Back in 2007, I was on the yahoo groups Builders site…with the invite from Mike Larosa. I had started build a small engine woodgas generator. With tips from Mike, and of course Wayne, I finally got this up and going. Well I had started 2 Businesses at that time, and had to put my project on hold while holding down a full time job plus running my Computer Repair, and my Welding and repair business. Now that the businesses are established and I have since quit my full time job, I have the bug again. I have been studying woodgas and Gengas since 1981, and have more documentation than most people. I have since disassembled the gas generator from the Bolens and have built a custom welding cart (Cushman) and have started on the Cushman conversion which will have a port to run my 7500 watt generator also… I am also gathering materials to convert my 1998 K3500 7.4 dually also. As things progress I will post.
Hi DennisP
Welcome.
What engine did your Bolens have? Nice picture. Your system elements show up nicely.
What engine does this industrial Cushman cart have? You look kinnda’ jammed for space already. You might read and consider one of GaryG’s of PA charcoal gasifiers for the small one if you have the space/area to pre-make the charcoal. Look under the Forum tab at the page top.
Your BIG truck you’d of course want to be a raw wood fueler. Lots of space and heats to work with there. Plus be a ~2 pounds per mile machine to fuel.
Regards
Steve Unruh
Hi Steve, there is more space than the picture shows…as it is over 8 feet long ( the cushman) I will post pics as I have installed an overhead beam and an electric winch. The cushman has an 18.5 twin cylinder wisconsin with a distributer , the bolens has a 10 hp single wisconsin fixed timing. I want to stay with wood, as charcoal making would take up too much valuable time…The Bolens is not going to be woodgas anymore…as I have a buyer for it. With the cushman and truck running same fuel…it would be more of a convenience than trying to make separate fuel just for the cushman. I got the Bug while in the mid 70’s working at Reynolds Aluminum when they had the plant in Grand Rapids, Mich. they had heat treat furnaces that ran on charcoal gas…I was in my early 20’s then and was amazed at how simple the operation was…each generator held about 150 lbs of charcoal and ran 8 hours… and got up to 1200 degrees…4 furnaces…the generators made the gas…was sucked into a burner by a large blower…and had a regulator on the intake…to control heat… I have posted pictures and if you look you will see my HTP tig welder is not on as it blew a board…and will be 1400.00 to replace. I am looking into Everlast Welders, the same welder I had 200 amp Ac/Dc tig/stick is 2800.00 through HTP…but through Everlast its only 1400.00…same cost as fixing my old one get a new welder…They have good deals on plasma cutters and Mig welders too. here is the link http://www.everlastgenerators.com/
Hey DennisP
Understand about the raw woodfuel decision - I only have Doug Fir softwood and I’ve found the char as charcoal is too fragile to handle.
Good deal on the engine. At least you can now play with the ignition timing. For small systems look at ArvidO’s take on StephenA’s work here in this small engine users corner. No published documentation on this development - just forum exchanges and direct talk.
If you did not catch it on Yahoo look here for Dutch Johns MicroGasifier PDF download here underneath the Resources drop-down tab opening up Links.
Welder woes, eh? I started off for my off grid shop getting a used ESAB suitcase inverter AC/DC TIG; an 8.5 kW four pole gen-head and a hugemongus 6 1/8" X 4 1/2" single cylinder 900 pound engine. Then tried putting together a generating system to be able to weld with. The EBay purchased 85 pound welder arrived UPS dropped many times shattered cast transformer core and a damaged gas regulator. Turned out NOT to be an actual ESAB manufacture at all but a yellow repainted and logo’ed Italian red Cebora (Datona TIG) - both now out of business. The engine wanted to hop up and down and walk away unless bolted down to a preverbal full ton of concrete. Wife and niegbors were scared of it and hated it. I then tried to slap together a quick solution with my sawmill engine and some Harbor Freight 10 kW cheepo’s - two non-functioning right out of the boxes. So . . . sold off the big beastie engine, spare parts and other “wrong” and un-useable stuff and saved the shekels went and bought a turn key Miller engine driven welder-generator. Now I can generate and weld finally. Aluminum TIG I would have to add a HF converter, or get a deferent suitcase inverter welder.
