By Equipment World Staff
Cummins releases new driver tip sheet
A flashing DEF lamp indicates that the DEF level has fallen below a critical level. This can be corrected by refilling the DEF tank.You’ll notice some changes in Cummins’ heavy-duty and midrange on-highway engines for 2010, and the company wants drivers to be ready for them. As they did for their 2007 engines, Cummins has released a laminated tri-fold handout, Cummins EPA 2010 Driver Tips, which covers what a driver should expect from the truck’s SCR engine. Since SCR engines require diesel exhaust fluid, Cummins has added a section on the DEF lamp, with graphics illustrating corrective action in the event of an illuminated lamp.
The tip handout is available from Cummins dealers and distributors.
With the exception of International, engine makers have chosen to use SCR technology in their 2010 on-highway engines.
– Amy Materson
Canada studies biodiesel use in construction equipment
A partnership is conducting a $1.7 million field study on the potential use of biodiesel for off-road equipment used in both construction and forestry. FPInnovations and Natural Resources Canada’s National Renewable Diesel Demonstration Initiative will examine economic and technical issues related to biodiesel as well as the best way to get the fuel to market.
The study will look at three project locations in British Columbia: highway construction in Coquitlam, a sawmill yard in Prince George and forest harvest operations in Meritt. It’s anticipated the 6-month-long Coquitlam job will demonstrate the logistical challenges of delivering biodiesel blends to the JJM Construction site. Companies involved in the study will use an electronic data logger developed specifically for off-road equipment use by FPInnovations. For more information, go to www.fpinnovations.ca.
– Marcia Gruver
Industry briefs
Terex sells Atlas business
Terex has sold its Atlas heavy construction equipment division to an undisclosed buyer. Product lines included in the transaction are crawler, wheel and rail excavators, knuckle-boom truck loader cranes and Terex Atlas-branded material handlers. The sale does not include Terex compact equipment made in Germany, including compact excavators, small excavators, compact wheel loaders and the Terex Fuchs material hander line, which remain in the company’s construction business segment. Rigid and articulated trucks, backhoes and other products manufactured in the United Kingdom also remain with Terex.
Cat studies U.S. excavator plant
Cat says it will study the possibility of locating a new excavator facility in the United States, a move that could triple the current capacity of excavators produced here. Currently Cat produces two excavator models – the 336 and 345 – in Aurora, Illinois. The company also produces excavators in Belgium, Brazil, China, France, Indonesia, Japan and Russia. If finalized, the new plant would manufacture the two models made in Aurora, as well as several models now produced in Japan and exported to the United states. The U.S. plant would be the primary North American source for excavators, freeing up the company’s Akashi, Japan, facility to better service customers in the Asia-Pacific region.
