BioDiesel

[Anonymous Poster]

Just a hypothetical question-

How many of you use biodiesel (vegetable oil based fuel) to fuel your tractor? Any issues?

I do not have a tractor /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif but am interested from both the theoretical and practical standpoints.

 

[MikePA]

Welcome to TBN, Peter. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif Here are links to some recent, and some not so recent, discussions about BioDiesel that I found by doing a Search. Given the breadth and depth of experience on TBN, doing a Search almost always unearths a treasure of knowledge. Enjoy. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Biodiesel - any experience?
bio-diesel
BIODEISEL

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Odd- I had done searches, prior to posting, on "bio", "biodiesel", "soy", and a couple of others I don't recall, with no results. I'll figure it out at some point... Thanks for the reply.

 

[MikePA]

<font color="blue"> Odd- I had done searches, prior to posting, on "bio", "biodiesel", "soy", and a couple of others I don't recall, with no results. I'll figure it out at some point... </font>
Did you change the default Date Range from 'Newer than 1 week' to 'All posts'?

 

[Anonymous Poster]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( <font color="blue">Did you change the default Date Range from 'Newer than 1 week' to 'All posts'? </font>)</font>

I was going to post a reply to the effect that I had figured out what I had done wrong /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif only to discover that you had figured it out for me /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif. Thank you again.

 

[BigDave]

I've run 10, 20 & 100% Biodiesel for the past 25 hours: nearly half of my tractor's life. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif So I'm no expert by far, but I won't run the 100% bio in the winter, since it is less toleratant to the cold. Current street fossil diesel is up to $1.85 around , but biodiesel is about $3.00, so it's an expensive option. The bio-blend usually costs about the same as the regular diesel, but it is less convienent for me to acquire, so I keep a container of 100% bio, and I mix some in with the regular diesel when I fill the tank. During the winter I mix in some Octane Boost (I think that is the name) to thin the mix. So far no problems. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Do you add bio-(diesel) to the mix for any particular reason? Besides the renewable resource aspect, do you find there to be operational advantages? I understand that bio- will keep the engine cleaner, but I have also heard of problems when switching from fossil to bio- due to its tendancy to scour crud out and into the filters. As you seem to switch around mixtures, have you seen any problems or do you always run some bio-?

Sorry for the pestering, and thanks for the reply.

 

[hazmat]

Tractorless, check out this link for more info. Biodiesel.org I think I'll be trying some once it warms up a bit.

 

[wdn]

Main problems I have with biodiesel are a) it is three times the cost of off road diesel, and b) it is inherently small scale. I don't think it would be a practical replacement for petroleum. The supply of vegetable oil is really not that large.
Not that I'm against people using biodiesel or anything, but I think it is more like a curiousity than a commercially viable replacement for diesel oil.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Hazmat- I am familiar with the site, thank you. I have been reading up on it fairly extensively lately. I was more interested in some opinions from a group that was not made up specifically of "boosters". Nothing is more pathetic than a bunch of people sitting around just agreeing with one another. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

WDN- I agree with the price / supply issue, and your point is well taken. But I think this is mostly a market issue. There is a huge amount of unused surplus production capacity for soybeans, enough to make substantial inroads into the fuel production market. Ditto with the cost; bio- is a specialty item, and typically sold in containers. For instance look how much oil costs, in quart cans, vs gas/diesel per gallon pumped out of a tank. Also, new direct replacements for an existing product typically have a huge hurdle to overcome- the existing infrastructure will always favor the status quo. Fossil -gasoline and deisel- didn't have to compete with a common existing consumer motor fuel for market share; there wasn't one! And the maintenance and operating costs of motorized vehicles vs beasts of burden, not just the fuel costs, drove the rapid adoption of cars and trucks (And oh yeah, tractors... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif) which created the demand and for the fuel. There is no similar ancilary market shift to differentiate the market for bio-.

And as for the "issues" with the stuff such as cold weather performance, seal and gasket damage, and the like, remember that engines, fuel systems, and the distribution infrastructure are designed around the characteristics of fossil fuels, which have significant issues of their own. I suspect that after a hundred years of attention, bio- would be pretty routine.

Whew- I am long winded. I was actually just kind of interested in the stuff and was wondering how it did in the real world. As always, thank you to all for your time... /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif