The post What is the Clean Truck Check and Who are Credentialed Testers? appeared first on Hoffmeier Trucking Company.

Maintenance List for Your Diesel Pusher

Every time you hit the road:

• Check tire pressure and inflate to the manufacturer’s guidelines. This will make your tires last longer, handle better, improve fuel efficiency, and prevent blow outs. Under-inflated tires generate excess heat, and heat is one of a tire’s worst enemies. Excess heat can cause the tire to disintegrate while you’re cruising at 70 mph.
• Inspect house batteries and add distilled water as needed
• Check oil and transmission fluid levels.
• Examine the air filter and air filter restriction gauge (if equipped) on the engine air intake. If the indicator is in the red zone (usually >25″ w.c) then it’s time to clean or replace the filter.
• Some diesel pushers have oil-filled wet hubs on the front axle. The oil level should be checked to prevent expensive repairs and bearing issues. The inside of the tires should also be checked for traces of oil on a regular basis.

Annual Maintenance (or every 12,000 miles)

• Change oil and filter.
• Replace fuel filters.
• Lubricate the chassis and drive shaft with every oil change.
• Change water separator on the fuel line.
• Replace the air dryer filter and lube slack adjusters yearly.
• Replace hydraulic oil filter (if your RV has one) once per year.
• Check coolant levels in the engine and generator (coolant should be totally replaced every four years).
• Test the Supplemental Cooling Additives (SCA’s) and pH of the coolant. Failure to maintain the correct levels can lead to corrosive bubbles forming on the outside walls of the engine cylinder sleeve.
• Inspect belts and hoses (replace at least once every four years).

Longer Maintenance Intervals

• Change air filter at least once every two years.
• Replace differential lube oil every 75,000 miles.
• Change transmission filters every two years.
• Pack wheel bearings every 25,000 miles or three years. For wet hubs on the front axle, replace the oil every three years with synthetic gear lube.

Generator Maintenance

• Change oil and filter every year or every 100 miles.
• Replace fuel filter once per year.
• Change air filter every two years.
• Clean the Spark Arrestor after every 250 operating hours. Failure to do so can lead to exhaust smoke or even fire when the hot carbon deposits are exhausted onto dry grass.
• Replace generator belt every four years.

Guide to Diesel Pusher Maintenance.

The post Diesel Pusher Maintenance Recommendations appeared first on Hoffmeier Trucking Company.

How Does Diesel Fuel Power Engines?

Invented by the German Rudolf Diesel, the diesel engine uses compression-ignition to “burn” diesel fuel. Before then, gasoline and diesel were considered to be waste products of the oil cracking process. At that time, producers such as Standard Oil primarily manufactured kerosene as it was used for heat and oil lamps.

The compression-ignition mechanism powering diesel engines is based upon the physics of compressing a fuel/air mixture until it gets hot enough to self-ignite. When an engine operates in this manner, spark plugs are not required since compression produces just enough heat to combust the fuel/air mixture.

The science of calculating reactions like efficient fuel combustion is called stoichiometry. An engine operates at the ideal stoichiometric ratio when the fuel mixes with the ideal amount of air. The stoichiometric ratio for diesel is 14.5 parts of air for every 1 part of fuel.

The compression-ignition process is more efficient than spark-ignition systems used in gasoline engines. Manufacturers of gasoline engines are now imitating the compression-ignition of the diesel engine, in part, by using perfectly timed direct injection. Direct injection directly injects the fuel into the combustion chamber instead of into the cylinder head. Like a diesel engine, the fuel burns more completely because the injection occurs when the pistons have fully compressed the combustion chamber. Other attempts to create a gasoline engine without spark have yet to yield a production motor.

Clean Diesel

Thanks to a mandate from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that began in 2006, diesel fuel is now a much cleaner fuel for powering vehicles. Starting that year, the EPA limited the amount of sulfur contained in diesel fuel to 15 parts per million (ppm). This improved form of diesel fuel, referred to as ULSD (Ultra-low sulfur diesel), burns much cleaner in modern diesel engines and greatly reduces SOx emissions to the atmosphere. SOx is an air pollutant that contributes to the formation of smog and acid rain. In recent years, the EPA enacted further restrictions on diesel vehicles that require the installation of Diesel Particulate Filters (DPFs). DPF filters reduce soot particle emissions from diesel engines by 95% percent or more.

Now, many fuel producers manufacture Renewable Diesel from low carbon materials such as used cooking oil, vegetable oils, and animal fats. Renewable diesel can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by up to 85% depending on the materials it’s made from.

What Are the Power Differences Between Diesel and Gasoline Engines?

The most noticeable difference between a diesel engine and a gasoline engine is the power band (or torque chart). Compared to gasoline engines, diesel engines have more power in the low-end torque band but lower horsepower. Torque is the twisting force of the engine and impacts its capability to haul heavy loads, while horsepower can be considered the energy to get up and go spontaneously.

Diesel engines are also built stronger than most gasoline engine. Because they have to endure greater pressures, the parts are usually thicker and heavier. When it comes to hauling, fuel economy, and durability, diesel powered vehicles are difficult to beat. To keep your diesel engine running at peak performance, give us a call at Hoffmeier Truck and Trailer Repair.

History of Detroit Diesel Engines

Trucking Blog

The post Diesel Fuel and Engines – An Introduction appeared first on Hoffmeier Trucking Company.

