Case gives us advice on how to lower operating and ownership costs of wheeled loaders.
Case indicates that there are several things that machine owners and operators can do. Logging-on features these 10 items in a series of articles that once again focusses on improving the efficiencies of our readers operations. The first two aspects cover purchasing the correct size loader and knowing your engine.
- Right-sizing equipment. The size of the wheeled loader, referring to both the size of the loader and the bucket, is more important than with most heavy equipment, as it can have a large impact on upstream and downstream operations. Production in an aggregate mixing plant can be reduced if a loader bucket isn’t large enough to keep the hopper full. Similarly, in a mass earthmoving application, if a wheel loader can’t keep up with the dozers pushing material to it, then those dozers will be forced to wait. Case indicates that bigger isn’t always better, as a wheeled loader or bucket can be too large, depending on the application. An oversized machine may have to sit idle waiting for more material.
- Know Your Engine. Modern Tier 4 Final machines are equipped with a variety of engine types and after-treatment technologies, and knowing the differences, as well as the impact that they can have on your operation, is important to know in order to manage costs. Selective catalytic reduction (SCR) lowers harmful emissions through a simple chemical reaction by introducing diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) into the exhaust stream. These systems do not require any kind of regeneration, filter replacement or other maintenance practices found in other systems. SCR allows the engine to run at peak performance, which provides faster throttle response while also maintaining lower temperatures and delivering up to 20% better fuel efficiency. It is important to understand how the after-treatment system works, and how it influences productivity in different applications. For example, long warm-up periods in the cold months, as well as any excessive idle times can have a negative impact on the efficiency of SCR-equipped engines. Besides the obvious fuel costs associated with long idle times, this practice also makes SCR systems run less efficiently. Operators will experience higher DEF dosing rates and more frequent fill-ups, so Case always suggest using the auto-idle or shutdown features to limit idle times and improve engine efficiency.