Since the inception of Itsa Pizza Truck in 2015, we’ve used a 1996 Dodge Ram pick up truck to pull our mobile wood fired pizza ovens. This particular truck happens to have one of the all-time favorite diesel engines, the 5.9L Cummins.
My favorite thing about this truck, and the reason I looked all over the country for it, is because it’s the very best candidate in its class for running on used veggie oil. You heard it right! Our heavy duty pick up truck runs on waste oil from the deep fryers of local restaurants. Although many people have heard of this concept as something that’s theoretically possible, not many have encountered it in person. “Does it smell like French fries?” Many people have asked me over the years. I describe it more like the smell at the back of diner, kind of a general food smell, but not something where you’d be able to pick out the smell of individual ingredients.
But it smells way better than diesel. I’ve always loved this sustainable aspect of Itsa Pizza Truck. Besides keeping our fuel costs very low, its the greenest mode of transportation I’ve come across, besides walking or riding a bicycle. Although it does involve changing fuel filters more than you’d otherwise have to, the fuel system maintenance is low after installing a two tank system on an old diesel truck.
After successfully converting our dodge pick up to run on used veggie oil, I also (with the help of a trusty friend) converted a 1981 Mercedes, which to this day is still my daily driver. We’re just on the verge of converting yet another 1996 dodge ram pickup truck to be able to run on waste oil. If you’re curious about the subject I recommend checking out the Elsbett company at:
https://www.elsbett.com/epages/63102114.sf/en_US/?ObjectPath=/Shops/63102114/Categories