Posted: 3/24/2007 7:25:58 AM EDT
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Since diesel power is so well liked around here, Arctic Cat is coming out with a diesel powered ATV this summer. Should be interesting. Will run on any fuel oil. news.carjunky.com/alternative_fuel_vehicles/new-atv-takes-fuel-efficiency-to-new-levels-abc332.shtml |
Heck yeah! I've been waiting for this!! That is my ideal alternative fuel vehicle, in fact, I ran the numbers...it's cheaper to grow oil crops and squeeze your own biodiesel, that it is to buy commercial diesel, by a LARGE margin! Just 5-10 acres of crops would supply a years worth of fuel, probably more than a years worth. |
An ATV or a utility vehicle? I don't think that they actually make 4 wheelers....but then I might be wrong. Sounds like an interesting concept. Since I don't even own a regular ATV, it will probably be years before I own one of these!!!! |
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Growing your own bio-diesel plant stocks is a little bit of a hit and miss. I think the technology is close, but not super practical yet for everyone. There are some upcoming technologies that are pretty dang neat. My favorites being a combination bio-reactor grown algae combined with a co-generation Thermal Depolymerizer used on a small home grown scale. I am all for everyone that can grow all there own fuel... I truly hope that we start to see more diesel vehicles in the future. I would love to be able to get a nice simple diesel powered Rokon 2wd motorcycle. |
Well, it's different in North Dakota. Buying 10 acres for 3 or 4 grand, and buying an old tractor/planter/combine setup will cost another 5 thousand. I already have a tractor, just need the combine! The oil press is about 800 dollars, the biodiesel homebrew setup will be about 300. Oil crops are the kind of solar power than I'm interested in! Although, these new solar panels last so dang long and are getting better all the time, they are starting to make me think they are better than windpower for electricity, due to less maintenance and better longevity. But we get so much damn wind, it's probably smarter to go wind here, don't get a lot of sunlight in the winter, either. |
Show me an 800 oil press! My neighbor is business owner and inventor. He is very interested in growing a crop for bio diesel. One thing we have not nailed down is a press; so I'd love to see what you have come up with. Between us we have 10 acres with about 6 we could devote to oil crops. He has a small diesel tractor too... |
| I drove one of the protos when they were making them for the .mil market about 2 years ago. They had a lot of low end torque, but lacked speed and agility. I've also had extensive time on the Polaris model released back in the late 90's I think. It had a little bit better top end, but turned like an 18 wheeler. John Deere Gators are good little utility vehicles, but with a top speed of 17MPH, you're getting nowhere fast. All in all, I cannot recommend a single deisel fuel commercial production ATV at the moment. As for the dune buggies, Chenowyth is THE way to go. I had the pleasure of dealing with some of their engineers to develop a smaller vehicle for military applications, but the funding was cut. Wound up with a hunk of junk from DBT that ran on gasoline instead. |
In true SF style I'd say do both. When solar is producing well the wind is usually dead and when the wind is cranking it's usually cloudy out. They make the perfect match for renewable energy. Check out Southwest Windpowers Skystream wind turbine. It's smaller, more quiet, grid tie capable out of the box, and pretty reasonablly priced. |
That's expensive. The other day, I saw an old Jimmy with a 6.2 diesel. I didn't know they ever made'em. That mama had about 12" clearance and what looked to be a butting bumper. A mean machine that looked like it would almost be able to keep up with an ATV. L |
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Not sure they ever did make a Jimmy with a 6.2. But the great thing about GM is that it's real easy to combine parts to make the vehicle you want. I helped a buddy build a Blazer about 10 years ago. Put in a 6.2 turbo diesel, stole the Dana 60/44 front and rears out of an old Cheyenne, and it all bolted up with the 5speed and transfer case already installed. Swapped out the ID plates on the fenders and he had a 6.2 labeled Blazer. |
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I can tell you why a diesel ATV would be great For farmers/ranchers. I use my ATV all the time and it sucks that I have to keep cans of gas around, when EVERYTHING else is diesel I can't just fill it out of my truck tank (100 gal on pickup), etc, I have to carry gas cans. That's why a lot of the UTV's are diesel, but some things ATV's are just better at (lighter, quicker, more manuevable) I'd buy one I spent 8000 (tax title, all that crap) on a 500cc gas ATV, what's another grand? |
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Polaris made one a few years back. Was heavy and had some bugs. They didn't sell that many because of the added price and they only went about 30-35mph. However, the used ones fetch a good price because farm/ranch folks want them. My brother's shop had one and it sat in the showroom for a couple of years. They ended up selling it to a ranch somewhere in TX. -JTP |
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The Polaris diesel engines were made by Fuji in Japan, as were all of their two-strokes. The engine was designed to be used in industrial equipment that ran at a constant rpm. At a steady speed the engine worked great. Throw it in an ATV chassis, and expect it to do what it was designed for was just, well stupid. |
ATV=All Terrain Vehicle. Can mean several things. Utility vehicle=haul hay, fertilizer, flat to moderate ground Side by Side=can be utility or ATV, 4 wheels, 2 or three can be seated 'side by side' The Kubota I saw was a diesel ATV, a 4 wheeled side by side. Like the Yamaha Rhino they are more than just 'utility vehicles' and they have a higher price tag than a glorified golf cart. 
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Those are UTV's, not ATV's don't confuse them there are already diesel UTV's |
I hate to hi-jack, but I've been interested in getting solar panels to use to heat my pool. Does anyone know how many, and what size panels it would take to supply a house? I thought I would use the panels to heat the pool for a few extra weeks of swimming, but if possible, I would use the power generated in my home. I have approx 1500sqft of roof space to use. |