propane

[southernmutt33]

does any one here use propane an gas to run....i used to have alink to a site about it but lost it after puter crash.....but was wondering if anybody has done it an what kinda milege you get......

[oldraven]

I'll get back to you in a month or so. I've got a 350 with a brand new propane setup sitting on the floor of the garage waiting to go in.

From what I hear from friends who run propane, you use a lot more propane than you do gas, but with a cost of 46c a litre vs. 79c for gas, it still works out to be cheaper. Just make sure you have a big enough tank, or duals so you get the range you need.

As it is right now, I'm filling my tank every two days, and that's just work n' back. Only having to fuel up every week or so will be a nice change.

[Lester]

I added a propane hookup to a 79 454 dually I had just purchased new. The cost was about $600 for the tank, the lines and the manifold adapter and regulator.

No matter how cold it was the engine always started like it was Summer using the propane. Engine ran very smooth. Fuel consumption was higher than I thought it should have been on a new engine. Getting the propane tank refilled was real pain, nobody wanted to mess with it and propane refill stations were not on every corner, not open on Sundays, etc. Long trips were out of the question as was pulling anything heavy. Just cruizing around or driving short trips worked okay.

Always switching from gas to propane it seemed. Using propane just got to be too big of a hassle, which is probably the same reason the use of propane on farm tractors flopped in the 50's and they had home delivery.

Put 50k on that set up can't say I saw any of the reduced wear or longer oil change intervals that were part of the hype at the time. I bought this wholesale at the time so I didn't get ripped too bad. The guy who bought the truck loved the propane set up but he owned a propane distributorship. It had 160,000 on it before he overhauled the engine, about the same as gas.

I bought another dually and installed a gearvendors setup which did improve performance and mpg...but it wasn't worth the time or the effort to install either. Buying wholesale saved me again.

Good luck.

[southernmutt33]

thanks for the info ya'll

[oldraven]

I'm not sure where Lester is from, and how cold his winters get, but Propane can be a really nasty thing in the deep freeze. If the temps ever drop enough, (-40C & F) the propane won't change to a gas, and propane expands at such a high rate that your engine will flood instantly.

Mine came with a nice circulating coolant heater, that keeps the whole engine warm, rad, and is even routed into the heater box. Much better than the block heaters that heat up one spot in the motor and screw the rest. Can't wait to be able to fire up the truck in -40 weather and get instant heat.

Another upside to propane is it burns so damn clean that you just don't get the ugly carbon buildup like you do from traditional fuels.

[Lester]

Southwestern, Ohio at the time. 20 below F was the worst I saw during that time. Lots of snow and no snow plows. Never experienced one hard start running on propane in cold weather. At the time I worked 2nd or 3rd shift so I could easily be trying to start that during the coldest part of the day.

You are right about the cost and the cold weather issues, they are real. If I recall Propane is readily available all over Canada unlike many parts of the US. You probably have a propane adapter in your garage to fill your tank.

Depending on where you live in Utah propane can be a good idea or a real inconvenience.

Good luck, what do those cost no days?

[oldraven]

I'm not entirely sure. I got the whole setup, along with a 3/4 tonne beatten to death, for $500 CDN. Probably less than the propane setup is worth alone.

[the baron]

Hi all ,

here in Europe , we may ride on LPG , which is a combination of Propane/Butane ( don't ask me the % of each ) .

gas costs here for about 3.7 US$ a gallon , LPG costs 1.10 US$ a gallon , you can see ( and feel ) the difference.

the setup I have in my C-10 costs new a 1000 US$ , it includes a tank , a pressure reducer , three solenoides , some electrical wiring.

Some more sophisticated setups may rise the prices to 3000 US$ , but they are of the newer liquid injection types , not suitable on my engine.

I feel a great loss of power ( about 1/5 ) when I drive on LPG , but I still have enough to catch the 75 MPH on the highway.

We have to go each year to the MoT inspection , to see if our setup is not leaking and the tank has to be tested under pressure all the 7 years...

About MPG , the LPG use is a little more than gas , let's say 10 à 15 % more , but who cares , it is still 1/3 of the price you would pay if you would drive on gas , haha !

the "stingy" Baron

[trixter99]

I have it on my 4x4 and it works very well it's a little down on power but I like it because it is cheap to run. You do use more fuel per mile vs gas but you can run huge compression or a turbo very easily and reliably.

[southernmutt33]

im gonna check into this more guys.. i have a true value across the street that has a propane station...i will ask them if they will fill a truck....what size tank would be recommended...if i was to do this then i want a pretty good size tank to make it worth my while...i live outside of salt lake city, the only problem i can forseably see is when we go camping in the mountains....

[oldraven]

I've seen two tank setups. Usually it's just a gargantuan bottle in the box, right behind the cab. I know some fellows who only fill up once a month. That's overkill though.

I think the best bet is to get dual tanks and place them in the same place as your existing ones. I couldn't tell you how much volume mine has, but with the two of them on there, I'm sure it'll be fine, since the tank is actually quite a bit bigger than the gas tank.

As for camping, these are great. Mine has a gas/liquid switch and a propane fitting for a bbq. Just make sure you have enough to get out of the booneys before you use it all on hot dogs.

[southernmutt33]

i only want to replace the right tank....it hasnt been hooked up in yrs..or even put one big one in the bed...i think with the loss of horse power i want to be able to switch to gas for the mountains....i got some really steep mountains to go over to get to where the old lady's familly goes camping....