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America's heavy reliance on foreign oil, high fuel prices, and the uncertain future of oil as a natural resource has generated a lot of wind power — that’s wind power, as in a whole lot of talk.
Who’s actually "walking the walk" when it comes to alternative fuels? John Deere.
Deere has been one of the leaders in research and approval of biodiesel fuel, a clean-burning alternative fuel produced from domestic renewable resources such as soybean oil. It contains no petroleum but can be blended at any level with petroleum diesel to create a biodiesel "blend." For example, B5 fuel is a blend of 5-percent biodiesel with 95-percent conventional diesel.
Biodiesel is biodegradable and nontoxic, and it results in improved lubricity, zero aromatics, and minimal sulfur. John Deere currently approves the use of blends up to B5 in its engines, and equipment comes out of the factory already fueled by B2, but the company doesn't plan on stopping there.
Eight 624H Loaders using B20 have been working high hours for Alcoa in Davenport, Iowa, handling aluminum products and feeding aluminum ovens, and Deere has been monitoring their performance.
"We bought back the highest-hour engine they had, at 6,000 hours, and the related components that were touched by the fuel — fuel tanks, fuel lines, and more," said Terry Oftedal, project engineer for emissions compliance, John Deere Dubuque Works.
"So far in testing, the results are very promising," Oftedal said. "Emissions and engine power have come in within the tolerance band we expect after 6,000 hours, but still close to factory specs."
While continued engine and component testing generate positive short-term reviews, there are some big-picture issues that need to be examined over time before biodiesel use can expand and feature higher blends:
For more information on biodiesel blends and the John Deere engines in your equipment, contact your John Deere dealer. They "walk the walk" on biodiesel.
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