The End of the Road

Today was the last day of the road tour for the propane-fueled Ford F-250. We mapped all the propane refueling stations within 15 miles or so of the truck's route during our planning. We found at least 1 every 30 minutes not including Flying J service stops or propane marketers. You can find the propane refueling locations near you at the Department of Energy Alternative Fuels Data Center.

After more than 2,400 miles, we were curious about our oil usage, too. Here is a picture of the dipstick. You can see that the crankcase is full and the oil is clean. Propane is one of the cleanest burning fuels and doesn’t leave lead, varnish, or carbon deposits that can cause premature wear of pistons, rings, valves, and spark plugs. With less maintenance and lower fuel costs than gasoline vehicles, propane-fueled pickups can help farmers decrease operating costs by as much as 38 percent.

The tour is over but you can continue to visit http://www.propanepickup.com/ or @PropanePickup on Twitter for continued updates. The next stop for the propane pickup is the Sunbelt Ag Expo in Moultrie, Georgia - September 20 - 22.

Liquid Propane Injection System

Our good friends with Buckeye Ag Radio Network stopped by at Farm Science Review today. We talked to his listeners about the benefits of using a propane pickup on the farm.

We’ve meet a lot of great people at Farm Science Review so far. We get a lot of questions about the liquid propane injection system and how it’s different from the old vapor systems.


The new system was developed by Roush Performance engineers — the same people behind the winning Roush Fenway racing team. The propane system includes a fuel tank with integrated fuel pump, wiring, and valving; stainless steel fuel lines; billet aluminum fuel rails; an upgraded custom Roush PCM calibration; and all the necessary wiring, hardware, and instructions. You can see a video of the engine on our YouTube channel. A link to it is at www.PropanePickup.com.

The Propane Pickup and U.S. Farm Report

The propane-fueled Ford F-250 will sponsor the live broadcast of U.S. Farm Report on AgDay TV at the Ohio Farm Science Review. Tomorrow, Kevin Kane, marketing manager at Roush Performance will to farmers during lunch (cooked on a propane grill) about how the propane-fueled pickup provides the power necessary for the farm but costs up to 38 percent less to operate than gasoline pickups because of lower maintenance and fuel costs.

We will be here at Farm Science Review through Thursday. If you get a chance, stop by the Ohio Propane Gas Association building on Swine Avenue to see the pickup, get a T-shirt, and sign up for the giveaway.

See You on Interstate 70

Look for the propane-fueled Ford F-250 today on Interstate 70 East. We are driving to London, Ohio, for Farm Science Review. The propane pickup will be on display in the Ohio Propane Gas Association building on Swine Avenue.

Doing Some Farm Work Today

Today the Roush propane-fueled Ford F-250 truck will be taking on more farm chores to show how its 5.4-liter engine provides the same horsepower, torque, and towing capacity as a 5.4-liter gasoline engine. We will be hauling hay and pulling a water tank. After the demonstration, people will have a chance to test drive the pickup to feel its power.

A special thanks to the local 4-H Foundation for cooking lunch and to the Bond County Fair Association for letting us use the grounds.

Servicing and Refueling the Propane Pickup

Today was a busy day on the propane pickup tour. The pickup was on display in the morning at Breese Motors, a Ford dealership in Breese, IL. We recorded a video with one of the Ford service technicians that shows how the propane pickup can be serviced with the same diagnostic equipment as gasoline and diesel-fueled F-250s. Rita Frazier with WSMI Radio joined us for a live broadcast.

In the afternoon, the propane pickup drove to the Effingham Fast Stop, one of the more than 70 locations where you could refuel the propane truck in Illinois.

We also set up for tomorrow's farm work demonstration to be held at the Bond County Fairgrounds in Greenville, IL. Stop by between noon and 3 p.m. to see the propane-fueled Ford F-250 and take the pickup for a test drive. The local 4-H Foundation will be selling food for lunch.

If you can't see the truck at the tour stops, visit http://www.propanepickup.com/ to see videos, photos, and more.

We Love Propane Tank Tales

Husker Harvest Days is going great. Thanks to everyone who has stopped by to see the Roush propane-fueled Ford F-250 pickup and sign up for our giveaway. We love to talk to people about the pickup, especially the farmers who have stories about using propane pickups and tractors in the 1970s. Did you know that if you're a farmer who uses propane on your farm, you could win a propane-fueled Ford F-150 for telling the Propane Education & Research Council your story? It’s a program they have called Tank Tales, and you can submit your story at www.agpropane.com/TankTales.

Be sure to visit www.PropanePickup.com, our YouTube channel, and to follow us on Twitter at @PropanePickup to learn more about propane pickups.

