Double Yellow's Company Driver to Independent Thread

the most important thing is my comfort
i need my porridge just right
whose been sleepin in my bed

 

And all those boats fishing off of alaska plus all the generators working the far north(and far south, doesn't get much colder than Antarctica) idle every night. All night. the combustion chamber gets plenty warm enough to keep water condensation out(all those explosions when the fuel ignites on. Not to mention the fact an engine is a sealed unit.

 

Forgot one figure my generator cost per mile is .007 plus fuel.

All those industrial motors idle because the have to, no one knows how long the would last if the didn't idle.

 

Right but those engines are probably also operating under their intended load, whether that be spinning a generator, pto , hydraulic or water pump and so on.

 

I am an auto mechanic turned o/o trucker, that said I have studied long hours to refine my skills regarding diesel engines and the all the emissions systems. Any diesel engine designed for stationary service (generators,pumps etc.) will have different injectors, injection pump, camshaft, oil pump, ecu programming ect. All of this is to combat the excessive soot that all diesels engines create at idle. No engineer or manufacturer has been able to solve this problem and hence the problems that OTR trucks have had since emissions equipment were first mandated. Knowing this I personally make sure that I idle any diesel engine I use and or own as little as possible, this means that I have little or no problems with the emissions equipment. Any movement up off idle for a diesel engine greatly reduces the soot produced. On EGR engines the EGR system ( inactive at idle) creates more soot, but the increase in RPMS helps to relieve the soot problems by moving the exhaust out faster (less time and opportunity for soot to form deposits).

I know that DY has a pre emissions truck but the the soot problem still exists at idle on any diesel engine. So the APU is definitely a great tool to reduce idling of the tractor engine. An investment that will pay off in spades over the long haul when you consider reduced down time and maintenance. Also the soot build up on exhaust valves of an excessively idled diesel engine will eventually cause reduced power, fouled injectors and REDUCED FUEL ECONOMY.

 

when i started a million years ago we were still driving around WW11 grey marine detroits you just put new injectors in and kept going a 671 grey marine would run on 2-3 cylinders but alas it isn't 1970 anymore

 

I always bump mine up to 1,100 rpms for extended idle. Really sucks the fuel but oil pressure is good and water temp also in the winter. On CAT info display it puts a percentage point or 2 load on the engine. Basically nothing but better than letting one idle at 650 rpmd for extended periods. Would prefer to not have wasted wear and tear from idling on the engine but with no APU that just isn't an option.

 

The best thing you could do for a big Detroit was put marine injectors in. instant power boat cause the dump more fuel in the chamber. Just had to be careful not to melt the heads.

 

You've never worked around construction equipment have you? at some jobs A loader sits and idles for hours waiting on the next truck to load. Same with a dozer. Works real hard for five minutes, then idle for an hour.
Again guys, I'm absolutely not saying it's smart to idle, the fuel costs are ridiculous. I'm saying that anyone that claims it hurts your engine is ignorant of mechanical engines. Does it add wear? If coarse it does, every time that piston goes up and down things wear. But to claim its an excessive amount of wear is just stupid. Engines are designed to last a certain amount of hours at high load with a huge chunk of no load, or minimum load run time thrown in.

 

And what do those engines run at all times? A hydraulic pump which=load.

On my Volvo on a 10 degree day idling at 600 is not enough to maintain temperature. But if I engage my PTO it will climb to 180* and stay there just as it would if I high idled