U.S.-Built Gasoline-Powered Torch

U.S.-Built Gasoline-Powered Torch FARM SHOP Welders/Torches (64) 27-6-16 Our report in the last issue on a gasoline-powered torch from China prompted a number of readers to contact us about Petrogen, a U.S. company that has been making gasoline-powered cutting torches since 1962. If you've never heard of Petrogen, you're not alone. Although the company has been around for more than 40 years, the torch has been sold mostly in the salvage and heavy steel cutting industries, such as shipbuilding. Milt Heft, general manager of Petrogen, Inc., San Leandro, Calif., says several Petrogen torches were used to remove wreckage following the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. Heft says that while earlier oxygen-gasoline torches were discontinued for safety reasons, the Petrogen torch has been successful because it's actually safer than acetylene and other types of torches. Some of the shortcomings of the Chinese-built oPetrol torch that were mentioned in FARM SHOW have already been addressed by Petrogen. For example, the torch has a spring-loaded thumb lever to control oxygen, just like most other oxy-fuel cutting torches used in North America. It's also made of heavier materials, so you're less likely to bend the head while tightening the tip or misusing it by prying with it. The Petrogen fuel tank comes with its own pump, so you won't need compressed air, nitrogen, or a bicycle pump to repressurize the tank on the job site. And it's large, at 2 1/2-gal. capacity. The Petrogen cutting system has been tested and approved by Underwriters Laboratories in both the U.S. and Canada. It's also approved by OSHA and meets safety standards for cutting torches set by the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Navy, among others. "In Department of Energy tests, the Petrogen oxy-gasoline cutting torch reduced costs and was faster and more effective in dismantling decommissioned buildings," Heft notes. The standard Petrogen system is sold with a 20-in. torch and 90-degree head and two cutting tips, along with tip cleaning tools, the 2 1/2-gal. fuel tank, a 20-ft. gasoline hose, a 25-ft. oxygen hose, oxygen backflash arrester, tools and parts for assembly, a striker with extra flint, manuals, and a training video. It does not include an oxygen tank or regulator. New from Petrogen is a backpack-carried unit that allows the user to easily carry enough gasoline and oxygen for 40 minutes of cutting. "These were designed specifically for rescue crews, but they could also be handy for anyone who needs a lightweight unit to do some cutting in the field," says Heft. The standard Petrogen package sells for just under $1,000 (shipping is extra). The backpack unit retails for $1,640. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Milt Heft, Petrogen, Inc., Box 1778, San Leandro, Calif. 94577 (ph 510 569-7877 or toll-free 877 888-86724; fax 510 569-8070; email: petrogen@petrogen.com; website: www.petrogen.com).

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