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.

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.

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.