6 Best Gasoline Fuel Transfer Pumps For Vintage Tractors That Old-Timers Trust
Explore the top 6 gasoline fuel transfer pumps for vintage tractors. Our guide covers the durable, time-tested models that experienced owners trust.
There’s nothing quite like the feeling of trying to hoist a full 5-gallon gas can up to the fuel tank of an old Farmall H, your back groaning in protest. One slip and you’ve got five gallons of expensive gasoline decorating the ground and your boots. A good fuel transfer pump isn’t a luxury; it’s a fundamental tool for making this chore safer, cleaner, and a whole lot easier on your body.
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Why a Good Fuel Pump Matters for Your Old Iron
Lifting heavy, sloshing fuel cans is more than just awkward—it’s a recipe for waste and contamination. Every spill is money lost, and every time you use a dirty funnel, you risk introducing water and debris into your tractor’s fuel system. Vintage engines are tough, but they don’t appreciate a diet of rust flakes and water from the bottom of a fuel barrel.
A dedicated pump solves these problems instantly. It provides a closed system from your storage container to your tractor’s tank, drastically reducing the chance of spills and contamination. This isn’t about being lazy; it’s about being smart. Protecting your engine from dirty fuel is one of the most important maintenance tasks you can perform, and it starts with how you transfer that fuel.
Fill-Rite FR112 Rotary: The Classic Hand Crank
If you could only have one pump for the rest of your life, this would be it. The Fill-Rite FR112 is the cast-iron, red-handled pump you see mounted on fuel drums in every old barn for a reason. It’s dead-simple, brutally tough, and requires nothing but a little bit of your own elbow grease to operate.
The smooth rotary action is surprisingly efficient, delivering about 10 gallons for every 100 cranks. It pumps in both directions of the crank, so there’s no wasted motion. This pump is designed to be threaded into a 55-gallon drum and left there, creating a permanent, reliable fueling station that will never fail you because of a dead battery.
Of course, it’s not the fastest option, and it’s certainly not portable. You don’t unthread this beast to take it out to the back forty. But for a central fueling point in the shed, its absolute reliability is unmatched. This is the pump you buy once and give to your grandkids.
Hopkins FloTool Shaker Siphon: Simple & Foolproof
Sometimes the most elegant solution is the simplest. The shaker siphon has no moving parts, no seals to fail, and no power source to worry about. It’s just a hose with a clever one-way valve on the end.
To get it working, you simply submerge the brass end in your gas can, give it a few vigorous shakes, and let gravity do the rest. That’s it. The flow starts and continues as long as your fuel can is higher than your tractor’s tank. This makes it perfect for transferring fuel from a can sitting in the bed of your pickup truck.
The tradeoff is speed and convenience. It’s a slow process, and the height requirement can sometimes be a hassle. But for its rock-bottom price and incredible reliability, a shaker siphon is an essential piece of kit to keep tucked behind the truck seat. It’s the ultimate backup plan and a perfect tool for small, occasional transfers.
GPI EZ-8 12V Pump: Portable Power for the Field
When you need to refuel a tractor in the middle of a field, a hand crank pump on a drum back at the barn doesn’t do you much good. This is where the Great Plains Industries (GPI) EZ-8 shines. This compact 12-volt pump is designed for true portability, running off the battery of your truck or the tractor you’re fueling.
Delivering up to 8 gallons per minute, this pump makes quick work of a fill-up. It comes as a complete kit with a hose, nozzle, and power cord with alligator clips, so it’s ready to work right out of the box. Just drop the suction hose in a 5-gallon can or a slip tank in your truck bed, clip it to a battery, and flip the switch.
The reliance on a 12V power source is its only real weakness. A dead battery means a useless pump. It also has more complexity than a manual pump, meaning more potential for failure over the long term. But for those who value speed and the convenience of refueling anywhere on the property, the EZ-8 is the go-to choice for powered, portable fueling.
Koehler Lever Action Barrel Pump: Built to Last
The Koehler Lever Action pump is another classic from the school of heavy-duty, built-for-a-lifetime design. Instead of a rotary crank, it uses a simple, robust up-and-down lever action to move fuel. Many old-timers prefer the direct, physical feedback of this style of pump.
Constructed from steel and built for industrial environments, these pumps are more than tough enough for farm duty. They thread directly into a barrel and provide a steady, reliable flow with each stroke. The design is simple, easy to service, and highly resistant to wear and tear.
The choice between a lever pump like this and a rotary pump like the Fill-Rite often comes down to personal preference. Both are excellent, durable options for a stationary fuel drum. If you prefer a positive, reciprocating pump action over a spinning crank, the Koehler is a fantastic alternative that offers the same buy-it-for-life reliability.
TERA PUMP TRFA01: Battery-Powered Convenience
For those who primarily fuel their tractors from 5-gallon jerry cans, the TERA PUMP TRFA01 offers unmatched convenience. This lightweight, battery-powered pump eliminates all the lifting, tipping, and potential for spills. It runs on a few D-cell batteries, so you don’t need to be near a vehicle to use it.
Its best feature is the automatic stop sensor on the nozzle, which prevents you from overfilling the tank—a common and messy problem when you can’t see the fuel level easily. The flow rate is modest at around 2.5 gallons per minute, but for emptying a single 5-gallon can, it’s plenty fast. It’s incredibly easy to use and a real back-saver.
This is not a heavy-duty, all-day pump. It’s made of plastic and isn’t designed to be thrown around the shop like a cast-iron Fill-Rite. But for its intended purpose—cleanly and easily transferring fuel from portable cans—it’s a brilliant tool. It’s the perfect pump for someone who values spill-free convenience for smaller jobs above all else.
Fill-Rite SD62 Hand Pump: For High-Volume Use
If you like the reliability of a manual pump but need to move more fuel faster, the Fill-Rite SD62 is the next step up. This is a diaphragm-style hand pump that moves significantly more volume per stroke than its smaller rotary cousins. You can expect to transfer a gallon of fuel in just five or six easy pulls of the handle.
This pump is built for efficiency. It’s ideal for the hobby farmer who might be running a couple of tractors and needs to fill them both from a 55-gallon drum before heading out. The time saved compared to a smaller rotary pump really adds up over a season.
While it’s still a manual pump with all the off-grid reliability that implies, it is a larger and more expensive unit. It’s likely overkill if you only have one small tractor with a 10-gallon tank. But if you’re managing multiple pieces of equipment, the SD62 strikes a great balance between manual simplicity and high-volume performance.
Maintaining Your Pump for Decades of Service
A good fuel pump, especially a manual one, is a tool that should last a lifetime. The key is simple, commonsense maintenance. The biggest threats to any fuel system are the water and sediment that inevitably collect at the bottom of a storage drum.
Always keep the suction pipe on your pump a few inches off the bottom of the barrel. This simple step prevents you from sucking up the gunk that can clog your pump and, worse, your tractor’s carburetor. For an extra layer of protection, consider an in-line fuel filter or a filter-equipped nozzle.
For manual pumps, a periodic check of the bolts and a drop of oil on any pivots is all they usually need. For electric pumps, keep the battery connections clean and store the unit out of the rain. By treating your pump with the same respect you give your tractor, you ensure it will be there to serve you reliably for decades to come.
Choosing the right fuel pump isn’t about finding the single "best" one, but the best one for your setup. Whether it’s a permanent hand crank on a drum or a portable battery pump in your truck, the right tool transforms refueling from a dreaded chore into a simple, safe task. It’s a small investment that pays you back every single time you fill up.
