Biodiesel Anyone?

k9cop

The cost of fuel is killing me. I run small excavators, skid steer loaders tractors and Cummins Diesel pickups. The 4 dollar diesel is killing me. A local supplier now sells biodiesel in my area. I think I am going to start running it in my trucks. I have a Cat 252B skid steer that has been running bio for a while without any problems. I love the smell of the exhaust. Makes me hungry. I want to start running it in my 12 valve Dodge cummins trucks. Has anyone had any injection or transfer pump problems running this fuel? I wasn't worried until a mechanic at a local muffler shop told me he had replaced two injeciton pumps from people running biodiesel. One was a 7.3 powerstroke and the other was a 24valve cummins.

Geoff MRT

I have heard the opposite about bio-diesel. That with the new, low sulfur mixes, the injectors get fouled from lack of lubricant. 7.3 Powerstrokes run on a hpop (high pressure oil pump) to fire the injectors so, bio wouldn't affect that. Bio actually cleans your tank and lines so, you have to change the fuel filter pretty soon after using it for the first time.

In your machines don't you run off-road diesel? That's still cheap(er) here. Road diesel is $4.05-4.10/gal here. Off road is around $3+. If I thought I'd get away with it, I'd run it in my truck. One dip on a road-side check and I'm done.

Here in NJ I have yet to find bio. I've thought about making my own or getting together with some others (like a co-op...yeah, that always works) and start making it.

nlgutters

I usually run off rd in my pick ups but there arent that many cops around here. I run bio every once in awhile and have never had a problem.

SelfContract

The cops are specially trained to detect bio-diesel engines by its smoke color, smell, & type of truck/cars. They enforce state bio-taxes.

Noodle

Hey nlgutters better hope DOT don't catch up with you. Your a** will be on fire. You will probably be having to shell out alittle fine.

Geoff MRT

Here it's not the police that check. It's our DMV/MVC (whatever they call themselves this month) with roadside stops. I have an F350 rated at 12K pounds and registered commercial. I'm supposed to be stopped with the big rigs but they usually wave me by.

The day I fill up with off-road is the day they'll stop me. I believe the fine is $10,000.

cleveman

No problems with biodiesel. It's actually better as far as lubricity. I get better mileage with it. I'm surrounded by beans here, it doesn't get any beanier than where I am, but the problem is that the bio is more expensive than the petrol-based. And I'm talking B-20. My filling station isn't even planning on offering it this year. That's with $1/gal subsidy from the gummit. The soydiesel plants here are idled. Those that aren't are sending it to Europe, because the gummits there pay more than $1/gal subsidy.

So if you can brew it yourself, get brewing. Good luck finding the fat to make it with.

gregj

nlgutters, you might want to delete your post quickly. You know this is a public forum that anyone can read and your company name and location are in your info.

house bldr

The day I fill up with off-road is the day they'll stop me. I believe the fine is $10,000.[/QUOTE They can detect dye residue in your tank many tanks full after it has been used and will still issue a ticket, its just not worth the chance, not to mention the uneasy feeling everytime you pass a dmv inspector

Blas

All of our foreman trucks run bio diesel blend. Never been a problem and saves us a ton.

__________________
"It is what it is"

Ed the Roofer

Some information from another poster, sometimes on here, named Tom Hey, but copy/pasted from another forum where he posted this today.

I just found this information interesting, since I didn't even know it existed and was fesable yet.

Ed

Biodiesel Basics

But ethanol isn't the answer for the near future. Right now, industry divining rods are coming together over the next most probable big thing: bio-diesel, a vegetable-based fuel that can power any diesel engine with little or no modification.

First things first: forget most everything you know about diesel engines ... and the fact that they used to be noisy, clattering, dirty, smelly and black-cloud belching. Today, diesels are as quiet as gasoline engines, smooth running, powerful, and nearly soot-less in terms of exhaust emissions. Simply put, modern diesels are not dirty anymore. Even that objectionable "eau d'diesel" that makes diesels so unpleasant to tail in traffic is pure history. However, if you recall that diesel engines are efficient, do keep that in mind because today's modern oil burners are exceptionally fuel-efficient. This efficiency is why over half of all vehicles in western Europe are diesel powered.

Now imagine the benefits of being able to run a modern diesel engine on a non-petroleum diesel fuel. Wouldn't that be fantastic? It would be even better if the fuel were made from something other than what we directly or indirectly eat, like corn. Rising prices for milk, beef, and tortillas as a result of corn now being used to make ethanol.

Currently, biodiesel in the US is made from rapeseed (canola) and soy oils. These oils are plentiful and cheap, and turning them into usable fuel is not too complex provided you understand transesterification and don't mind working with methanol (a toxic substance). Lucky for us, there are plenty of people who do understand how to safely turn these plant oils into fuel, and US biodiesel production has increased from a mere 500,000 gallons in 2000 to over 75 million gallons in 2006 according to figures published at biodieselnow.com. Additional high-capacity plants are said to be coming on-line so biodiesel will continue to become more available. See bio-diesel stations around the country here.

__________________
Please Stay Tuned For A Very Important Message From Our Sponsor
http://www.rightwayroofingcompany.com/ www.rightwayroofingcompany.com
Roof Estimates, Roof Repairs, Roofers, Roof Leak Help, Elgin, Carpentersville, East Dundee, West Dundee, Sleepy Hollow, Algonquin, South Elgin, Huntley, Lake In The Hills, Illinois

Geoff MRT

http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/biod...l#introduction

I've been thinking of doing this myself. There are tons of kits for sale on the net and, aside from having to go get that nasty grease from the restaurants, it does most of it itself.

Those of you that use bio, is the power still the same? What about the smell? I do have two concerns.

One is that I don't want to smell like McDonalds fries because my guys would want to eat all day. It's bad enough to hear adult men whine about heat, weight or high ladders.

The other is, many of the young kids these days have those small, loud cars they think are fast. (the kids here call them "ghetto lawnmowers") Anytime I can get lined up at a light with these kids, and they're revving their engine, I do the same with my 7.3. Nothing makes my day like beating them off the line with a 9K pound truck, lining up my exhaust with their window, and pushing the pedal to the floor filling their car with black smoke and running ahead of them.

I'd hate to be beaten because my truck lost power and I was forced to idle back in defeat, smelling like french fries.

GregS

I've heard of issues with bio and cold cold weather, such as it gets thicker and causes issues with the flow.

http://alternativefuels.about.com/od...lcoldweath.htm