Trap Pulls Sediment From Fuel Tanks

Trap Pulls Sediment From Fuel Tanks TRACTORS Accessories 27-5-39 When John Edwards read the FARM SHOW article on Bill Mossback's modified filter system for fuel tanks on old tractors (Vol. 27, No. 2), it struck a chord with him. He has a couple of old Continental 4-cyl. engines that he uses on his farm that run well and have plenty of power to meet his needs. The only problem was that sediment and water in the fuel tanks were frequently too much for the old engines' sediment bulbs to handle. To overcome the problem, Edwards came up with a design he says is cheaper and easier to install than Mossback's. It involves removing the sediment bulb from the bottom of the tank and putting a short pipe nipple in its place. Then he screwed a T fitting onto the nipple and put an elbow on the side of that to which he remounted the sediment bulb. At the bottom of the T, he added another short nipple and then a reducer. At the lower end of the reducer, he screwed in a drain cock. Fuel still flows through the elbow to the sediment bulb and on to the carburetor, but bigger sediment settles to the bottom of the small sump area created at the bottom of the T fitting. "Before I start the engine, I open the drain cock and let it run until the fuel comes out clean. Water and rust run out. If the tank has a lot of residue in it, you'll need to drain it off more often, especially at first," he says. "Most gas tanks have 3/8-in. fittings but you can use whatever you need to make the small sump area," he says. The advantage of this design over an in-tank filter is that over time, this actually removes sediment from the tanks. The only downside is that it lowers the sediment bulb about an inch, so you have to be sure there's enough room under the tank to install this," he says. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, John Edwards, 11299 County Route 28, Prattsburgh, N.Y. 14873 (ph 607 868-3131).

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