Get some bags mesh bags, or a laundry basket. You need airflow. put the chunks in, and bring thm inside. I will -assume- you heat with wood or propane, and since those usually remove moisture from the air, it will remove it from the wood fairly quickly as well.
I wouldn’t consider it a permanent solution, but it will give you some dry wood to start with.
Who was the Canadian fellow who did a slide in WK system? He has vids and pics of it running in true Canadian winter conditions. I think he had a condensate collecting jug that was removable.
Then there’s Calvin Rader in Saskatchewan, his system seems to run so well we don’t hear from him any more, but he posted vids and pics.
And then there’s Mr Olsson in Sweden, lots of frigid winter operating hours.
Garry, Might you be thinking of Dustin Moore?
Terry Lavictoire for the WK slide in. He’s a member here and still posts up occasionally.
Woodsman Paul (Paul Holverson) for the MENS system first central BC coastal them moved to interior Alberta. His revised system topic is here on a Premium member thread. And he posted for years on the Forestry Forum on his Ford pick up DOings.
S.U.
Huntress, with a 240 cid watercooled Ford I-6 you will have oddles of DRY blown radiator heat and engine exhaust surface heat to input wood dry down.
Just have to build the engine heating wooddrying bins.
Expanded metal mesh works great for this.
And careful of hot engine exhaust once that wood is dry. Fahrenheit 451 happens then.
You CAN do this.
Regards
tree-farmer Steve unruh
Poplar (trembling aspen) is a good drying wood, it should reach normal dry wood conditions if split and sheltered.
The condensation issue will be forever present, both from the 15% or so residual moisture, and the hydrocarbons the wood is composed of. The condensation is a design consideration, dew point, reheating, collecting at the right places, no low, water traps where not wanted in the plumbing.
first I pass chips through 1 inch screen and hold them with 1/2 inch screen . then I dry chips on black painted concrete pad .
I use mostly fresh cut popular tree and after two days drying in summer sun get zero moisture on meter .
I have 30 gallon drum to trap condensate . I could trap more condensate and tar .
My slide in unit has a removable condensate tank that can be positioned next to gasifier in winter.
Thanks, I am doing a 46 ford pick-up now(rat rod)
Oh tell me that "isn’t " a rat rod!! Don’t you already have a 46 - 48 Ford truck restored? Am I thinking of the correct one-- it is painted “lip stick red”. TomC
fords have this problem of reproducing them selfs lol =)
I agree with what’s been mentioned above.
This is my third winter of every day driving and this is what comes to my mind so far.
Hopper juice: Removable tank is a must in extreme cold conditions unless it’s kept very close to hot parts and emptied within a couple hours after a drive. However the juice seems to keep liquid down to -6 or -7C.
Cooler condensate: With high enough in- and outlets you can usually wait for the next thaw or until you make a trip long enough to let the woodgas melt a block of ice. Mounting the tank prior to the cooler helps but a downstream filter container will still collect water/ice.
Plumbing: For some reason low spots in the pvc plumbing up to the motor haven’t caused me any trouble so far, but avoiding them won’t hurt.
Torching: See to that critical parts like hopper drain, hopper lid seal, drain valves, woodgas valves or any other moving parts can be easily reached with a torch.
The 48 is the silver one in the picture that I did 3 yrs. ago. I am now starting a 46 that I am modernizing the drive train(fuel injected 302, auto trans) and nice interior, but rat rodding the outside. I am thinking about gasifing it if I can come up with a steampunk look for the gasifier to match the rat-rod look.
Hello Huntress,
Lotsa things you can do… First off are you Coastal or Interior?
That can make a big difference in drying wood and keeping dry enough to use.
As Steve said, you will have much waste heat coming off that engine…
Patrick Johnson took this approach
Steve-T’s approach…
More information on you’re particulars would be helpful… There are several ways of going about this. I’m assuming its stationary and will be in a shelter? Are ya off grid? Etc.
TerryL
thank you for posting Patric’s system–I had not seen that one. I wonder how Patric is doing. I hope he resolved his problems and was able to stay and work in the mill he create. TomC
Wouldn’t just about ANY kind of gasifier automatically qualify for the steam punk look?
Hi Tom, I last I heard Patrick was getting his family out of South Africa and moving to Australia.
Bob
Hi Bob
Yes just moved to Australia last week, been a big change. Trying to get my feet on the ground.
Yes drying wood with engine heat and exhaust does work. If Possable do the exhaust gases though a defuser, I had a few fires in my drying tumbler.
If you can rob any more heat from the engine and passs it around the wood it will also help.
Hope this helps
Welcome to Australia Patrick and family . i hope you will soon be gasifying in one way or another .
Dave
