DOW Driving Habits

The automixer startup and operation speaks for itself. Doesn’t get any simpler.

If you want details on the function, there’s a whole thread over here:

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Yes chris, the 2" valve is still there, and feeds directly into the wood gas line. Added a 3/4" line that feeds in just after the ford throttle body mixer. I can add more air now with out changing the gas before the automixer. The two 2" valve would whistle a high pitched sound when using it. The 3/4 gives me better control on leaning the gas out. I added 2 tennis ball popoff valves, one out top of the mixing unit you built and the other in the gas line before the ford throttle body. I’m still trying to fine tune the truck for more miles per pound of wood. That’s why I asked the question on how Wayne runs his trucks.
I still want to drive this truck back to Argos and alot of those miles on wood. It’s a big goal I know. Lots of high Mountain passes on I-90 interstate and to cross the great divide, hybred running for sure, and freeway driving, most of it is 80 mph. Not on just wood that’s for sure. But at 65 mph. I have a 35 plus mile range in the hopper. I would like to increase that closer to 50 miles.
The Automixer works great, especially at stop lights and slow driving around the 25 mph areas. I do not have to make any adjustments just drive. I STILL look down at the gas switch to made sure it’s off. Living the SWEM dream.
Bob

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You are right on that one Chris, had a leak back at the passenger tail light where the cooling rack tree hooks up to the piping below, just a loose clap. But it was hard to find. Smoke was going up in side the fender and coming up by the gasifier area when the pusher blower would be running by it’s self. That leak gave me some lean gas all the time. Tighten the clap back up and it was back to normal. The bailing wire rusted off that was holding the pipe up tight to the frame. Fresh bailing wire wrap around the pipe and tied and it was ready to go.
Bob

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Bob,

As for bailing wire, I worked with my Grandfather and my neighbor who were both big grain and cattle farmers until the age of 23 when I started my sawmill. Both carried an ample supply of bailing wire in their pick-up’s just in case something broke down. Both farms were held together by bailing wire and it was used on everything that broke. From tying up broken parts, fencing, and welding, it was used as a temporary solution that later became perminant, until the bailing wire itself failed, only to be replaced with a fresh “new” piece of rusty old bailing wire. They were both specialists in this simple and inexpensive technology and would have never thought twice about using anything else…

Bryan

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We say wire is a farmers weld. There is a peace of it on every corner of our property, ready for a quick fix. Wire and bale string.

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Ha! Ha! After we were forced to stop cow-farming back in 2000 it did not take long for all of the baling twine and bale-wire to get used up.
My go-too now is a spool of tempered aluminum alloy electric fencing wire. Better all in all. Holds tight. Does not rust stain. Rust thin and later break. Some been lasting for over 15 PNW wet years now.
Stainless steel repair wrapping wire here too. Too spring-ing stiff for most use. Exhaust-systems, exhaust-systems. Some hot part of gasifier systems fix-'ems use.

Oh . . . pass on the cheaper very soft all-pure aluminum fencing wire. It twist work hardens and breaks.

tree-farmer Steve unruh

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I keep a couple rolls of tie wire for tying rebar around. It even comes coated to eliminate rust stains.

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While we are on the subject of baling wire repairs, I ran across this video, and after watching a few times made my own wire clamper. Works great too.

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Hello all .

I have been real busy and haven’t done much posting but have been burning wood and putting down a lot of miles . :grinning:

BBB

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I was just wondering why your jld temp gauge flashing off and on and where your temp thermal couple is located

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It isn’t flashing, that’s a rolling shutter effect.

The thermocouples on that truck were mounted on the hopper and at the grate.

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Ok I just wondered cous I have a few of them they are pretty decent control ers ! Well hopefully I’ll have my unit up and and going soon working on stationary unit to run 454 spinning ,30kw gen for water heater and electric figerd I burn a shit ton of wood 8 months a season maswill get something for my hard work heat with wood last 10yeas and my electric is insane 300 ! I’m done !!

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Hey Chris it’s Paul I was just wondering has anybody tried perlite for fire tube lining

Perlite is pretty fine and if one were to use it in a gasifier system as an insulator, the welds would have to be perfect or it may plug your system, real quick. So say one were able to get the welds perfect, you have to remember, woodgas eats mild steel. Builders here with many miles on their vehicles are patching holes because of the corrosive properties.

What would plug the system! Perlite can be mixed with sodium silicate known as water glass and can be formed as a hard shell. It can withstand temperatures over 2000 degrees

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Hell I don’t know I was just thinking outside the box I bought Wayne’s book about a month or so ago I’ve been playing with the wood gas in Since 02 off and on just couldn’t get it. Tar free . 5 compressed it I burned it in gas furnaces gas boilers Rand Motors on it compressed. I like to experiment . In 02 is the first time I came across it I stumbled upon it playing around on land-line computer when they were dinosaurs when computers first were coming out always been interested in it after the first time through one together and seen it burn off the end of the pip! I thought though dam that’s cool as hell!!

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Paul; You mentioned perlite. We have had a couple of members, who have experimented, successfully, with “ceramic wool”. Don Mannes has used regular WK design (sort of) with steel tube and one with ceramic wool; plus a build on charcoal, so pay attention to which build you look up.
The other build was the initial build with ceramic wool. Look up these two. Firebrick gasifier (modified WK), 94 Dakota and Featured Project _ Dustin Moore’s Firebrick Gasifier TomC

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Look on this forum or YouTube.

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I think I’m just going to go with out insulation on this one if it last winter running non-stop I’ll build one out of stainless fire tube is Wayne’s design!

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Hello all,

I was planning to video hybrid driving up the mountain but didn’t have to add any gasoline after all .

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