CountryMark Gives Fuel Management Tips

By Countrymark - Posted on March 13th, 2008

The quality of fuel used in today’s new generation of diesel engines has major implications for engine performance and longevity, according to a CountryMark fuels specialist.

“All fuels are not created equal,” stated Mick Calvin, business development manager for CountryMark fuels. “If you want good diesel fuel, it’s out there. And if you want bad diesel fuel, it’s available in the marketplace every day. You need to know your fuel, know your supplier, and don’t be afraid to ask questions.”

Calvin’s comments were part of a presentation on fuel management at a day-long service school, hosted by Reynolds John Deere, Fishers, Ind., on March 7. During the day, participants had the opportunity to learn about maximizing various aspects of agricultural and heavy equipment performance, especially for John Deere applications.

Calvin explained that one of the properties that affects fuel quality is its cetane rating. The higher a fuel’s cetane rating, the easier the engine starts, the more complete the combustion, and the greater the efficiencies of horsepower. While the generally accepted industry standard cetane rating is 40, John Deere recommends a cetane rating of 50 or more.

“Diesel fuels with a rating of 40 are very common in the marketplace today,” said Calvin. “It’s hard for retail stations to promote and sell value, and as a result it’s pretty easy to get ‘bottom-of-the-barrel fuel.’ Diesel fuel with a cetane rating of 50 or above is harder to find, but it’s there, and that’s what John Deere recommends.”

Lubricity (lubricating value) is another crucial property for today’s fuels, according to Calvin.

“If you take the sulfur out of diesel fuel, you remove the natural lubricity,” stated Calvin. “You’ve got to do something to replace that, or without question you will have injection system failures.”

Calvin said that ASTM (American Standards of Testing Materials) calls for a fuel lubricity rating that causes no more than 520 microns of engine wear, while John Deere recommends fuels that will create less than 460 microns of engine wear. CountryMark agrees with John Deere on the value of lubricity and CountryMark premium diesel products are higher than industry average on lubricity giving their diesel fuel products the preferred lubricity rating of 460 microns or less.

Calvin noted that there are chemical additives available from John Deere and other sources to address issues of low lubricity. Biodiesel is a good source of natural lubricity, but Calvin cautioned that what is called “biodiesel” can vary greatly.

“If you want cheap biodiesel, it’s out there,” said Calvin. “John Deere recommends biodiesel blends up to 5 percent (B5), and equipment coming from their factories contains a two percent (B2) blend. However Deere recommends biodiesel that meets ASTM standard D6751, and is BQ 9000 certified. But there are various types of biodiesel out there that don’t meet any standards. Raw vegetable oil especially is not biodiesel, and is not recommended by John Deere.”

Other good fuel management practices include:

· Make certain your fuel has good cold weather properties.

· Keep equipment, transfer, and fuel storage tanks full, to prevent condensation. “Moisture is just as damaging as dirt and rust in your injection system,” explained Calvin. “You need to be checking for moisture regularly, inspect and drain your water separator every day, and replace it at a minimum of every 500 hours.”

· If you have moisture issues, treat the source directly rather than using moisture treatment additives containing alcohol, which eliminates lubricity.

· Replace storage tank fuel filters every 500 hours.

· Turn fuels over regularly. While high-quality fuels are formulated for up to 12-month stability, lesser-quality fuels can de-stabilize in less than 30 days. This is especially important in off-road applications like combines, which may sit idle for months. Use fuel-stabilizing additives for lower-grade fuels.

· Replace engine fuel filters regularly. “You can’t replace them too often,” noted Calvin.

For end users who have questions about their fuel, Calvin indicated that John Deere operates a program called “Diesel Scan,” which can accurately assess the quality of fuels.