Modern Gas Tractor? What's the Chance?

[Hay Dude]

I just saw in one of the tech journals that burden my mailbox that over-the-road trucks are going to high pressure water-flushable soot traps and DPFs instead of the high temperature regenerative burn-out types. That alone would make a huge difference in diesel operating costs for tractors as well as emissions.
rScotty

That’s interesting. So the soot traps retain all the soot and are serviceable more easily and use no fuel?

 

[Paystar]

I hadn't seen that one yet. I still get all the trucking trade magazines and emails, but I kinda don't look at them anymore.
I did see though that the new International S13 only has EGR and a simple regular turbo and does have a DPF or need regens. Sounds promising.....as long as it works better than the old Maxxforce.

 

[rScotty]

I hadn't seen that one yet. I still get all the trucking trade magazines and emails, but I kinda don't look at them anymore.
I did see though that the new International S13 only has EGR and a simple regular turbo and does have a DPF or need regens. Sounds promising.....as long as it works better than the old Maxxforce.

I saw the article in one of those advertising/tech coffee table publications. I think something ran in "Fluid Power", but the one I just found is in "Design World" January 2023.

Farm Tractors were exempt from tight emission regulations for a long time, and have only recently gotten involved with emission control equipment. But over the road trucking has had strict emission requirements for longer and the technology is more mature, Right now, trucks have mandated DPFs that can be removed and cleaned by baking at 1150F for 12 hrs. But after 3 or 4 bakings they heat crack & cost 3 to 7 thousand to replace. What the article was about is a company doing pressure water cleaning instead of baking.

Aqueous DPF Cleaning Machine - EcoClean

Click on their link to "Regeneration is not Cleaning" for a quick & well done overview of the technology.
It must be working; the company that used to roast the DPFs just built two new factories to make more of their new technology water cleaning machines.

Disclamer: I have no connection to any of these companys.... Only my own opinion that "regeneration" is based on poor science and does little toward solving the emissions problem.

rScotty

 

[paulsharvey]

Once again, didn't read everything, but for non-diesel, Industrial type engines; propane is probably a better choice then gas.

Would I buy one? If a propane tractor had simular specs, and was $5000 cheaper, yes, or if I could have went 30-35hp for same price as a 25hp, yes. If the price is close or same, no, I would buy the diesel.

 

[rScotty]

Over the life of the machine - and now that I'm old enough to make that judgement - the cheapest initial investment was always spending more up front for reliability. Second to that is simplicity of repairs. Using that criteria, the old style diesel wins, followed by propane, then gas, and then modern regenerative diesel.
rScotty

 

[Hay Dude]

I hadn't seen that one yet. I still get all the trucking trade magazines and emails, but I kinda don't look at them anymore.
I did see though that the new International S13 only has EGR and a simple regular turbo and does have a DPF or need regens. Sounds promising.....as long as it works better than the old Maxxforce.

Thats a VERY low bar to surpass. Amazing to see all those used Maxxforce trucks selling for peanuts, but even if you buy one cheap, you know you got troubles ahead.

 

[Paystar]

Thats a VERY low bar to surpass. Amazing to see all those used Maxxforce trucks selling for peanuts, but even if you buy one cheap, you know you got troubles ahead.

LOL. I don't know if they are any better if you delete them or not? But yes, you can buy them all day long for very cheap.

A contractor at the mine I work at now has the A26 475 in his truck and it has been good so far. I think just belt tensioner failures.

 

[Hay Dude]

I don’t know if they can be deleted? I think the problems are with EGR plumbing wrapped around the engine.

 

[Paystar]

I don’t know if they can be deleted? I think the problems are with EGR plumbing wrapped around the engine.

I know they can be DPF deleted, a company in Canada was doing them, but I'm not sure if they did anything with the mass EGR?
My International's had Cat's LOL

 

[jyoutz]

Well yes and no. For what most people pull....a average size travel trailer or boat, most would never tell the difference in power.

I know a guy that leases new F250's every 2 years. He pulls a fifth wheel travel trailer with a boat on a trailer behind it. He goes from Sault Ste. Marie to White River Ontario all the time, and it's nothing but hills.
He got tired of the cost of maintenance with the 6.7 Powerstroke so he just got himself a 7.3 gasser and he said he puts the exact same gallons in every time he fills up pulling the trailers up there that his diesel did.

And the owner of my local welding shop got a new Chev dually with the big gas engine in it. He has a welding machine in the back and full length tool boxes on both sides of the box rails, plus his torches and bottles.
He showed me his dash display and gas receipts and he's getting 20 MPG on the highway.
I never got that with my Powerstrokes....not since the old 7.3 Powerstroke.

The maintenance costs for a powerstroke is insane. That’s why I love my Cummins.