Cummins recalls record 500k trucks, engines due to faulty emissions device
Calling it the largest voluntary recall of medium- and heavy-duty trucks in history, the EPA announced Tuesday that some half-a-million Cummins diesel engines and trucks powered by those engines have a defective part that causes excessive emissions of nitrogen oxides or NOx.
The EPA noted: “The problem Cummins is acting to correct is the result of a defective part and does not involve a defeat device.” The problem was discovered through government oversight programs that test vehicles for emissions compliance throughout their lives.
The recalled engines are equipped with selective catalytic reduction systems (SCR) which reduce to near zero exhaust emissions of NOx, one of the main components of smog. EPA regulations required heavy-duty trucks to cut NOx emissions starting in 2010 prompting most manufacturers to switch to SCR systems for their diesel engines.
To read more, click here.
EPA decides it will enforce annual 300-truck cap on glider kit manufacturers after all
Nixing a decision issued just three weeks prior, the U.S. EPA says it will enforce the 300-truck annual limit placed on glider kit manufacturers by Phase 2 emissions regulations, meaning glider kit makers will be handicapped in their production until the EPA finalizes a rule to repeal the Obama-era regulations, which took effect January 1.
EPA spokesperson Molly Block says the agency is still working to produce a rule to rescind the glider-specific regulations within Phase 2, which would lift the 300-truck cap and allow glider manufacturers like Fitzgerald Glider Kits and Hoover’s to resume normal operations. Block says the agency is “will continue to work expeditiously to finalize a solution that provides regulatory relief and prevents any inadvertent economic harm to the glider industry while maintaining important air quality protections.”
The back and forth over glider kits is an issue impacting a large number of construction truck fleets. According to data from RigDig Business Intelligence, a sister company to Equipment World that specializes in generating in-depth fleet profiles, dump fleets are 5.5 times more likely to buy a glider than other fleets, while mixer fleets are 3.5x more likely.
To read more, click here.
Ditch Witch introduces its largest trencher, the HT275, for heavy-duty installations
Ditch Witch’s new HT275 is the company’s largest trencher, able to handle heavy-duty installations of up to 10 feet deep and 26 inches wide.
The company says its tracked trencher can tackle a broad range of jobs, including water, sewer, gas, power and underdrain installations and pipeline distribution.
The HT275 is powered by a 275-horsepower Cummins Tier 4 Final diesel engine – more than twice the horsepower of its second-largest trencher, the wheeled RT125, at 121 horsepower, according to the Equipment World Spec Guide. (Note: the new 2018-19 Spec Guide and Yearbook is scheduled to come out in October.) The HT275’s hydrostatic trencher-chain drive allows the operator to match chain speeds to soil conditions.
To read more, click here.
Ford ripped out the Raptor’s heart and put it in the luxurious 2019 F-150 Limited
If you’ve ever found yourself saying, “I love the massive amounts of available power that the Ford Raptor has, I just wish it were inside a truck that screams ‘BUSINESSMAN’,” then step right up, the Blue Oval has a truck just for you.
New for the 2019 model year, Ford has placed the same 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 that powers the F-150 Raptor into its highest F-150 trim level, the Limited. The engine gives the Limited 450 horsepower and 510 lb. ft. of torque, which are pretty healthy increases from the 375 hp and 470 lb. ft. found on the 2018 Limited. Ford’s also thrown in a new dual exhaust system that integrates the exhaust tips into the bumper.
Ford’s announcement for the new Limited did not include pricing details, so it’s unclear how the new engine will affect the cost of the truck. The current 2018 model year Limited starts at just north of $61,000.
To read more, click here.
Caterpillar will raise machine prices due to tariffs; reports record 2Q profits, ups 2018 outlook
Despite reporting a 24-percent gain in sales and revenues, a record near doubling of profit-per-share and an improved outlook for the rest of 2018, Caterpillar has announced that it will be raising machine prices in response to increased materials costs caused by new tariffs on steel and aluminum.
Cat surpassed Wall Street estimates and took a big step toward dispelling concerns over whether the new tariffs, enacted earlier this year by President Trump, would significantly impact operations. Those tariffs and another headwind – rising freight costs just as the company ramps up production – continue to present challenges that Caterpillar insists it can offset.
The metal tariffs are expected to have a $100 million to $200 million impact on material costs in the second half of the year. Caterpillar also expects supply chain challenges to continue to pressure freight costs.
To read more, click here.
