Hi,
I just returned from a 2400 mile round trip drive thru Minn, Wisc, Ill, Ky and TN. I hit a station just south of Rockford Il that had B20 bio-diesel. $.05 less that reg diesel across the street. I had driven nearly 550 miles so it was time to fill up. From here on to the Twin Cities I averaged 23.2 mpg.!!!! I normally get 20-20.5 in this drive. This was my first bio-diesel. I can't say I noticed any difference in the truck. Maybe a smoother idle..no dropped cyl (race talk) and only a slight popcorn smell after 2-300 miles. I couldn't believe the mileage. I'm going to go this trip the 4th of July again but with about 6000 pound trailer, so I'm planning on hitting this place both ways and taking an additonal 10-15 gallons along. This may have been a fluke but I carefully filled the tank everytime as full as it would go, even waiting for the foam to disperse. It was full into the neck everytime. hand calculated too. To top it off I had about 700 pounds in the bed.

I drive a steady 60, cruise on all the time, ac on most of the time. This trip there wasn't much wind even in Ill and it was during the day and quite warm..about 80. No traffic delays or slow downs. In other words a good drive. The entire trip was like this. Front tires at 65 rear at 55. Old Michelins. None of the tires are down to the wear bars and look to have about another 15k left on them.

The lowest mileage I got on the entire trip was 20 even in TN. More traffic.

Any others have good experience with bio-diesel???

 

There was a show about biodiesel on Trucks today....pretty interesting stuff. The price of soybeans will probably go out the roof soon.

 

I watched that
I thought it was a great Idea.
I looked up the website and ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
$3000.00
I burn 35 gal a week
$4368.00 per year
At .70 it would take a year to get even.
At 20/80
It would take over 3 years to get even

Sounded good?????????

 

The solution to the dollar issue is to get 4 to 10 friends together to co own the conversion process. But you really should call it a fuel lube or additive. If you run a home fuel system, you are avoiding the road taxes and that is a no-no.

 

This must be the kit I first saw available for purchase. At 3g's, I agree. Not worth it. But...

Check out these various forums, you can build what's called an 'Appleseed Processor' for around $500.00 (I'm factoring in the price for pumps and etc.) - give or take. It's suppose to be safer than the cone bottom poly processors that are for sale for $3000.00. I'm still in the process of getting set up.

http://www.veggieavenger.com/avengerboard/index.php
http://biodiesel.infopop.cc/eve/ubb.x
http://www.forums.biodieselnow.com/default.asp

I don't have any personal experience, but Josh Trickle (he's the one directing people towards these $3000.00 processors) isn't held in very high regards within these bio-diesel forums.

 

No chance of that any time soon. The USDA still idle millions and millions of farmable acres in CRP (conservation reserve program) and PAYS farmers to grow nothing. These acres could be planted to beans if the demand increases.

 

I believe this is legal because you are not selling it. If it is for personal consumption you don't need to pay road taxes.

 

No, it's pretty illegal... You still drive on the road, you gotta pay taxes. Just like burning red Diesel- if you burn enough you can be chalked up for Felony Tax Evasion.



But just about all of our trucks are illegal as sin too, so...

I don't scan the bioDiesel boards, but I don't know of any court cases regarding home-made bioDiesel and tax evasion... I don't know how the rulings would go after lawyers give it a spin.

 

If I'm not mistaken the first 300 gallons per year of homemade BD is exempt from road tax.

 

Maybe the same rules apply as the gasohol rules Jimmy Carter pushed through when he was the Prez. ...make all ya want for yourself just so the alky is denatured or unfit to drink although under a different set of rules you can keep 2 gal. of your homemade brew jes' fer yerself

 

How'bout a coupla old washing machines for biodiesel...they got pumps-n-mixers(agitators)...timers too. Litmus paper for pH determination.
Whwt do you do with all the glyc...uhh...byproducts.

 

Where do you get the vegetable oil to convert,and about how much does it cost?

 

Try the chinese food stores, they will give it to you. I think the hast food places use a different cooking oil that will work but isn't as eay to convert. I think that is correct.

 

Guys,

I don't watch TV, were these people BURNING soy bean oil or were they making biodiesel from soy bean oil?

HUGE DIFFERENCE.

 

They were converting ( cleaning ) waste cooking oil for use in thr diesels. This is not the same as soy diesel. It is made from soybeans and is a great fuel too.