| PEAK PERFORMANCE OF TRACTORS AND OTHER DIESEL ENGINES |
Tractors and other diesel engines on the farm require
considerably less fuel if properly operated and maintained. Achieving
(and maintaining) peak performance of your engines will  result
in many benefits such as high fuel efficiency, reduced maintenance expenses,
reduced down-time, and extended life. Strategies for achieving peak
performance include:
Check fuel injectors. Dirty fuel injectors can cause inefficient
combustion of fuel and some loss of power. Clean the injectors if you
see black smoke coming from the exhaust. Use a fuel injector additive
in the fuel on a periodic basis for minor cleaning.
Service air cleaners. Dirty air cleaners restrict the flow of
air needed for fuel combustion process. The air required for burning
just one gallon of #2 diesel fuel is approximately 1,300 cubic feet!
Restricting the air flow means there is excess fuel in the fuel-air
mixture, resulting in less available power, increased fuel consumption,
and obnoxious emissions from the engine. Check the airflow indicator
found on most air cleaners to see if there is a problem. Black exhaust
smoke is another indicator that your engine is not getting enough air
for complete combustion.
Keep your fuel system clean. Replace the fuel filters as often
as necessary. Fuel filters on diesel engines are more critical than
those on gasoline engines because dirt or other small particles can
ruin the fuel injector systems. If fuel filters are generally dirty
after, let's say, 200 hours of operation, then replace the fuel filters
more frequently. Examine the old fuel filter when you replace it. Cut
it in half. Does it feel slippery and slimy? Check if algae or other
contaminants are present in the filter. Show the fuel filter to your
fuel supplier to get recommendations. Servicing fuel filters and air
cleaners on a frequent basis is very cheap insurance.
 Use
the proper viscosity of motor oil. Oils that are too thick (high
viscosity) decrease power and lubrication and increase fuel consumption.
Oils that are too thin (low viscosity) do not provide the protection
needed in the engine and drive train.
 Use
the right size tractor for the job. Certainly you don't want to
use a 200 hp tractor for trimming the grass along the driveway. It would
be just as silly to try to use a 30 hp tractor to pull a 4-bottom plow
through heavy clay soils.
Operate tractors in higher speed gears and lower throttle settings.
Most tractors are seldom operated at conditions when the total power
capacity of the tractor is required. Therefore, when the drawbar loads
are reduced, shift to a higher gear and reduce the throttle setting
to get the desired forward speed. Problems with operating tractors in
low gears at high engine speeds are increases in fuel consumption and
wear on the drive train. You can do the "shift up-throttle down"
routine manually. Many of the newer tractors have the option for infinitely
or continuously variable transmissions to achieve greater fuel efficiency
without the need for manual adjustments.
Use proper ballast. Farm tractors are designed to be operated
with additional weight or ballast when pulling heavy loads to reduce
wheel slip. Insufficient ballast can cause excessive wheel slip and
increased fuel consumption. Drive wheel slip should be no more than
about 10% for optimum efficiency. Some slip is desirable under heavy
loads to  reduce
the wear and tear on the drive train of the tractor. Click here to get
instructions on how to measure wheel slip.
Check tire pressures frequently. During periods of heavy usage,
check tires on a weekly basis for proper inflation. Don't wait until
the tires look low or flat. Tire pressure that is just 4 psi low can
result in an 8% increase in fuel consumption.
Replace drive tires that have excessive wear. Worn tires cause
an increase in fuel consumption because of increased wheel slip resulting
from poor traction. A radial-ply drive tire has more flex in the sidewall
of the tire, which can increase traction when compared to the same size
bias-ply tire. Although radial tires are more expensive, these tires
outperform bias tires because of their unique design features.
Practice conservation tillage. The big advantage of reduced-till,
low-till, or no-till systems is that you are reducing the number of
tractor passes through the field, thereby reducing fuel consumption,
soil compaction, and soil erosion. But you need to be aware of the increased
expenses for chemicals.
Keep all ground-engaging tools sharp. Tools such as plowshares,
coulters, and chisels must be kept sharp to maintain fuel efficiency,
speed through the field, and overall equipment performance. Sharpen
the tools on an as-needed basis and replace the worn-out parts when
necessary.
Shut off diesel engines rather than idling for long periods.
New studies show that significant fuel savings can be realized by not
idling diesel engines for more than ten minutes.
Consider fuel additives. You may need to treat your fuel with an algaecide
if you notice an algae problem when replacing fuel filters. An algaecide
additive is more likely needed during warm weather. You may also need
an additive during cold weather for easier starts. Before pouring any
additives into your fuel storage tank, check with your fuel supplier
to learn what additives have already been provided when your fuel was
delivered.
Limit fuel storage to no more than six months. Fuel stored longer than
six months (either in the engine's fuel tank or in your on-farm storage
tank) looses stability and develops varnishes. If longer storage becomes
necessary for whatever reason, then ask your fuel supplier about a stability
additive.
Make sure that fuel storage tanks on the farm meet local, state,
and federal regulations. These regulations have been enacted to
address minimizing the danger of fire and reducing the risk of environmental
contamination because of spills and leakage.
 Refer
to your operator's manual. The manual contains critically important
information such as proper oil viscosity, tire inflation pressures,
ballasting, trouble-shooting tips, and recommended maintenance intervals.
Whenever we are able to reduce energy consumption, then at the same
time we are able to improve the quality of our environment since less
electricity needs to be generated and less petroleum needs to be imported
and refined.
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