Let’s all thank the all knowing and all caring extreme left for banning our beloved slow speed engines that burn bio fuels so responsibly. We know the EPA is only a political football kicked around at our expense through the courts. The way it works is we pay huge sums of money to defend the EPA’s actions whether they rule in favor of an action or reject it. It’s kind of like the perfect Trojan Horse you’d pull to the entrance of your enemy’s fortress under cover of a moonless night. It’s designed for blood letting, and over time it weakens the host, is this self inflicted, or are those who lead the charge to establish such an organization off shore? do they know how to rally our own people under the guise of a green cause?
Let’s look at the Department of Energy… formed in 1977 because people were worried that 30% of our oil was imported. In 2010, we find the DOE has been so focused on building their emense empire that they have not had time to address their intended MISSION. In 2010 we import 60% of our oil! So here again the American people entrust in big government and all they get in return is a staggering tax bill to support an organization that has done absolutely nothing when it comes to their principle mission!
With all of these examples of failure, we now see Americans willing to accept another Government promise to manage health care!
Few who read these pages will expect anything other than long lines, diagnosis by a nurse, and being placed on a waiting list to die. The promise is the same one made in Greece, and we are stupid enough to think the outcome will be different?
It’s all about November 2010,
Many of us already know the outcome of the government’s involvement in health care.. 10 years from now you will know we could have turned over the management of health care to the Taliban and
But there are others to thank on the far left and weak politicians like our own Dave Reichert who will unwittingly go along with those who wish to turn over every decision to Government through Cap and Trade. There will be no reason to vote one Cap and Trade passes and half your fellow Americans are all right with that!
At the end of the day, they don’t want you burning sh!t that they can’t tax.
Its time to repeal the EPA, DOE, NEA, as well as other Government Agencies and reduce the size of government permanently!
1/29.. The people in Egypt are in the process of repealing laws there now. I’m sure the Government knew it could never happen. It will likely prove bad for the people of Egypt, as the hired thugs of the Iranian Mullahs (the ones Obama feared to speak ill of) have been waiting for such a situation. The MOB is now taking on the Military, the last opposition to radical Islam, they likely have no clue what their new Masters have in store for them. Let’s hope the more educated Egyptians (there are many) are able to intercept the ball.
I’ve been searching for information about Lister clones, and your site was recommended by several others. Now, I find that the importation of Lister-type engines is banned by EPA fiat. Is it possible to buy one of these engines as a “nearly complete” spare parts kit? Similar to the way one might purchase an FN FAL ‘parts kit’ that comes with everything but a barrel (that you can then purchase separately).
Ron,
A most insightful comment!
This is exactly the idea, we use the same tactics as those who enjoy their 2nd amendment rights and want to be prepared. I know a number of people who have a stash of totally legal parts that will most likely never be assembled , just like an FNL receiver, they know how to finish it, but it will not happen unless our government fails totally, and then within the borders of your own property… maybe you are the law, and you’ll decide to relax the emission standards for the moment?
You can google ‘utterpower articles’ and read a number of articles I’ve written, check out the one on CHP, it’s pretty much the same idea you mention, we can order an air compressor instead of an engine. We’re not pushing the law doing this, as India uses the lister type as an air compressor and has been doing so since the 1940s. What you do is ask the vendor to include a ‘selected parts kit’. This is similar to that unfinished FNL receiver you my never finish. At this time, lovson is the only company that offers an air compressor and selected parts kit, but the idea may catch on?
Exactly like the FNL example, there are ways to assemble this engine legally too, and likely some ways to make it meet emissions, if it’s running as a CHP plant. You might call the EPA and ask how some folks are doing it, they have armies of people, so you should be able to find someone to talk to.
At the end of the day, many of us note that our own Government is too inept to operate within a budget, not to mention a lot of other things. Can we expect them to see the value of stationary engines that run well on bio fuels?
Thanks for the information. I was hoping you’d say that.
While I’m comfortable with calibers and feet-per-second, I’m a complete newbie at diesels & power generation (er… air compressors). But I assimilate well, so I’ll order a copy of your CD (will it get me up to speed on what I need to know?).
