in order to ensure that they never run out of fuel. These systems monitor the fuel in the tank, and then trigger an automatic fuel delivery when fuel stocks dip below a set level.
Comments
Post a Comment