Everyone ready for the next big push??? We are supposed to get 4-6" of snow with 30-40 mph winds thru Thursday evening. It's snowing steadily now. I'll try to nap tomorrow afternoon and start pushing tomorrow night after wind lays. Two of my neighboring Townships just opened one lane paths on their gravel roads last snow. Wonder what they are going to do with this snow??? It's light as a feather and is gonna drift bad. I winged my snow back last time and will still have roads totally blocked. Figure I'll V-plow all night Thursday and all day Friday. Then sleep a few hours and go back out Friday night with the wing. Gonna be another string of three days with little sleep. I'm a little concerned with the temps. Supposed to be -19 degrees by Friday night. I'm running 50% blended fuel. Ya think I need to pour in some Howes additive as well??? Gelled fuel really sucks!!!! Good luck to everyone and be safe!!! Below zero temps is no time to find yourself walking for help!!!
I would add some thing I run Power Service diesel fuel supplement even with blended fuel when it gets and stays below 15, never had one gell but I usually try to error on the side of caution. Bill
50% #1 and #2?
Yeah, 50% 1 and 2. The local MFA station where I buy fuel for my Powerstroke is now pumping 30% 1, 70% 2. I still add Howes everytime I fill up.
I'm with ya Bill. Twenty years ago we were filling our Grader at the local truck stop. They had a sign on their pump saying Winterized fuel. I didn't put in additive. Fuel gelled to the point it looked like a seven eleven slurpy. I asked them about it and they said it's good to 20 degrees. I said below or above zero and they said above of course!!!! I was peeved. Number 2 will run at 20 degrees. I think they just stuck up a sign so truckers would buy fuel. Right after that we bought a tank/pump and now we know what we are running. I think I'll pour in some additive so I'm not walking!!!
I don't know, man....for plowing, such a pain already. I might just fill the whole tank with kerosene at -19.
sunday i left mo goin to md and saw trucks down all along the way due to gelling. company says dont add nothing to fuel. boy they sure are trusting when its my butt hangin in the breeze. pigpen
Anybody out there need a Grader operator for snow?
Funny how things are different north of the border...We run at -40 C and we never had to add additive to our fuel. We get it from the (bulk) pumps. Mind you, Our graders only ran 2 days in the last 50 days..not enough snow yet.
Are you sure you wanna leave Florida to plow snow? Trade you places.
That's funny. What EXACTLY is coming out of your bulk pumps? We don't want to lead people wrong with comments like this....
Yeah, I'm with Special Tool. Can you verify what fuel you are using?? It's certainly not straight #2, wonder if it's a blend and if so what the rate is?? Last night I was thinking about you guys up North, especially Randy and the guys in Alaska, what do they run for fuel??
Ready.... Fuel is whatever works, more #1 the better when it gets to -20F, no one wants to hear about the machine stalled, drivers do not complain as long as the grader runs.
We got 5" of snow last night. It's still snowing lightly but is about over. Problem now is the wind. It's gusty and swirling out of the NW at 30mph. Supposed to blow all day and most of tonight. All of this snow is gonna drift, very light and dry. Good thing is it should push easy. Bad thing is it doesn't matter in those spots where there's no place to pile it. Gotta push it down the road until you can pile it off to the side. Gonna be some long days and nights. I'm blessed with a good comfortable machine and usually push in a T-shirt. My eldest Son lives nearby and is also an operator so he'll be my relief. Last snow our machine ran from 8pm Christmas day (Friday) until noon Sunday non-stop.
Abscraper....Florida is pretty much dead for construction on a number of fronts right now and the pay is awful. If I could help an operation somewhere and make a few dollars in the process it would be a good thing for ALL parties involved.
The refinery blends the fuel according to the local temperatures, on a weekly basis (Edmonton), or according to where the fuel is delivered. Right now we're good to about -40 C. We don't have a choice of #1 or #2 like some of you. All our fuel is ultra low sulfur. The only options we have are dyed or non-dyed.
We have the dyed or non-dyed versions, onroad versus offroad use. Or I should say, road taxed or non-road taxed, primarily for agriculture or construction use. They must treat the fuel with something to prevent gelling. Wonder how??
He said they mix the fuel according to temperature variation. I am sure they have an engineer on site who weighs out the most cost efficient blend to be safe for the machines so that the operators don't have to worry about it (or know about it).
straight #1 in the 120g, a little bit of howes and i always have two bottles of 911 with. i hate gelled fuel!
Sounds right.
Radar is showing snow over the northern third of Florida.
I saw a flake an hour south of Orlando too.
Put the plows on:tong