Run Your Tractors On Crankcase Oil

Run Your Tractors On Crankcase Oil TRACTORS Hydraulics 2-4-7 A patented new device just introduced by the Cummins Engine Company could pave the way to converting used crankcase oil into fuel for your trucks and tractors. Called the Fuel/Lube Oil Blender, the self-contained mobile unit blends lubricating oil with diesel fuel. It's designed primarily for use by companies who own large fleets of diesel trucks. However, the Blender's ability to clean used crankcase oil so it can be used as fuel appears to have exciting possibilities for a wide range of applications, including on-farm use. Here's how the new device is being used by truck companies: The Fuel/Lube Oil Blender has two built in electric pumps and a series of filters. It suctions oil from the crankcase, thoroughly filters it to remove impurities, then blends it with fuel pumped simultaneously from the truck's fuel tank in a 3:1 ratio. The blended oil is then returned to a 90% full fuel tank to create a mixture of 95% regular diesel fuel and 5% reconditioned lube oil. "The idea behind this machine, designed for large truck fleets, is to eliminate the cost of hauling and disposing used lube oil," explains a spokesman. "It also reduces labor costs by cutting the time required for a complete oil change to about 2 or 3 minutes." The only truck modifications required are to equip the oil pan of each truck with a quick disconnect hose assembly, and to mount the quick disconnect access end of the assembly line at a convenient location by using a special mounting bracket. To blend the engine's used lubricating oil for use as fuel, the "lube oil suction hose" on the Blender is attached to the quick disconnect fitting. The "fuel oil suction hose and the "blended fuel hose" are placed in the truck's fuel tank so that blending can begin. The entire operation takes only 2 minutes and. nobody has to crawl under the truck to remove and later replace the oil pan plug. For companies operating a fleet of diesel trucks, the Blender makes it easier to get rid of used oil. Instead of having to pull the drain plug on each truck and then find a place to dispose of the used oil, the Blender automatically pumps it out of the crankcase, purifies itd and returns it to the fuel tank where it's burned as fuel. The purpose is not to process a large amount of used oil, stockpile it and then use it to continuously operate trucks on a 95:5 mixture of fuel and waste oil. Thus, the new Blender as it's initially being used by truck fleets has little or no on-farm application, since getting rid of waste oil isn't that much of a problem. But it does raise some interesting questions on potential future uses. For example, how about using it to clean up waste crankcase oil which could then be stockpiled and used as fuel in a waste oil heater for heating farm shops or other buildings - including maybe even the farm home? Or, how about blending in a mixture of preconditioned crankcase oil with every gallon of diesel fuel pumped into the tractor to help reduce fuel costs? We're betting that enterprising farmers will find ways to use the Blender in turning large amounts of waste crankcase oil into money. The new device has been so popular in the industrial market since its introduction that the manufacturer hasn't had time to fully explore its on-farm potential. Its suggested retail cost is $1,200. For more details, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Cummins Engine Co., Service Tools Center, 20610, Columbus, lnd. 47201 (ph 812-379-8233).

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