I am participating in an energy audit through the NRCS that is supposed to show me how to cut energy costs here at the "poor farm'. I am all for anything that will save energy which equates to me as money. Their was one thing the auditor said that I did not agree with, but I really did not pursue the issue with him, but instead I thought I would get input from this vast well of knowledge. He stated that I should think about getting away from diesel power and going to propane. I went through this once in the late seventies. We put a 65 Ford p.u. with a 352 CI motor on propane, a 190 Allis, a Ford Granada and two C cabover Ford trucks on propane. Our findings were that they saved a little money considering LP was so Much cheaper than gasoline at the time. We also figured that it had taken about twice as much LP as compared with gasoline. Unless things have changed with the fuel consumption of LP I cannot see for the life of me what you could save using it.
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Propane is no longer cheap, and still has little energy per gallon as compared to Gasoline or Diesel. And Diesel sips circles around gasoline or propane at part load. Don't go there, you're right, the auditor is wrong.
When propane was 98 cents a gallon and gasoline was 2.50, there was something to it - propane has been more like $3 gallon around these parts, which makes no sense at all - it's still more expensive on an energy basis (91.6 kBTU/gallon .vs. 138.2 for diesel)
When propane was 98 cents a gallon and gasoline was 2.50, there was something to it - propane has been more like $3 gallon around these parts, which makes no sense at all - it's still more expensive on an energy basis (91.6 kBTU/gallon .vs. 138.2 for diesel)
No where near the economy or lug a diesel can produce. I'm a diesel tech by night farm by day a friend of mine is the same he works for Cora who just converted all their diesels over to natural gas he says twice the fuel consumption burns cleaner and harder on parts. So my questio. To the auditor is do we save the energy by using propane or by buying/manufacturing less parts?
Propane is ok for things like fork lifts in buildings and that type of stuff but the problems of having a nurse tank and the fact you can get frost bite just filling tanks etc and also the fact right now propane is in short supply NO way it can save. You want to save some $$ turn your water heater of every night before you go to bed if it is electric
Generally diesel would be preferred for power and ecconomy?
If you are running gasoline stuff, then propane used to be cheaper.
Trouble is, propane for whatever real reason, is in terrible short supply. They are talking about it over at the new ag talk site, and it has been that way around me since late summer. My coop said they don't think anyone ran out drying corn, but it got close. They were sending truckers down to your neck of the woods to get propane, as the pipelines up here were either shut off or had 22 hour waiting lines.
It was really doled out, had to fill tanks to only 40% some days so there was enough to go around.
Over at the new ag talk site couple people said tonite that wholesale propane went up 3 different times today alone, up 50 cents......
Things are not good in the propane world right now, I sure would not no how switch to it for something I depended on, something is up.
My coop says next fall looks to be setting up worse than this year, there will be issues.
Paul
If you are running gasoline stuff, then propane used to be cheaper.
Trouble is, propane for whatever real reason, is in terrible short supply. They are talking about it over at the new ag talk site, and it has been that way around me since late summer. My coop said they don't think anyone ran out drying corn, but it got close. They were sending truckers down to your neck of the woods to get propane, as the pipelines up here were either shut off or had 22 hour waiting lines.
It was really doled out, had to fill tanks to only 40% some days so there was enough to go around.
Over at the new ag talk site couple people said tonite that wholesale propane went up 3 different times today alone, up 50 cents......
Things are not good in the propane world right now, I sure would not no how switch to it for something I depended on, something is up.
My coop says next fall looks to be setting up worse than this year, there will be issues.
Paul
Our town got one of those "energy audits" from a local engineering university. It was free and worth exactly what we paid for it. They made recommendations that surely would save money in the long run on the energy itself, but the new buildings and heat sources would have cost several hundred thousand. Sounds like your NRCS auditor attended Clarkson too.
Good luck.
Good luck.
nybadlybent
Member
Pickens wanted cars to run on CNG [compressed natural gas] not propane. I believe propane was called LPG or liquefied propane gas.
I have 2 John Deere 720's. One LP gas and one diesel. We use them both for haying and light work around the farm. The last couple years with LP around $1.20 a gallon, and Diesel around 3.50... The fuel cost per hour on them has been about identical... I could run either tractor for 8 hrs doing light work for about 20 bucks... compared to the neighbors 720 gas costing about 50 buck... But now with the cost of LP up so much... Im sure the Diesel will get a lot more hours on it this year!
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