On truck filtration - thought you might get a kick out of this ;-}

[svswan]

OK - so I wanted to drive cross country and I wanted to do a filtration set up on a budget. Here is the truck from the Front -

[img=http://img399.imageshack.us/img399/5603/front7pm.th.jpg]

The camper is set back from the cab by the two 30gal tanks in the bed. You can just see the final stage filter housing bolted to the front of the camper. Here is the Pump and Valve Set Up -[img=http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/3827/pump2qv.th.jpg]

Via the valves I can first draw oil from the source and send it through the first stage filter at 50 microns and then into the Holding Barrel -
[img=http://img399.imageshack.us/img399/845/back9if.th.jpg]

Idealy I let it settle in the sun awhile. Then I switch the valves and the pump draws oil from the barrel on back and pumps it through the 1 micron filter shown in the first picture and into the 30 gallon sprayer tanks in the front of my truck bed. When the stock front tank on the truck is low I just open a valve and let oil in from the sprayer tanks. I notice that people get some funny looks on there face when they pass my truck in a parking lot [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

The one problem is I used a diaphram pump instead of a gear pump, and the diaphram pump won't draw much head. It does develop good pressure to pump oil through the filter though. I think I'm going to change it out for a gtear pump. I was trying to save some money...

[ToddT]

Cool. Looks like an adventure machine!

[IanTucker]

Just remember that barrel can weight in excess of #300. I am not sure if your taligate will hold that much weight. I really like your setup though.

Ian

[ToddT]

A drum of oil is probably closer to 450# - 500#. My F-250 tailgate bent like tin foil just from rolling drums across it on a drum dolly. A flat plate would spread the load out a bit more though I don't know if I'd trust the hinges and other hardware.

Todd

[svswan]

Hmmmm - makes one think [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/vulnerable.gif[/img]

I still have the bed liner tail gate section affixed to the tail gate, I would think the corrogation in that would spread out the weight a bit. I don't drive far with oil in it, the handling gets a bit funky! I just didn't think the pump could handle both filters at once so I added the back barrel so I could pump one filter at a time, and maybe get some settleing and heating in the sun. I've looked at the cable holding the tail gate and wondered... So far I have got the back up to 45 gallons with no failers. Hearing about this I will certainly be more careful with oil back there. I'm thinking of swaping out to a redline pump and then maybe I'll push through both filters and skip the barrel.

[350 long rod]

I made a suport for my tailgate that went in to the reciever hitch when I was hauling my quad's in the bed one had to have its wheels on the tail gate and I did not want it bouncing up and down ether so I would put a strap on it to keep it down.

[FozzyBear]

I set a 275 gallon tote on my tailgate full of vegy oil. Now I have a way to plow snow in reverse [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif[/img]. The hinges and straps broke but after i got to lookin at it I had only one strap to begin with might have helped to have both. As to barrel and tailgate I unloaded 8 drums full of vegy the shipping sticker says 425# plus my 330# equalled a U shaped tailget my bed was 8'6" bed length. So now Im on tailgate number 3 [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shrug.gif[/img]

[macinco]

svswan... I think a lot of folks (or at least several...LOL) have aspirations similar to yours: To be able to cruise the country at will without spending a bunch of money on fuel and lodging: From the looks of your current efforts:
1) It looks like you got the 'nads and "gumption" to "giterdone".
2) Aside from the weight considerations on the tailagate (which might be mitigated by a custom tailagte/tommy lift/whatever?), How are you making sure your oil you pump into your "veg oil tank" does not have any water present?
3) Is your "veg oil tank" (the one you use for burning fuel going down the road) heated in any way shape or form? Do you heat it on the way to the engine? (ideally to 150+).

Just my thoughts. I have been "visualising" dialy scenario.
1) Have 110/220 power available whenevr you are stopped (for the night?)(campground or generator)
2) Not be in a big hurry/schedule so you can investigate/collect oil as you are traveling throughout the day as you go through towns (at least eneough for the next days travel + ~20%).
3) Collect your oil for the next days fuel. Heat it when you stop and turn off the heat before you go to sleep (letting the water settle to the bottom).
4) In the morning, figure out a way to take the top ~80 percent (waterless)or so of oil and transfer it to your "veg oil tank".

I think having "power" at your disposal is key. Also, (re: 2 above) you might be able to use coolant to heat the freshly collected VO as you go down the road. Then when you stop, the oil is hot (and staionary) so the water will settle out and is ready to pump through your filters to your tank.

If you had power available (generator or campground), you could heat you "veg oil tank" before you take off in the AM. (probably might mean not using a stock/plstaic tank though). Then, as soon as your engine was up to operating temo, switch over for the rest of the day. Bet you could travel 10 days on 10 gallons of "non WVO" fuel and be safe about not pushing cold vo at your engine.

