Fuel costs are a huge part of any farming or contracting business but often little is known about how much fuel each vehicle is using and for what job. For contractors in particular, fuel costs and payments require careful management during peak seasons.

A typical 150hp tractor working hard can easily consume more than 200 litres per day. Larger tractors, combine harvesters and silage harvesters will use much more.

Getting a handle on what tractors and other machines are consuming can be tricky, especially during busy periods. For contractors, it is especially important to know how much fuel is being used so that jobs can be priced appropriately, both from the contractor’s and the customer’s perspective.

Rotech from Killinick, Co Wexford, is a supplier of fuel, lubricant, fluid dispensing and monitoring equipment.

The company has a range of products to help manage fuel correctly, recording how much fuel each tractor or machine is using, while also providing a high level of security against misappropriation of the valuable diesel.

Fuel monitoring

The new Piusi Cube 70MC Lite fuel dispenser and Piusi MC Box Lite extend the range of pumping and monitoring options.

Both incorporate features to bring more affordable fuel security and monitoring systems to smaller users.

This is reflected in the price of both units and their specification. For example, user data is transferred manually by simply writing it down, before clearing the stored information ready for the next period of data monitoring.

For users without a fuel pumping solution, the Piusi Cube 70MC Lite fuel dispenser features an electric mains-powered 70-litre/min pump and it comes with 4m of hose with an automatic cut-off nozzle.

This unit allows up to 20 users (tractors or people) to be monitored, keeping track of weekly, monthly and yearly fuel usage totals.

Extra fuel security is provided so that only authorised users can access the pump and fuel, either by key fob or access code.

The system does not incorporate dirt and water filters as standard but these can be supplied and fitted as well by Rotech.

The price of the Piusi Cube MC Lite is €998 +VAT and includes four key fobs, which can be attached to vehicle keyrings.

The Piusi MC Box Lite has been designed to work with existing pumping systems, effectively taking over control and security of fuel pumping systems.

It features a smart multi-user control panel with coded or key fob access to record fuel dispensed and can be used by up to 20 users.

It also allows a pre-selected quantity of fuel to be pumped if required. Price of the Piusi MC Box Lite is €620 +VAT off the shelf.

Secure tank solution

Rotech is now offering these 1,900 litre capacity all-steel fuel tanks with secure door.

“The steel tank design makes it unattractive to would-be thieves,” said John Rowe of Rotech. Its design with security door adds €100 to the price of a standard tank and system and has the advantage of safely locking away the pump, dispenser, hose and nozzle.

The large square fuel tank is easy to position and features a 56-litre/min pump with dual action fuel filter to filter out water and dirt.

The price of the tank and pumping system with secure door is €1,450, including VAT.

Remote fuel storage monitoring

Kingspan Titan, which manufactures rotationally-moulded plastic storage tanks, has launched its latest secure fuel storage and dispensing model, called the FuelMaster+.

This new eight-model range of diesel storage tanks comes supplied as standard with the Watchman Anywhere system.

This is a remote oil level monitoring device that measures fuel levels and also allows access to this information on the move through a smartphone (or any web-enabled device) or by text or email.

The tanks are available in capacities from 1,225 to 10,000 litres. They are bunded and come with a Spillstop device to prevent overfilling and spills.

Other features include 10-micron particle and water filter standard on all models from 3,500 to 10,000 litres, as well as a pump which dispenses at 56 litres per minute as standard. Reversible doors are available on selected models and there is a light inside the hood to help farmers fill up their vehicles in the dark.

The first 12 months of level delivery service is included in the price of the tank and with a simple online registration procedure via www.watchmananywhere.com, users can set-up when and how they wish to receive their information. After the first year, this service is subject to an annual subscription by simply renewing online.

With the Watchman Anywhere functionality, users can also remotely access multiple tanks from their mobile or by logging in online. You can get more information on www.titanenv.com or by calling 028/048-38364444.