Let me drop some info on this thread real quick, since this is my field.
Diesel fuel pumps, even the old mechanical ones, are rather delicate beasts. The fuel system makes the diesel engine. Clean fuel is an absolute must and that fuel must have lubricity to keep the pump in good operational condition. The fuel injector nozzles can quickly and easily be eroded if contamination makes it past the filter. We encourage the use of high quality, high efficiency filters for a reason.
Diesel fuel pumps are expensive to rebuild and can easily be thousands of dollars to rebuild. Fuel injectors are also expensive. And a malfunctioning fuel system can cause damage to the engine itself.
The article says that #2 heating oil will work, from what I've read the controls on it isn't as tight as for diesel fuel, so it WILL screw up internal combustion engines, given enough time.
As far as offroad vs heating oil, I don't know if heating oil is ultra low sulfer diesel like offroad is, I don't deal with it. Furthermore, is the home heating oil kept as "clean" as the diesel? Is it the same quality?
Trying to be cheap with a diesel engine can easily cost you a lot...