[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wK_ItLCUME[/youtube]
UPDATE 5/31/2015: We just this morning received fuel savings results from Commercial Diesel Parts and Service in Seguin, Texas from their Freightliner with the Detroit 60 Series engine. After just five weeks running with ONBOARD, they reported a 12% increase in fuel efficiency going from 5.3 mpg to 6.0 mpg.
One wrong turn…
Driving through the Hill Country of Central Texas is always interesting and sometimes distracting as there is so much Americana to see and enjoy. One small town after another, each with its own unique look and feel, seem to lull you into a state of calm. Farm-to-Market and Ranch-to-Market highways make right and left turns as you pass through scenic, historic downtowns in places like Luling, Brady, Dripping Springs, Wimberley and Llano, to name a few.
So, I was yakking on the phone heading back to Austin, missed a turn in downtown Luling, and the next thing I see is a sign, Seguin- 5 miles! Seguin?! I decide to go through Seguin and take 35 North back home to Austin. After all, I’ve not been through Seguin (Sa-Geen) and… who knows? I don’t drive a mile when on my right is a sign for Commercial Diesel Parts & Service… Serendipity?
I pull into the large yard filled with commercial diesel generators figuring, what have I got to lose? I walk into the clean, inviting office and in walks a guy about my age with a smile on his face and he says, “What can I do for you”? I said, “Well, My name is Matt. I’m looking for the decision-maker and you look like the guy”! The gentleman says, “Well, I’m not sure I’m that guy, but what’s on your mind”?
“I was just passing through, I saw your place and wanted to show you what I have, to see if it might be of value to you”. He asks me, “What is it”?
“It’s a vacuum dehydrator that removes the liquid contaminants from the oil while the engine is running”. He reaches out to shake my hand and says, “My name is Chuck, I’m the owner”. Chuck pulls a stool out from behind the counter, puts his stool right in front of mine, sits down and says, “It does what”?
That began a long conversation about oil, fuel, diesel generators, and NHRA drag racing!
The end result was his request to have an ONBOARD® XD System installed on his Detroit 60 Series engine in his Freightliner haul-truck. The plan is to record the oil analysis and fuel consumption data to determine if what ONBOARD® does is worthy of further implementation. You see, Chuck’s specialty is fleet maintenance and heavy repair of diesel generators from 3 cylinder light towers with 3 quart oil sumps all the way up to V16, 1750 ekW(2000 kVA) CAT GenSets with 211 gallon sumps, all over Texas.
To say the market for this technology is HUGE is a Texas-sized understatement!
In late April I met with Sammy, the driver of the Freightliner, at CDPS to install their first ONBOARD® XD System.
I was duly impressed with entire crew at Commercial Diesel, all of who were not at all bothered by a stranger sharing their turf for the day. They were also very interested in this new, disruptive technology and were cool to lend a hand or a tool during the installation. (Thanks JJ)!
Enjoy the pictures of this clean installation…
