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OFFROAD DIESEL FUEL
Posted by DAVID from ALLENPORT, PA, US on December 20, 2007
THE SUBJECT OF BIODIESEL AND LOWER SULFER REGS WERE BEING TALKED ABOUT FOR SEVERAL YEARS. A FEW YEARS AGO WE PURCHASED A NEW DIESEL GENERATOR FOR OUR PLANT. BEFORE IT WAS PURCHASED, THE QUESTION WAS ASKED IF THIS GEN WOULD RUN ON THE LOW SULFER DIESEL BEING REQUIRED OR THE BIODIESEL BEING PROPOSED. THE ENGINEER SAID IT WOULD, BUT THE OFFROAD ENGINES WOULDN’T HAVE TO RUN ON IT. AS OF DEC, 2007 OFFROAD DIESELS MUST NOW RUN ON THE LOW SULFER HIGHWAY FUEL. A CALL WAS PLACED TO THE MANUFACTURER, AND THEY SAID THE DIESEL WILL RUN FINE ON THE LOW SULFER DIESEL AND UP TO 5% BIODIESEL. ANOTHER TRUCKING OUTFIT SAYS THEY ARE PUTTING AN ADDITIVE IN THEIR TRUCKS THAT CAN’T RUN ON LOW SULFER FUEL. IF THE REGS GET TO A POINT WHERE THEY FORCE HIGHER BIODIESEL USE, WILL THERE BE AN ADDITIVE TO ALLOW THE OFFROAD DIESELS TO RUN, OR WOULD THEY HAVE TO RETROFITTED , AND WHAT WOULD THAT BE?
It is always the best approach to speak to the manufacturer of the equipment if using fuels that do not comply to the original reccommendations. Sulfur is a natural lubricant, and reducing the sulfur in fuel can create issue on some older equipment, however if you use a high quality fuel, not the cheapest you can find, it will have suplementary wear additives to compensate for the reduced sulfur.
Bio fuel is another matter all together, and studies are being conducted to establish the effects of using bio fuel with mixed results, however one thing is clear, if using bio fuel ensure it is of a consistant quality, and from a reputable source, as damage from poor fuel can be expensive and irreversible.
Again it is worth checking with the manufacturer of your equipment, but it appears that B5 (5% bio in diesel) can be used on most equipment.
