I think it's time to downsize from my Veggie Truck. It's been real and it's been fun, but after picking up a 3rd gen 5speed 4Runner I've realized the joy of small and simple rigs.
The Excursion will fit anything and go anywhere, all with the comfort of sitting on your living room couch. Plus you get to feel extra smug when you realize that you're using less fossil fuels than the average Prius. AND... it really does smell like warm fried food when you roll down the windows at stoplights. Starts well, even in the winter, at 8,888'. Located in Crested Butte, CO
$14,000 (UPDATE $12,000)
- Open to trades for a 4x4 pickup, SUV, or really cool Subaru. Ideally with a manual transmission and possibly a slightly less expensive vehicle combined with a little cash.
2000 Ford Excursion 7.3L Powerstroke
Details on the Vegetable Oil Conversion:
This Excursion has a professionally installed two tank straight vegetable oil system. The stock 45 gallon tank has been converted to handle straight vegetable oil. The fuel lines to and from this tank are wrapped with a looped line of engine coolant which also runs through a heat exchanger in the tank. Once the motor (and therefore coolant) is warm it warms the oil in the tank and fuel lines. Additionally the SVO (straight vegetable oil) tank has its own Racor marine grade filter with an electric heat wrap. I have run the truck at temperatures as low as -15F with no troubles at all. Actually, because the whole system is heated, it runs better on vegetable oil at very cold temperatures than it does on the second diesel tank.
There has been an additional, 20 gallon, auxiliary diesel tank mounted between the frame rails. Anytime the truck is parked long enough to cool down it is necessary to switch to diesel. This prevents being stuck with a cold motor full of lard. The switch between the tanks is mounted on the dash, is very simple, and includes an automatic "purge cycle" that returns the oil to the oil tank and fills the motor with diesel. There are pillar gauges to indicate fuel level in the auxiliary tank and also fuel pressure. When fuel pressure increases (on either the SVO or Diesel tank) it is an indication to replace the filter. This preserves the fuel pump.
Overall performance is nearly identical between diesel and vegetable oil. Chemically, vegetable oil has approximately 5% less energy than #2 Diesel. However, I have never noticed any loss in power. 15mpg is typical in all driving conditions whether running diesel or SVO. With 65 gallons of fuel storage, range is well over 900 miles.
Either tank can run on diesel. There are two nozzles located under the stock fuel cap, each leading to their respective tank. The SVO filter is accessed through the cargo area and, when necessary, can easily be changed without tools.
My pre-filtering system is included. I use a simple 12v agriculture pump that pulls oil through an industrial, 30 micron, water absorbing filter and then pushes through a similar 2 micron filter and into the SVO tank of the Excursion. I have filtered thousands of gallons of free, used, oil from my local Sushi restaurant using this system with minimal trouble. I use it in the garage however, because of the 12v pump, it can also be used on the road.
Happy to answer any questions regarding the truck, vegetable oil, or both.
The Excursion will fit anything and go anywhere, all with the comfort of sitting on your living room couch. Plus you get to feel extra smug when you realize that you're using less fossil fuels than the average Prius. AND... it really does smell like warm fried food when you roll down the windows at stoplights. Starts well, even in the winter, at 8,888'. Located in Crested Butte, CO
$14,000 (UPDATE $12,000)
- Open to trades for a 4x4 pickup, SUV, or really cool Subaru. Ideally with a manual transmission and possibly a slightly less expensive vehicle combined with a little cash.
2000 Ford Excursion 7.3L Powerstroke
- 265k miles
- Trans rebuilt last week (@ 265k) at a reputable transmission shop with a warantee
- Lots of other maintenance and repairs: alternator, glow plug controller, steering box, water pump, and more all with documentation
- 3" lift with Bilstein 5100 shocks and F350 leaf springs
- 285/75/16 Cooper ATw. About due for a change and will likely go up to a 305.
- Simple camping platform and drawer system built for the back. Cozy for two people when the the 2nd row seats are left in place. Fold the 2nd row down and its palatial.
- 3rd row bench is stored in the garage.
- Easy cooking platform folds down from the left rear "ambulance" door. Storage cubby located behind the shelf.
- Minor hail damage on the roof and hood
- Rust as shown around the rear wheels. Underbody rust was primarily addressed during the lift/suspension upgrade.
Details on the Vegetable Oil Conversion:
This Excursion has a professionally installed two tank straight vegetable oil system. The stock 45 gallon tank has been converted to handle straight vegetable oil. The fuel lines to and from this tank are wrapped with a looped line of engine coolant which also runs through a heat exchanger in the tank. Once the motor (and therefore coolant) is warm it warms the oil in the tank and fuel lines. Additionally the SVO (straight vegetable oil) tank has its own Racor marine grade filter with an electric heat wrap. I have run the truck at temperatures as low as -15F with no troubles at all. Actually, because the whole system is heated, it runs better on vegetable oil at very cold temperatures than it does on the second diesel tank.
There has been an additional, 20 gallon, auxiliary diesel tank mounted between the frame rails. Anytime the truck is parked long enough to cool down it is necessary to switch to diesel. This prevents being stuck with a cold motor full of lard. The switch between the tanks is mounted on the dash, is very simple, and includes an automatic "purge cycle" that returns the oil to the oil tank and fills the motor with diesel. There are pillar gauges to indicate fuel level in the auxiliary tank and also fuel pressure. When fuel pressure increases (on either the SVO or Diesel tank) it is an indication to replace the filter. This preserves the fuel pump.
Overall performance is nearly identical between diesel and vegetable oil. Chemically, vegetable oil has approximately 5% less energy than #2 Diesel. However, I have never noticed any loss in power. 15mpg is typical in all driving conditions whether running diesel or SVO. With 65 gallons of fuel storage, range is well over 900 miles.
Either tank can run on diesel. There are two nozzles located under the stock fuel cap, each leading to their respective tank. The SVO filter is accessed through the cargo area and, when necessary, can easily be changed without tools.
My pre-filtering system is included. I use a simple 12v agriculture pump that pulls oil through an industrial, 30 micron, water absorbing filter and then pushes through a similar 2 micron filter and into the SVO tank of the Excursion. I have filtered thousands of gallons of free, used, oil from my local Sushi restaurant using this system with minimal trouble. I use it in the garage however, because of the 12v pump, it can also be used on the road.
Happy to answer any questions regarding the truck, vegetable oil, or both.
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