Anyone ever converted to propane??

We have a truck at work that runs on propane. Having to fill up is a pain since the only place to fill is across town. Also, one thing to keep in mind is with the truck (Ford F150), propane is very inefficient. One tank wouldn't last for a 240 mile trip.

 

You have a greater chance of getting struck by lightening after the crash than you do of dying because propane pooled in the area of the crash and causing you to die. Again this is real life. In addition to this not being TV, I will add we are also not talking about a controlled labratory setting where you can create the hazordous conditions which would cause you to die. I have see no information which points to propane being more dangerous than gasoline in everyday use.

 

Gasoline is heavier than air too and fills up in puddles if not drained, its so explosive , NATO forces use diesel even in motorcycles....no more gas in the military.So ,gas vs propane,......cmon boom is boom. Propane is used in warehouses SAFELY, so a leak outdoors, while it is a concern , is not a prevalent and massive dangerous to death issue.

The real issues are 1) not really convertable in an EFI setup, has to be factory stock.

2) many conversions will drive propane to gas prices in the end.

BTW Oz-t , west coast at least, there are usually propane fillups at most gas stations too, and the hardware stores.

 

i personally think propane is more dangerous then gas. my bbq igniter broke so i had to use matches. well i guess the propane was on a second to long because when i went to light the bbq a fireball blew up in my face (not literally in my face but close enough). Its not like i turned the propane on, then went to grab the matches. but like i said, it must have been on a few seconds to long because that shit was hot!

my second experience is with gas. trying to light a camp fire in the dessert. we poured 2-3 gallons of gas on the wood, trash, and whatever else was in there. then my buddy threw his ciggerate in there and nothing happened. we had to get a lighter lol.

That being said. i think propane is much more dangerous. Not to mention the pressure inside the propain tank.

 

We use a lot of propane at work. I can agree it seems more dangerous. I believe its more in the way all we use it. Most people arent ready or expect the poof from lighting it after waiting 4-9 seconds,when 2 wouldve done it. I'll take propane over gasoline, we work on 400 degree materials, gasoline has been phased out on all that gear since the 70s.
Truck I used yesterday, 4 75 gallon tanks of propane, gonna check with safety comittee, think it needs placarded. But I know this, all propane tanks must pass DOT standards for transportation. Nothing is safe in an accident, but i think its good stuff, maybe not in a 4wd truck , but many 2wd with light travel loads ought to do well on it.

 

1/2-1/2 ?

 

The major difference in gasoline and LPG is the entire volume of the LPG tank will gas-ify if tank integrity is compromised. That creates a huge volume of fuel-air explosive...as anyone with a gas grill (like kam above) can find out for themselves... or asphyxiates vehicle occupants trapped inside, as well as rescuers. Gasoline (that leaks from a compromised tank) puddles on the ground and, in contrast, won't explode but burns. Don't look to hollywood movies for your science. Watch Mythbusters if nothing else!

Sure, LPG vehicle tanks are super strong and can survive most crashes intact. But, that comes at a cost: they are HEAVY. The pick-up conversions I remember from the 80s had huge tanks right behind the cab in the bed, taking up maybe 1/4 of the bed area; maybe more if a short-bed. Weighing 200-300 lbs full, compared to maybe 80lbs for my plastic gas tank. And that tank gave a range less than the gas tanks did.

And while I can't be positive, but believe the reason NATO use diesel is the same most militaries use diesel. A diesel engine can be made to run on most any crap you run across...diesel, bunker fuel, heating oil, kerosene, jet fuel, even a little gasoline mixed in. Just filter good and go. Makes it easy to get fuel from anywhere and simplifies logistics... the fuel tanks on the cargo ship that brought you is also your fuel depot.

 

True, but we all take risks to drive, choosing the risks of high voltage shock from EV , propane BLEVEs, gasolines flamability etc,and how much we dump into the enviorment even.Not using propane because one feels its unsafe, isnt the answer, proof is all the forklifts and other gear that uses propane daily. It takes more training to use right. Propane is dangerous ,yes,like all flamables..... so is speeding , proof is more dead speeders than barbequers.

 

I think propane powered vehicles aren't allowed in many tunnels.
Depending on the size of the tank it may also be forbidden on ferries.
It could also be difficult to find a place to refill on long trips, away from larger cities.

 

Reviving an old thread here as I have been investigating this topic for my own '03 5VZFE motor. It has come time to buy a SUV for the wife, and considering a Land Cruiser, but, gas on that thing kills you! Would try installing this on my Tacoma as a test for future a future project.

Have found a kit online for $995

http://www.dudadiesel.com/choose_item.php?id=6cyl



And for the tank, am thinking of a toroidal tank mounted in place of the spare under the truck. With a swing out spare for the actual spare.

http://www.icomnorthamerica.com/toroidal-tanks



Anyone here ever go this route to a dual fuel conversion??

 

You get more way more power with it then gasoline at higher compression ratios because it detonates differently then gas. So I think that if you had propane and shaved heads would be super sexy. I'm doing more research on it though.

 

The problem with a shaved head is you couldn't run normal fuel then. You might be able to do e85/LPG high compression motor.

 

112 Octane propane makes less HP than gasoline? I guess it would if it was a boosted application as you could prevent detonation?