General Motors started Detroit Diesel in 1939 near the end of the Great Depression. Originally named the GM Diesel Division, Detroit Diesel Corporation has become an American success story by producing reliable and fuel-efficient heavy-duty trucks and engines.

Around the same time GM opened their new Diesel Division, Hitler was invading Poland (September 1939) and Great Britain and France declared war on the Germans. World War II soon followed and GM Diesel became an integral part of the war effort by supplying compact, lightweight, two-cycle engines. Called Series 71, these engines worked well to power landing craft, tanks, road construction equipment, and electrical generators. By 1943, GM Diesel had a team of 4,300 employees who would produce almost 58,000 engines that year.

Post World War II

After the war ended, GM Diesel began to focus on heavy-duty truck engines. They also set up a network of distributors across the world to reach more customers outside of GM and to provide better service. In 1953, Detroit Diesel introduced the Series 53 engine to the market and became an immediate success. The group of Series 53 engines had either 2, 3, or 4 inline cylinders. Customers used the 4-Cylinder Series 53N engine to power logging tractors and construction equipment such as backhoes. The military adopted the 6V53T engine for armored personnel carriers. GM elected to keep the old Series 71 Engines in production, with the plan to add more cylinders for more power as demand dictated.

Detroit Diesel 1960-1980

In 1965, GM Diesel became the Detroit Engine Division of GM. Five years later, this division would be combined with the Allison transmission group to form the Detroit Allison Division. Despite a recession in the auto industry during the 1970’s, Detroit Allison continued to grow and eventually gained thirty percent of the diesel engine market despite stiff competition from other diesel manufacturers such as Cummins. A four-cycle diesel engine, the Series 60, was developed in 1987. This product quickly became a market leader for Class 8 trucks because of it fuel efficiency and reduced emissions.

The next year, GM formed a JV with Roger Penske’s company to create the Detroit Diesel Corporation. Under Penske’s leadership, the company continued to increase revenue and market share. Unfortunately, a depressed economy in the early 90’s coupled with significant R&D expenditures crimped the company’s margins. However, business improved in 1993 and the company became publicly listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “DDC”.

2000 – Current for Detroit Diesel

In 2000, DaimlerChrysler acquired Detroit Diesel Corporation and incorporated it into a new division known as DaimlerChrysler Powersystems. By that point, the combined company had over 34,000 employees and almost $7 billion in revenue. Five years later, Detroit Diesel Corporation invested $350 million to revamp its main manufacturing plant and launched the new DD engine platform in 2007.

The Series 60 engine reached the one millionth unit mark in 2009. The following year, Detroit Diesel Corporation launched its BlueTec® emissions technology with advanced NOx-reducing capabilities, as well as an engine lineup that included the DD13, DD15, and DD16. The DD15 diesel engine won the Technical Achievement award from the Truck Writers of North America.

Now referred to as just “Detroit”, the company continues to be a global leader in the diesel engine industry.  There are more than 800 authorized service outlets in North America.  Hoffmeier Tractor & Trailer repair is proud of our expertise surrounding maintenance and repair of Detroit diesel engines. Give us a call to help our with any diesel engine issues you may have.

Diesel Fuel and Engines – An Introduction

The Hoffmeier Trucking Story

The post History of Detroit Diesel Engines appeared first on Hoffmeier Trucking Company.

The Hoffmeier Trucking Story

The Early Days

Kermit D. Hoffmeier was born in the small town of Garnett, Kansas in the mid-1940’s. While growing up on a farm, Kermit became fascinated with machinery. At 10 years old, an entrepreneur was born when he bought his first tractor and began working the fields. Soon after he started raising his own cattle, and the local 4-H Council elected him as President for Anderson County.

After high school, Kermit left the farm behind and joined the U.S. Navy where he became an air traffic controller on the USS Essex aircraft carrier. After leaving the Navy in 1962, Kermit tried his hand as a life insurance agent. However, he missed working with machines and left insurance soon after to drive race cars on what was then called the NASCAR Grand National Division. This NASCAR circuit would later become the Winston Cup Series in 1971.

After a year of racing, Kermit pursued a couple of other endeavors, but eventually ended up working with machines again when he founded his own trucking company in 1971 called Royal Transports. The company grew rapidly, and six years later Mr. Hoffmeier sold it to Kaw Transport. Kermit helped Kaw double the size of the company in five years before leaving to become a land developer.

Hoffmeier Trucking

In 1982 Kermit was lured back to the trucking business when he formed Hoffmeier, Inc in Kansas City, Kansas. By 1989, Hoffmeier began looking for a new location with access to major highways and near an airport. This brought him to north Tulsa, where Hoffmeier relocated his business operations to North Lewis Avenue.

In years since, Hoffmeier’s reputation for quality service, professional drivers, and top-notch equipment have allowed the company to thrive. A truck repair shop was built in 1998, with a 20,000 square foot trailer repair shop added soon after. Kermit’s son Russ continued the family tradition by running day-to-day operations for over 20 years.

Current Day

Mr. Hoffmeier retired from the business in 2020 and passed away in December, 2021. However, his legacy lives on through the companies he formed. For example, Hoffmeier, Inc recently added 8 new trucks and drivers to meet growing demand for their services. And the tractor and trailer repair shops continue to provide quality maintenance services on North Lewis Avenue. Kermit D. Hoffmeier was a man who proved that the “American Dream” is still alive today. He was one of a kind and won’t soon be forgotten.

History of Detroit Diesel Engines

The post The Hoffmeier Trucking Story appeared first on Hoffmeier Trucking Company.