i am new to FTE and drive an f250. im interested in making my own BD. i live on a farm and would also like to produce enough for our equipment and maybe even get into producing some for some local farmers in the area.

first question...is a conversion kit necessary for trucks and farm equipment?

second how about longevity? ive done just a few hours of research
and find that a major downside is the deterioration of rubber in fuel lines and such..also maybe even some fuel filters (seals, ect.)....id like to hear what some of you guys have to say that supports or disproves this idea.

 

Longevity of the biodiesel itself? It's good for 2-4 months, depending upon how it is stored, and at what temp. Mine lasts about 2-3 months before it begins to oxidize noticeably, mainly because I expose it to plenty of air with my drying method and bubble wash.

Yes, biodiesel attacks rubber. So anything rubber in the fuel system needs to be replaced with Viton components.(o-rings, hoses, gaskets,seals,etc)

 

oh sorry yea that sounds misleading in the title but what i meant is longevity of vehicles on BD.

i have a 2010 f250..how much am i gonna spend having that done...and if anyone else could help with that answer, i would also like to have an idea of what it would cost me to have something like a basic john deere utility tractor ready to go?

 

I have a 96 Dodge Cummins with 800,000 miles, the last 500,000 is on bio.

If your 2010 has a DPF (and I think it does) You should not run bio in concentrations greater than B20. When the manufacturers switched to the DPF system the excess fuel for the DPF burn is injected directly into the cylinder, except for Caterpillar, which injects it into the exhaust outlet.
This causes the bio to run down the cylinder and contaminate the engine oil. By a bunch! It can raise the level by quarts......

Anything without a DPF is fair game. I run it in Cats, John Deere, Cummins, everything we have on the ranch. No fuel problems in over 6 years. The only things I've changed are the short rubber tubes that connect to the hard steel lines. If the fuel system is very old it WILL remove all the crud you can't see and put it in your fuel filter. When you start make sure you have extra filters onboard.

I use a drywash system and my bio is good to go even after 6 months in storage.

If you'd like the links to the studys that discribe the problems with the DPF system let me know and I'll try and find them for you.

Just remember, any idiot can make bio, it's that simple. Making quality bio takes a little more time and effort, but is well worth it.

 

thanks fabman...good info before throwing it in my new truck....and yes the 6.4s and newer have dpf and i visit powerstroke.org often to keep up with the news there....there is nothing good that comes out of dpf other than better emissions....less power, and oil dilution by fuel....soon there will be a dpf delete kit on it. replacing the unit with a straight pipe and tuning it...have heard this kills the dilution prolem....but i understan the whole cleaning of the fuel lines with bd and will have filters on hand...for the tractors and such

 

another basic question please....when making mixtures of bd and regular diesel in your truck is it as simple as pumping in whatever % bio and whatever % regular u want...or do they need to be mixed in a seperate container and agitated some to allow to blend fully?

 

Just pump it in your tank in whatever quantities you choose to. It will mix well on its own.

 

You can "splash-mix" in the truck tank if your using B5 to about B20. Above B20 I would recomend batch mixing. I use B50/B80 in the winter and premix in a different tank, then into the equipment. This allows me to run B80 till the temps get to about 30 deg, then I add enough D1 to change the ratio to B50 or lower, depending on temp forecasts.

I have 150 gallon "nurse" tanks on the pickups, and when I change the ratio in them I just use the reg 12v pump on the tank, and put the fuel handle in the top of the tank for 5-10 min to mix.

 

I think he's talking more about farm equipment than pickups. Most farm equipment is fueled up at night after a full day, and could separate over night. much better to fuel up with already blended fuel.

 

yea thats what my questions are mostly for..my equipment....b80 is good for how low of temps? anything below 30? and then above 30 deg b50 is fine? ive seen some answers on some other postings but want to be sure...i would like to have the best understanding fom some of you guys with experience before i make an investment in producing and pumping into my equipment..thx

 

A lot of the cold issue depends on the WVO stock you start with. Canola is best, followed by Soy, then Animal fat, with Palm oil last. I use B80 (80%bio) if I know my temps won't go below freezing. If it will be between 0 and 32 I switch to B50. If I know it's gonna be in the teens I try to stay home....lol

 

haha gotcha..so lets say you leave containers for your restaraunts that supply your wvo...it is very important they know to separate the different oils they pour out...i know the owners of some pretty big bbq joints here and have a greattt connection in getting wvo. my brother in law actually works for the man and it is sad to hear what they do...they pour it down the drain outside the back door...and as you man know here in the south dang near everything is fried

i trust you make BD with the best quality possible...and i am slowly learning the whole process you partake in...wish there was someone i knew of doing a quality job here in nc to go follow around for a day....and id love to get my eyes on your processing set up. but that isnt possible

how far are you from tacoma bc i will most likely be in triple a this year and the rainiers are in our league ill have to check if we play those guys but if we do i may be able to check you out

 

That makes sense. I was under the impression he was referring to his pickup.

 

I don't even try and seperate the oils. In fact I blend them all together just so I have an average batch. I do pride myself on the quality of bio we produce. It took a lot of experimenting to get the process I wanted. I've got a friend that is a Prof at Idaho State that has been making bio for over 25 years. He's tested different samples for me over the years, and all have made ASTM specs.

I may have someone near you. We have a member that lives in northern NC. Haven't talked to him in awhile. I'll try and get ahold of him and see if you can go see him. He uses my system and has been quite happy.

I'm just getting ready to build my 3rd gen processor this spring and will start a thread when I do so all can see my new system.

I'm a good 300 miles south of Tacoma Wa..................

 

oh im sorry...for some reason i thought washington but see its oregon...my mistake...we actually play in portland too...ne chance you are close by to portland