Biodiesel Extend The Life Of Your Diesel Engine

Biodiesel can extend the life of your engine whether it is in your diesel equipped auto, truck, tractor, bus or highway rig. Biodiesel can increase the longevity of your engine by up to 100 %. Costs are reduced – whether it be for maintenance or vehicle replacement. The engine last longer , breaks down less frequently resulting in longer vehicle life spans , greater reliability and overall less vehicle costs – again be it diesel equipped auto , car, truck ,tractor or highway rig.

How can this be so? The improved lubrication properties of biodiesel over regular vehicle diesel fuel results in increased parts longevity by up to 100 %. As a result commercial vehicles may be used for decades as well as travel millions of miles. Increased engine longevity translates into reduced maintenance costs, longer life spans and overall increases in reliability.

Biodiesel is a renewable fuel derived from vegetable oils, animal fats and cooking oils that are processed so that it can be added to diesel fuel as an additive. You cannot just mash up these fats and mix them with your diesel fuel. It is not as if any old Alvero character can make biodiesel in his garage at home. If the biodiesel is not prepared properly in a qualified industrial process – the contaminants of water, glycerols and other trace elements can well clog up your fuel injectors or even an expensive injection pump. Properly done biodiesel is a safe and beneficial fuel additive – now being routinely recommended and touted by major vehicle and diesel engine manufacturers.

Prepared properly in a commercial setting. and bought commercially you can be assured that not only will the biodiesel will be safe for your engine to use – but will even give the benefits of much greater engine life , enhanced reliability and lower maintenance costs overall.

Biodiesel is added to the regular diesel fuel. The percentage added depends on the climate the vehicles or autos will be used in. In warmer climates – such as tropical or Florida type climates – a percentage mixture of up to 20 % can be used. A 20 % biodiesel percentage in a truck driven up North to Edmonton Canada in the cold of winter will thicken up in the cold Alberta winter weather.

In such a cold winter temperature a biodiesel mixture ratio of 5 % would probably be used. To increase the blends of biodiesel used commercial vehicles such as trucks and busses can have fuel heaters installed – either inline fuel heaters of fuel tank heaters.

Why go to all this trouble for biodiesel ? First of all biodiesel is a renewable resource – crops such as soybean oil or canola can be used instead of scarcer and more expensive petroleum oil based products. Using biodiesel doe mean that we use less regular diesel, however the percentages of biodiesel use are relatively small. For example most diesel manufacturers recommend only 5 biodiesel (B5 mixed wit 95 % regular diesel. Of course again in colder climates such as Edmonton Alberta the percentages may be eve less. Biodiesel is also good for reducing emissions and pollution levels of sulphur, carbon monoxide as well as overall tailpipe smog pollutants.

However as with most good things in life there are disadvantages to the use of biodiesel as a vehicle fuel additive. First biodiesel has slightly less energy than regular diesel fuel, so that the larger the percentage content of the Biodisel in the fuel – the less power the engine will have to deliver. Fortunately at the low percentages of biodiesel being used as a fuel additive this is not a major issue.

In addition biodiesel spoils with time. If the biodiesel is too be stored for a long period of time – then additional additives must be added.

As a result of its benefits to reducing petroleum oil use and increasing engine life and reliability biodiesel has a bright and emerging future in our transportation and automotive industries.

The use of biodiesel – an alternative renewable fuel, is fast on its way up.

Hitch Anything

Baseball, apple pie, and pickup trucks – three symbols of the down-home American heartland. Americans tend to love all things American and the pickup truck is no exception. The very first pickup truck debuted, thanks to Henry Ford, in 1925. Although a bit lengthy for today's marketing standards, Ford described it as a "Ford Model T Runabout with Pickup Body." It was surprisingly similar to current pickups with an adjustable tailgate, a large cargo box, and heavy-duty springs in the rear.

Throughout the United States' short history, the pickup truck gained popularity and continued to evolve. Three years later, Ford replaced the Model T with the Model A – which was the first closed-cab pickup and included new features like roll-up side windows and a safety glass windshield. Capable of a whopping 40 horsepower (impressive at the time), the Model A sported a four-cylinder engine and three-speed transmission.

By 1931, Chevrolet stepped up and offered its first pickup model in an effort to compete with Ford. But Ford wasn't going anywhere. They countered the following year by releasing an even more powerful pickup with 65-horsepower and the Ford flathead V8 engine, a strategy that proved profitable to say the least. By 1936, there were three million Ford trucks on the road and the pickup led the industry in sales.

When the Great Depression hit, farmers needed to scale back and could no longer afford a truck for their farms and a car for their families. Thus, the need for a passenger-ready pickup was born and an Australian Body designer at Ford Australia designed the "coupe utility" -- the precursor to today's full cab pickups by marrying the front of a car body to the rear of a pickup body. The result was successful worldwide and because they were designed for work, American banks didn't hesitate to loan farmers money to buy them. Sales skyrocketed and the modern pickup became a staple of growing America.

While pickups were prevalent all over the country, Texans became particularly fond of them. Calling them "rancheros" because of their importance to Texas horse ranches, the state is sometimes referred to as "the land of pickup trucks." And rightfully so. The state of Texas actually offers a lower tax on pickup registration than it does on any other vehicle.

Portrayed as a rough and rugged symbol of the ultra-masculine American man, pickups began to make appearances in Hollywood movies from neo-Westerns to the preferred vehicle of tough guys like Clint Eastwood in "Every Which Way But Loose," and John Travolta in "Urban Cowboy." And when a symbol of America emerges, politics are right behind, ready to exploit it. In a campaign speech, presidential nominee hopeful Fred Thompson even described his opponent's faults by saying, "He hasn't spent enough time in a pickup truck," suggesting his opponent had trouble connecting with the "real" America. Even President George W. Bush – a proud Texan – has been observed driving around his ranch in a pickup.

Pickup trucks are no less popular today. Car companies find that while car sales in the U.S. are less stable, the pickup truck holds its own. Even companies like Isuzu now offer only high-performance pickup trucks (two models – the i-290 and i-370) and a single SUV model. Although people tend to love their SUVs and their flashy sports cars, pickup trucks continue to hold on as one of the best selling American vehicles. And from what we surmise, apple pie isn't going anywhere either.

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