Cold weather fuel in a S185

Hi all,

Very new to the skids and diesel engines in general. Just bought my first skid in a 2013 S185. I'm in northern WI so it's gonna get cold. I'm reading conflicting info regarding fuel.

Manual says to blend #1 and #2 50/50 once it gets below 15 degree out. My local co-op has kerosene but I'm not finding #1 anywhere. I'm seeing just as many people saying #1 diesel and kerosene are basically the same and interchangeable as I'm seeing cautionary posts saying not to run kerosene at all. I did buy some kerosene but have not put any in the machine yet. I'd love the groups insight. Looking to get myself an education on here. It is much appreciated

I personally would NOT run Kero, it lacks lubrication qualities of diesel fuel

in almost EVERY place diesel is sold where temps get cold, they already MIX it at the refinery with a what is called a winter blend!
that is designed to not gel in cold temps
in all but the most extreme low temps, this works for 99% of the folks using diesel

in places where it doesn't
most never shut there engines off, or plug them in, to try and keep things flowing

what I know a lot of folks (including me) that want extra protection or lower there odds of a fuel related issue in normal low temps(down to about -10) is they simply buy a additive made for keeping things flowing and also, add extra benefit qualities to your fuel and fuel system!
I personally been using this stuff for a long time,(see link below)
no complaints, but honestly I could just be wasting my money, but its cheap enough so I don't mind,

there are tons of youtube videos, showing the most common brands and types, being tested and compared if you care tto learn more, a simple search will net you all you want to see!


BUT just to add a little more food for thought for you is,
when temps get low, , its not just fuel you have to worry about causing issues

its also, your electrical system/battery, and OIL< hydraulic fluid
as when temps get low, your batteries ability to produce amps and turn your starter over, ,as cold will drain a battery faster and make it weaker ion its cold cranking amps, which si why many folks keep there batteries on tenders to help keep them at full charge to give best cranking power to it
and some will add other things, like battery blankets,wraps, , heaters, and so on

then, when you get into your oil, as it gets cold, it gets thicker and doesn't flow as well, which can cause harder starting, and less lubrication at start up

some folks here will do several things to help, by running thinner oil in low temps, add things like oil pan heaters, block heaters, coolant heaters and so on, that they will plug in to help oil and block and cooling system stay warmer, and all for easier starts, and better protection on wear./lubed parts!






https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p...bd7ab766ad701df92f40de46d5415930&gclsrc=3p.ds

and ill add a decent video on additives for you to watch

Thank you! Very thorough explanation and I appreciate the bonus info!

I don't run additives in the machines. I will add water and algae supplements to my 500 gallon storage tank, but fuel sits in that much longer.

Winter blend has NEVER let me down. On the other hand, summer blend did wax up overnight in the truck in Dillon, CO when the temperature dropped to -15F overnight. Caught me off guard because I'd refueled in western KS the day before and since it was a blizzard I figured they would've already switched to winter blend. Once I got the truck warmed up and running, refueled with local diesel and didn't have an issue for the rest of the time in those temperatures.

MX727 said:

I don't run additives in the machines. I will add water and algae supplements to my 500 gallon storage tank, but fuel sits in that much longer.

Winter blend has NEVER let me down. On the other hand, summer blend did wax up overnight in the truck in Dillon, CO when the temperature dropped to -15F overnight. Caught me off guard because I'd refueled in western KS the day before and since it was a blizzard I figured they would've already switched to winter blend. Once I got the truck warmed up and running, refueled with local diesel and didn't have an issue for the rest of the time in those temperatures.

Click to expand...

