LP gas for ATV's???

Hey,
Just had someone ask on another forum..... What would it take to run a MC or ATV on LP gas??? Couldn't see the benefit of having the extra tank taking up space that could be better filled by a dog or bale of hay, but it's an interesting question.

Thanks, Dave

dont know why you couldnt on a four stroke engine,two stroke might be a problem but if you were really good you could probably set a oil injection system up.I'm like you though,why in the world would you want to?maybe if you were somewhere that good enough gasolene wasnt available ?

ATV would have to be water cooled so you could heat the vaporizer...and a trailer hitch to drag trailer around with the tank...yes it can be done but not worth the effort in my opinion.

No need to run a vaporizer. Just run gas not liquid. I had a forklift and still have a generator hooked up this way and they run just fine.
All you need is a propane or natural gas carb. with a mixture adjustment and a regulator,hose and tank.

(quoted from post at 13:13:38 08/18/11) ATV would have to be water cooled so you could heat the vaporizer...and a trailer hitch to drag trailer around with the tank...yes it can be done but not worth the effort in my opinion.

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on't need water cooling. My propane powered weed whacker runs just fine air cooled.

Could be done. But would take up some space.Not sure how the regulators would stand up to the shock of moving around.

Golf carts and ATVs have been set up to run LP/Propane in wharehouses as a safety measure- clean burn means less carbon monoxide, same as many fork lifts that work inside and out. Couple different articles on the conversion in past couple years, have to look them up- Popular Mechanics maybe. Older style VW Beetles with aircooled engines used in Mexico City have been LP conversions for years, the Dune Buggy mag had article on the LP version getting some US market extra equipment and then being legal to run in US. Forklift type conversion on a Big Red (Honda?) was the part feature of one article- the ATV was used as a lowprofile industrial wagon/pallet puller in a wharehouse with some outside storage- the ATV could go under some shelving, hoppers that forklift couldn"t, beat pushing/pulling by hand. Couple small cyles as well as smal ATV with big basket used in semi enclosed mall area were another part of article- could do parking lot and inside security clean running. Golf cart was noted as a California minor loophole to evade the electric only allowed on public course if made after whatever and not EPA/CARB certified- but the LP/propane had exemption in the pollution laws referred to by the California golf course ordinance so conversions got to use the course when gasoline engine- especially 2 strokes- were forbidden. Some of the Greens do conversion just for fun, some have access to non road taxed LP/Propane. RN

The upside of propane is that unlike gasoline it will not go stale or get water in it or gum up the carb. It is really good for things that don't operate often such as a back up generator. The downsides on a atv are many. Not as much BTU in propane so you need a bigger, much heaver tank. If it is a fixed tank and you run out of fuel you are getting towed in. A replaceable tank is fine on a forklift, not so much bouncing around on a atv.

Why!!! would be more trouble than it would be worth.

(quoted from post at 16:43:47 08/18/11) Why!!! would be more trouble than it would be worth.

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LPG is 1/3rd or a little less the price of gas here........

Gasoline has about 11400 btu's per gallon and propane about 91600. So each gallon dosen't delliver the same bang. Then add in the cost of conversion, then add in th cost of a couple of automotive quality tanks (please don't use a barbacue tank in a motor vehical), then finding a place to hang the tank and and building a serious mounting system. I, a firefighter, saw a propane tank BLEVE last week in a homemade trailer mounted barbacue machine. Given the crowd, the size of the fireball and all the shrapnel that flew it was amazing that we only airlifted 1 burn patient to the UC Davis Medical burn unit.

You just threw yourself all over that good idea grenade...........

Also was on a british forum and someone said a conversion kit with everything was about 1500 pounds...... That's some over 3 times what I paid for the quad in the first place...................

I asked an old farmer why he had LP tractors. He replied he was tired of people stealing his gas and it burned cleaner. If you switched an ATV to LP, you could drive it around the office.