Hi Ron
I was reading your post on your tractor again and i noticed you said you had a hot filter.
So does your gas go thru the filter before the cooler?
While i’m waiting to build my truck i have a small tractor i think i will build a small one for it
thanks
tom
Hi Thomas,My tractor and truck have the filter before the cooler just after the cyclone that way the filter medium stayes dry if it is wet the soot sticks to the medium and plugs and it stays soggy,Waynes hay filter works well but it is cool and wet also coarser I think he just rinses it out with a hose and keeps using it.Also I use fiberglass batting and just throw ot away after 700 - 1000 miles.
Ron L
We tilled the garden and graded the yard at the shop today, the tractor ran really good.Today the heat from off the fuel hopper felt good and a good way to warm the hands. I made a couple of changes recently that was an improvement.
The grate was continually plugging so I took out some of the bars in the grate( it is a stationary grate), and the hopper was bridging a lot so I started cutting the blocks smaller.
Hi Ron
It is hard to tell from the picture but it looks like your grate spacing is about 3/8 in. Was the above picture taken before the change? What did you remove, every other one? Does your grate sit tight up so everything passes through it or does hang below and allow the gas to move horizontally out above the grate? Someone once said to only change one thing at a time then try it out before changing the next thing. Did you try the smaller blocks before changing the grate spacing? Were you getting just fine ash or some slipped char through the grate before changing? Enough questions for a while : )
Don M
Hi Don,
The picture of the grate was before I took two rods out and pushed the others over to even them up, I didnt want to change it too much at a time, but it seems to have solved the problem. The grate just drops into the bottom of the hearth and hangs down into the gas cowling and the ash fills in around the restriction and forms a cone up to the nozzles, that way it is easy to take out to change or repair. The restriction is about 4 3/4" under the nozzles and the grate is about 6" under that, the nozzle ring is 9" diameter. The tractor was running but really weak and I was going to take the gasifier off and recycle some of the parts into a WK gasifier but when I got it opened up the grate and all of the reduction area had ash packed tight into it I dont know how it ran at all but still didnt see any signs of tars.Here is a pic of the grate from my truck it is close to the same as the tractors, but the tractor doesnt have the frying pan only a wide restriction with centering blocks on the underside to hold it in place.
The tractor is really heavy with the tires fluid filled and it ran stronger today than it ever has on wood it has four lower gears and the tires dug in and would spin in the first three
Sweet tractor. It should not take too long to work out the bugs.
We got about 4" of snow last night so I fired up the tractor and plowed today it ran good even with the temps in the low 20s. I had the bucket made wider for more capacity and to keep from compacting the snow to plow better.
Once it cools down I will put it in the shop and drain the condensate.
Hey Ron, why is there snow on that filter? I would think that the heat would melt it right away unless you just started out with it. You still use a hot filter with fiberglass in it right?
Don M
Don M: I think that is light colored/dried mud.
Ronald L: That looks like a LOT of fun.
Hi Don; Brian was right last week everything turned to mud here in Northern IN, I used the bucket to scrape the bumpy pallet yard before it froze again,then took it out on the dirt road and opened up the throttle to clear the grate before I shut it down.
Hello Wood gassers,
We really got plastered with the snow last night! Power out for 7 hours. Hard to believe it was 50* yesterday. I put the PTO gen. on the tractor to power the house. Ran for 5 hours continuous, had to fill once. It worked real well. A few times it had a hiccups but kept on running. The governor on tractor helped to maintain the gen. speed. Here are a few pictures. Have a great day & Keep on Burning Wood
http://jamclasses.drbanjo.com/static/dimages/generator.JPG
Hi Ronald
I’m not familiar with international tractors, is it diesel or petrol?
Do you have a hot filter system coming out of your gasifier ?
Thanks Patrick
Hi Patrick; Yes I am running a hot filter I have had good success using them I have one on my truck also.
I use fiberglass batting for the filter medium and just burn it when it looks like it is getting full.
This International is a 574 with gas engine it has a 201 cid made in 1978.
This tractor is really useful for what I have to do, I have a 4’ tiller and a 6’ brush hog and it has enough power on wood to run all of the attachments
some tines you have to slow down though.
The PTO generator is 40kw continuous and 80 peak I don’t know how much load I can put on this and keep it running, I has started with no load 2 -10hp and 1- 5hp and ran them at the same time.
Have a Good Day Ron L.
Hello Ron ,
Thanks for the pics
Sorry about the snow but I know it can’t keep a good man down.
Was 75 here yesterday but today it was cold and windy
Hi Wayne, I liked your pictures of the green grass a lot better. Spring is coming, they have already started tapping the maple trees.
My14 yr old son Andy, and a friend used the old woodburning tractor yesterday moving some dirt to fill some holes in the yard. Running about 3 hrs straight did a good job!!
Looking GOOD Ron !!
Yes! Looking great to see another generation taking working wood gas power as a matter of course.
Keep it up RonL !!
Regards
Steve Unruh
\approx. 20 horse power would like to run a 16kw off pto. what would you recommend on the gasifier? I am new on the circuit!!!
Hello Mr. Crowe .
I don't have much experience with the tractors but I am trying to learn . I am in the process of building a gasifier for a 40 horse power tractor and trying to keep it small and compact but it is complicated . I think it will work out OK but need some hours on it before before recommending anyone going this route .
Ron Lemler ( this thread ) has built a very nice tractor but it is a large tractor and gasifier and is side mounted so he can operate his front end loader .
Arvid . Olson has built a nice John deere with I think the same motor as you tractor . You may get some pointers from him.
http://driveonwood.com/forum/1463 He may be willing to build a gasifier for your tractor .
It being a small tractor you might even consider going the charcoal route to keep it simple and compact
I a few weeks I may be in a position to give more accurate advise after hopefully operating mine . The gasifier we have been using on the trucks is a two part apparatus. The gasifier with an heat exchager mounted to the side . It seems to work well in the bed of trucks but just not sure if mounted on a tractor blocking some of the field of view. . .