The Diesel Used Thread

[JCfarmer]

I bought a new diesel tank a year or so ago with a filter and meter on. For the first time the other day I filled the tractor full before going combi drilling following the plough on some medium ground and when I'd finished I filled it full again to see how much I'd used, worked out at 20l/ha(£12.60), tractor is a Case CVX 175. The tractor would tell me this if I bothered to set it up but then can you believe the figure on the tractor? Diesel tank meter more accurate than most tractors I would think. Anyway would it be interesting to compare real diesel used for different jobs around the farm per hour/ha? I know a lot of you will have been doing this for some time and some DDrs will be quite smug. Comparing results could interesting as its becoming/is a major cost? Tractor make would be useful also.

 

[Cab-over Pete]

Ploughing, little JD 2850 and 3 furrow KV reversible, 19l/ha

Lime spreading, Big A, 0.68l/t including travelling. That's an average of 5000t spread over about a 4 week period.

Fert spreading, same machine about 0.6l/acre, 1.48l/ha

I measure everything the spreaders do by units. A "unit" being a tonne or acre. Using about 0.6 to 0.7 l/unit for easy reckoning.

However, newly rebuilt machine uses nearer 0.5l/unit, machine rebulit 5 years ago uses nearer 0.75l/unit. Big difference there. Not sure why.

 

[Cooper3075]

Filled up at a friends tank when snow ploughing last winter I had used 90l for 8 hrs snow ploughing first Time I could work out how much I was makeing after fuel costs on a job. Think my next tank will have a meter on it now

 

[mushnt grummmble]

Filled up at a friends tank when snow ploughing last winter I had used 90l for 8 hrs snow ploughing first Time I could work out how much I was makeing after fuel costs on a job. Think my next tank will have a meter on it now

just buy a meter
best £80 you will spend

 

[mushnt grummmble]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mechanica..._Measurement_Equipment_ET&hash=item27d99be42e

there you go a cheap chink copy

 

[Cooper3075]

Thinking about a bigger bundled tank and electric pump sometime anyway as my little tank ran dry in the last snow hence useing someone else's

 

[DieselRob]

I wouldn't be so sure about the accuracy of these tank meters, last time we filled up the tank had metered out 4800l out of a 5000l tank, according to its own P44 meter but when refilling it was brim full at about 4650l metered out of the fuel wagon. Our fuel station is about 8 years old now and has had 1 of those filters retrofitted which is supposed to help with this "new" higher level of bio fuel

 

[SRRC]

MF 6460 (Sisu engine) with 3m Kuhn Combi varies from 11l/ha on light level ground to 22l/ha on some terrible clay on the steep. Curiously same tractor with a 5f Kverneland uses exactly the same.
The fuel station is a Spaldings one and agrees with the tractor monitor.

 

[Steevo]

MF 6460 (Sisu engine) with 3m Kuhn Combi varies from 11l/ha on light level ground to 22l/ha on some terrible clay on the steep. Curiously same tractor with a 5f Kverneland uses exactly the same.
The fuel station is a Spaldings one and agrees with the tractor monitor.

I have one of these meters on the tank, but my 6490 meter always reads differently and doesn't agree with it. I see that the tank meter can be calibrated, can the MF monitor be calibrated too?

 

[SRRC]

I rather assumed that because they agreed they were both about right! Sorry, I've no idea if the MF meter can be calibrated.

 

[nick channer]

Ido all diesel calculations by filling up before start and then finish..
Same with Lorrys.
They come back to yard on a Friday nite full to brim. I can tell when the fuel card invoice me every Friday what each lorry has used to the £

 

[Jim Bullock]

I bought a new diesel tank a year or so ago with a filter and meter on. For the first time the other day I filled the tractor full before going combi drilling following the plough on some medium ground and when I'd finished I filled it full again to see how much I'd used, worked out at 20l/ha(£12.60), tractor is a Case CVX 175. The tractor would tell me this if I bothered to set it up but then can you believe the figure on the tractor? Diesel tank meter more accurate than most tractors I would think. Anyway would it be interesting to compare real diesel used for different jobs around the farm per hour/ha? I know a lot of you will have been doing this for some time and some DDrs will be quite smug. Comparing results could interesting as its becoming/is a major cost? Tractor make would be useful also.

We have been monitoring our fuel usage for the last 15 years..1998 we used just over 110litres/ha for everything from ploughing, hedge-cutting to combining and drying (we use a diesel powered dryer) this year 2103 we have used just on 35litres/ha for all the same operations.. now we are direct-drilling 75% of our crops and have a more diverse rotation which does not necessarily depend on yield but more on crop value. Fuel usage is really only a small part of the picture.. the less fuel you burn so the less tyre wear you have, the fewer wearing parts you need, the less hours you spend on the tractor seat (important if you have to pay for labour) and so it goes on...
Then just going one step further.. if you move less soil you do not have so many weeds or loose so many soil nutrients then you might just be saving probably 20-30% more in ££ than the initial fuel savings.. If you follow these simple rules you have become a farmer again.. Agriculture has to become a renewable industry not an extractive industry (like mining)

 

[Simon Chiles]

One of these fuel tank meters is an absolute necessity IMO to calculate true fuel useage.
On my 69thirsty I always remember when the tractors fuel useage hits over 30 litres/hr, I tend to forget about when it's ticking over at 1.5 litres/hr. Fuel tank gauge tells me it's averaged 12 litres/hr during it's lifetime, probably better than a Fendt.

 

[JCfarmer]

Ploughing grassland today, 20l/ha. Bit greasy on top with muck on also but ploughed up reasonable and drilled well considering and another 20l/ha. 40l to establish except spraying off.

 

[Jim Bullock]

Ploughing grassland today, 20l/ha. Bit greasy on top with muck on also but ploughed up reasonable and drilled well considering and another 20l/ha. 40l to establish except spraying off.

Winter wheat direct drilled into sprayed off grass (with a bit of slurry) total fuel usage 8 litres/ha, might not yield as well as after the plough but only took 45 mins/ha including spraying..

 

[JCfarmer]

Winter wheat direct drilled into sprayed off grass (with a bit of slurry) total fuel usage 8 litres/ha, might not yield as well as after the plough but only took 45 mins/ha including spraying..

Looks reasonably good Jim. Why would you think it might not yield as well?

 

[Dman2]

McCormick MTX155 used 22lt / ha with 3 m maschio and drill in heavy land
Massey 5465 used 18lt / ha with Dowdswell 4f plough

will be swapping things around next year a and will put new plough on Mtx and drill on massey, should cover the ground quicker with plough
And i know massey handles drill ok as up till this year it has done all the drill
Didn`t dare put old dowdswell on back of MTX would have recked it, the plough that is

 

[jackstor]

I travelled 13mile, combination drilled 40acre in 2 fields, including working headlands and harrowing an extra couple acres of very heavy clay, travelled back home and used 245litres.

 

[Norfolk Olly]

Quadtrac supping it through!

 

[JCfarmer]

90l/ha and 0 ha/h?! Is it just sitting there revving its balls off? What you got on the back?