Diesel Transfer Pump
A diesel transfer pump is the 12-volt workhorse that empties a drum or bulk tank into a tractor, generator, or piece of equipment without a hand crank, and this collection is the Vestil electric version of exactly that. It comes down to one pump in two build-outs: the bare PUMP-E-12 at about $280 with hose barbs and a battery cable, and the PUMP-E-12-ST at about $355 that adds the suction and delivery hoses plus a manual fuel control nozzle. Both are self-priming vane pumps in a lightweight aluminum die cast body, both clamp to a 12-volt battery, and both move diesel and kerosene at up to 12 gallons a minute. The two questions that decide the buy are whether you already own a hose and nozzle, and how long the pump has to run at a stretch.
Diesel Fuel Pumps Buying Guide
What the 12-volt design is for. This is the pump a yard reaches for in the field, where there is a battery but no wall outlet. It clamps to a truck or equipment battery with the included cable, and the self-priming vane design pulls fuel up out of a drum or tank without a foot valve or manual priming. The aluminum die cast body is non-corroding and light enough to carry to the fuel, base mounted with a lift handle so it sets down flat next to the drum. Vestil rates it for diesel and kerosene, which are the forgiving fluids that ask the least of the hardware, and it moves them at up to 12 gallons a minute, fast enough to top off a tractor or generator in the time it takes to walk around the machine.
Bare pump or the -ST kit: read the hose line. The choice between the two configurations is entirely about what is in the box. The base PUMP-E-12 ships with the pump, hose barbs, and a battery cable, but no hose and no nozzle, which suits anyone who already owns fuel hose and a control nozzle worth reusing. The PUMP-E-12-ST adds a suction hose, a delivery hose, and a manual fuel control nozzle for roughly $75 more, and that bundle costs less than buying the same hose and nozzle separately. If you are outfitting from nothing, take the kit; if you are replacing a tired pump on a rig that already has good hose, the bare unit saves the money.
Diesel and kerosene only, not gasoline or DEF. Match the fluid to the pump or no other spec saves you. This pump is built for diesel and kerosene and nothing lighter or thicker. Gasoline is out: its flash point sits far below diesel's, which makes it flammable where diesel is merely combustible, and this pump carries no rating for it, so pushing gasoline through it is a real fire hazard. For gasoline, E15, or bio-diesel you want the heavy-duty geared pump in electric fuel pumps, which is rated for those fuels. That same sibling collection is where DEF and heavy oil belong too, since DEF corrodes the metals inside a fuel pump and oil is too thick for a fuel-rated vane pump to move well.
Duty cycle: 30 on, 30 off. This is a fill pump, not a transfer station. Vestil rates it for a 30 minute on, 30 minute off duty cycle, which covers filling a tank or a piece of equipment and then letting the small motor cool. If your job is continuous transfer, dispensing all day, or feeding a process that never pauses, the motor will overheat on this frame and you want the continuous-duty pump in electric fuel pumps instead. Sized to its job, the diesel pump is the cheapest fluid task in the fuel lineup, which is the point, because diesel and a short fill cycle are exactly what this hardware is happiest doing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Vestil rates it for diesel and kerosene. It is not built for gasoline, DEF, or heavy oils. Those each need a different pump, since gasoline is far more ignitable, DEF corrodes ordinary pump metals, and oil is too thick for a fuel-rated vane pump.
No. This pump carries no gasoline rating, and gasoline's flash point is far below diesel's, which makes it a genuine fire hazard in a pump not designed for it. For gasoline, E15, or bio-diesel, look at the heavy-duty geared pump in electric fuel pumps.
Only the PUMP-E-12-ST configuration does; it includes suction and delivery hoses and a manual fuel control nozzle. The base PUMP-E-12 comes with hose barbs and a battery cable but no hose or nozzle, so read the discharge-hose option before you assume a hose is in the box.
It runs on 12-volt DC power off a battery, with the cable included, and moves diesel or kerosene at up to 12 gallons a minute. The vane pump is self-priming, so it lifts fuel out of a drum or tank on its own.
No. It is rated for a 30 minute on, 30 minute off duty cycle, which fits filling a tank or piece of equipment. For continuous dispensing or all-day transfer, use the continuous-duty pump in the electric fuel pumps collection instead.
No. Oil is too thick for this fuel-rated pump, and DEF is mildly corrosive to the metals inside it and would both damage the pump and contaminate the fluid. Both belong on their own dedicated pumps in electric fuel pumps.