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Fully realizing the potential of diesel engines Equipment Expectations Diggin' In Diggin' In EQUIPMENT | By John Fischer The diesel engines used to power so many products used in the many areas of the potato-producing world are precious items. The fluids required to keep them filled up and running each workday can be considered just as precious. Here, we'll have a closer look at current needs of diesel engines on the farm, because we're interested in long and healthy lives all around. THE THREE ROLES OF SUITABLE OIL The functions of oils for engines remain the same as always: To keep moving parts separated; to draw heat away from hot spots for further disbursement throughout the engine; and finally, to keep the contaminants generated while the engine is operating in suspense so that they can either be collected in the oil filter or dispensed with at the next oil change. The challenges of today include higher engine operating temperatures and an interest in extending oil drain intervals. Oil companies have responded by introducing the latest API (American Petroleum Institute) category of CK-4— fully backwards compatible and something you should have on the shelf in the shop. It could be a strictly mineral 56 POTATO GROWER | JANUARY 2020 product, a semi-synthetic hybrid, or a full synthetic. Either way, if it meets CK-4, it's the latest stuff. Choose a viscosity that's appropriate for the temperature conditions the engine in which will be operating, keeping in mind that if the temperature drops, you might need something a little thinner. The fact that an oil is synthetic or semi-synthetic does not qualify it for use at lower temperatures. Viscosity is the driver. And while we're speaking of oils, keep in mind that the new stuff—FA-4—is strictly for newer engines, primarily on-road engines that have been designed for the lower-dynamic viscosity it provides. In time, when these engines develop a little further, we might very well see more usage for off-road products. THE PLEASING POWER OF POTENT FUEL From the earliest days of the origination of mineral-based "diesel," not too much has changed except the recent adoption of ultra-low-sulfur diesel (ULSD) having a limit of 15 parts per million of sulfur. Shortly after the introduction of this EPA-mandated product, additional lubricity products quickly blended in as the natural lubricity of sulfur was no longer there. The challenge of today includes the need to ensure