At Champion Equipment Sales, we are committed to providing the best in drilling solutions for your company. That commitment includes providing some of the most comprehensive resources in the industry. We know that getting the job done, and done right, is your number one priority and having the right piece of equipment is the first step. Taking a long hard look at your fleet is something that you should do at least once a year, if not every quarter. Aging equipment can cost you money, drive up repair and maintenance costs, and even affect your bottom line. If it is time to begin replacing one or more of your mobile drilling rigs, it is time to take a serious look at Champion Equipment Sales and Soilmec drilling solutions. If you are unfamiliar with Soilmec, they are recognized worldwide as a leader in the foundation and underground construction industry. Champion Equipment Sales has been partnered with Soilmec for nearly fifty years and we enjoy the ability to access information that is not available anywhere but the factory. If you are looking for an exceptional drilling rig, truck mounted or mobile, we have new and used rigs to meet any need you may have.

Time For a New Rig?

You may know exactly what kind of rig you need, right down the tools you need. Incidentally, if you need drilling tools, digging buckets and even custom made augers, our partners at Champion Equipment are always ready to help! Obtaining the proper tools is critical to allowing your machine to operate safely and efficiently. But what is the driving force behind the tools? The heart of your rig is the engine. The engine is responsible for moving it from place to place, driving the hydraulic pump that runs pretty much all of the functions of the rig, running the air conditioner that keeps the operator cool and powers the advanced electronic devices that have made Soilmec an industry leader. If the engine isn’t working, you aren’t drilling and when machines sit idle, due to maintenance and breakdowns, it costs you money. So wouldn’t it make sense to make sure that your engine is taken care of? Of course staying on top of a comprehensive maintenance program is critical to keeping your engine in top shape. But if you have a new engine you may have noticed a bunch of new components hanging off of the engine. This can be intimidating for those who are not familiar with a new Tier 4 compliant engine.

Tier 4 What Does It Mean?

The term Tier 4 refers to the graduated emissions requirements for diesel engines. Currently we are on Tier 4 and the emissions output requirements. These requirements began way back in the last century and detailed a time frame in which diesel engines must have reduced emissions. With Tier 4 compliance standards it is projected that there will be a great reduction in deaths connected to particulate emissions. The system began with Tier 1 and continued up through to where we are today. The preliminary Tiers, 1-3, were generally about reducing emissions through engine design and fueling. During this period, the common rail fuel system became part of the new, standard engine configuration. Utilizing a common rail fuel system created the ability to advance the fuel injectors, allowing for more completely burned fuel and better emissions.  

One major difference between Tier 3 and early Tier 4, sometimes referred to as Tier 4i, is the introduction of DEF or diesel exhaust fluid in the SCR system. What DEF essentially does, is cool down and catalyze the particulate emissions from the engine and turn them into nitrogen and water. Many of you with diesel engines in their pickups are familiar with filling up DEF and it is important to note that many times a filter is also present. In conjunction with the SCR an exhaust gas recirculation system (EGR). EGR recirculates exhaust gases in order to remove particulates. The most critical part of maintenance for your Tier 4 engine is the DPF, or diesel particulate filter. These have become very common and if they are compromised, the repair bill can reach into the thousands. The DPF is what looks like a muffler on the exhaust outlet. The DPF is most affected by not following maintenance procedures and can become clogged, resulting in a costly replacement. Many engine management systems have a setting in which the DPF will perform a self cleaning during normal use. This is critical to train your operators to use as, periodical recharge will allow the filter to last much longer and save costly repairs. That being said, DPFs can be taken out of the unit and recharged but that in itself is not cheap either.

The Tip Of The Tier 4 Iceburg

Of course this introduction to Tier 4 technology was incredibly simplistic and leaves lots of further questions, of which we will answer in future blogs. The virtues of a Tier 4 engine are reduced emissions and increased reliability. The fuel systems alone are an incredible advancement from those of even 15 years ago. Next time we will look at the high pressure, common rail fuel system and its evolution from piston and rotary distribution fuel systems of years ago. So if you are in the market for a new or used drilling rig, please give us a call at Champion Equipment Sales. We probably have exactly what you need, just waiting in our inventory.