Hi everybody my name is Pete and I have been lurking here in the forums and reading and learning as much as I can and trying to get started on this project. I just recently moved to southern Oregon where there is plenty of wood available, so its a good place for wood gas! I have too many questions but I will start of by asking about my 91 Toyota pickup. Its a 4 cyl 2.4 liter 118hp with EFI and I think its OBD1. Is it possible to run this truck on wood gas? I have tried finding info about this and so far I have come across someone running a 91 Toyota pickup on charcoal with good results. Here is a link to that truck,
Hey pete that is a nice tie-in reference to DOW member DougB’s current site.
Woogasing versus carcoal gasing should work on your Toyota.
Toyots pickups have been done by three other now:
JohanL as a paid for project in the U.K.
Bruce"X" while stationed in Iraq
And one of the members here on the DOW.
This last fellow should chime in once he reads this. Pretty sure his was an early EFI too, versus the caburated for the others.
Also been a number of four cylinder Ford Rangers done now. And at least one four cylinder Chevy S10.
They all say 50-60 mph on the level. Less on grades.
Southern Oregon does have Siskue and Coastal mountains grades.
Think you can live with the power reduction?
You are now the third woodgas pete here on the DOW that I keep track of. Could you please give a last initial to help me keep my pete’s strait in my mind? Ha! “C” ans “S” already in use.
The DOW member with the gasified Toyota pick-up is David Siedschlag.
Use the magnifing glass shaped “search” windor in the RH top tool bar to search his work by “Toyota pickup”, or his name.
Ask him how’s it going on one of his shown started topics listed. He’ll be e-mailed your inquiry and should respond.
S.U.
Hi Steve. My last name is Aleman so Pete A should do fine. I figured that I would have some power loss with my truck and that’s fine while im learning. I would like to get a powerful V8 Ford truck like a 76-77 highboy but I got to save for that, so for the time being I got to start with my Toyota truck with its small engine. I mostly use my truck for driving around town and occasionally get on the freeway where the speed limit is 65 so I don’t need to go faster than that. I have seen that vid with David Siedschlag Toyota and his gasifier looks very well built. It would love to see some build plans for that fine looking machine. Do you know if they are available? I will shot him an email when I get a min.
YOU can also check don mans build,too see what size fire tube he used on his geo tracker,you would want bigger than his with pickup truck for some extra towing wood fuel reserve, if you stay alittle lighter than the bigger truck builds it would help with the power,this stuff is all learning still for me, The main helpers /calculators are out on the road at argoes IN at a wood gas show, till tomaro evening.The small trucks or cars 4 cyl wood be cheap on gas still when out of wood.
Hi Kevin. Yes I have downloaded Dons vid and saved it. I will be using his build for reference. I am still learning too, but I am determined and will make it work with my truck. It will take me a while. I have been collecting materials for this project for a while now, but I have not been able to find a 1/4" x 12" fire tube. I got a 1/8" thick 12"od by 17" in length tank. Can anyone chime in and share some info on if this tank will work? Its half as thick as what is recommended in the book. I know that 1/8 could rust out faster but can it still work? Where could I find a 1/4" thick tank or pipe? I got a few scrap water heater tanks but they are all 1/8". Luckily I did find an 18" water heater tank, and I am going to cut up some heat sink fins from the steel sheet that surrounds the water heater, I just got to strip away the paint with the grinder or something. Dang I wish I could have gone to Argos, but its kinda far away from where I live.
HI Pete, when everyone gets back some one may see this and have a fire tube, and banding. I hate to see you do all the work on some thing that won’t last very long. Where are you located? Al
HI pete ,like al frick said you dont want too use something that will melt down too easy, the experts will be here too help soon,since they had a long weekend,once a year meet,camp,traveling.The water heater outer metal is too thin too weld on the thicker burn tube metal,and would rust too fast, its a lot of welding and you want it good the first time,so it last some years.I got an s10 4.3 and i might go with 11" dia burn tube too save on space and weight,though i wont use less than 1/4" thick.you might want too use the new burn tube design,it is a little easyer too build ,and seems agood design allso, some one can bring up the tracktor design tomaro,bill S and i are building with that design,wayne used it on his tracktor all summer, check that design before you decide, It seems too work good.
Pete; Where there is a will there is a way. I believe Patric in So. Africa made a burn tube out of strips of 1/8 th steel plate welded into a circle ( pentagon or something).TomC
HI pete i beleive most hot water heater outers are about 22 gauge.The water heater material itself would make fins,i made mine from 1/8" strips i bought from steel co.before they scraped them,and some comercial shelf angle i cut up for fin strips,they were a little les than 1/8",and i used waynes tractor design fire tube cooling design.
I looked into Waynes tractor design and I am going to implement his fire tube cooling design in mine. I have to use the materials that I have available since it has been a challenge to find 1/4" steel tanks of any kind. I plan to monitor temps very carefully using the Arduino platform. I have quite a few Arduino projects that I built over the years and a gasifier is an excellent example on how a microcontroler can come in handy to monitor temps and automate processes.
Good luck and have fun welding, after 150 200 bucks in welding rod plus electric,i think if i were dead set on a thin tube, i would put a sleeve or two inside your outer thin tube and leave gap in between them too save the outer. haveent tryed it that way, just seems it might save the outer from burning through too easy.
I haven’t given up on that perfect 1/4" tank yet, im still looking, but in the mean time im building. Im pretty sure I will be building a few of these over time as I learn and mess up on things. I was thinking the same as you about bulking up the fire tube and getting more heat sink material on it. We will see if it works or not.
HI PETE,lighter burn tube and houseing is not a bad way too go if can auto mate the temp limit control. most of the imbert fire tubes are thinner but they do there burning in a brake drum or too stacked.or the air comes in at the inside edge of brake drum stock.a different design with WK design, its a little more heavy,but has more positive features,for the extra 150 pounds weight or so in the actual burn tube weight,and welded plate. my burn tube a little under 3/8" but its extra long for extra cooling at the top end range.keep reading and it will all come too you like gold.I have a note book full of notes because if i right it down it easyer too begin too remember. KR
I had a shop roll a 1/4 in plate then I welded the seam it wasent a perfict circle but close .I couldn’t find anything else to use either and couldn’t wait.
HI PETE, I have an old 1985 toyota flat bed that i would like to drive on wood,so i hope you get yours working good.Good little pickups,should get more miles per pound than the dakota’s,and work good around 300 too 500 miles round trips with out over working the truck,I know my 1985 s10 is getting a half ton truck rear axel and some spring helpers at least,
I’m keeping an eye out for all sorts of materials, and check craigslist daily! Its pretty hard to find these large diameter steel tanks and pipe There are a lot of people collecting metals and selling them to scrap yards and the scrap yards wont sell you anything, which makes things a bit more challenging. I moved up here from the SF bay area and the competition for scrap is fierce down there. I had to pay full price for new steel sheet. I love my Toyota pickup I had the leaf springs rebuilt and had additional leafs installed, so now it can handle more weight. I hauled about a yard of compost recently which I think might be the limit for this small truck but took it fine just couldn’t drive past 40mph without it swimming around.