DEF going away ?

[ruffdog]

Some industries are exempt from pollution control standards. Railroad locomotives and cargo ships are a couple examples. Cargo ships use bunker oil as fuel. Bunker is cheaper but pretty nasty. I wonder about the cruise ships like Carnival?

Not anymore!

Trains operating in the USA have to use ULSD same as the trucks ... Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel Information

And globally run ships use fuel with a maximum sulfur content of only 0.5% ... But, if they are gonna operate in coastal Europe or N. America, they can't go over 0.1% sulfur content ...

BTW ULSD has only 15 ppm (0.0015%)

https://blog.response.restoration.noaa.gov/fueling-blue-economy

Here are the regulations on locomotives:

Regulations for Emissions from Locomotives | US EPA

Some trains use DEF while others get by with EGR.

DEF for Trains | Yara United States

Tier 4 locomotives pulling for a cleaner future

 

[troverman]

I don’t think diesel emission controls are going away. What the current admin did is make the “limp modes” for running out of DEF more relaxed in the name of safety.

Note that the most popular vehicle in the US - the Ford F-150 - will now be equipped with a particulate filter (GPF) on its gasoline 3.5L EcoBoost engine. That is definitely not moving in the right direction, I think. But, it’s been proven that turbocharged gasoline direct injected engines produce much worse fine particulate matter than diesels do.

 

[dlundblad]

I can’t see us going back. Strict standards will likely just stop or slow down progression wise.

 

[Hazel]

mCRD Technology


The Mahindra mCRD technology is the direct result of a $30 million-dollar investment to redesign and re-engineer our Tier IV Engines for a simple and user-friendly solution. The result – we’ve created engines that don’t utilize a Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF). This means no excess heat or burn off and less complexity for the operator. Mahindra mCRD engines provide the unique advantage of meeting Tier IV emissions standards without the need for a DPF, but still allowing you to Push More, Pull More and Lift More.

 

[troverman]

Mahindra tractors are basically bottom tier. Their solution isn’t better.

 

[mrblanche]

Unfortunately, this is unlikely to have much, if any effect. The mfgs have international standards to meet, too. They also know that those changes are unlikely to hold up for long.

At the very least, the rules shouldn't apply to tractors and other farm machinery

Most of those regulations had been in effect in Europe for years, and since Volvo and Mercedes are two of the big engine manufacturers in the US, I doubt they'll abandon those technologies.

 

[OzarkChris]

If it's not tuned properly after emission components are removed or is over fueling what color will the unburnt diesel fuel be on a modern diesel?

Depends if its regular or red fuel

 

[Charliebrn]

This is a major reason I won’t be selling/trading my 2005 Kubota…. I don’t want to deal with theses issues.

 

[jvan20p]

California and the 14 other states that have the same color as the sky, will sue in friendly jurisdictions. This is why we can't have nice things.

Congress would have to pass a law that says companies only have to follow federal law and can not be held liable for state imposed additional requirements.

I agree with hey dude...todays engines with electronic controls are much cleaner than engines with mechanical controls. However, I do like my mechanical controls...

It's so we all can have one nice thing: clean air.

 

[LowellBen]

Mahindra tractors are basically bottom tier. Their solution isn’t better.

Not sure what you are trying to imply here.

I bought a repo'd Mahindra 1538 a while back and have put nearly 500 hours on it. It has Tier 4 emissions. It had been abused the first 100 hours of its life by the previous owner. Only thing I have had to repair operationally has been several hydraulic hoses that failed due to prior abuse. Oh, and forgot it had to be split to correct rodent damage in the clutch area - not a design fault. The only thing I do not like about its design is that it has an intake heater instead of glow plugs. It is a cold blooded beast in the cold.

I needed a tractor for our 70 acre Colorado property, all though most of the property is too steep for any tractor. A backhoe was a primary need, diesel was a requirement and I did not want to be hindered by Def/DPF issues. Nearest dealer is now 200+ miles away.

Back in 2012 when I was looking for a diesel pickup, I settled on a 2006 GMC 2500HD, LBZ/Allison. It only had an EGR as I did not want to be saddled by all the emissions garbage the later trucks had.

So knock on wood, the 1538 has worked out well for me, just like the GMC.