Author Topic: Since The big 3 wont do it, do it yourself! (Read 989 times)

Oldshooter · « **on:** May 03, 2009, 10:19:16 AM »

This guy will show you how to turn your old truck into an economy vehicle with up to 50 mpg!

www.shadetreeconversions.com

30-30man · « **Reply #1 on:** May 03, 2009, 12:35:17 PM »

The guy has a great idea but there are problems. The only problem is that most 3 cylinder tractor engines only have 40-50 hp max. They achieve al their pulling power with low gearing in tractors. I'm afraid those trucks would be barely able to pull their own weight much less tow anything with the taller gears required to maintain highway speed.

Dee · « **Reply #2 on:** May 03, 2009, 01:53:56 PM »

Quote from: 30-30man on May 03, 2009, 12:35:17 PM

The guy has a great idea but there are problems. The only problem is that most 3 cylinder tractor engines only have 40-50 hp max. They achieve al their pulling power with low gearing in tractors. I'm afraid those trucks would be barely able to pull their own weight much less tow anything with the taller gears required to maintain highway speed.

30-30man, I would like to take issue with what you said here. However, I cannot. It is true. Some tractors have even less horsepower, yet their gearing allows them to pull amazing loads. Slowly however.

Oldshooter · « **Reply #3 on:** May 03, 2009, 03:29:35 PM »

No one said you would be able to do the same work you did with 7 liter turbo charged v8!

What the man says is that you will get 40-50 mpg! now I have owned the big diesels and I'm here to tell you that you dont get more than 20 in those , and that's if you dont pull anything(and have a chip installed).

Did you see the video? he drives away in a pickup down the highway. Maybe he cant go over 60 mph,(idunno) but if he gets 40 mpg and gets where he is going with a pickup who's in a hurry? Are you going to the nascar track?

The point is, (and he asked the question) why wont detroit do it? They want to put you in a match box that will prolly get you killed and for 30 mpg!

"Its about the economy stupid" wasnt that what slick willie said?

You dont need detroit and you dont need much of Exxon either!

30-30man · « **Reply #4 on:** May 03, 2009, 04:29:16 PM »

The reason Detroit won't do it is because sadly it won't sell. People expect a big truck to have power to haul big loads. I have owned many tractors as I farm for a living, but I have never owned one that could operate off 5-6 gallons all day long as the commercial stated. I've owned several small Internationals, Massey Furgesons, Fords, Case, and now a Kuboata. I watched the video and it was impressive, but I'm afraid it would be impractical in a large truck. I'm very interested to know what transmission he uses with the Perkins engine. If you could match one in a smaller truck, you might have a winner. Heck, Japan has used this idea for years. They make many small deisel trucks, some of them only come with 12 inch tires on them.

Oldshooter · « **Reply #5 on:** May 03, 2009, 04:43:31 PM »

He uses a standard(do not know the make) I have a couple of kubotas, one is a thirtyfour hp, it runs all week on a tank of fuel(9 gallons), now that is not continuos use but 4 or five hours a day.

Quote

People expect a big truck to have power to haul big loads.

Maybe, but I for one would make the conversion soley the fuel consumption ! I think the draw would be for the man, like myself, that wants to go to town, run errands, and get 40 to 50 mpg. Heck if it only got 30 it would be a winner, and we are talking a full size pickup, not one of those lil jap buggies(with the 12 inch tires) i've seen for sale.

45-70.gov · « **Reply #6 on:** May 03, 2009, 04:55:45 PM »

why can't you just buy and drive one of these

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7l6zBo_SbvU&feature=related

because your government won't let you....thats why

some people have taged them in some states
some states have revoked the tags after issueing them

50 mpg with four wheel drive

stubshaft · « **Reply #7 on:** May 03, 2009, 05:09:53 PM »

Quote from: 45-70.gov on May 03, 2009, 04:55:45 PM

why can't you just buy and drive one of these

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7l6zBo_SbvU&feature=related

because your government won't let you....thats why

some people have taged them in some states
some states have revoked the tags after issueing them

50 mpg with four wheel drive

They are great little trucks. Some of the Federal agencies on Pearl Harbor use them. They have a governor in the fuel delivery system that limits them to 55mph. It CAN be disabled and the truck will reach speeds in excess of 80mph (don't ask how I know). The major problem with them is that there is no support system in the US for them (PARTS!). They are a viable alternative to the gas guzzling trucks now in use. But, the big 3 do not make anything similar and the lobbyists are blocking their importation.

