Clever Way To Run Older Pickups On Propane

Clever Way To Run Older Pickups On Propane ENERGY Alternative Fuels Whether pulling a stock trailer or a camper burning a little LP makes Larry Ristau’s truck run better The 1985 Ford F-350 naturally aspirated diesel gets better mileage with LP trickling into the air cleaner Not only does it have more power but the engine oil stays cleaner longer     “Pulling my 16-ft stock trailer used to make the truck smoke on hills ” says Ristau “Now the exhaust is either light gray or clear ”     To add LP to the air flow Ristau used a 2-stage regulator sold in the RV market It comes with an adapter plug that fits standard LP tanks The regulator is installed in the engine compartment where it delivers gas to a solenoid valve     A brake light switch installed on the accelerator pedal linkage controls the solenoid valve Ristau set the switch so that to activate it the pedal has to be depressed to a certain level typically at a point where the truck is travelling at more than 25 mph     A master toggle switch was installed on the dash Unless it is turned on no LP gas can flow With it on and the accelerator pedal depressed LP flows to a 3/16-in orifice drilled into the air cleaner cover     “I can be driving down the road on diesel at 40 mph but if I hit the toggle switch the truck will accelerate to 60 ” says Ristau     Ristau can’t adjust the actual flow of LP on the go Instead he sets the regulator to allow a small but steady flow of LP when the master switch is on and the light switch activated     “I’ve put a lot of miles on it since I converted it nearly 7 000 and it has worked out real well ” he says “I burn about a gallon of propane per hour when driving around 50 mph ”     Ristau has previously converted other engines to LP and back For this conversion he fabricated brackets for an 80-lb tank that mounts in the truck box He refills it from the LP tank by his crop dryer     “The liquid propane from the larger tank runs in until the fill tank in the pickup is about 40 percent ” explains Ristau     Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Larry Ristau E14484 County Road HH Osseo Wis 54758 ph 715 597-6160; lristau@triwest net

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