I again agree odds are its never really needed when there is winter blended fuel in tank, or even a mix of it

BUT< keep in mind that fuel additive is not just about anti gel, they also do a lot of other things(if what the claim is true, ?? Haha)

but I do know almost all of them, do add some octane to the fuel, which is honestly good for cold weather conditions, plus some have better lubrication qualities to them, which, for a private owner, wanting to get the most life out of something

isn't a bad thing to be adding,
as honestly costs are petty trivial, when you look at how much/little you need to add to fuel to get MAYBE some benefits,
a bottle will honestly last a long time, to the average home owner

so, the costs to possible benefits, are IMO worth spending,as again, not a lot of things in bottles do what they claim
but I do think some of these additives do more good than there costs!


when you honestly get into extreme cold conditions, your electrical system most likely will fail before GOOD winter blend diesel will gel(and I mean good water free from where ever you got it at, and this can be tricky, as most fuel stations have SOME water in there tanks from every test I ever seen on them!


now if anyone cares, I
l add the following for mroe food for thought on cold temps and fuel issues!

I know Banks diesel performance company, recently did some pretty good testing on cold weather starts in Cummins 6.7 diesel engines,
in ram trucks
due to they invented a grid heater fix (due to a known poor design on the 6.7s) a while back, and some folks were having issues with lack of heating element in them to start in cold temps
SO< banks invented a fix, with ONE heating element, to sort of match stock heating ability, however, the new ram they invented had a lot more space inside, that one heating element in extreme cold temps didn;'t seem to be enough now!



so they added a second heating element, to get more heat into things to fire up, and they parked trucks in a temp control room for hours, at -20 and -30
to see how things started, and pretty much what they found was NOT fuel gelling issues at all!~

but that electric demands caused almost instant dead batteries, even when battery's(they have two in a 6.7 ram cummins)
was 100% fully charged before being parked in minus 20 and 30 tenps! and this was also without plugging them in(block heaters and such)

and they didn't add anything to the fuel, just plain jane winter blended fuel from the pump!
,so without TREATED fuel
even in minus 10-20-30 degree's fuel gel was NOT a problem when parked for just 24 hours,,(maybe they did 48 hrs too, I forget exact time frame, but in this area, test can be seen on youtube if one cares to watch) longer than 48 hrs and who know's>>

so any longer than that,
I would think it could become one!
anything parked a long time in extreme cold needs more than just fuel additives and or>> ! and this is why folks living in these places ,
plug things in, park in heated garages,/shops, or leave running non stop!

so, what Banks found just shows you that even in just 24 hours in these extreme temps, fuel wasn't really the issue with gelling up!

it was the electrical end to have enough power to turn the motor over that failed more than anything

so, just more food for though
I ain't now expert or know it all here either,, just my views and such being shared!

DISCLOSURE: This is what I use, I DO NOT receive any financial compensation.

Every since a very early October storm in Colorado a few years ago (60* one day -5* the next), gelled the summer blend in the truck tank/lines/fuel bowl I keep a bottle of Hot Shot's Diesel Winter Rescue Emergency handy. (recommended by my diesel mechanic)


I know this stuff works, added to tank/fuel bowl, let set ~30 minutes, started right up

After this unexpected freeze, I also started routinely treating with Hot Shot's Diesel Winter Anti-Gel from October to March +/- (2 ounces/25 gallons)


While I cannot prove that the routine use of the anti-gel does anything, as I have not experienced a repeat of this experience, but as stated by the others it isn't going to hurt either. Also as previous mentioned, I have never had a problem with a suppliers winter mix.

Specific to your question: At a minimum, I would get a bottle of the emergency rescue (or similar product) just in case, run your local fuel suppliers winter mix and see what happens. IF you should have problems, then start using an anti-gel additive also.

My $0.02

Good luck

Northern Canada chiming in.
We regularly see -30* and below. I keep a 200 gallon slip tank outside. Even using Howes antigel, my slip tank filter will start waxing up at -25*C with winter blend deisel. But that being said, I haven't had any issues with my skiddy gelling up in extreme temps. A running engine's heat goes a long way. I do run full synthetic oils in engine & hydraulics for those cold start days. Even with block, hydraulic, fuel heaters in place, there are some nasty sounds for a few seconds upon cold fire up.

My Buddy from Hood Logging swears by Kleen Flo Diesel Fuel Conditioner
He has been using it for 40 years. He told me it has saved his ass many times in Northern Ontario -38 C
in the bush cutting and machinery starts acting up. He says main thing is to get water out. Fresh #1 diesel works well but
any moisture will screw you.