Husker Harvest Days

The Roush propane-fueled Ford F-250 pickup is at Husker Harvest Days this week. It’s going to be on display in the Nebraska Propane Education & Research Council exhibit at lot 550. If you plan to be at Husker, stop by to say hi and see the pickup. We’ll also have T-shirts, and you can sign up for our giveaway. On Wednesday, AgriTalk radio will be broadcasting live from 10 a.m. to noon.

The Superbowl of Iowa

Iowa won the rivalry match. We didn't have a favorite team, but we did have a great time talking to the Iowa tailgaters about the Roush propane-fueled Ford F-250. We had many questions about if it would be powerful enough, how and where to refuel it, where to purchase it, and more. Luckily, we had internet and could show people the www.PropanePickup.com Web site that answers their questions.

We are driving through Nebraska today on I-80 West to Grand Island. We'll be at Husker Harvest Days this coming week. And check www.PropanePickup.com to see where else the truck is headed on its tour.

Propane Pickup in Iowa

We’re talking to another group of young people today about the benefits of the Roush propane-fueled Ford F-250. We’re hanging out with the Iowa State University chapter of Alpha Gamma Rho in Ames. WHO radio is broadcasting live from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and giving away two pairs of tickets to the Iowa-Iowa State football game. We have food, t-shirts, and a propane grill raffle for anyone who would like to stop by and see the pickup.

And join us tomorrow at the Iowa–Iowa State football game in Ames. We will be at 707 Beach near Jack Trice Stadium with WHO Radio, the Roush propane-fueled Ford F-250, food, and more giveaways.

It has the Power Farmers Need in a Pickup

A good pickup is one of the most important tools a farmer has, so it’s important that it has the power to pull a load of hay bales or a combine head. Today, we took our Roush propane-fueled Ford F-250 to a farm near Rochester, MN to put it to work. Watch the video to see how the propane pickup handles the farm.


A farmer’s pickup also needs to be cost efficient. Using propane as a fuel can reduce engine maintenance costs because it leaves no lead, varnish, or carbon deposits that can cause premature wear of the engine. You can compare fuel costs for the propane-fueled F-250 with the cost of fuel for the gasoline and diesel versions at PropanePickup.com.

Today we also visited Stewartville High in Stewartville, MN to talk to some welding and ag students. The students had an opportunity to check out the Roush propane-fueled Ford F-250. We wanted to share with this next generation of farmers how the propane pickup can provide the power and cost savings they need to compete now and in the future. The F-250’s 5.4-liter propane engine can provide equal horsepower, torque, and towing capacity as a 5.4-liter gasoline engine. And using propane as a fuel can reduce engine maintenance costs because it leaves no lead, varnish, or carbon deposits that can cause premature wear of the engine. You can compare the operating costs of the propane-fueled F-250 with the operating costs of gasoline and diesel versions at www.PropanePickup.com.

We invited the students to become fans of the Propane Truck on Facebook. You can become a fan too.

Tomorrow we’re heading to Iowa to visit the Iowa State University chapter of Alpha Gamma Rho. Follow us on twitter at @PropanePickup for instant updates from the tour.

Where do you refuel a propane pickup?

Where to refuel a propane pickup is one of the questions we get most often. To answer it, we decided to kick off the two-week Midwest tour at one of the more than 2,300 public refueling stations in the U.S. that supplies propane. Here’s a video showing how to refuel the propane-fueled Ford F-250.

Today, we were at the Greenway Cooperative in Rochester, MN. It cost us around $88 to fill our tank (roughly 44 gallons). It would have cost about $107 to fill up a comparable tank with gas and about $116 to fill itwith diesel. You can compare fuel costs for the propane-fueled F-250 with the cost of fuel for the gasoline and diesel versions at PropanePickup.com.

Tomorrow we will be recording a video of the propane pickup working on a farm here in Minnesota. Check back for more videos and photos. Follow us at @PropanePickup to get instant updates about the tour.

Hitting the Road

We packed up the Roush propane-fueled Ford Roush F-250 today and started the Midwest tour. Honk if you see us driving north on I-380 from St. Louis to Rochester, MN. Check PropanePickup.com to see if we are coming to an event near you. If you are outside the Midwest, you can see a video of the pickup and its liquid propane injection system here.

The Propane Pickup on Tour

We are getting ready to drive the new Roush propane-fueled Ford F-250 pickup on its tour through the Midwest September 9-24. The Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) and Roush Performance will be taking the pickup to farm shows and other big events to talk about how the pickup is a good fit for people in rural America.


Rural America is fueled by propane. In fact, most of the farms in the United States use propane. Why not use it to fuel your pickup as well, especially when a propane pickup could save you up to 38 percent on operating costs when compared with a gasoline F-250?

We hope you’ll get a chance to see the pickup when it’s in Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Illinois, or Ohio. Visit PropanePickup.com regularly to check the schedule, see tour videos and photos, and sign up to win a trip for two to a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. And follow us on Twitter at @PropanePickup to hear about our adventures on the road.