Good morning!!!!

[Popgadget]

My tractor is Tier 4, but doesn’t use DEF, it has a DPF (Diesel Particulate Filter) that has to periodically go through a regeneration cycle, which generally happens seamlessly while the tractor is working, and not that often. The exhaust is clean and doesn’t smell like diesel.

 

[PJSprog]

16°F and clear skies this morning, going up to 42° today. Most of the bad stuff yesterday missed us to the north. I encountered a few sketchy country roads on the way to work, but the interstates were fine. Big 100 car pile-up in northern Illinois yesterday. Seeing the way people were driving around here, I'm not at all surprised. "I can handle it ..."

Looks like a Saturday here at work today. Half of the welders, half of the paint line, and the entire machining department decided to take the day off. Machine supervisor actually showed up, saw no one was here, and went back home. I don't get that. The hardest part is done; you're out of bed and here. Why not stay? Whatever. Too many lazy people.

Stay safe out there, gents.

 

[kenmbz]

Morning all, a very warm 52 and 55mph winds.
Lost power for a few hours, hear more trees falling.
Never the ones I want to fall and get it over with though!

Going down to 22 tonight, last night were calling for 5" snow on thursday, now just a -- where amount was :-0

Stay safe and be well,

Was warm enough for a snake to be out yesterday, lucky I noticed before the dog tried to sniff it (and she did try).

 

[Eric Salop]

Once of the things I love most about the internet is all the things I learn from people all over the world that I would not otherwise know even exists

PJ, I can certainly relate to that, some of the customs I hear about are incredible.
For example, without the internet I would never have imagined Rich would tolerate a deceased in his house, let alone on his table.

 

[RoyJackson]

Thanks for the good ideas on set screws. I originally installed the handle when I installed the EA grapple 3rd function valve. Out of curiosity, I just looked on their site...they sell a different 3rd function valve now...boy, have the grapple prices gone up

Everything has gone up!
The Woodmaxx chipper I bought a couple years back now costs between $500-$600 more than I paid for mine

 

[Eric Salop]

Good morning all. A bit noisy here, gusts expected to reach over 70mph this afternoon.

Over the last few weeks I have become intrigued with atmospheric pressure, how to measure it precisely and how it relates to altitude. This is all thanks to Popgadget and his occasional insights into the fascinating world of aviation.

It got me wondering how accurately I could measure the heights of the low spots in different fields (for siphon potential !) using only the differences in air pressure.
Like most phones, my iphone8 has a pressure sensor built into it and an app called "Barometer" does a good job of providing a stable reading, but I soon realised that it wouldn't be quite good enough for what I had in mind and then as retirement hasn't yet fully cured me of my engineer's mindset of ever trying to build a better mousetrap, I started to play around with a few devices.

I am slowly getting a feel for the performance of several quite remarkable low cost sensors from different manufacturers, but coming to grips with variations in air pressure is something else entirely. It does feel strange to be spending time on something that is not paid work, however my wife reassures me that anything that keeps the brain ticking is time well spent at our age.

 

[RoyJackson]

My tractor is Tier 4, but doesn’t use DEF, it has a DPF (Diesel Particulate Filter) that has to periodically go through a regeneration cycle, which generally happens seamlessly while the tractor is working, and not that often. The exhaust is clean and doesn’t smell like diesel.

That's the same as my Deere 4052R...

 

[Dftodd]

Dftodd, what tales you could tell about customers wrecking your expensive equipment in creative ways.

I don't understand why they can't put the DEF in the diesel fuel and stop all this nonsense. I know the chemistry doesn't work that way, being a sort
of afterburner process but makes you wonder if they can't improve on ol' #2 fuel oil. Now it's ultralow most bad stuff but wonder if you dumped a gallon of DEF
in your diesel tank, how that would run. Don't try this at home....

And since it's urea/uric acid, sort of, I know there are some hillbillies trying to pee in their DEF tank.
Something tells me it wouldn't lubricate too well vs petroleum
It's an unfortunate solution to emissions.

But I have read many times how properly maintained modern engines run a lot smoother and start a lot easier than
Tier 1's and 2's. And use less fuel. My understanding is the improvement in fuel economy far outweighs the cost of DEF. And we have less nasties going into the atmosphere.
Bill and Buppies and others who run heavy trucks, have you seen a mpg improvement over the years? Of course then we get gouged for fuel because of international manipulation and
that extra 1mpg doesn't mean much when fuel went up a dollar a gallon. I'd think when fuel prices are highest that mpg would get really important to bottom line.
DEF is all about clean air. Just wish technology would advance to make it unecessary but I guess we are just waiting for electric everything to come.

You rarely see black smoke coming out of a big truck anymore, particularly fleet trucks. If you want black smoke go to a tractor pull.

I've been in the equipment rental buisiness for 15 years. Just as I think and would swear I have seen it all.....

Some tater head ups their game and I'm left standing there scratching my head dumbfounded and speechless

This statement says it all.

"Make something idiot proof, and someone will make a better idiot"

 

[Rich B1]

@daugen said:

"I don't understand why they can't put the DEF in the diesel fuel and stop all this nonsense. I know the chemistry doesn't work that way, being a sort
of afterburner process but makes you wonder if they can't improve on ol' #2 fuel oil. Now it's ultralow most bad stuff but wonder if you dumped a gallon of DEF
in your diesel tank, how that would run. Don't try this at home...."

A little bit of DEF in a 100 gallon fuel tank with a Volvo TAD571 engine comes to a mere $15k to replace the engine fuel system. If you catch it in time. BTDT

Add a little water to the mix and it grows to $35k. BTDT

I can tell more stories...see a lot of stuff with DEF in the wrong places. My favorite was I was at a steel mill and someone had dumped DEF in the hydraulic reservoir of a Cat wheel loader. I forget the model at the moment, but it was really big The estimate was $100k to clean up the mess in the hydraulic system.

I've been in the equipment rental buisiness for 15 years. Just as I think and would swear I have seen it all.....

Some tater head ups their game and I'm left standing there scratching my head dumbfounded and speechless

This statement says it all.

"Make something idiot proof, and someone will make a better idiot"

My wife has pretty much been in the rental business since she got out of high school. The stories she can tell. I keep telling her to write a book....but most people would figure it was fiction.

One of my favorites was one cold Sunday morning in January, she gets a panic call from a salesman about a skid steer that, as the customer reported, "wouldn't start". She asked for more detail before she sent a mechanic out to make sure he took the right parts with him. The salesman didn't know if it was batteries, starter, fuel, etc. She told him to call back and find out.

He called her back and said the problem with the skid steer was it was under water! The customer had left it running and moved it onto a frozen storage pond to get it out of the road. The heat from the engine softened the ice and skid steer went for a swim. She told him forget it, she would deal with it on Monday. I still get a laugh out of that one.

 

[riptides]

46 outside this AM. TGIF.

TGIF.

Supposed to be dropping temperature wise. Gusting winds (weather people claim 40-50mph) since yesterday. Yesterday I got to enjoy the front porch with a beer and a tee-shirt. Today and perhaps for the next week, yeah....not going to happen.

Looks like stick and branch duty today, and some serious chain saw work this weekend is in order.

Hope all have a great weekend. Be safe. I have some ketchup (LOL) to do. Hope all are healthy and well.