Does everyone know that Mazda B series and Ford Ranger trucks are the same. These vehicles also share drivetrain and chasis with Explorers. Ford owns 25% of Mazda. A few years ago these vehicles were discontiued. The Ranger name is still used in Australia for trucks that are called F150 in the US.
Rindert
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From what I read it looks like Ford sold back 540 million in shares to Mazda following the 2008 meltdown. Mazda seems to be fairly independent again. The small trucks seem to have been essentially Mazda, especially drivetrain and engines, but I would want to compare the two side by side, as Ford seems to have gone their own way with front suspension, and probably a range of details, perhaps making it Ford grade pain in the butt. 
Gotta love those small trucks, sad to see so many full size trucks being used as passenger vehicles.
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LOL.
The 4 cylinder, work horse, is an evolution of the Pinto engine from the 1970s. The truck was first called the Courier.
Rindert
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Not sure if a sketch will help, it is very simple; domed lid on top, smaller domed pan on bottom, with a 2’’ hole in the center, space the two pans 1’’ apart, fill with some sort of mesh(I used ss scrub pads) water condenses on top, runs to outside down to gutter. Tar collects in mesh drips to center hole when hot, down to center of burn tube, or wood fuel to be burned as fuel.
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Actually, the original Courier 4 cylinder engines were Mitsubishi, straight from Japan, same as the trucks were. Great motors.
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Thanks for your description, I was having trouble grasping the design too. I think the idea is very valuable, keep the tar out of places it causes problems, and convert it into energetic fuel. We need a two thumbs up button…
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mistake, sorry wrong subject.
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HURRAH!!! Finally! Finito complette! APPROVED!
Today was the day when the Mazda got legally registered as a gengas vehicle. Ha, after I mentioned “hybriding” is possible the inspector actually put it into the “flexi fuel” category, which has some road tax advantage.
The new curb weight is 4233 lb, which means my whole system weighs 485 lb (incl. fire extinguisher, one bag of wood, some condensate and so on). Still, I would guessed about half.
We worked through the latest 1974 oil crisis documents and checklists. I got only one minor remark which was overlooked - I forgot to bring an ash bucket
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That’s such an excellent development.
And so fortunate that you live in a country that has standards and acceptance for wood gas vehicles.
In North America where there was never a petroleum shortage (yet…), the luckiest are those who live in a jurisdiction where the government doesn’t care what your vehicle runs on, or what the emissions are.
Many thumbs up. Have you got an ash pail lined up? 
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Thank you for the thumbs up Garry.
I have to admit I don’t quite get the lined up ash pile joke.
The boring answer is ash, soot and fine char all end up in the garden, around fruit trees and such. I save the screened char for future use and occational long trip richening of the fuel.
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Hey, it just occured to me. As far as l know, this is the first modern fully legal and registrated woodgas vehicle on the site isnt it? I know DJ tryed but gave up, not sure about the legal status of Koens vehicles but everyone else of us sort of drive in the “gray zone” of the law.
Kind of a mile stone dont you think?
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Congratulations
It is refreshing to see a government recognize innovation.
Here in Washington state they are seriously setting up the ability to monitor traffic so they can tax drivers per mile traveled. All those high miles per gallon and electric cars are not paying enough gas tax.
oh did I mention that we have the highest gas tax in the nation! About $1 gallon now!
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Thank you, thank you,
@KristijanL, I belive we had a few short visits on DOW from at least two owners of registered vehicles. Johan L (SWE) and Vesa M (FIN).
I don’t want to steal anyones milestone
@mggibb, Would you belive me if I told you over 60% of the price of gasoline and diesel is tax here. Equals about $4:50 a gallon of pure tax. On the other hand we don’t have toll roads (except city centers of Stockholm and Gothenburg).
We manage though. In southern Europe prices are about the same but in some of them countries they don’t earn even half of what we do. I’m surpriced there is any traffic at all down there.
Norway recently passed 10% electric vehicles. They still get free parking and free charging in the cities. I wonder for how long.
Ha, there’s been talk here for decades about taxing home made firewood. Farmers threatened trading wood with each other, full deductions and so on. Plans were scrapped
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South Europe confirming. Here current petrol price is about 5.2€/gal (dont know the current €/$ rate), of wich a big majority is tax. The anual highway tool cost is 110€. A 1000€/month is considered a good payment here. You do the math.
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Hi, Kristijan!
8.9.2018
You could of course add, that in Finland woodgas vehichles do not pay any vechicle tax, as gasoline-ones do! + fuel tax.
And add one Audi to the list…
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This was the case here too, until last year, when all green vehicles were back to standard tax.
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Oh, l didnt realise your Audi is fully legal too? Speaking of wich, how is the good old Audi holding up?
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Someone told me that in the US we are allowed to make and use 400 gallons of biodiesel per year. Does anyone know where I can find information about this?
Rindert
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Hi, Kristijan!
9.9.2018
Thank you for asking! Quite well. As long as I have free fuel.
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Hi All,
As a lifelong Washington State resident I strongly echo MichealG’s complaint about us having the highest gasoline fuel taxes in the USofA!
Now a full 1/3rd of the pump price we pay. On top of our mandated much more expensive to make California standards; Reformulated-Clean-Air gasoline’s.
Sure. Sure. In relationship to those who are paying 2/3rds pump price in different “consumer”, “social-responsibility” (social) Value Added tax’s is seems we still have great deal.
We grump because we are Americans. Meaning the distilled out individual Insistent of a worldwide skim for the most cantankerous of Insistent’s. In the last very contentious national elections cycle a TV news blurb re-broadcast was of two new citizens with still accents. Two Russian-American gals street interviewed from Las Vegas. “Here in America, we work. we are fair paid, and GET TO KEEP OUR MONEY”.
49.4 cents of that state gasoline tax is supposed to be dedicated to roads and maintenance. Surprise. Surprise, how often that funds get diverted to other social programs. Not building replacement bridges, like the old, old OR/WA I-5 spans. Then our needs-more money legislatures have snuck in additional “for-the-roads” taxes like the decades of hated vehicle ownership per year excise tax. With them deciding the declining vehicle base values to be re-taxed over and over throughout that vehicles ownership…
Now we have a new in Washington state social-progressive-approved additional 50 cents per gallon tax to build our states portion of the west coast electric vehicle charging stations “hi-way”.
With state tax credits to business’s who will install electric car free-for-use charging stations.
Now even every Wal-Mart down here has free-for-use electric vehicle charging stations. Most all cities, counties, public buildings have free-for-use electric vehicle charging stations. Shopping Malls. Tourist magnet stops.
I see $70,000+ Teslas here now routinely. $50,000 Chevy Volts are common to see here now too. Ha! The now considered, ho-hum “only” $30,000 Nissan Leaf’s are falling out of popularity/use here now.
So . . . if you could convince “the People” (all who are running out “reduce, reuse, recycle” older gasoline vehicles) to buy for you ALL of your personal use transportation energy I’d bet most would step right up and free-energy slurp too.
What Future: a honey-pot that cannot sustain, eh? Pooh-bear thinking.
Free fuel-wood . . . ain’t. All wood-use takes sweating and slivers getting. That is what makes it Real. That is what makes it forward-going, Relevant. That is what makes it the truely only everyman-his-own-king, fuel.
“Plant and grow your own fuel-wood trees! Now.” Doug Williams
tree-farmer Steve unruh
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