As to the law, I consider myself a straight(…ish) arrow, who takes the law as seriously as any former president of the united States 😉
Yes, you can KIT an engine, you become the builder and the EPA will expect you to be honest about it’s construction date, and meeting present emissions standards. There are other problems, the weakness of the dollar, and quality of Indian products are always a concern, what you get is like rolling the dice.
Ron,
Always nice to meet a Jarhead. Calibers and Feet per second are nice to know, and now I see how that FNL example you gave came to you 🙂 I’d bet we’ve both learned a few tricks from reading shot gun news, far better than reading tea leaves. The CD has a lot of stuff on it, and I think you’ll find it worth while, but it’s one thing to read about field stripping a 1911A1 and doing it. I bet we both had to do it to make rank, and I certainly practiced some before I tried to show off the new skill.
Oh man! I knew I should have bought one years ago when I first started learning about them! I just didn’t have the space to semi-permentally install one. Dang it! As soon as I move into another house I will be searching out a ‘kit’ or a box of ‘parts’.
I have an old military truck with the White Multi-fuel engine in it, and there is word it might get banned too. There are already thousands of them in the states already however. The Government needs to slim down and get smarter.
George, as a funny side note, my boss saw the disc you sent me years ago on my desk yesterday and said ‘oh, who did you get that from!’ she said they way you signed it looks like a celebrity. I said to me, and many other DIYers, he is.
Thanks for the kind words about the CD.. I am always the student and learn something new every day. We DIYERs need keep in mind that there is every kind of false promise on the internet, and much of it centers around free energy. This is little different than our elected government officials who now promise us the impossible to stay in power one more day. Our children may be easy prey, but we older DIYers know more about how things actually work…..we are not so easily fooled as we know most of those freebees come out of our own pocket in the end.
As for prime movers, we might be better off looking at the two and three cylinder small diesels, at least for the moment. Quality issues seem to be an increasing concern IF you are able to import complete slow speed engines or parts and roll your own. I here you can google ‘diesel electric’ and you might find an 8/1 for sale in the lower 48. It’s likely a pig in a poke, unless you are told different. Other stuff you mentioned,…. Military trucks.. their days are numbered I think. One source of interesting engines and autos has been Canada, I’m told they are willing to swallow a poison pill “our EPA rules”… I’ll bet they’ll regret that someday soon. That poor guy in the Northern Territories that pays an extra $200 for the catalytic muffler on his snowblower, of course they’ll have to richen up the fuel mixture a bunch to make the Cat hot enough to do anything.
I hope I don’t get in trouble for saying this, but it’s beginning to look like Wall st. and the fat cats are running the country instead of the gov. Using the EPA as a front to get people to buy electric vehicles by ruining our gasoline engines with additives not needed. seems to be working, just give it a few years. And, NO; They don’t want you to be energy independent; That takes away control. And we DIY’ers are not wanted, we are a dying breed. Electric cars save at the pump; It’ll be balanced out in the electric bill.
If the Indians can do it; Why can’t we? I’m talking about the block castings and balanced flywheels? Then, all you’d have to do is order a complete overhaul kit and build it yourself. Is there any way of getting the casting specs.? Hey, they don’t have to know anything more than, ”It’s a special air compressor block”. I am not trying to offend any of the Indians, but we’ve got shops over here that I’m sure would do it if the had the spec’s. Sure would make things a lot easier and with our addiction to electricity; If somthing ever happens; We’ll sure wish we had plan B already in place.
We older DIYers ask questions of ourselves. A popular one is “why hasn’t someone else done it?” This often leads to personal discovery.
Our Cousins in UK knew the Lister CS was long in the tooth years ago.. but they knew there was a market in the middle east and a labor force there they could still afford to employ to make the CS. That of course lead to an investment in Iran. History tells the story, and Mamad and David Edgington might tell it best.. google ‘utterpower mamad’.
Considering the Decisions made in Dursley years ago, based on actual sales data, considering their economies of scale for buying raw materials, considering the cost of labor. Considering the FACT that DIYers are the principle market, considering that DIYers became DIYers because they are thrifty, considering the brutal disadvantage in shipping costs.
