I looked at adding an inline filter, but I was told by a few that there may not be enough of a draw to get the fuel through. I'm not sure if I believe that, but I also can't say it's a dumb concern. The filter isn't part of the cap, it's just a screen on at the bottom of the tank that appears to be heat fused with the tank. So, replacing isn't really an option. I was thinking about using some sort of "fuel friendly" epoxy to cover the area that's compromised, about 1/8" circular puncture near the far edge of the filter. If I could seal that with an epoxy that would stand up to the fuel the remainder of the filter can do its job. Thanks for the ideas.

A common DIY way to deal with that is to use a pair of locking jaw pliers to "pinch" the fuel hose closed. Use something under each jaw of the pliers where they touch the hose, to keep the serrations of the jaws from cutting into the hose. A few folds of an old cloth rag is usually enough to soften the jaws. While you are doing this, why don't you add an inline shutoff valve? If your fuel system is gravity fed (tank higher than carb) you need the benefit of being able to positively shut off the fuel when not using the machine.

heri_cles, the sentence should have been "This means that the filter is located between the fuel tank and the fuel pump". I'm sorry for the error. A fuel pump has 2 "ports" through which liquid flows. One is the suction or inlet, this port must be connected to a hose that leads to the fuel tank. The other port is the pressure or outlet, this port connects to a hose that leads to the carburetor. Vacuum or pulse operated pumps also have the third port for the pulse hose but the part about the 2 liquid ports is true for ALL fuel pumps no matter if they are mechanically, electrically, or vacuum operated. I would bet that the filter assembly you have is meant for use on the suction side (between fuel pump and tank). Most of the filters I have seen that are for the pressure side of pump are constructed of metal. As to your other concerns: Length of hose.....With a run of about 4 feet and an inside diameter of 1/4" (and assuming the horsepower of the engine to be less than....say....50HP) your fuel pump would not even know it was drawing through a hose. At the low rate of fuel consumption of your engine...the fuel line might as well be considered as an "extension of the fuel tank". As to the height of the pump above the fuel tank....this is always a consideration BECAUSE these small diaphragm pumps are very weak in the suction aspect of pump performance....but in the application on a lawn or garden tractor you would really not have a problem because in most cases the pump only has to "lift" the fuel something less than 10". As to the size of tank vent........so long as the vent allows air to enter the tank at a rate that matches (or exceeds) the rate at which the fuel is being drawn out of the tank....increasing the vent size will not increase pump performance. Having too large a vent can lead to dirt and debris entering tank or fuel sloshing out of tank. I visited the website of your link and the fact that they included a warning not to use this filter with fuel injection systems supports the idea that it is a suction filter. I noticed that it has 5/16" hose nipples, does your tractor have 5/16" hose? Lastly, you DO NOT want to situate your filter between the pump and carburetor because then you lose the benefit of keeping the "crud" out of the fuel pump.

The 200 feet is not the problem. At even say a few GPH of oil flow, the pressure drop in the 200 feet is miniscule. Since the point of use is below the lowest level of oil in the tank, the single stage pump should work. The only problem I see is the initial priming of the pump since the 8 foot lift has to be negotiated. Once done, the 8 feet does NOT affect the flow since it forms a "loop" , so then the differential height between the oil tiop and the point of use actually "helps" the pumping.