so what are your opinions of operating a wood gas car on a “red flag day/burn ban day” were i live it isnt uncommon to have these types of days they are usually caused but high winds and low humidity and i dont need to tell any one how well CA burns so what do you think
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You are carbon neutral when driving on wood gas, and not polluting the air like your gas fuel vehicles do. But like up here in Washington state with all our regulations I try to keep a low profile. Your VW Ford rat rod is a more steilth looking gasifier.
My gasifier has very little smoke come out of it when it is shut down, and no smoke going down the road.
Bob
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Like all things in-life there are a lot of Depends, Depends, Depends to this personal decision.
“Red Flag Days” are usually primarily about open fire hazards.
“Total Burn Ban Days” are usually primarily about air-inversion pollution times.
Depends on your personal beliefs on the man-caused CO “earth killing pollution”.
Depends on just where you live . . . pine tree duff areas; end of summer dry, dry tall weeds and grasses; and now even cold dried out piles of leaf fall accumulations . . . well . . . other WILL decide for you IF you are seen as ashes dumping, char sifting, soots brushng out; condensates dumping doing stooo-pids. Then other seeing you will be doing the deciding for you!
You wood-for-driving fellows sooner or later must accept that as soon as you modify the mandated since 1967 (1963 in California) PCV systems so your engine intake can suck your gasifier system that you are now operating illegal.
Many places using wood-to-drive is technically illegally evading road-use fuel taxes.
So . . . as a motor fuel making many times; scoff-laws . . .
I’d say that mumms-the-word. And Don’t Ask - Don’t Tell Rules, your decisions.
Insisting on being a scoff-law in too many visible areas is what will get you hammered hard. Looks skanky - is skanky.
The games are rigged for joe-consumer pump-fuel using, in for-profit factory certified compliant systems.
Total compliance is their game.
Soft sold now with self-parking, lane-drifting-correcting, self-braking “help-you” overly complex dependencies making systems.
Sorry. I am still grumping about the all tire stores insistence that “you must now by federal law” spend an additional $120-240. USD for tire pressure radio sensors to put steel snow wheels and studded tires on my mountains all weather traveling home-visiting nursie-wifes new 2014 Ford Edge.
“You may have to”, says I.
“I do not.”
New bare steel wheels off the Internet.
World class best studded tires (Nokian) off the Internet. Versus the cheap Chinese multi-named who-knows (performance? safety? life/) that they would only offer to us now.
All metal plain-jane valve stems from NAPA.
Tires hand mounted by me.
Spin balanced by no-questions asking, Manual’s Used Tire Corner.
100% Scoff-lawing
tree-farmer Steve unruh
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I agree with @SteveUnruh. No need to take chances when the fire danger is high, and you will know when that is yourself. Argos, Indiana requires less stealth, Cities on the coasts much more.
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you know your the only person that talks about the legality of these my car is smog exempt but not exempt from the law you stated and as far as the road tax it was interpreted buy a lawyer friend of mine that is the car has the “ability” to burn gas and “has some on board” its all leagle as you are just a super efficient hybrid type of car and i did ask a sheriff up here about the legality and there were his words “i dont see any thing illegal go away” lol =)
my first concern would be wild fire concerns but then again properly operating a gasifier is no more dangerous to the environment than a normal car they are both fire hazards if they crash lol =)
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No problems, your legality ignorance’s concerns whatever your name is.
A bit of actual jail time . . .
Some whopping fines to pay . . .
Getting yourself tagged for a decade or so of close alphabet soups agencies scrutiny . . .
That will wise you up smartly. Or not.
I’ve two of those three under my belt to learn to scoff-law selectively, wisely.
You’ll get there, one way or the other. And it will be your “friends” who drive you to it.
tree farmer Steve unruh
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iexo (?) In one of your videos you mention, “oops, there goes a cop” like it is of little concern. Your woodgas is not your biggest problem with the police. What about no fenders, too small of head lights, to low of head lights, windshield wiper and bumpers and on and on with the vehicle itself. The status of the vehicle would have concerned me much more than the woodgas. TomC
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out of all that the only equipment violation is no windshield wipers 1. it dosent weigh enof to require fenders 2. the headlights are the same size as the originals they actually have the stock bulbs 3. the head lights are at stock height 4. we are only required to have a front bummer witch i have. BTW this car has been inspected buy the CHP like i said the only equipment violation i have is no windshield wiper. the car is registered and insured and not required to be smog checked. so ya and this car got an award (1st place rat rod) in the 5 years i have had this car i have only been “confronted” but the sheriff once and that was b/c i was sitting in a turn out on the highway and he wanted to know why i was there =)
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you forgot this is CA land of the freaks and home of the strainge they dont look twice at me lol =)
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I had a cop pull me over for he thought i looked at him whong so he followed me up too the hardware in my town and everthing but pulled his gun on me for acting like i dodent see him rushing up behind me like i robed a beer store, so i kinda ignored as i got out of car he freaked with his gun stun gun.What a fu??? joker, he ended up moveing out of the area, or retireing, some people shuldent even be police.Good luck with your new wood gas adventure, sounds like your in a good area for the most part, usa home of the free.
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I built a fiberglass dune buggy for the street in Calif. They made me take off the headlights and put on some big bug eyed things. But yes, you are correct, if you know what your are doing you can get a “freak” car through the Calif inspection. TomC
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A guy up in Western Oregon was running his lawnmower when it was level 5? Anyway, you’re not supposed to do ANYTHING. It started a fire that got out of control. When it was all over, the State presented him with a bill of $22 million.
I found a little smoldering patch under my boom truck while yarding out logs. I have no idea how it started…
PG&E is now saying that their equipment started the Camp fire in Paradise. You can never be too careful when the wind is blowing.
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It is not unheard of for a diesel skidder to catch fire by stuff like leaves collecting on or near the exhaust manifold.
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I think that’s pretty much the law everywhere isn’t it? But you can pay those taxes anyway if you track your miles. I don’t imagine anyone does. but…
My opinion is that I am glad I don’t live where I have to deal with the fire stuff your guys have to deal with. I grew up in central FLorida with all the wild fires in the 80’s and I don’t miss them at all. Now it’s just tornadoes in Alabama. haha 
I work on vermeer tree chippers that catch fire all the time. Dust builds up on the exhaust system and starts to smolder, then gets sucked into the air breather and …fire.
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i used to work in a bed sheet factory and the “electric” fork lifts wold set alite b/c of lint on the motor =/
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