Yeah we couldn’t get her to smile
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Haha, she was more interested in the truck and the new people who came to visit, so she had to be coerced into looking at the camera. 
When they pulled up she insisted we “go see truck.”
It was fun to get to meet you all on your way through, and get to at least briefly see the truck in action. I am very impressed by what you have accomplished already. Great work Jakob, and youve got a good team with you. I will be following the return leg of your trip with interest.
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The great thing about Jakob’s flat bed WK is all system components are mostly viewable.
An eye catcher for sure. Gathered a few fellow questioning and curious meeting up at the Arco gas station. We proudly showed off our black DOW shirts for the site address link.
S.U.
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I would bet Steve this little personal pre Washington State Wood Gas Meet Up with Jakob and family made your week. Just the smell will make the wood gas blood in you start pumping, with excitement, yes.
Bob
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I was going to ask you guys, when warming up the system and running the blowers does woodgas have a distinct smell? I don’t know if it’s just the barrels burning in but mine has almost a slightly acidic or maybe acrid types smell coming out of the blowers once it’s producing good gas
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Yes there is a very distinct smell. Lol. If your barrels were clean and paint free just the metal smell. If paint on them, then paint burning off smell with the wood gas smell. Do not breath it has Carbon monoxide mixed in with it. The good side effects is it is addictive, and habit forming, may cause you to DOW.
Bob
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Well I’m hoping for at least 2 more test drives before this weekend and I’m itching to do them when I get home. Iv been cycling the char bed every night trying to get it built up good so I don’t look like a goof driving to Mike’s on dino haha
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Someone told me my truck smells like old lighter fluid. I think it’s a creosote smell personally.
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After a while of everyday driving Marcus, you won’t need to flare or do most of the other tests, you will be able to smell and see the quality of your woodgas to know if it is engine quality or not. Nothing smells like woodgas. And Bob is right too, it is known to be addictive.
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Well one goof to another I am still doing maintenance on the truck for the trip over to Mike’s. This trip will be my longest drive on wood at one time. Making refueling stops every 30 to 35 miles. I hope the I can handle it. I strained my left knee getting up and in and out of the bed of the truck working on it this pass few weeks. OUCH it’s been hurting the pass few days. I worked more on the truck fixing things and maintenance on it then all of last years maintenance and working on it.
We Need to have a Washington State Wood Gas Meet Up more often. Lol
Bob
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While running on wood I don’t notice much of any smell but if I switch to gasoline the truck gives off a very bad odor of money burning !
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Now that’s a awesome exsperience! When I was younger my step dad did a lot of hot air ballooning and there was some really awesome views to be had around here!
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You guys are having too much fun!
Im with Billy 100%. Once you get the hang of it the smell is all you need.
I disagree, Cody, its not creosote as the smell is preety much the same with a charcoal gasifier wich has zero impuritys. I think the reason is just the fact that woodgas is actualy syngas. Means it can react to form a woryety of chemicals, depending on the catalist (any metal contact, ash…) including ammonia and hydrocarbons.
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We did a clean out today. We cleaned out all the rails and the hay filter. We refilled the hay filter with clean hay and I put it in laundry bags this time should help keep the gas from bypassing the hay. when i went to dump ash i found that the grate has warped really bad i think it will have to be replaced. I will still drive it to bob’s as it is. Then we should be able to get it pulled out and replaced.
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Please send me details of the grate, so I can round up materials. I suspect you may need another one by the time you burn your way over here.
PM me if it’s proprietary…I have the book, can build to suit.
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I don’t think it is going to be a problem by the time we get done rebuilding it. It should hold together fine till i get home. I think it failed because i didn’t put enough bracing on it. i plan to brace it really well this time. I’ll post pics.
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I posted about the woodgas meetup on my local gun forum where I procured my fire tube from a member there to start my build and you got some folks saying your pretty special with all your doing at your age Jakob. Guys are very impressed 
at least one guy got on DOW to see this thread as well
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We made i to bob’s place today. we had a later start I believe it was after 3 pm. I had a few hiccups and bob had one but we made it here. First when we filled the hay filter friday we packed it to hard and it couldn’t breathe. I didn’t make it very far before we pulled off and i pulled out a bag of hay and fluffed the other one up then that worked fine. Second We pulled off on the top of Snoqualmie pass to refuel and let the gasifier cool down get there and my reservoir is blowing out coolant. Cone to find out its not getting hot but the radiator cap had failed. Bob says to fix using plastic so i grab a few vinyl gloved and wrap around the cap and put it back on no leaks. everything works there i pull out and my grand pa right behind me back into formation Bob’s battery is dead I am around the corner before he realizes it and i have to go back and get him. everything worked out we are here, it was just another interesting day. Tomorrow we plan on tearing down the gasifier re cleaning everything and fixing the grate. I should be leaving here with basically a brand new unit. Another thing i found is that when i pour in about a gallon of that clump charcoal that Steve Unruh gave me before each fuel up it extends my mileage by almost 15 miles a fuel up. I think it dries out the wood so it burns better and i get more gas out of it. I am going to run more tests and see what happens.
I want to say a special word of thanks to Mike Gibb and his wife they made our stay on the coast most enjoyable and easy it was a great rest bit before the long trek back home.
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Did you get Bob’s hay filter patched up?
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