s219
Super Member
- Joined
- Dec 7, 2011
- Messages
- 8,548
- Location
- Virginia USA
- Tractor
- Kubota L3200, Deere X380, Kubota RTV-X
As I was flipping through my Operator's Manual, I noticed this statement: "Since this engine adopts EPA Tier 4 and Interim Tier 4 standards...".
This is a 2008 29hp. It "adopting Interim Tier 4" is no shock based on the chart s219 has posted a couple of times but, what was a little perplexing to me was that it also "adopts EPA Tier 4" as in seeming to mean final Tier 4? This tractor has no DPF. It doesn't appear to have any type of catalytic exhaust.
I have no idea what it could really mean or why Kubota would put both, but my guess is that the tractor satisfies some Tier 4 Final and some Tier 4 Interim standards (the final being more rigorous) and Kubota is shooting for as many brownie points as they can get. One reason I like the chart I posted is because it gives the basics. However, there were a lot of variations within the tiers and years, and the manufacturers were able to use/buy/trade credits based on other tractors in their fleet. Same things car manufacturers did with MPG ratings between car and truck sales, to get a fleet average (called CAFE -- corporate average fuel economy -- if I remember right). I suspect tractor manufacturers played games in bookkeeping to get their EPA emissions fleet average where it needed to be. All a guess on my part.