# Troybilt storm propane converstion



## TX610 (Jan 15, 2021)

So after taking me a while to get jet size right I finally got this snowblower converted to propane. I runs very well idling and in drive with auger running. going to store it until cold weather to see how it performs. if it does well I'm going to sell it. i have a video of it running and a picture of tank and hose.






I tried to insert video but wont allow it . how do I insert a MP4 video?


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## ST1300 (Feb 17, 2017)

Hmm, that was probably an interesting conversion, but you realize? that propane does not vaporize well in temperatures below 20 degrees F. Even if you warm it up in an enclosed space to get it started, if you try running it in the winter with around 10F down to 0F it will probably stop while running and not restart (without rewarming) because the liquid will not vaporize at all unless you have engineered some sort of heater for the fuel tank and vaporizer/regulator. 
Your may find it a hard to sell item.






f


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## TX610 (Jan 15, 2021)

thanks for the reply. that's why I put it in storage until cold weather. propane boils at -44 degrees F. most snow occurs around 28-32 F here in New Jersey. My only concern is nozzle icing but I don't have a real concern with that because the nozzle being in the converted carburetor body. my 4000 Watt champion generator is factory propane I have used it in cold weather. it is a little harder to start in cold weather but not real bad. I will find out how this snow blower does this next winter. I will post results then. Don't want to mislead people with any false info.


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## Tony-chicago (Feb 10, 2021)

Great job! How long will it run on a tank? Let us know how it does.


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## TX610 (Jan 15, 2021)

Tony-chicago said:


> Great job! How long will it run on a tank? Let us know how it does.


 Doing the research based on what my propane generator uses my guess is 2 hours on a 1 Lb tank but I will surely let people that are interested know how it does starting in cold weather and how it handles snow when I get some here in New Jersey . Thanks for the interest. This was not just a hair brained idea I got. I put a lot of thought into this project


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## Tony-chicago (Feb 10, 2021)

Two hours!


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## tabora (Mar 1, 2017)

TX610 said:


> a 1 Lb tank


Sadly, you'll likely find that tank size to be ineffective at snowblowing temperatures. Even a 10lb tank has proven to be marginal.

A propane cylinder contains both liquid and vapor, with the vapor space being at the top of the cylinder. Propane appliances burn propane gas. As the gas is drawn off top of the cylinder the liquid within the container boils to replace the gas being withdrawn.

Liquid propane boils at about - 40 F. It needs heat to boil, and it extracts the heat used to vaporize the liquid through the steel shell of the container from the surrounding air. The amount of vapor a 1 lb. propane cylinder can produce is dependent on the outside temperature and the area of wetted cylinder surface The less wetted surface the less vapor is produced, likewise the lower the outside temperature the less propane gas is produced. At low liquid levels, the 1 lb. cylinder may not provide enough gas to operate appliances properly.

The pressure within the propane cylinder is directly related to the temperature of the propane liquid within the cylinder. The higher the liquid propane temperature the higher the internal pressure, conversely the lower the liquid propane temperature the lower the internal pressure. *If a frost line appears on a propane container it is an indication that the gas withdrawal from the cylinder is greater than the cylinders ability to vaporize propane.* Replace the propane cylinder with a full or larger unit if the appliance does not operate properly.


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## TX610 (Jan 15, 2021)

Thanks for the info. That's why I stored until winter. That's when I can decide if I need to mount a bigger tank. Will be interesting.


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## tabora (Mar 1, 2017)

TX610 said:


> That's when I can decide if I need to mount a bigger tank. Will be interesting.


Note that in this video, the owner mounted both a 10lb bottle and a starting battery back on the handlebars, which made the blower prone to lifting the augers off the ground at the slightest provocation. Probably best to mount a 10-20lb bottle up front.


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## TX610 (Jan 15, 2021)

Thanks for the video. His does seem to have a lot of rear weight.


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## tabora (Mar 1, 2017)

TX610 said:


> Thanks for the video. His does seem to have a lot of rear weight.


One of these horizontal tanks on the auger housing might be the ticket...


https://www.lowes.com/pd/Flame-King-20-lb-Horizontal-Propane-Cylinder-With-Gauge/5005489191


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## JJG723 (Mar 7, 2015)

Cool and interesting project. Looking forward to seeing your results next winter.


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## Caper63 (Jun 15, 2021)

I have tried running a 50K BTU propane heater off a 20 lbs tank in a cold uninstalled shed. The tank cannot keep up without freezing up. To run a blower, a small tank will not do it. Maybe a 100 lb tank, but not sure how well that will work.


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## BullFrog (Oct 14, 2015)

It’ll be interesting to see how it performs. Years back some school bus operators around here converted their buses over to propane to reduce operating costs but they found there was a significant power loss. Sufficient on the flat but going up hill under full load quite another. An interesting project indeed.


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