Red Dyed Diesel?

[ancora]

A local gas station, four miles from the Pacific ocean, has a sign offering red dyed diesel fuel. I thought that the red dye stuff was only for marine use.

 

[Baker]

It's not for marine use....it for "off-road" use.....no road taxes. I reckon anybody can sell the stuff it is up to the user to use it properly(ie....not on public roads). It would be quite illegal for a Ford F250 to pull up, fill up, and drive off.

 

[Keith]

Unless of course it had a "farm truck" license plate. We use it for farm equipment, tractors, generators, etc. etc. etc. I think the big 18 wheelers can use it too. Since most retailers don't have the capacity to offer both, they usually have the "clear" or undyed version, and the truck stops, deliverys, etc. have the dyed.

 

[Baker]

Keith wrote:

Unless of course it had a "farm truck" license plate. We use it for farm equipment, tractors, generators, etc. etc. etc. I think the big 18 wheelers can use it too. Since most retailers don't have the capacity to offer both, they usually have the "clear" or undyed version, and the truck stops, deliverys, etc. have the dyed.

I am pretty sure you cannot burn that stuff while on public roads regardless of farm truck or not.* Now you can burn it in your farm truck while on your farm....but not driving down a public road.* If an 18 wheeler were stopped and he had red diesel in his tanks, he would likely go straight to jail.* They don't mess around when it comes to skirting taxes.* That is the whole reason why it is dyed red.* SO the law enforcement folks can take a look when they have pulled somebody over.* Again, you are likely VERY screwed if you are burning off road diesel while on public roads.....But I will research further.

*

 

[Baker]

....and not to mention off road diesel is not subject to the current ultra low sulphur content specs. It is still 500ppm... Still researching.....

 

[Baker]

By Mike Essian, WINK News

Story Created: Mar 21, 2008 at 6:14 PM EDT

Story Updated: Mar 25, 2008 at 2:02 PM EDT

NAPLES, Fl - Everyone's trying to save money when it comes to filling up, but what some are doing in Collier County is getting them in trouble with the law.

To cut corners, some truck drivers are buying cheap gas that's meant to be used off road, then turning around and using the gas illegally to drive on the roads.

"It's about four of five a gallon, a hundred-gallon tanks, so about $400 to fill up a tank right now," Gino Aull said.

He's a truck driver for J. C. Drainfield, where if you do the math, $400, times five trucks, they pay about $2,000 per day for gas.

"You just have to grin and bear it," Aull said.

But the Collier County Sheriff's Office says not everyone is doing that.

"In some cases, you have equipment companies who are purchasing off-road diesel for their backhoe or their bulldozer and then they're putting it in their dump truck or their over-the-road tractor trailer because it's cheaper," Sgt. David Estes said.

It's cheaper by about 50 cents a gallon, but it's illegal. Off-road diesel does not have a road tax because it's meant to be used by equipment off road.

J. C. Drainfield's trucks are clean, and they've got the receipts to prove it.

"We've had a couple trucks stopped and checked our fuel tanks and make sure we weren't running the red fuel," Aull said.

And that's a good thing, according to Estes who said if you have a vehicle that has any off-road diesel in it, "which is died red, it's easily detected, you're going to get a minimum one thousand dollar fine."

That's the minimum fine, but the violators will likely pay more. The initial fine from the IRS is for tax evasion, but the Florida Department of Revenue fines will be the same amount as the IRS fine, doubling the cost.

"It's definitely cheaper in the short run for them to use the off road fuel because they're saving about 50 cents a gallon, but when you look at the fines that get levied when you get caught, it really makes it not cost-effective anymore," Estes said.

Especially with the sheriff's office conducting random stops, just to make sure you're legal.

Baker here:

Thru my google search, it does depend on the state. SOme states are quite lenient. Most of them are not. I saw Minnesota it is $10000 for the first offense.

 

[FF]

Many motor homes have a tank "just" for the noisemaker where off road fuel is legal.

Some might even have a transfer valve to hook to the engine feed.

Not me , my current coach is propane , and the "new" one (1956) is gasoline , until I can find the propane conversion kits.

FF

 

[Forkliftt]

I'm pretty sure the "off road fuel" is not charged the tax because it is not being used in an application where the road is being used/ damaged.*

Steve

 

[Baker]

Forkliftt wrote:

I'm pretty sure the "off road fuel" is not charged the tax because it is not being used in an application where the road is being used/ damaged.*

Steve

That is the idea!!!* There are also federal taxes wrapped up in there(because federal monies do fund many state roads) and there have been cases of the IRS going after people for tax evasion!!!!

