Green Machines

By Tim Moran

When purchasing a piece of construction equipment -- be it a tiny lawn tractor or a bulky excavator – contractors
traditionally considered three factors and three factors alone: power, price and reliability.

But in a dense, expensive construction environment like the Tri-State area – where the price of gas and diesel is hovering around $3 a gallon and where noise or pollution complaints from neighbors can stop a project dead in its tracks – some savvy contractors are now finding that they also want their equipment to be fuel efficient and environmentally friendly.

“This is no longer just some fringe idea. People want machines that cost less to fuel and can meet the increasingly high standard set by cities and states in terms of pollution output,” said Ray Werner, chief of the air programs branch of the Federal Environmental Protection Agency’s Region #2 office, which has jurisdiction over New York and New Jersey. “Contractors have begun recognizing the need for more efficient equipment, and now the manufacturers are responding
to the contractors.”

At long last, the industry has realized what contractors have known for a while: there’s money to be made, or to be saved, by going green.

Some big names in equipment manufacturing, including John Deere, Caterpillar, New Holland and Bobcat, have recently introduced products that can aide the urban contractor in meeting increasingly stringent local laws regarding air and noise pollution, and limit the impact of rising gas prices on the bottom line. Here’s a look at a few:

MORE POWER, LESS FUEL

Last summer, Case Construction Equipment introduced its CX B series of full-sized excavators. Products in the new line boast EPA Tier III-certified engines that are up to 20 percent more fuel efficient than those in older Case models and in competitors’ models, company officials say. The fuel savings can have a significant effect on a contractor’s bottom line.

“Think about what 20-percent better fuel efficiency means for the owner of a Case excavator,” asks Dave Wolf, marketing manager, Case Construction Equipment. “That’s huge. During testing, we were seeing almost a gallon an hour difference in fuel use. If you multiply that times 2000 hours of operation per year times $2.50 a gallon for diesel fuel, that’s a savings of $5,000 per year.”

In this case, fuel economy does not come at the price of power. The CX160B, CX210B, CX240B and CX290B deliver 120, 157, 177 and 207 net horsepower, respectively. Bottom line, on average, the new engines produce 17 percent more horsepower than older Case engines.

CATERPILLAR’S CLEANER COMPACTOR

Site preparation can be dirty, dusty work. Two products from Caterpillar can help keep the dirt and dust free from wasteful
fuel emissions. The 815F2 and the 825H soil compactors both feature EPA Tier III-compliant engines equipped with Cat’s ACERT technology. ACERT engines feature advanced electronic control, precision fuel delivery and refined air management, along with precisely timed multiple injections, resulting in more complete combustion. More complete combustion means fewer emissions without sacrificing the power and economy of the machine.

Cat’s ACERT engines can run on blends of up to 20 percent biofuel. Other components on the compactors can operate using biodegradable hydraulic oil, decreasing the potential for site contamination.

NEW HOLLAND’s HYBRID

Of any big player, New Holland might be making the biggest inroads into green product manufacturing. Earlier this year, New Holland, along with its sister company Kobelco Construction Machinery Co., introduced their prototype “HYBRID” seven-ton class crawler excavator.

The new excavator features an efficient diesel engine and a battery-powered motor. The addition of the battery powered motor allows the HYBRID to perform similarly to other 7-ton class excavators while relying on a smaller, more fuel efficient diesel engine. Fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions on the HYBRID are 40 percent lower than those of current New Holland excavators.

As a bonus, when the HYBRID excavator and other hybrid products finally come to market, their diesel engines will be able to operate on a mix of biofuels. “All New Holland-branded engines will currently operate with B5 biodiesel fuel (5 percent biodiesel and 95 percent petroleum- based diesel), while several of our current products are approved to operate on B20 blends, and we expect more will be approved shortly,” said Kirk Gillette, who handles North American marketing for New Holland. “As an alternative fuel with the ability to lower emissions and help reduce dependence
on foreign oil, biodiesel can also contribute to lower machinery operating costs.”

AS COOL AS A BOBCAT

Of course, air pollution isn’t the only negative environmental impact contractors want to minimize on their sites. Noise pollution is always a hassle (think: complaining neighbors)
and can even be dangerous when it interrupts verbal communication on the site. Many new Bobcat products look to minimize noise pollution.

The company’s K-Series skid-steer loaders (S130 through S300), compact track loaders (T140 through T300), and the A300 all-wheel steer loader all now feature the SmartFAN cooling system. SmartFAN is a hydraulically driven cooling fan that senses machine operating temperatures and then self-regulates to rotate only as fast as it needs to. The new fans can be 30 percent quieter than traditional fans in some operating conditions, which can go a long way toward meeting city noise ordinances.

ULTRA-LOW SULFER FUEL THE WAY TO GO

New York City’s Local Law 77 requires that all equipment being used on city projects use Ultra-Low Sulfur diesel fuel and utilize particulate filters. According to Ray Werner, chief of the air programs branch of the Federal EPA, many private developers now also require use of the ULS diesel and particulate filters.

“It makes for better community relations to be able to say your site is using clean technologies,” he said. “When you’re building in a dense, urban environment, a good relationship with neighbors is worth a lot.”

JUST TURN IT OFF

Werner says one of the best ways to save on fuel costs requires nothing but a change in attitude. For generations, diesel operators of all stripes – from train operators to tractors drivers – were taught to leave their machines idling, because starting diesel engines has traditionally been difficult. But today’s electronically controlled engines turn on and off with relative ease.

“If operators can just break the habit of leaving the machines on when they’re not in use, they could save big,” Werner said. “Everyone just needs to remember that you can turn off these newer engines and turn them back on later and they’ll work just fine.”