With a bacon butty in his jeans and agriculture in his genes, Oliver Wales is a ‘thoroughbred’ farmer and owner of Moreton Hall Farm in Norfolk. To fuel the 700 acre farm, split between arable and beef herders, Oliver used two small red diesel tanks with a capacity of 1,000 litres and 2,500 litres. As the tanks had been heavily used for over a decade an increasing quantity of sludge was forming at the tank’s base and risked clogging in the antiquated filtration systems. As Oliver elaborated, each fuel delivery will inevitably add a little extra sludge, when you multiply a few fuel deliveries every year by 10 years or more and sooner or later it’s going to enter the pipe.
A large cause of this sludge is that larger quantities of biodiesel are being blended into regular diesel. While the addition of biodiesel aims to reduce emissions and meet Euro Standards, the fuel is more susceptible to water contamination and subsequently a build-up of sludge often referred to as ‘diesel bug’. In Oliver’s experience prevention is key to tackling diesel bug as once it’s established its removal requires a professional fuel tank cleaning service. The high costs involved for this are feasible for large steel tanks but not the small plastic tanks installed at Moreton Hall Farms. Finding a better solution, the frugal farmer decided to start afresh with a new diesel dispensing tank.
Tanks for the recommendation!
As usual when purchasing for his farm, Oliver called The AF Group for advice, as he explains: “I rely heavily on the AF Group and trust their judgement. They take the responsibility for researching and purchasing items for the farm and get the best discounts. I use them for literally everything from fence posts, ear tags, fertilisers and feeds to phone bills. The great thing is they have experts for every product and know a lot about the fuel problems. I requested a fuel tank with a filter able to tackle the sludge and a capacity comparable to my old tanks combined. The AF Group recommended a Tuffa tank based upon these requirements.”
The recommended dispensing tank was our 3,500 litre plastic bunded diesel tank. This tank is perfect for a busy farm, the 10 micron water and particulate filtration combats diesel bug and, like the pump itself, is easy to replace meaning maintenance is simple. With reliable dispensing and safety equipment secured within a lockable cabinet, installation is quick too requiring only a solid base and final electric connection. The option of a 12/24V connection means that Tuffa’s diesel tanks can even be located on a site without mains electricity powered by a farm vehicle, although Oliver did not require this option.
Tuffa diesel tank fuelling the farm
We caught up with Oliver to ask what the tank was powering and to make sure he was satisfied with the purchase. Our 3,500 litre diesel tank is being used to store and dispense red diesel to fuel Moreton Hall Farm’s 180 and 250 horse tractors and a JCB loader. As these vehicles are used all year round, a reliable diesel tank is essential to the majority of tasks around the farm.
With Oliver’s requirements met he was delighted with The AF Group’s recommendation, stating “I’m very impressed with the build of the tank, it looks smart and capable and the 10 micron filter will help with my fuel filter issues. The security of the tank is great and so is the simplicity of the fuel meter. The AF Group informed us at the very beginning of the Coronavirus that there will be supply issues and advised us to buy everything we need early, particularly anything metal such as plough parts which often come from China. Despite the virus, the tank came quicker than I expected and although there was heavy snow in my area the delivery team arrived early in the morning as promised.”
With Tuffa manufacturing a solid, British, bunded diesel tank perfect for Oliver’s requirements and the AF Group providing expert advice typical of their specialists, fuelling Moreton Hall Farm has been a real collaborative effort. The upgraded tank will continue to be supplied with 3,000 litre deliveries of red diesel, supplied at competitive prices from The AF Group. This means Oliver can keep his attention running the day-to-day of the farm and helping to feed the country.
Find out more about Tuffa Tanks on their member profile page here
Member-created content 3 years ago | From members