Oldshooter · « **Reply #8 on:** May 03, 2009, 05:26:11 PM »

I've seen those, a buddy here stopped and wanted to buy one for the ranch. He couldn't get his whole body in it, he is 6'5" and 350 lbs(a guess on the weight). now thats a big un! But I aint talking a mini truck doing 40 mpg. I'm talking a full sized truck or SUV doing that! Who wants to ride in a match box just to get economy! When I was on Kauai I had a single cab Mazda pickup that got such good mileage that I never actually checked it ,heck I think it made gas! But it was small and only had room for me and one other. Wouldn't it be nice to drive a suburban that got 30 mpg! even if you had to shift it!

LONGTOM · « **Reply #9 on:** May 03, 2009, 07:43:54 PM »

What he is doing would never work in a truck for me.
I pull trailers that weigh up to 34,000 lbs loaded for a total combined weight of 41,000 lbs.
That is a 1 ton chevy dually pulling a 53' drop deck trailer with 24,000 lbs of plywood coming out of NC to VA.
It has a 454 gas with a 5 speed manual trans and 410 gear ratio.
I don't think I could even move the trailer empty with his set up.

There have been many inventions over the years that will give better gas mileage.
The problem is the big oil companys always buy the patton rights for large sums of money and then won't let them out on the matket.
An older man moved to the US many years ago and he paid over $5000.00 to have his MERCEDES diesel 1&1/2 ton cattle truck shipped over from what ever country he was from because it got 23 mpg loaded.
Fuel was over $5.00 a gal where he came from.
He said that all the trucks over there got over 19 mpg.

The man that invented the water injection for use on moderen cars back in the late 70s or early 80s lives in my home town.
He sold the patton rights to an oil company for 1.7 millon $.
Not a single one of his design has ever hit the highways.
The oil compaines don't want you to have a car or truck that gets that kind of mileage.

I agree that his setup would work for a daily driver if you weren't in a hurry or needed to haul much of a load.

LONGTOM

no guns here · « **Reply #10 on:** May 04, 2009, 12:46:50 AM »

If I got it figured right... 34,000 lbs puts you just a TAD over weight right?

NGH

Oldshooter · « **Reply #11 on:** May 04, 2009, 12:58:11 AM »

Quote

a daily driver if you weren't in a hurry or needed to haul much of a load.

Thats all in the world I'm getting at! I can see now why the big three wont do it! NOBODY WILL BUY IT!!

The same reason they cant sell the battery cars I guess, Americans want their cake and eat it too!

Every poster so far has said "It's nice but, it wont go fast and it wont pull!
Now the president(whom I'm no fan of) has not gone back on anything he said he was gonna do. He's done some things he said he wasnt gonna do,but I wont go into that now! He has said he thinks there needs to be a tax on fuel to get it back to 4 or 5 dollars a gallon,(wants to go green you know, to save us from global warming) so you can bet that as soon as he sees a "crisis " that he can make the most of it's a comin'! either way the price will go up again as sure as I'm sitting here!
What with taxes fixinta(texas term) make a jump and fuel going crazy! Seems to me that a pickup or huntin vehicle that got 40 mpg could be put together with this guys info might be a wee bit more attractive! Ya think?
Not to pull Longtoms "53' drop deck trailer with 24,000 lbs of plywood coming out of NC to VA."
but to pull my behind, or yours, to the range,(safe and comfortable) or to the hunting camp with a vehicle that would not cost 40 grand to build. I'll do some more research and investigation and find out what all is involved and I'll report.

jlwilliams · « **Reply #12 on:** May 04, 2009, 01:41:00 AM »

I'm a HUGE FAN of people doing for themselves. The simple solutions to complex problems have often come from the back yard of some clever individual.

I haven't paid for access to the sight, so I am operaring on th statements of those of you who have. Anyway. Most families have multiple vehicles. Some have more vehicles than members of the family. Why not have one that is just good for commuting? So what if it won't pull the load that your _____ will? I have a Honda 450 motorcycle that gets about 50mpg, I have it it part for fair weather riding to work. I haven't tried hauling a load with it, but I imagine it sucks for that. My step father and I have been talking about and designing an electric plug in motorcycle for a while. We are keeping out eyes peeled for the 'donor vehicle' to do the conversion on. Same idea. It's not available, we want it, that leaves us making it.

