MAKAVELI
Well-Known Member
Not worth the cost in deleting the DEF. The cost of a kit, voiding the warranty, not passing emissions and lowering the resale value, just doesn't make sense.
Ground to absorb Express
- Thread starter dvalleyjim
- Start date
I got quotes for a few of my trucks for cng conversion bi fuel. Back a few years back it almost made enough sense to do it. Fedex was going to give me the diesel "allowance", to fill up at my cng station would have been $1.37 but the conversion would have cost well over $10,000 per truck times that by 11 trucks. With how much my guys drove it would have made up the cost in a few years, I am glad I didn't pull the trigger for one since I sold out and two the largest difference I have seen between the two fuels in the last two years was about $1.55 with the lowest being cng greater than .10. Needless to say it would not have paid off and would have cost me dearly.
Also I talked to an express guy that ran a cng cargo van in my area and he told me that the close station was so far down the pipeline there were days that he would go to fill up and so many people were on the line there was no pressure to fill his tank. He had a fully dedicated system so he claimed because of that he ran out of fuel multiple times.
Don't you just have to flash the ecm or something?
MAKAVELI
Well-Known Member
No I believe it's both programming, which can be expensive by itself, and an exhaust system.
It will be fine
Well-Known Member
Ya, it's a couple grand for the programming and some pipe to replace the dpf filter in the exhaust. Then some more to pay the mechanic to do it, all off the books. It's not really worth it right now, but it would be if the regulations were changed making it legal. I'm not really convinced that the def systems save any carbon anyway when you factor in the carbon cost of lower mileage, parts construction, DEF fluid manufacture and distribution, etc. It's a bad solution.
MAKAVELI
Well-Known Member
Def is not intended to reduce carbon but rather NOx emissions from diesel exhaust. Which along with particulate matter are the two main emissions from diesel engines.
I've always wondered how much it reduces the NOx since the reduced mileage equates to having to burn more fuel and thus cause more polution.
MAKAVELI
Well-Known Member
Accordingly to this article it reduces it to almost nothing and hc and co up to 90%. With an increase in mileage.
What is SCR? | Diesel Technology Forum
SCR technology is one of the most cost-effective and fuel-efficient technologies available to help reduce diesel engine emissions. All heavy-duty diesel truck engines produced after January 1, 2010 must meet the latest EPA emissions standards, among the most stringent in the world, reducing particulate matter (PM) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) to near zero levels. SCR can reduce NOx emissions up to 90 percent while simultaneously reducing HC and CO emissions by 50-90 percent, and PM emissions by 30-50 percent. SCR systems can also be combined with a diesel particulate filter to achieve even greater emission reductions for PM. In the commercial trucking industry, some SCR-equipped truck operators are reporting fuel economy gains of 3-5 percent1. Additionally, off-road equipment, including construction and agricultural equipment, must meet EPA's Tier 4 emissions standards requiring similar reductions in NOx, PM and other pollutants.
That's always been the assertion but I've never experienced the better mileage and reliability. In fact, every 18 months (like clockwork), the urea system will throw the truck into limp mode and cost $1800 to repair.
MAKAVELI
Well-Known Member
Cost of doing business and helping the environment. Like any new technology it takes a while to work out the bugs.
I agree. So why do they lie about the better mileage and reliability?
Might just as well use gas engines even though they have to work twice as hard to power and be satisfied with the 150-180,000 mile projected life span and since there's nothing there to overhaul simply pull them out a put in a new one. If your aluminum chassis in still in good shape and so while your at it might as well throw in a new transmission and change the rear end grease.
MAKAVELI
Well-Known Member
The same reason VW cheated and lied to it's customers. To get them to buy their vehicles and make $. Isn't Merica great?
MAKAVELI
Well-Known Member
I've read conflicting reports on mileage. To get an accurate reading you'd have to measure a specific vehicle with and without SCR.
59 Dano
I just want to make friends!
He reads waaaaaaaaaaay too much into things.
59 Dano
I just want to make friends!
FedEx and UPS don't want oversized and/or irregular packages. Among other things, they don't play well with the sorting systems and are more likely to cause injuries. That's why they're raising oversize/irregular fees and applying them to more packages. Let Schneider have them.
How they keep raising prices, there has to be a point where they do want them. Same for other special services. We keep hearing "they don't want them", but each year they raise the costs of these services noticeably, there just has to be a point they become wanted. Residential fee's alone are over $3.50 now.
overflowed
Well-Known Member
What do you mean more likely to cause injuries? As soon as amazon hit, injuries went through the roof at all the stations I was at. Grills, mattresses, trampolines divided into 3 or 4 boxes? Nobody would've bought any of this stuff online before. Cost prohibitive.
That may be true but when was the last time you looked in the back of a Ground truck? Truck bumpers, backhoe buckets, boat motors, steam jennys , truck transmissions gear heads etc etc. One look in the back of a Ground pickup and that's what most are 3/4 and 1 ton pickup chassis and you'll start questioning X's commitment to deferring that kind of freight. They're no reason to turn it away when worker health and safety liability is all on the contractor.
