about how much wood/mile would an f250 use, loaded vs. unloaded? I found a listing for a 1995 F250 460, automatic, 4x4.
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Figure in that a 318 Dakota gets a bit over a mile per pound of wood combined economy, and I think a standard truck with a 350cui V8 gets about a 1:1.
My best guess unloaded with a 460 and 4x4 drivetrain you’ll get a mile per pound with a WK gasifier and have less efficiency as it gets loaded down. Gas guzzlers are still guzzlers even when you change the fuel type.
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That is one of the best looking years for Ford Trucks. I’d grab that. Could do some real work and wouldn’t use more wood that a V-10 Dodge and there is plenty of documentation on fuel useage for those here.
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how is it possible that an f250 can have the same fuel efficiency as a dodge Dakota, unloaded on wood gas? don’t 96 v8 f250s get around 10mpg? wouldn’t that translate to lower effieceny than a lighter and smaller engine truck, like the Dakota v8?
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The average is about 1:1 for most gasified vehicles, gasifiers really should be measured in minutes of operating time because it’s constantly consuming the fuel when feeding the engine. There’s only a few cases that get better economy and none of them are pickup trucks. Yevgen Kolyvan aka Joni gets a little over 2 miles per pound of wood in his 1.8L Opel Kadett and his ultralight wood gasifier, and other guys with small cars that use charcoal gasifiers get in the 2:1 ranges.
Your mileage will vary, but I’m giving you a benchmark of 1:1 if you’re driving it on the highway. If all you’re doing is crawling it at 35 mph and under you’ll never see those kind of numbers it may be as bad as a half a mile per pound.
Someone that’s gasified a Ford 460 could give you better figures, I can only speak from collected averages.
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I think waynes v10 3500 burns through 1.5 too 2 pounds wood a mile- but thats a 3500 geared for work . MY gess would be closer too 1.5 pounds of wood a mile or there abouts- all depending on how well the timing adjust for the wood gas and the quallity of the wood chunks and or the dryness of the wood will make some differance in wood consumption- simular to heating with wood. i dont think the 460 ford motor has been gasified yet here on dow.? JUST GESSING. AFTER seeing the dakota getting a pound a mile, thats why i bought a 318 dakota- i have not finished mine yet either.
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Mr Wayne did a 460 before he did the V10. Might be some early videos still on You tube.
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Kerem,
If you notice, Cody said UNLOADED. You can’t equate gasoline with woodgas, exactly, because of the energy density of wood varies, and the mix of gasses produced varies. Unloaded, it is weight, aerodynamics, how much mechanical friction you have to overcome (2wd vs. 4wd lock, etc.). You are correct. A Dodge Dakota 2wd will always use less wood per mile than a full-size 1 ton pickup.
You will not be pulling a gooseneck trailer fully loaded with a Dakota.
You will not be cross-country touring with a big-block engine in a 4wd 3/4 ton truck, unless the truck is loaded in wood chunks, and you enjoy making an endless supply of them.
Big-block heavy pickups can be found at bargain prices because they are expensive to feed on gasoline. (if you do not regularly need the capacity of such a truck).
What do you need from a woodgas vehicle? you might need a couple different styles of builds. 
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What years work best for D1500?
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I gasified a 94 dodge ram 5.2 L than did well.
It’s very hard to access the distributor but is doable .
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I asked google why those small blocks had to sit so far back in the engine compartment. No answer. May have had something to do with configuring the engine compartment to accept the bigger Cummings diesel but that’s just conjecture. What ever the reason it’s a giant PITA.
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Is there a truck that can be used for work/farm that has easier access to the distributor? what are some good options for a work truck?
Hello Kerem .
There may be several choices but I am very comfortable with my 4wd v-10 Ram.
It has no distributor .
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For light farm and work duties I think the 1500 Rams would be OK
Here is an old video of my 1/2 ton 4wd ram on the big road.
Keep in mind it was a 2-3 hour job manipulating the distributor to be able to advance the timing .
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thank you! what is the model and year of the v10? how much wood/mile were you getting with the 1500?
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My 95 D2500 4wd V-10 will use about 2 pounds of wood per mile working around the farm .
I think my 94 D1500 4wd 5.2 L would use about 1 1/2 pounds per mile
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I can answer that question, so people will not try to work on it. Same answer for all car and truck designs. They will take it to the shop because it is a PITA to work on. Pay a mechanic to do it for you. This started back in the 80’s on cars and trucks.
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Of course you are right Bob. I don’t know how I could have been so foolish.
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Fords, distributor is in the front.
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Same on the Dodge 440 engine so easy to work on. Now it is put where you can hardly get to it and it is hidden under a plastic cover over the engine that breaks if you try to remove it. What engineering mess.
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