LPG Trucks?

[Alpha Property]

So i'm sitting at home watching Spike tv's power block, doin some paperwork and paying a few bills, and in the back ground the trucks guys put a roush propane fuel kit on an F150, and claimed better mileage, cheaper fuel to buy and government tax breaks and even grants to cover the cost of the conversion for businesses..... just wondering if anyone has experimented with switching from gasoline to a LPG set up?

[ixlr8]

I looked into it quickly, at least a CNG setup. Found that my closest 'filling' station was 1.3 hrs away.. that put an end to the research for me. I have not looked into LPG, but if I remember correctly it has less heat energy (BTU's) than Gasoline and costs/gal here are similar so I am not sure if there would be any cost savings.

[Lawn Freak]

I don't think I'll ever think about doing that.

[Fred B]

You definately do not get better milage than gas. It is also a very dry fuel so what little you do save in fuel it will be made up in maintenance. We have had 3 lpg trucks,we converted them when the goverment gave you a rebate at the time. Totaly not worth it.

[WeCare-LawnCare]

Propane is very common up here, and my dad has a fleet of propane trucks. The mileage is a little less, unless you upgrade the cam, then it's better. Up here the propane is cheaper, plus there is no tax on the fuel, or the vehicle, so a lot of savings. The older trucks need to be plugged in if it's really cold too. They burn cleaner, so less maintenance too. We gassed up (propane) in Ohio, after a long search for a place ( ended up a lumber yard ) and it cost a lot more, so seems a huge difference between your county and mine.

[Gravel Rat]

Propane used to be common here but now if the truck isn't old enough to sport a carburetor its not powered by propane.

Propane doesn't work well with fuel injected engines so its not worth it. In the winter propane trucks can be a pain. Propane used to be worth it when it was cheap its not cheap anymore.

[Alpha Property]

hmm lol a mixed group of feed back, the truck they installed it on the show was a new 08 f150 and the kit came with all new fuel rails and injectors, stainless lines and everything

[Gravel Rat]

I have owned propane powered trucks I won't ever do it again.

I would hate to see what propane would do to a todays engine. Lean propane out and it can melt pistons in seconds. Propane dries engines out your engine.

Anything I see on those automotive shows I take with a grain of salt they say what you want to hear to buy their stuff.

[GravelyNut]

Also saw the same show. Propane is used quite alot for emergency generators without problems. But those use mixers instead of injectors. That does make a difference. Costwise, not worth it down here. Propane can freezeup up north due to the cold. And for local use in Ohio, I'll be installing CNG instead.

[Gravel Rat]

One of my trucks with 460 on propane the tank used to freeze up becase its sucking the fuel so fast.

I don't have any experience with natural gas we don't have that here.

[Frontier-Lawn]

With LP and CNG more HP also

[Gravel Rat]

You get less horsepower with propane on a stock engine. On a carbureted engine you can build a engine to make more power on propane and utilize the higher octane propane has.

[Optimum Lawn]

Gravel rat is right
Way less HP with a stock gas motor.....been there.
Propane being much higher in Octane requires a high compression motor to work right...10.5 to 1 at least plus harden valve seats plus a few other details.
Just took my p/u off of propane and back to gasoline/carb.....to many friggin regulations(vehicles and filling stations...if you can find one after the big blow up in TO) making it not worth it.
Never had any problems in near some 30 years of using propane other than when the coolant level drops the condensor will freeze.
If your a fleet operator might be worth it but for average joe burn stinkin gas or diesel

[shepoutside]

For people interested in converting their vehicles to propane, there are many conversion centers around the world able to do this work for them. Carbureted vehicles are the easiest to do but modern fuel-injected vehicles are pretty much the only ones being done today. The DIY mechanic generally does not have the capability to do this work which then requires him to find a licensed conversion center. Conversions in the USA require EPA approval as well which limits the work a do-it-yourselfer can realistically do.

In Ontario, where I live, there are a number of facilities licensed to convert vehicles. Since conversions are typically done on fleet vehicles, popular vehicles for taxi and limousine service are the Ford Crown Victorias and Lincoln Town Cars. A good conversion of such cars will cost in the neighborhood of C$3400 but low-budget, failure-prone ones are significantly less. Ontario's Drive Clean emission testing program lists licensed propane repair shops.

Because propane has a lower volumetric energy density than gasoline, your car on propane will use more fuel. You can conservatively estimate that your car on propane will have 75% of its gasoline mileage or use 33% more propane than gasoline. With your total estimated annual driving, your should be able to calculate the amount of propane you will use annually and then calculate the number of years the conversion will pay for itself.

Converting modern vehicles to straight or dual fuel propane operation is slightly more involved than converting older carbureted vehicles. Because their onboard engine management systems are so integral to the operation of the vehicle, you just can’t pull the injectors out and bolt on a propane system. As a result, these vehicles are almost always converted to dual fuel operation.

Generally, the cost of conversion requires that a significant amount of fuel is consumed annually for the conversion to have a reasonable payback and this implies large vehicles with large engines as the best candidates. Smaller vehicles may also be converted but you need to do the math to have an idea if a conversion makes economic sense for your situation. Propane’s cost per litre needs to be far better than that of gasoline to help make up for propane’s lower energy content per litre and the cost of conversion.

Modern fuel injected vehicles are not commonly converted to straight propane but instead are usually converted to dual fuel.

Technocarb makes kits to fit a wide variety of vehicles, modern fuel injected and older carbureted. Because the best and safest way to convert a vehicle is through a licensed propane conversion centre, you will need to discuss your application with one of their distributors who will then install a kit tailored to your needs. Techocarb’s products fit a wide variety of engine sizes including high RPM big block V8s and these usually come as a complete kit so the installation doesn’t depend upon the creativity of the mechanic. Check Technocarb’s website for a complete listing of their distributors who can then recommend a local installer for you.

If you are mechanically inclined, you could probably do this work yourself but, at least in Ontario, where I live, the regulations require a licensed propane mechanic to perform the conversion.

Hope this helps :)

[Gravel Rat]

In my mind the only time propane is worth it is if you have a old gas pot medium duty with a big block engine. You can hang a big honking propane tank or have dual tanks. For a old carbureted engine converting to propane is like adding fuel injection. If you have a old 366-454-370-429 or 396-404 gas engines with a rotten Holley carburator propane is the way to go.

I never did like dual fuel and never will I had a truck on dual fuel it never did run right and on propane its not as efficient as a propane carburetor.

For offroad uses say a bush buggy or a built 4x4 for offroading you can build a engine for propane and use forklift tanks to power it. With propane you don't have to worry about fuel starving if your hill climbing or at off camber angles.

Use a RV cam or something with a little bit of lump to it and build a higher compression engine.

[TandM]

oh and the tax rebates only come into play if you run a good sized fleet 5 or more trucks I believe We looked into this and biodiesel and we are just goin with gas and diesel its not worth it unless fuel sky rockets again