Is it smart to tool up to build something here? If you think you might make a go of it, consider seeing Willem first, study his sales data, and why not consider getting some anti gravity boots while you’re at it? Dursley did a great job of forecasting, their plan to employ people in the Middle East was a great idea, all save for forecasting the Mullahs seizing power
If the Indians can’t make a go of this market, no one can, if they can’t find an incentive to make it to a higher standard, there’s a reason. And example is the Royal Enfield, an amazing improvement in Quality over the last 10 years, and good reason, there are buyers who will pay for the quality, fact is, DIYers often will not.
As DIY people tend to be cheap ahem I meant thrifty by nature, why not just offer casting specs and let people cast their own parts? For now the smaller parts can be mail ordered, but as time and ones own interests allow why not learn how to build the entire engine from scrap? If you don’t like how a part turned out just try again.
everyone it seems wants a good deal, and “some” somehow thinks his luck will be better than the next guy. generally those that possess both attitudes are the first to cry foul when as expected they get something less that acceptable.
at some point it just pays off to accept some basic principles and just step up to a hopefully higher quality and generally always more expensive product to start with.
the old saying “you get what you pay for” and “pay me now, or pay me later” seem to apply now more than ever.
i can’t imagine trying to cast parts in this country, do the machining, and assembly of an 80 year old design and expect to sell enough to even break even, much less ever make a profit. Especially given
that simply taking an existing engine, stripping it, cleaning/inspecting, remachining, making higher quality parts as needed, and then reassembly generally results in a finished product that is 3 times the first cost of the engine.
in a market where even a 10% difference in price, how is one going to market such an engine at not a 10% premium, but 3 times the price? and how would anyone think that casting all the parts here is going to be less expensive than those cast and finished in india? even if some of the machining must be redone, most of the indian machining if not perfect is close enough for a final pass.
such an engine built here in the states with castings and all machining done here might well be 6k dollars “plus” for a 6hp single cylinder engine, and it is arguable whether one could even legally sell such an engine because of epa non compliance issues.
like it or not, probably time to face the reality that we are better off just stepping up to a 1st world produced, epa compliant engine to start with. such engines are built by large companies with economies of scale, that can keep the cost down in production and spread the cost of epa testing across the production run of many thousands of engines.
unless something happens in washington DC that changes the epa’s attitude, which is likely never going to happen, the only attitude left to change is our own.
bg
Well; I know that the big lister engines are banned in this country,[only this country?],
But when something does eventually happen; What would you be willing to give to be totally self sufficient and energy independent then? I like being self reliant trusting in the Lord to help me. I’ve always been a DIY’er; Thier the only ones who’ll survive it. Lord willing, I’m still looking for one of those engines and we still plant our garden. Of course, the EPA will probably ban that too if too many of us take to it.
emigrate to a country where you can use one – Canada is not far away you can visit the USA on weekends if you are good..:)
Stephen
Ozlisteroids
They must be legal to buy in Canada, right? Why not drive over the border and pick one up and bring it home? Its not like customs is going to stop you if you have an engine in the back of your truck.
That’s been going on for some time.. Canada is working on accepting our EPA rules laws.. that’s what I hear anyway..
There is a company in Canada right now that is importing lister type compressors from Powerline that they are exporting to the US market.
JB Shah and I hatched the Compressor Idea around 2000? when the EPA first started threatening to take away our stationary exemption.. There’s certainly no patent on the idea 🙂
Do note.. there’s also no reason to go all the way to Canada, Air compressors are legal to import here, and Lovson has even made a video on how to convert them 🙂 Also remember…
Air Compressors are a cheaper import tarrif than diesel engines, and the EPA is not in that business yet. They’ll be catpuring cow farts before they get to air compressors.. we do not suggest you do a conversion before consulting them of course..
Hi, Neat post. There’s an issue with your site in web explorer, may check this? IE still is the marketplace leader and a large part of people will miss your excellent writing because of this problem.
Thanks for the problem report. I’m George Breckenridge’s webmaster. Please let me know what version of Internet Explorer you’re running, and on what computer OS (Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, etc.).