But..... I have had (more than) a few drinks tonight....LOL

[svswan]

Unfourtunetly I’m expending all my ‘gumption’ at the moment trying to quell a motor oil burning problem instead of finding veggie oil in far off towns. It seems that my injectors are passing motor oil into the fuel internally. I don’t want to buy baby swamps at the moment so I’m going to try a reseal kit from DIY-Injectors.com and rebuild them myself (yikes)

I’m going to keep my fingers crossed on the tailgate. I have two good straps and the barrel is also stapped to the camper. The hitch mounted support is a good idea though banshee –thanks.

My veggie oil tank (the stock front tank on the truck) is heated, but not enough. I’ve been running a Greasel supplied tranny cooler in the front tank with a HOH set up also from Greasel. I just recently put a temp gauge in just before the stock fuel filter and found my veg to be about 100F at that point. Bad. I made a HIH set up with copper pipe to transfer heat from the tranny fluid to the veggie oil and it boosted about 25 degrees before the hose started to leak and I pulled it, then left it in my old roommates garage 700 miles away – DoH! I’m ordering a VeggieTherm.

I am not that worried about water in the oil. I pump carefully, I draw off the barrel on back at the 5 gallon mark via a tap in the side so any nastyies stay in the barrel until cleaning, and as long as I can find good oil I can filter as low as 50F ambient. If the oil gets too thick I can add some diesel…I think. I am adding a third filter housing for final filter stage to get it clean even in cold weather without sun generated heat.

Daily scenario as I hope it to be…
1) drive 500 to 700 miles and stop at a deceint size town
2) find some clean oil and pump it to the barrel through the 50micron
3) carefully drive to a place I can get free wifi access and a few limes for the margaritas while cycling the oil through a string wound 1 micron
4) sleep
5) hope the sun shines and after breakfast and a walk pump through the better rated resin impregnated 2 micron filter and into my holding tanks amidships.
6) Repeat until I find a hot spring or a good ski resort.
7) Run diesel down the mountain if the ski resort come at the end of a 500 to 700 mile day ;-}

I still have my rear stock tank with Diesel so I can make about 200 miles on the expensive stuff if I need to. It would be great to heat with AC over night but I don’t plan to stay at many campgrounds.

[TravisT]

Just a little side note. I ran from Chicago to San Francisco (2400 miles) on SVO last November. We took the long route through Colorado and I can tell you that up hill, at the highest of elevations I had to switch to diesel and turn the chip all the way to stock. There just wasn't enough air for a clean burn on the oil and the stock computer was much better at managing things at that altitude. The whole trip went without a hitch. Filled up in Chicago, Denver, and Reno. We found sources before even getting their with the help of a GPS and a cell phone.

Good luck on your trip and prepare for anything. These systems (at least mine) fail at any time and there's no warning.

[svswan]

I've been rebuilding the injectors and distracted. Just saw this post. Thanks for the info! My truck is still stock, maybe that will help in the altitude. I'm going to try mixing a centain booster into the oil to see if that helps. I've added a third filter to the system and set the second so I can loop from the barrel on back to the 1 micron string wound filter and back to the barrel. I can clean the oil and mix this way. Then send it through a resin impregnated 2 micron, which should clean even better than the string wound element, and in to the holding tanks.

I bought a Brazed Plate Heat Exchanger from Plantdrive, a HotPlate as they call it, and will install it tomorrow. I post just how much heat it adds to the system.

<Update> The Hotplate adds about 30 degrees to my looong veggie loop. Not bad. I wish they had a larger model. I should move the selector valve up to the engine compartment but I'm not going to get that done befor I go.

[svswan]

Well - Truck runs fine at 5000 feet about 2000# to 2500# of payload on strait wvo. I just collected 25 gl while it was snowing ;-}

I build the system using a diaphram pump which will not pull a head. So I added my Northern Tool $150 special into the collection hose and now it works great. The diaphram pump is small, inexpesive and can push oil through two filters fairly quick. Have not pushed the last load through yet though, I'm hoping the sun will add a few degrees first.

On the PlantDrive Hotplate - after 10 minutes or so on the freeway it kicks the temp of 50 degrees. Good unit.

[ohthree450]

[ QUOTE ]

I am not that worried about water in the oil. I pump carefully, I draw off the barrel on back at the 5 gallon mark via a tap in the side so any nastyies stay in the barrel until cleaning, and as long as I can find good oil I can filter as low as 50F ambient.

[/ QUOTE ]

There can be a good deal of water that is emulsified, and will not settle out until heated. This isn't an issue if the oil sits at 90-100F as possible in the summer, but in the winter the water will NEVER come out without heat or possibly salt filtration.