[Farmall] Replacing the gas tank

[Mike Sloane]

I will give you my opinion, based on some limited experience:

A used tank may look OK on the outside, but the chances are very good 
that it has accumulated a lot of varnish/crud over the years. I 
recommend that you put a few gallons of soapy water in it, add a couple 
of 2' lengths of heavy chain, seal all the openings, and find some way 
to agitate the whole thing for about an hour. (I strapped a tank to one 
wheel of a Cub. The wheel was jacked up so that it could turn, and then 
I started the tractor and ran it in 1st gear.)
<http://public.fotki.com/mikesloane/farmall_140/140_tank_clean1.html>

When you are done, retrieve the chains and flush out the tank 
thoroughly, then sit it in the sun to dry - it will heat up pretty 
quickly in full sun. Some people use other stuff (rocks, old hardware, 
etc.) for cleaning, but I have found that it is much easier to retrieve 
the chain.

As far as the old gas in either tank, you can put a little at a time 
into your car/truck - the engine's electronics will handle it fine if 
you don't overdo it. I use the stuff for washing greasy parts; some 
folks use it for starting fires in "burn piles" (which are illegal in 
this state).

Don't waste your money on premium gas - the only thing that premium gas 
provides is anti-knock additives for high compression engines, nothing 
more. And your tractor certainly cannot be thought of as "high 
compression", even when new. There are some people who think that 
premium gas is better for small engines because they think it has less 
ethanol or water in it. I think that is a myth.

Mike



On 6/29/2010 12:23 PM, Tim Savelle wrote:
> I'm about to replace the gas tank on my 1949 H.  Some moron who owned it in
> the past put self tapping screws into the top of the tank, apparently to
> mount something.  The person who restored it filled the holes with bond-o
> and painted over them.  Of course, the gas fumes disintegrated the bond-o,
> and now I have massive paint blisters over the places where the holes are.
>   I just decided to get a tank off a parts tractor and replace it rather than
> attempting to have this one fixed.
>
> As far as changing out the tank...is there anything I need to know?  I don't
> really see a good way to drain the gas out other than removing the bowl
> assembly, which could spill gas all over the place.  Suggestions?
>
> Also, is there any benefit to burning premium gas in the old gal?  Would she
> run smoother or better?  Any problems it could cause?
>
> Thanks,
> Tim
>