Running a 3fe on wood gas? (1 Viewer)

[TruckeeTruck]

Wood gas vehicles: firewood in the fuel tank

Anyone here ever build a setup like this for a 3fe? I'd love to hear about it. How easy/hard was the project? How well did it run? Any issues?

 

[surfpig]

Wood gas vehicles: firewood in the fuel tank

Anyone here ever build a setup like this for a 3fe? I'd love to hear about it. How easy/hard was the project? How well did it run? Any issues?

 

[Red Merle]

Not sure about this method, but I did visit this place in Oregon about 25 years ago called Aprovecho. It was this sort of "live off the land" school that taught people how to be career hippies.

They had some wood fired trucks there that ran on steam as long as you kept stuffing more logs into the boiler, they would drive around just fine. It was quite the contraption, but a much younger and more impressionable Red Merle thought they were the cat's pajamas. I guess if you have plenty of firewood, it might work out just fine.

 

[retrofive]

Can they double as a smoker?

 

[greentruck]

Not sure your fuel will fit in the fuel tank. Pictures I've seen of these involves a rather large contraption hanging off the rear that would probably hose your departure angle...

And it doesn't look like much has changed.

Then there's the trailer to haul the extra wood.

 

[Golgo13]

It's a 3f-e, no conversion necessary

 

[ZackR]

@TruckeeTruck - sounds like you have some time on your hands. Instead of turning your truck into a wood gas machine I have plenty of things you can take care of on mine

I'm sure it would work, the 3FE is in the tractor engine family like the Volvo 240 shown on the link. Maybe this is what we'll be doing in 50 years when everything is electric.

 

[TruckeeTruck]

@TruckeeTruck - sounds like you have some time on your hands. Instead of turning your truck into a wood gas machine I have plenty of things you can take care of on mine

I'm sure it would work, the 3FE is in the tractor engine family like the Volvo 240 shown on the link. Maybe this is what we'll be doing in 50 years when everything is electric.

I have far more curiosity and ambition than time, I'm afraid. With the way the world is going, seems like this may be a useful mod to have someday, so I'd like to get a leg up on the know-how. Sounds like we've got similar thoughts about the 3fe being an ideal engine for this.

Not sure your fuel will fit in the fuel tank. Pictures I've seen of these involves a rather large contraption hanging off the rear that would probably hose your departure angle...

And it doesn't look like much has changed.

Then there's the trailer to haul the extra wood.

Nice thing about the FJ80 is you've got plenty of mounting options. With a bobbed rig, you could stick the wood gas generator in the cargo area without it hanging off the rear. Plenty of space on the roof for extra wood - and unless you're in the desert, you can always scavenge more along the way.

 

[Golgo13]

Personally, I'd like to try the fuel cell route:

There is huge potential to using an electric powertrain. The tough part is cost.

 

[mudgudgeon]

The big question, how many miles per log will it get?

 

[slow95z]

well it obviously cant make a 3fe any slower than it already is.

 

[tacosupreme]

I ran a 1GR-FE (tacoma motor) on Brown's gas (HHO) produced on board until it melted down in a thermal runaway incident. Wood gas is more trouble than it's worth, maybe start with a lawnmower or something smaller displacement or explore other options like Brown's gas. If it all hits the fan liquor laws will be out the window. You can make alcohol out of lawn clippings that the FJ would run just fine on.

 

[2KCruiser]

Might as well cut out the floorboards, yaba daba doo!
Probably still get a better launch out the hole than the 3FE

 

[Josey1972]

@TruckeeTruck - sounds like you have some time on your hands. Instead of turning your truck into a wood gas machine I have plenty of things you can take care of on mine

I'm sure it would work, the 3FE is in the tractor engine family like the Volvo 240 shown on the link. Maybe this is what we'll be doing in 50 years when everything is electric.

My early years were wth 2 240s and maybe thats why I like my 3fe. Maybe I should restore an old tractor. HMMMMMM