Lots of used Miller and Lincoln engine driven welder-generators out there too. I found running ones local here for as low as $1,000.
Big risk to buy a non-running one.
Project is to now fuel this with woodgas instead of $.$$ gasoline.
Get the retained 8.5 kW four pole head set up to be diesel tractor PTO driven.
Get the retained little 7.5 hp China diesel set up as a portable heavy waste oil fueled DC charger.
Still putting up Winter firewood now though and then onto an old 198 foot water well power conversion project first.
Oh yeah. Maybe bump converting my pick up to the head of the gasification list an check the claim of with the WK type system of just running the welder-generator off of it.
Ha! Ha! More options and projects than time and weather.
I look forward to your experienced developments and input.
Have you looked into the ST Generator Heads?..also…look into a 3 phase 15-20 hp induction motor…if you supply a starting voltage and overdrive them @5-10% over rated RPM…they will produce voltage…@ rated amperage…so say a 15 hp motor will give you 40 amps or 7.5 kwatts.( you will need at least an 18hp motor to drive it on gasoline)…if you google induction motor generator…you can find info. and these are usually cheap…just remember…you need about 1.5 -2 hp per kwatt to drive it…if you use woodgas…double the hp. for full output
Dennis
Hi Dennis, It’s good to see you back in action !! Post a link to your websites when you get a chance. I hope they are still up and running. You have lots of good stuff on them. Still burning 2 inch chunks here. Stay well, Mike LaRosa
PS, Folks sure got used to $4 gasoline in a hurry. The cycle of stupidity continues. My pictures are still here http://www.intergate.com/~mlarosa/images/woodgas/?M=D
I have to get new vehicles. The bumper is trying to come off the cavalier now so I welded some extra stuff in on Sunday. Not much left to weld to.
Hey DennisP
Thanks for the reminder on the Chinese ST, AC generators heads - best value in a new 1800 RPM units available out there.
And your 3 phase induction motor overspeed generating is good advice too. Member TomasMcD here is doing that.
2008? when I was gen head sourcing for a 7.5 ST head the three drive to regional sources here to me had each dropped out. So I knew I would have to pay cross continent truck freight on something. They were still in $3.00 USD a US gallon shock and frieght fuel surcharging back then too. I did find an Ohio source for a New Old Stock 1999 Y2K 1st world quality Italian Mecc Alte brushless transformer regulated two bearing head. What I bought and had surcharged shipped. Big black 79 kilo’s heavy in iron and copper unit. Since then the proven good reliable US source for ST’s, STC’s and Stamford brushless heads has developed here: www.centralgagenerator.com
Tom Osborne 478 457 5524
He does ship to Canada too.
To make the 3 phase motors really generate well they have to have balancing capacitors tuned in. Maybe some good info on that online. But the best I’ve read is in a book by a working EE and home DYI named Bill Rodgers.
Book is titled “The Home Power Producer’s Guide TO Electrical Reality” Self publish in limited numbers and only available here: http://www.utterpower.com/ then “Products”, then “Books”.
This is the Blog site of personal alt energy guy GeorgeB. He has strong learned/experienced opinions so if you do not like his style, do not site read and complain. This is the Only place to get this book other than pried from a paid owners cold dead hands. Ha! Ha! Mine is already bequeathed.
For woodgas electrical power generating I now promote direct speed/load/gas quality floating RPM DC alternator charging and let the electronics in a quality inverter or a Redi-Line converter/generator sort it all out.
Steve, I use permanent magnet DC motors on some of my stuff and just let them pump electrons when they get moving. I need to get caught up on my wind stuff soon. The leaves are piling up on the ground here and the winds will be coming through again … ML
Hello Dennis; Welcome back to the woodgas. Enjoyed going through your old photos of your Bolen build. Took me back some years with the Mike LaRossa dryer vent material and just the other day in a post on DOW, I commented on all the squirrel cages that I have laying around from back in the day when we were trying to come up with a 12 v vacuum source. We were fighting for every bit of information we could get. I saw the pictures of the central vacuum hooked in line, I thought, “oh yea. I remember that. Was that a Dennis idea?” but then I saw “Gregg” ( Manning) name on it. Interesting that you were using a single center nozzle. Thanks for the memories. TomC
