Wow! That does sound like a rip-off! Here in the Triangle area, the co-op membership is a one-time $50.00 and I haven't checked the price lately. B20 is available at ONE station for about .10 cents more than dino.

The price in TN was exactly the same as dino; not sure about membership fees. The fee must not be much or Kelly would not have paid it. Say.... I just noticed, all my friends are cheap b*****ds!
CedricR.

 

Today they are $2.77 for members and $3.12 for non. D2 is $2.59. They seemed to calm down from summer but if history is any indication, they will be back up there. When I asked them why they were so high, they said that membership should have some benefits. I repeated my question with the emphasis that I was talking about the member prices. They said that if they decided to get more people they might consider lowering the prices.

I don't think it is about people being cheap *******s. You are starting out with a cheaper product. People claim that they can make biodiesel in their garage for under $0.75. That means that materials wise, the manufacturer has to be able to go under that cost because they are producing in bulk. Now, I understand that some labor costs are there because of gathering and what not. However, I think those co-ops are actually sticking it to their customers because they want to exploit the customer's care for the independence from foreign oil, clean environment, support for farmers, etc, etc. They are trying to get more per gal than the regular stores because they can. What they don't make in volume, they make in unit cost. To that end, I am NOT willing to be fleeced. Nothing to do with being cheap. Mixtures above B20 seem to cause me to lose noticable mileage. Why should I pay more to get less? I don't think that is being cheap.

 

Holy Cow around here B20 is 2-3 cents cheaper than B2. And that is all they offer at most co-op's. At least that's how it was this summer. Mine is parked for the winter. so havent watched it since september.

 

Correction. $2.51 for D2

 

I meant they (my friends) wouldn't pay a high membership fee even if bio was dirt cheap. Come to think of it, Kelly built his own house and so did I. Kelly does all his own maintenance and yard work and so do I. Kelly works for himself and so do I. I must be a cheap b*****d too!

A man once said that people either thought he was a man who knew the value of a dollar or just a cheap skate. He said the truth of the matter was that he was a cheap skate who knew the value of a dollar!

BTW, why am I not getting email notifications from the threads I've subscribed to??

CedricR.

 

Well, if I could buy a membership and it gives me cheaper B100 or whatver percentage it has, I'd go for it too. I just don't like to pay for a membership to pay less than what they charge non-members but still way more than what I can get D2 for. It's my money. Why should I pay more for B100 than D2? Sell it to me at the same price or less and I'll be game.

 

Prices are going to vary quite a bit for probably a couple years until the Biodiesel industry gets estabished and running smoothly. We have at least 4 new plants being built this summer in Eastern Washington. There are more going in on the west side of the state.

It's very expensive, even with incentives, for these plants to get going and their oil feedstocks are also very unpredictable and expensive at this time. Until things get going well, and reliable feedstocks are established you'll see lots of different prices.

I view it as one of the higher costs I'm willing to pay to get the industry estabished and myself away from using foreign oil as much as possible. Luckily, for us, the B20 in Eastern Washington for farm equipment was cheaper than #2 diesel last summer and hopefully will be again this summer. We'll run higher BD blends when possible. The on-road BD is more expensive here in Washington state, but I'm still willing to pay for it.

It's nice to have a choice and sometimes we choose to pay more for something we like better. Our diesel trucks are a perfect example. We like them better, so we pay more for them. Plus, we pay more for diesel fuel to run them. We could buy a gasser for less and the fuel costs less. It's our choice.

Personally, I hate the smell of petrodiesel and hate being around the exhaust. Makes me feel sick...literally. I'm around it plenty on the farm. Spill it on your hands and clothes and it's there for days to months. Biodiesel is quite the opposite and is very pleasant to work around and handle. It's my preference and I'm glad to have a choice.

 

Maybe so. However, when I asked the co-ops, quite often the answer I get is more vague. They use the "extra profit" to support this or that. One even went far enough to tell me that if and when they feel they need more people buying it, they will lower the price. I am just not willing to be one of the suckers that fall for their "no blood for oil" or "BD, no war required" crap that they try palm off on the customers who are dumb enough to buy it. They make it from waste oil. I'd think that waste oil is pretty cheap, relatively so what is the breakdown of the manufacturing costs? No answer from them.

The gasser won't tow the loads I want up mountains. That is why I needed a forced induction engine. That is why I went with the turbodiesel. I don't mind paying more for something. I just don't like it when I get taken for a ride.

 

Go to your user cp and in the setting and controls go to the edit options. you can turn it on there

 

Interesting thread. I am not a tree hugger but I hate our money going to the towel tops. Until they (Gov't) gets serious about this, we will all be screwed. Unfortunately, big oil and the Gov't have a long relationship so we will continue to hear about feel-good initiatives that don't add up to much. What is their solution? ULSD????? Good for none of our engines but still lines the pockets of big oil and looks like we're doing something. I know, realistic production capacity etc etc but nobody is moving the Bio way in any real meaningful manner. Whew, that's my rant for the day.

BTW, when I bought my truck in 2001, diesel was about a dollar a gallon. That was one of the reasons I bought it. Gasoline was running 30-40cents more.

 

Well, it is a seller's market so if you won't buy, India and China will gladly take your place. So, what would the difference be other than a phyrric victory that YOU didn't give them any money? The other guy will take what you won't so you are not hurting them at all. This is not a small town where the town decides to boycott a store.