I see the truth to the arguement that 'this isn't THE solution to our fuel problems'. So what? My opinion is the there may not be one solution that wraps it all up. I have put a great deal of though into this and discussed it with people much smarter than myself. I firmly believe that our energy needs will have to be met by a number of small scale , locally applied solutions. This guy's plan will probably be just right for some, not so for everyone.

no guns here · « **Reply #13 on:** May 04, 2009, 03:57:05 AM »

Your Honda 450 will pull a load. Not sure how heavy they are but I see a lot of scooters here in Germany with these little bitty trailers on them. Usually it's old folks doing their shopping. These little scooters are probably less than 250cc's probably 125cc to tell the truth. They putt around town on them. License plates and all. I'd guess the trailer bed to be about 3' x 3' or maybe a bit less. The tires look about like 20" bycicle tires. My guess is your 450 would easily pull enough trailer to haul your groceries. Remember back in the old days the motorcycles had side cars? That adds a lot more weight than a really small trailer and 20 bags of groceries. Those bikes weren't the most powerful either...

NGH

Of course the Germans pull horse trailers and travel trailers with VW Passat's too...

Sourdough · « **Reply #14 on:** May 04, 2009, 06:39:56 AM »

Those little mini-trucks, we used them in Washington DC back in the early 90s. There is a dealer here in Fairbanks that sells them for off road use.

My partner has a diesel Dodge D-50, small truck, 4WD, holds two OK. Pulls a moderate load, his 18ft John boat with 65hp Evenrude, OK. The truck gets 37mpg pulling the boat, 43mpg by itself, on the open road. The problem is there is no get up and go, I drove it and refused to buy one back in the early 80s. mileage is good, but there is no real power. Seems to take forever to get it up to speed, and any little rise in the ground slows it down. Norm drives it back and forth to work, and when he goes somewhere by himself. No one else wants to ride in it. He gave his daughter one identical when she was in high school. She had a turbo put on it. A lot more get up and go, made a decent driving little truck. I drove it several times, and I almost traded trucks with her. Her little truck did not get the milage her Dad's did, but the additional HP was well worth it in my opinion.

LONGTOM · « **Reply #15 on:** May 04, 2009, 06:57:58 AM »

Quote from: no guns here on May 04, 2009, 12:46:50 AM

If I got it figured right... 34,000 lbs puts you just a TAD over weight right?

NGH

No sir.
I was licensed for 80,000 and had a combined axle rating of 66,000.
In VA back then we had what was called a conbination weight rating.
That is 10,000 on your stearing axle and 20,000 on your drive axle with dual wheels and 20,000 each on your dual trailer axles with dual wheels.
My trailer axles were closer together than standard so what the state calls the bridge law comes into effect and therefor I was only allowed 18,000 per trailer axle.
As long as you didn't have more weight than was allowed on any one axle and you were not over on the combined over all weight than you were fine.

It did make them look to see how I could legally haul that weight but there was nothing they could do about it.
I had enough license and axles to more than cover me.

LONGTOM

torpedoman · « **Reply #16 on:** May 04, 2009, 03:27:51 PM »

That little water vapor injection he casually threw away while hinting it would burn your vehicle down actually will give you about 8-10% mileage increase. I have made made and installed many of them.

Oldshooter · « **Reply #17 on:** May 04, 2009, 03:46:34 PM »

You know I saw that but i did not have sound at the time so i did not understand what he was throwing away. What is the basis for that gizmo? simply

torpedoman · « **Reply #18 on:** May 04, 2009, 04:53:29 PM »

it creates very fine air bubbles in the bottom of the jar that will cause a mist to form that is drawn into the intake as real high humidity and the water vapor turns to steam when the cylinder fires giving you a lot of expanding gasses to help increase power.

Oldshooter · « **Reply #19 on:** May 04, 2009, 05:06:13 PM »

Ok Thanks, I have heard of that before.

Oldshooter · « **Reply #20 on:** May 18, 2009, 05:32:43 PM »

Ok I Emailed the guy with some of the questions put forth in the thread ealier and here is the reply I recieved finally:

"You can tell your friends at Graybeard outdoors forum that the vehicles have more torque than a V-8 gas engine and everyone of them so far will hit 100 miles per hour. The mileage will depend on how fast you drive and what you are hauling or towing.
The pickups get around 40 miles per gallon and our Mustangs get closer to 50 miles per gallon. For heavy towing we suggest you tow in 4th or drive instead 5th or overdrive, just like the owner's manual for any new vehicle suggests.
I don't know where so many people get the idea that our diesel powered pickups and cars are so slow! When I get in a hurry on the interstate, I can usually lead the pack with no trouble."

Thank you.

Gary C. Brown