propane conversion

[jack grebe]

I'm thinking of converting the motorhome over to propane,what kind of fuel saving can I expect.the beast gets about 8mpg now(downhill with a good tailwind) :(

[Ron Williamson]

Propane has fewer BTUs per unit than gasoline,so you will use more and have less power.
R(who had a 1/2 ton with a 454,when propane was $.11CDN/litre) :cool:

[jack grebe]

it does have a 454,but less power? how much less

[Bob Cleek]

Forget the propane. Get a Banks power package instead. I put one on mine and I'll tell you it will pay for itself pronto. Plenty more horsepower and better mileage. Their claims are accurate. The ONLY way to go. If I ever get another rig, or when it is time for a new pickup, I'm putting a Banks system in first thing. web page (http://www.bankspower.com/motorhome.cfm)

[Ron Williamson]

IIRC
About 25%,but you can advance the timing(It has a much higher octane level) and do a few other things to gain some of it back.

Really cold weather was a bit of a pain,as some of the parts froze up,but that may have been because it was dual fuel,not dedicated propane.
That truck could go a LONG way between fill ups,with dual gasoline tanks and fifty-odd gallon propane tank in the bed.
R

[crawdaddyjim50]

Well you see the problem with conversion to propane as a fuel for your rollinghome is (1)the engine was not designed to use it so it will not be a efficient user of the fuel, not enough compression to get the power back from the lower btu factor of the propane.(2)the taxing man has taxed it higher than all others excepting diesel so it will not be cheaper per gallon of liquid.(3)the size of the container to hold it will be a third larger than the gasoline tank to get equal distance.
But your engine if ran from new on propane will look new at 200k inside(my p/u does). Oil changes are less needed as there is no washdown of the cylinder wall. There is no quick and cheap alternative. A proper conversion will probably cost in the neighborhood of 4 grand for your setup. Jim

[Granville]

from cleeks website


Now your V-10 rig’ll have the power to roar up the grades, zip past traffic and merge like a sportscar. (Speaking of which, a PowerPack-equipped Ford 6.8L V-10 Class Chinook earned Banks the World’s Fastest Motorhome record. Not that you should drive like a maniac. But it's nice to know you've got power at your command!) just what we need. a bunch of near sighted grey hairs zipping down the road in 5 ton battering rams

[jack grebe]

I don't really care about a speed demon,I don't go over 55-60mph with it anyway.I just want better fuel costs,especially now.I think I will look into the Banks setup and possibly a conversion to fuel injection. we'll see what happens

[Bob Cleek]

Nobody speeds in a class A motorhome... they become unstable around seventy due to windage. The Banks system, however, not only provides fuel economy, but the additional power will get you up and over mountain passes and long grades without ending up doing twenty by the time you reach the summit! This is really important, as anybody who has driven one would know.

A Banks system will set you back about two grand if you install it yourself. It will pay for itseelf in about fifty thousand or so. More now that the fuel prices are sky high.

[ 09-26-2005, 01:06 PM: Message edited by: Bob Cleek ]