AL seckinger, VP of retail operations
“I have received ZERO calls about gelling with pure Cenex Ruby Fieldmaster SE.”
Okay, let’s be honest. Straight No. 2 diesel is actually No. 2 heating fuel. There is no difference.
Modern diesel engines can run on straight No. 2 and it’s “okay.” But with today’s common rail engines and injectors the size of a human hair, the premium diesel NuWay-K&H Cooperative offers is far superior to straight No. 2. As cold winter approaches, there is even more reason to burn Cenex® Ruby Fieldmaster® SE (seasonally enhanced) in both old and new diesel engines. That is the diesel fuel product we deliver to the farm from November through March.
What does this SE premium diesel offer that No. 2 doesn’t? Well, for starters, it offers:
• A detergent
• A lubricity improver
• A cetane improver
• Corrosion inhibitors
• A storage stabilizer
• A demulsifier
• An injection stabilizer
The difference between straight No. 2 and premium diesel is about a nickel per gallon. For that nickel, you get all of the above plus better performance—better mileage and more economical operation of your diesel engine. And, Cenex’s Total Protection Plan® will warranty your diesel engine, if you can prove you’re using Ruby Premium Diesel. The value of premium diesel far exceeds five cents per gallon.
Cold Weather Superiority
Cenex Ruby Fieldmaster SE offers cold weather protection you will not get if you burn straight No. 2, including lower cloud point and cold filter plugging temperatures.
Gelling at cold temperatures is particularly troubling to diesel engines operating on Upper Midwestern farms. Gelling is commonly confused with icing. Gelling occurs when paraffin wax in diesel fuel solidifies and bonds together at extremely low temperatures. This is known as the fuel’s cloud point, which for straight No. 2 diesel is typically around 14°F.
When fuel reaches its cloud point, it will start to visibly become cloudy. Similarly, the fuel’s pour point is the point at which wax crystals have formed enough to turn the once liquid fuel into more of a gel-like substance.
Some companies promote products like Winter Diesel 911, Hot Shot’s Secret Diesel Winter Anti-Gel or Howes’ Diesel Treat® to add to diesel fuel in the wintertime, to prevent gelling. Please, please, please . . . don’t add anything to your diesel fuel. It has the potential to cause as many problems as it solves. In some cases, these additives may actually turn diesel into gel.
Instead, use Cenex Ruby Fieldmaster SE in your diesel engines, old and new, over the winter months. I can honestly say, after many years of providing farmers with diesel fuel, that I have received ZERO calls about gelling with pure Cenex Ruby Fieldmaster SE.
