Propane

Terry CleanFuel said:

Ok, take care and have a great Christmas or Boxing Day if that's your choice! I mean that sincerely. My intent wasn't to offend you Mike. I AM happy that you did some research though. Perhaps others can benefit by this thread by doing their own research. The anonymity of the internet makes us say things we typically wouldn't say face to face. I would like to apologize to Einstein and skooter, you know who you are. I watch too much Ron White...

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Ok so explain to me how I will save money because I just don't understand.


My mower has a briggs 24hp twin I put over a 1000 hours a year on it and only keep it for 2 years. I use 16 gallons of gas per day.

So I pay to convert it to propane. How much ?
Then I have to find propane and carry a heavy spare tank with me.
Where do I get the tanks filled?
I know of no place within a hour that fills tanks.
Then have to mount the tank on the mower in a place where the extra weight will not hurt how the mower handles on hills.

Not trying to give you a hard time. I really don't see how it would save me money.

Carscw said:

Ok so explain to me how I will save money because I just don't understand.


My mower has a briggs 24hp twin I put over a 1000 hours a year on it and only keep it for 2 years. I use 16 gallons of gas per day.

So I pay to convert it to propane. How much ?
Then I have to find propane and carry a heavy spare tank with me.
Where do I get the tanks filled?
I know of no place within a hour that fills tanks.
Then have to mount the tank on the mower in a place where the extra weight will not hurt how the mower handles on hills.

Not trying to give you a hard time. I really don't see how it would save me money.

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My job is to answer questions. It's what I do.

Here's a program I made for commercial applications:

Clean Fuel LPG Propane Conversions, Eco-friendly

If you're a commercial cutter and you stay busy I can almost guarantee there's a supplier that will keep you stocked in tanks similar to this. Where are you located?

Carscw said:

Ok so explain to me how I will save money because I just don't understand.




So I pay to convert it to propane. How much ?
.

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Without an exact engine# for Briggs it's hard to say. A 24/26HP Kawasaki with a single tank mount would be around $600. Your propane supplier usually supplies the cylinders.

Commercial mower fuel here last summer was $1.61/gal with gasoline at $3.85.

Terry CleanFuel said:

Without an exact engine# for Briggs it's hard to say. A 24/26HP Kawasaki with a single tank mount would be around $600. Your propane supplier usually supplies the cylinders.

Commercial mower fuel here last summer was $1.61/gal with gasoline at $3.85.

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I'll probably just stick to gas until either the government enforces it, or I see all the comercial opperators using them. Its hard for me to switch when gasoline is proven, it's reliable, and it's easy to get, and it works fine.

Aaron

A_tank96 said:

I'll probably just stick to gas until either the government enforces it, or I see all the comercial opperators using them. Its hard for me to switch when gasoline is proven, it's reliable, and it's easy to get, and it works fine.

Aaron

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Not a problem but, just so you know, all our conversions are dual-fuel. You can run either.

I just noticed you're in Ohio. That's where my Manufacturer is!

Have a Merry Christmas!

Terry, I have some questions about your calculator:

1. What is meant by "Propane price calculated as a percentage of gasoline"?
2. The only fields that seem to affect the numbers are number of hours per year, number of gallons per year and obviously the two price per gallon fields. So are those other fields necessary?
3. The fuel cost results are simple enough, but I noticed you've specified the same fuel burn rate for both the gasoline and propane. Is this the case? Could I expect to burn one gallon per hour with propane if I burn one gallon per hour with gasoline?
4. How do you arrive at your fuel control cost?
5. Is the maintenance cost figured as a recurring yearly cost, or is it a total lifetime of the equipment cost divided over the expected number of years the equipment will be in service?

Now that you can see my questions, here is a list in order of what is in my mind in regards to these questions. My intent is for you to see what I'm thinking so you can better explain the answers.

1. This one, I haven't got a clue other than around here, right now, propane is 67% the cost of gasoline. Obviously that is not what this field is looking for.
2. I'm thinking no.
3. I realize propane is used as a vapor, but both gasoline and propane are bought and stored in a liquid form, therefore the comparisons are stated in "per gallon." If propane has fewer BTU's per gallon than gasoline, how can it achieve the same burn rate for similar power output? Remember, we're talking lawnmower engines, not specially modified engines that operate more efficiently on propane.
4. This appears to be calculated at 10% of total fuel cost. Maybe this is a commercial operator cost, but as a homeowner, I don't spend that much per year. Infact, I may only spend $5-$10 per year replacing an occasional gas can every other year.
5. If this is just regular engine maintenance costs, I don't spend but one third of what the calculator is showing.

Like I've said before, you've got a neat little calculator there. I've followed this thread, and at times, it has gotten rather interesting to say the least. I am old enough to remember all the conversions done on daily driver cars/trucks in the late 70's, and also that they faded away almost as soon as the 80's rolled around. Other than the Schwan's trucks in this area, we don't have any fleet vehicles running propane. I know vehicle technology has advanced since the 70's, and engines are far more efficient in general and are running higher compression ratios, but I have to ask myself why aren't there more propane powered vehicles on the road if it was cost effective? I know this has been debated in length here, and that was purely an observation and I'm not looking specifically for a reply to that question.

However, I would like to see this thread brought back on track.

I had to print your post so I could answer here. :laughing:

#1 When I made this calculator we wanted a value that would show the minimum savings vs. gasoline. At that time we used 10% but left it open to input your own propane price.

#2 This program was originally geared toward commercial mowers. Some large cutters have over 300 units that burn fuel at different rates. The five year is the normal life of a commercial mower with ten year being for other equipment that is not used as much.

#3 Using the AltFuel conversions we are experiencing at least 1:1. There are other factors involved though:

#4 Fuel control cost: The National average for pilferage for commercial cutters is 10%. Obviously if you're mowing your own lawn this wouldn't apply.

#5 This is based on extending oil changes 3:1. After warranty expires of course. These aren't my numbers. They are from the industry maintenance professionals.


I hope this helps. 99.99% of my customers are either commercial landscapers or Small Engine/Mower dealers. Except for the "fuel control cost" it should be pretty accurate. That's been my experience anyway.

I aplogize for the long post. :laughing: Thanks for your answers. So based on your answers, and now that I have a better understanding how the calculator works, as a homeowner I can expect to save $75-$100 per year based on roughly 120 gallons per summer of use. I don't know for sure how many gallons I go through, I just know it seems like I'm refilling my two 5 gallon containers about every other time I mow. So my savings could be more. Don't know if it's worth it for me though, but I do like the thought of burning US fuel rather than some terrorist state fuel.

mullins87 said:

I aplogize for the long post. :laughing: Thanks. Don't know if it's worth it for me though, but I do like the thought of burning US fuel rather than some terrorist state fuel.

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You're quite welcome. Yup, it's Patriotic, but it's also better for the environment AND your mower.