# How much diesel do you use?



## InvalidID (Feb 18, 2011)

Another thread about running a genset got me wondering, how much diesel does the average person use in a year? How about the average farmer? If you could break it down to gallons or liters per acre per year you'd be my hero!


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## DaleK (Sep 23, 2004)

I use 4500-5000 gallons, doesn't include combining or trucking grain but everything else on 1200 acres of crops plus winter logging and snow plowing.


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## InvalidID (Feb 18, 2011)

So around 4.25 gallons per acre huh? I'm trying to decide how much bio-fuel a person would need to raise to be self sufficient on a large farm. Thank you very much!


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## mqualls82 (Sep 6, 2010)

We're using about 3 gallons per acre. I have older smaller equipment and we have pretty flat hay meadows. Our John Deere 1520 is pretty efficient. It uses about a gallon / hr baling and about a 1/2 a gallon / hr pulling the sickle bar mower.


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## Micheal (Jan 28, 2009)

I think you're asking a very difficult question to answer......
Variables: type and size of equipment used, to do what (uses), idle run time, lay of landscape, etc..... all have something to do with amount of diesel used. In my case I go though about +/- 100 gallons of diesel a year on my 57+ acres of land.
But, I only use my tractor (the only diesel equipment I own) to haul firewood, clean my driveway of snow, brushhog some areas I no longer use (weed control), do a little landscaping with a backblade, and give my GreatGrandKids tractor rides....... 
...... to answer your question though; I average about 1.75 gallons per acre.


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## maverickxxx (Jan 25, 2011)

I had figured up at one point growing rape seed on the 90 acres we had when I lived on the farm. An it didn't really touch my diesel consumption I do excavation so I burn alotta fuel it defintly woulda helped. Rape seed I think when I researched it was highest content in oil for what I could grow there. I haven't totaled diesel recits for this year yet


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## TnAndy (Sep 15, 2005)

I'm like Micheal.....I use my 34hp tractor for a LOT of different uses from garden plowing to skidding out timber. Also have an 8hp diesel on my garden tiller. (big garden) And use some in a small Mitsubishi dozer....but I'd guess 100-150gal a year would do us. I try to keep 400-500gallons on hand.


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## Ross (May 9, 2002)

We use about 4-500 gallons per year rolling over 100+ acres of hay round baled mostly running 70 hp tractors. The bigger tractor uses less fuel and the bigger machinery certainly cuts fuel use.


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

There are too many variables to give a good answer

What's an "average farmer" or a "large farm"?

It will depend on the size of your equipment and what you're doing at the time.

It takes a lot more fuel per hour to plow than to mow, and more to mow than to spread seed or fertilizer

A friend of mine farms about 4000 acres, and they can burn 250-300 gallons per day at certain times of the year.

He buys a whole tanker truck load at a time


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## InvalidID (Feb 18, 2011)

Bearfootfarm said:


> There are too many variables to give a good answer
> 
> What's an "average farmer" or a "large farm"?
> 
> ...


Which is why I asked what each person uses instead of what the average farm uses. This gives me a clearer picture of what each person is using and why.


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## tarbe (Apr 7, 2007)

Bearfootfarm said:


> He buys a whole tanker truck load at a time




Dat's a big fuel bill.


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## southfarms (Apr 4, 2011)

Maybe the best way to look at it is fuel per trip across an acre. We use about half a gallon per trip per acre except disking, which takes a gallon per acre, and harvest at about 2to gallons per acre. Hope this helps.


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## solidwoods (Dec 23, 2005)

A big part of the math is how much oil will the best oil crop produce per acre.
I think you will find there isn't enough excess oil to make it viable compared to purchasing fuel (which would be high $) and farm/ sell a crop which would also be high $. Prices stay related to manufacturing cost in the best/worse of times.
jim


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