Has anyone done a propane conversion on their truck? Seems like it would work well to me. Same power, cheaper gas, less taxes (location depending), and you dont have al gore mad at you.

 

Could be done. I can't understand why LPG never caught on other than with taxis and other fleet services.

Oh I know why. The oil companies wouldn't like that.

Plus, LPG is no less safe or volatile than gasoline is. I took a training course in LPG vehicle filling while I was at school getting my HVAC Gas Fitter licence. The biggest problem with LPG filling is that if you get any vapour on you, it instantly freezes, so you can get frostbite or 'freezer burn' from it.

Natural Gas would also be another great fuel to use. Lots of abundance as it's just left over gases/vapours from refining oil. We use it to power appliances and heat our homes. Why not fuel our vehicles too? Back in the early days of oil drilling, they just used to burn off the natural gas vapours because they didn't know what to do with it until they discovered ways to use it.

 

A guy on g/e from Europe did it on his

 

I think it would be easier on a carbed engine.

 

Have you been watching Power Block?

I think the biggest downfall after seeing that 150 conversion was the tank. Takes up too much space to use the bed....maybe replace the gas tank?

 

Saw that on Trucks today.

 

I think the ideal here would be to be a 100% propane powered vehicle. So an 16 or 18 gallon propane tank to replace the gas tank could be viable.

However, you also have to watch the regulations about where and how propane tanks can be mounted on vehicles. You need places where they cannot be hit or punctured and are ventilated to allow for proper expansion and contraction at different temperatures.

Like if you have an RV trailer, the propane tank always has to be mounted at the front of the trailer on the 'A' part of the hitch. In this location it is the least likely to be hit in an accident or get punctured and cause a leak with may lead to an explosion.

Most propane vehicles have the tank mounted in the trunk. However, you need proper ventilation. Remember, when you transport a propane cylinder in your vehicle (like a BBQ propane cylinder you picked up from the store), it needs to be stored upright and ventilated, so you should keep the trunk open.

I think it would be safe to mount a propane tank in the gas tank location, provided it has skid plates and other protection,just like a gas tank does. Under the vehicle, the tank is well vented and less likely to be punctured on impact, unless you're off roading, which is when bed style applications are smart.

 

Yep I saw it on trucks. Then while I was driving around today I saw a gas station about 2 miles from my house that has a big propane tank next to the pumps so it would be easy fill up.

 

An ex-boss of mine had a propane setup on his Suburban. It was installed at the dealership when he bought the truck and after rebates or tax breaks it saved him ~$5,000.

Basically, he has propane and gasoline. There is a switch in the cab to changed from one to the other. I only know this because I drove the truck once and I suddenly noticed I was losing power and speed. Turns out that the propane was gone and we needed to switch to gasoline.

 

theres a guy here in dayton that has a square body dakota with a ford 5.0 runnin propane. its effin mean soundin. he also has a cadillac catara with a ford 5.0/t5 combo stuffed down in it.

 

How is the fuel economy on propane compared to gasoline?

Its not any more or less dangerous when it is handled properly and not invoved in an accident or otherwise compromised... in which case it is MUCH MUCH MUCH more dangerous than gasoline.

If your gasoline tank leaks or gets torn open in an accident, it just leaks and makes a mess. If your propane tank takes a hit that tears it open in an accident, chances are it is going to take out the entire accident scene before you can say crap. If it doesn't, you have a gas rapidly creating and explosive cloud around the accident scene which will eventually explode and take out a few buildings while its at it too.

 

The hydrogen fuel tanks are theoretically unruptureable by any accident that is actually going to happen. While propane tanks are not built so well, they could be.


However, LPG doesnt solve our carbon dioxide issues. Which is a big thing when looking towards alternative fuels. However, it is cleaner burning (propane engines are used for indoor vehicles because they produce minimal amounts of CO2 and NOx's) and since it is already a gas, it will allow the charge to mix better and thus burn more efficiently. However, propane has 0 cooling effect on the charge aside from the temperature differential between the incoming air and the propane. When liquid fuels are atomized and turned into vapor they cool the charge substantially. I dont know how much of a difference this makes, though.

 

Well, yes and no. Gasoline vapour is explosive as well, but not to the extent propane is. Yes, a propane explosion will be much more severe than a gasoline explosion, but what is to be said about the amount of vehicles driving around daily which transport LPG in tanker trailers or on cube van style trucks?

Propane and Natural Gas are much more dangerous to work with than gasoline, as gasoline is more likely to just ignite and catch fire, rather than explode.

I am definetly weary about propane being used in vehicles because,even though the tanks can be well protected, when the event arises where there is a serious accident, you can easily have a large explosion. Yes,propane is an excellent alternative fuel, but there really are not any foolproof safe ways to transport it in a vehicle without having the risk of an explosion in an accident.

 

The trucks transporting it are designed much differently and have a much higher safety margin for accidents than a car with a tank under it. Other than that, i agree with your viewpoint.

 

Exactly. So, those higher safety margins should try and be adopted for passenger vehicle use. It is possible. Even a smaller tank mounted centrally somewhere in or under the vehicle would be possible, since 1 gallon of LPG can expand 270 times it's volume. LPG containers are only supposed to be filled to 80% capacity to allow for expansion. When expanded, you're definetly getting your money and milage's worth out of it.

 

it would be cool to put in place of the gas tank in a plate box with one of the sides that folds down for access to it.

 

Most LPG vehicles I've seen usually have the filler nozzle located behind the licence plate or in the fuel filler door area.