Robbie Robinson

So depending on where you live you don't need to convert WVO to diesel and such. The 7.3l drinks used car oil, WVO, Kerosene (with added motor oil) like a redneck drinks wine. It doesn't care! In my 2000 7.3L Turbo Diesel I have used straight used motoroil with no harmful effects several times. NOTE: You do need to filter it, a coffee filter works to get the gelled oil and chunkies out of it, and depending on your locale (I live in Texas) dewatering is as easy as using any diesel additive that controls water. I prefer Seafoam from Walmart as one 16oz can does 25 gallons easily, if you think you have more water, add more cans, it doesn't hurt the diesel. If you live in the colder climates, a simple routing of your radiator hose with a built in heater will will eliminate that problem as well. Just run your modified radiator hose along the fuel line (which goes along the fuel pump) to the tank and double it back to connect it as usual. So instead of a 3 foot hose, you have a 20 ft hose. Using a 12v or 120v heater will keep the oil thin enough to start the diesel (allow proper warm up) and you are good to go. Dual tanks help as you can still have diesel in one and WVO in the other. But either way you go about it it works the same. For your home having solar to keep your batteries topped off or on a different switch for when you eventually move works the same way.

The in hose heater is the best for this type as you are heating the glycol first and foremost, which if installed on the side that goes to your WVO tank helps in faster startup. Also install a thermometer in that hose so you can see the temperature. 120 degrees is minimum, 140 degrees is ideal. Again depending on your climate changes things. Good luck!

Funny enough China has has motorized harvester's that are hand driven, much like a tiller. These being smaller means they use less (fuel) and does require a bit more work as you cut and lay, then you have to go back and collect. here are electric powered, hand driven ones that you can use solar to charge it, then make a little bit at a time. You won't break even using a fuel powered harvester until you are talking about acres upon acres. So to offset the fuel use, you have to do by hand (ineffiecent) or an alternative powered (solar/electric) that you will allow you to harvest small fields worth.

Another bit of knowledge, using smaller tractors for smaller fields you will use roughly 1-2 gallons of fuel to harvest one acre, so you can make more than you use if you keep it small, but it would still require a second trip to collect if you working alone. The fuel usage is based on a small-ish Kabuta with a brush attachment on the back. The usage was between 1-2 gallons per acre per hour. Depending of course how fast you run the PTO and how fast you wanted to go, plus how many times you increase or decrease speed.

Bulk biodiesel can be produced many ways, how are you thinking of doing it? Waste veggie oil, used car oil, farming? Each of these require a different method, but if you are still reading this, I would be glad to help.

Doing my own research and using Wikipedia, a typical Diesel tree takes 20 years, though in another article it said it was a 15 year investment. That being said, if you start now and keep them in a greenhouse (as they are a tropical plant) at least you could be energy independent in 15 years when you know it will be worse than now.  Also the article I am posting below (that others have posted) tells that some trees only gave up 2.5l and some gave 60l, but the average is 40-45l. Something to take into consideration.

So while doing sunflower seed farms for now to keep the oil going, it will be less energy intensive to have trees later on as it takes nothing to tap the tree and filter it, vs using tractors to plant and harvest, then using 4 different machines to hull, crush, filter and finally convert into diesel. While these are small scale, it is added costs that have to be paid back in the money saved by making your own. Whereas, investing now and waiting you just have to push a cart to tap your future oil reserves.

Other places like malaysia and Thailand have been developing these trees for the backwater areas.

https://www.daf.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/56959/IPA-Diesel-Tree-Risk-Assessment.pdf