*

 

[Gulf Comanche]

My buds up in the Texas panhandle don't mess around w/ the red diesel in their pickups, big time fines and hassle. The DPS guys like to check the pickups at the weekly livestock auctions, lots of farm & ranch trucks there on auction day.

 

[2bucks]

I live in a farm town where the tractors are on the streets fairly often this time of year. Yes, downtown Puyallup if you're from around here. Big 6 and 8 wheel tractors with 6 foot diameter tires driving down the road. Do you suppose they are burning road fuel when they do this? I'll bet they do more road damage during one field move than my car does in a year.

Here's a picture of my gas hog car.......

 

[Baker]

This shouldn't be an issue.....there is a lot better chance of you getting away with murder(literally) than you cheating the gov't out of taxes!!!!!

 

[Chris Foster]

At my house in Peoples Republik of Kalifornia, only commercial boats get to use the red fuel - recreational boats have to pay the tax.* I can't remember the details, but there was a bit of a crisis a few years ago as I believe the one fuel dock (Santa Cruz, I think)* that had diesel switched to the red fuel because most of its volume was commercial - which left the recreational boaters SOL.

 

[Steve]

A couple of the local gas stations have a separate diesel pumps with red dyed "off road" diesel
I buy reduced tax fuel for my diesel tractor/mower there.
I haven't heard of it happening lately but there used to be a state empolyee who went around sampling the fuel in the farm trucks to make sure it was not the "tax free" variety. Violators were fined.
Steve Willett
Monk 36, Gumbo
Thibodaux, Louisiana

 

[FF]

Here's a picture of my gas hog car.......

Do you have the later big engine?

And explain the shift pattern , for folks that may not have driven a Pre-selector gear box.

I had an Isetta , long time ago.

FF

-- Edited by FF on Saturday 6th of June 2009 04:48:22 AM

 

[2bucks]

I have the original 13 HP single cylinder air cooled BMW engine, 298 cc's. It has a 4 speed manual transmission w/reverse. The shifter is on the left side, so shifting is done with the "wrong" hand from what most are used to. The Isetta's don't use a pre-selector like the Schmitts and some of the other micros did. The shift pattern is also backwards, Reverse is hard right and towards the rear. 1st is right and back, 2nd straight forward from 1st, 3rd is outboard and back, 4th straight ahead of 3rd.

The entire car weight 770 pounds and gets 65 mpg. Top speed is 53 MPH. (and that's wound tight!) It have an enclosed chain drive to the solid rear axle. The two rear tires are 22 inches apart which gives the impression from the front of having only one tire in the rear. They did make a 3 wheel model but those were never officially imported into the US.

The larger headlights and the nerf bars front and rear were mandated by US DOT and generally were not installed on the european model cars. Most had no radio, ashtray or defroster. Those were dealer added options. Package racks under the rear window and on the back of the car were also popular options. My "Deluxe" car has the two front air grills for additional ventilation and the trim package for the two tone paint.

Ken

 

[FF]

Guess I had the later one , about 700cc .
It had electric start and the preselector system. When in N one simply pushed forward and was in 1.

A pull thru N all the way back (3inches or so) got you into 2 , a spring returned the shift to N. same deal for 3 and 4.

Happily there was a second lever (as on BMW trannys* fitted for sidecars , that put one back in N . So at a traffic light no downshifting was needed.

Neat , just like a motor cycle.

FF

-- Edited by FF on Sunday 7th of June 2009 05:40:27 AM

 

[2bucks]

The 600cc and 700cc models were called the "limosenes"(sp?). These are the Isettas with a side door on the right side and a back seat. 2 cylinders in these models. Similar front door that opened but much more room inside and Hp.

I don't know a lot about those because they weren't the ones I fell in love with as a kid. The little one seat, front door opening cars were just about the coolest thing I ever saw in the early 60's.

They still hold their appeal for kids. I've thought pretty seriously about putting a digital camera and a clipboard for email addresses to send pictures of all the kids that want to sit inside. Taking it to the store is a 15 minute before and after experience with the people who want to know what it is and the kids who want to "see inside it".

Ken

 

[captmorgan23]

We talking about BMW's now?

 

[2bucks]

No. We talked about them in June. It's October now........