Sean,
May you SWEM as you drive by all the BP, Exxon, Texaco, CITGO, Chevron, and Shell stations.
I know it will be difficult but please try to avoid the ole gesture as you drive by.
BBB
Hey Wayne
To my surprise on this trip I think I passed more trees than filling stations(very rural and pleasant drive) . Just got in, the truck ran great on wood all the way there and all the way back not a drip of gasoline and a total of 212miles with 160lbs. of rotten pine. This makes the Dakota very light on the wallet and wood supply. Smiling ear to ear while passing up opec. HWWT
Hey there Sean, on this property I just bought that will get a wood stove in a half year, I have a stand of an organized rows of 50 - 60 some year old pine trees. There’s at least a dozen of them blown over. What’s your physical test of being worthy kind of motoring fuel? I’m kinda of happy just thinking of not forcing bonfires. And by the way, I worked in my back garage tonight and it took 45 minutes to start losing feeling in my left thumb and right big toe. What’s with the opposing digits anyway? I’d just like to have many wood uses of BTU’s. Feel fortunate. Doug Drost in the land of frost.
Great “millage” Sean. I calculate 1.325 mi per lb. I drove to wal-mart yesterday, 65 lb for 45 mi. Hoping that will improve with age.
Hey there Mr.Drost
Wow you have some wood there 
I have a few different piles to choose from ranging from 4-5year dead 1-2 year dead
and fresh cut yesterdays wood. This is all kiln dried no.2 yellow pine and I can
tell no difference from the 5yr. or yesterdays fresh cut. A few years ago I burned
some that must have been dead for 40 years it worked but sight loss of power.
My general test is if you can’t crush it to sawdust with bare hands the wood will travel.
I might be missing out on more experience here because all I am burning is pine and there
are plenty of other species I would like to try. Just haven’t been able to find a good source
yet.
If your losing the feeling in fingers and toes I don’t want to ask how cold that is or was. My hat is off
to you I will be smiling this summer when it is 110 degree.
What would be your approved method for processing said dead tree?
Hey there Carl
I would say that number is dead on. Thanks and yes that is part of the other 75% of woodgas operator. Compared to how I normally drive (fast and burning up much more wood) today I just kept up with traffic and drove very soft on the pedal. When you have the time I wood highly recommend trying a long distance run Wayne’s right much to be learned out on the open road.
Hey Sean Ya got it going on!!
There are some good driving in FL. A couple years back when we got together in Orlando I had driven down through the Crestview,Free Port ,Panama City area east and then south down the west coast of FL. Driving along at 3 or 4 AM on some of the long ,straight and flat roads and almost no traffic I could see car lights coming from 20 miles away. I was enjoying the drive so much I found myself in Tampa and had to back track some to Orlando.
Carl,
At 65 pound for 45 miles sounds like your fire tube is trying to build it’s char bed . I wouldn’t clean all the char/ash out of the ash dump until it builds up good.
Sean, Your mileage is about what I would expect out of my dakotas if driving in the 55-60 mph range., Should have been 1/4 throttle or less.
I can’t say that about the v-10 It is big and heavy and I may use it for farm work for an hour and not drive but 5-10 miles . Using it on the daily routine the MPC ( miles per cord ) would be low . If I were on dino fuel it would get into my pocket 4-5 miles per gallon.
Hi back to ya Sean, I avoided the cold tonight by welding the angle iron onto the firetube and rusty spikes on the inside at the machine shop tonight during 2nd shift. Brought it home for what will probably be 1 hour sessions in the back garage. Already asked the wife about putting pole barn metal on a basement ceiling. The look on her face was like asking her to agree to an additional wife (joking)
I could process it like Wayne’s rim, since mine is shop built 2 foot diameter, you saw the picture in Michigan, I think. Wayne told me there to taper the cutting angle way back to reduce HP. It’s almost finished, then wife says she’s excited about a gasifier and will buy me steel to get me going. She says – use a credit card and get your fire tube. So now I’m like a male dog with a steak on one side, and a female in heat in the same room. Salvage yards are like a candy store. Every Friday afternoon. AMC Eagle is getting a cargo hitch platform for giving it Jap truck capacity. Keep having fun, Doug D
Hey Sean,
We have had pictures and videos coming in from the frozen north and I have to put a coat on just to watch. Maybe you or Neil could post some video or pic so I could put my sun glasses and shorts on and watch.
I second that motion.
Hey Wayne And Terry sure looks a bit cold up there my hats off to you.
I can get that done!!! I think Neil is planning a trip over sometime this weekend I am sure we will be doing some Florida driving.
Lower radiator hose blew out on the Dakota the other day. Had to patch with duct tape to make it up to the parts store. All part of the fun
gasifier is still running strong.
Hey wayne and Terry
Heres a little bit of the miserable weather down here, If it gets any worse Ill have to move to Cancun Mexico…lol
Sean if you see this post I will be heading your way in the morning. I will give you a call about 12 or 1 today.
Take care all…BRRRRRRRRRRRfect weather…Snicker!
Neil
Hey Neil,
I’ll house sit for ya while you’re in Canacun.
Sean (and Bruce), Today I fired up and drove about twenty miles. I stopped outside a little town called Bird Island to check the fuel level. When I tried to start up again the starter (loudly) failed to engage the ring gear. While I was underneath squirming in the ice, it started to rain–freezing rain. My wife and I walked arm in arm to a cafe and called AAA.
The Point: while we were running I took readings on my new probe under the grate in the ash pit (above the ashes). While the grate temp hung on 750C, the new probe, 6 inches below the grate, between the grate and the exit pipe, climbed slowly and steadily up to 540C.
The Question: How hot is too hot below the grate? Does 540C suggest an air leak?
Anyway, you guys aren’t getting ALL the fun!
Still burning here.
John
John,
I had to put on my wet suit and jacket before I could finish reading BRRRR that’s cold!!!
How hot is too HOT unfortunately there is no short answer to this question. In short 1600 f on my grate is the max I want to see. For troubleshooting leaks or over pulling the gasifier I will respond shortly in e-mail.
Trying some different shapes for gasifiers. Running very sweet
And a short video cutting some wood Thanks to Carl Zinn for the idea beats a chop saw any day
WOW you have been busy. All above the bed I take it. Looks good, but more important, drives good!
Hey! Watched the sawing video.
Good idea, good execution guys.
Looks like a workable easy solution for many.
Regards
Steve Unruh
Good looking stuff! How is the square gasifier designed? Could you take some photos? Is the inside square too? The hopper and furnace also?
Hey Carl
Yeppers very busy!!! Really like the Saw it sure cuts lots of wood quick.
Hi Steve
Glad you could see the video. Very workable system parts are easy to find cheap to maintain.One could probably modify it even further for cutting round tree limbs.
Hi Magne
Welcome to the site!! Yes the hopper and bottom are square. Just wanted to try something different.
