The demands placed on waste vehicles means it can be difficult to improve productivity and reliability. A lubricant that can deliver and excel in these tough conditions can support operators that require significant updates and are looking to make improvements.
By Darryl Purificati
Vehicles, machinery, and lubricants operating in the waste sector are subject to extremely tough conditions. Waste trucks work 10 or more hours a day, seven days a week, often with endless stop-starts and hours of idling. Combine this with huge loads and often extreme outdoor conditions and it is no surprise that waste fleets require tough and reliable lubricants and greases to support their operation.
Downtime impacts the overall reliability of a fleet, which is why in the waste sector, perhaps more than any other, the right lubricants can have a big impact on productivity and profitability for the business.
However, there is no getting away from current economic realities, in which fleet costs are rising and businesses are struggling to operate sustainably. Here, lubricants can also play a role in securing fuel efficiencies. While common approaches to finding efficiencies often involve exploring the use of aerodynamic skirts and kits, and refreshing driver training to help target habits that may increase fuel consumption, the role of lubricants is often overlooked.
This article will explain the importance of tough and reliable lubricants and demonstrate how some simple lubricant considerations can help to improve productivity and enable a waste business to operate sustainably and reliably.
Delivering in Tough Conditions
To deal with the tough and often extreme conditions that they work in, waste fleets require three key characteristics from their heavy-duty engine oil: engine protection, the ability to extend and optimize oil drain intervals, and extreme high and low temperature performance.
#1: Engine Protection
Heavy-duty engine oils need to provide waste fleets with maximum engine protection to maximize uptime for their vehicles. Look for high quality heavy-duty engine oils that are specially formulated to provide better protection for longer. Operators should ensure products have Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) approval or request proof of certification to relevant industry standards such as ACEA or API, along with results of real-world trials and testing, to ensure their engines will be protected.
#2: Oil Drain Intervals
The ability to safely increase oil drain intervals also reduces a fleet’s downtime and adds value to the business’ bottom line. The process can also support waste fleets by reducing the amount of waste oil produced and the volume used across a given period, which can contribute to a more sustainable operation.
With the potential to impact on the equipment warranty and—if incorrectly extended—cause increased wear, oil drain intervals should only be extended in conjunction with a used oil analysis program and in collaboration with a technical service advisor.
#3: Temperature Range
As waste vehicles can be exposed to a wide ambient temperature range, extreme high and low temperature performance is also crucial when selecting a heavy-duty engine oil. Look for products that are designed to perform throughout this wide temperature range. Outperforming specification limits, these lubricants will prevent extreme temperatures threatening fleet reliability.
When selecting a tough, reliable lubricant, proof of performance is important. Test data and field testimonials offer crucial insight into real-world performance and are vital in demonstrating that a lubricant will be able to perform in tough conditions.
Improving Efficiency
Beyond meeting these key criteria, quality engine oils have the potential to enhance fleet efficiency and productivity. For fleets looking to secure performance improvements, selecting the right lubricant can play a crucial role. By choosing a lower viscosity engine lubricant, which flows easier and faster, the engine does not need to work as hard to move it through the internal hardware.
Low viscosity engine oils can also help reduce engine drag as well as pumping and rotational losses to further improve efficiency. This allows the engine to potentially use less fuel to achieve the same level of output—ultimately, improving fuel economy while reducing carbon emissions. Lower viscosity engine oils are also subject to the same rigorous approval process as their higher viscosity counterparts, which also helps to maintain durability and engine protection.
The performance benefits of low viscosity oils have resulted in the lubricants industry slowly transitioning away from heavier oils. While SAE 15W-40 engine oil remains the go-to for many heavy-duty fleets, especially in the waste industry, these lubricants are forecast to decline in market share to approximately 30 percent by 2029.1 In turn, SAE 10W-30 oils are expected to account for approximately 40 percent of the market and SAE 5W-XX could account for up to 10 percent.1
It is also important to not overlook the other oils and fluids used throughout a waste vehicle as these can also contribute toward a more efficient and reliable operation. A high-performance automatic transmission fluid, for example, can improve transmission performance and wear protection as well as provide protection against oxidation, which can contribute to a lower total cost of ownership.
The demands placed on waste vehicles means it can be difficult to improve productivity and reliability. A lubricant that can deliver and excel in these tough conditions, however, can support operators that require significant updates and are looking to make improvements. Moreover, using the right low viscosity oils throughout the vehicle can provide benefits, such as fuel economy, and contribute to an overall lower total cost of ownership. | WA
Hydraulic Fluid
Operators can also consider the hydraulic fluid used in their operation. A recent study conducted alongside the Milwaukee School of Engineering and the University of California found that HYDREXTM offered a wider operating temperature window, improved system responsiveness and significantly reduced power consumption, of up to 41 percent at low temperatures. The study also found that not only can high-performance multigrade hydraulic fluids reduce the need for seasonal oil changes, but they also provide significant efficiencies for operators.
Darryl Purificati is Sr. Technical Advisor, OEM/Automotive for Petro-Canada Lubricants, an HF Sinclair brand and chair of the American Petroleum Institute lubricants committee. For more information, visit https://lubricants.petro-canada.com/en-ca/contact-us.
Note
1. www.infineuminsight.com/en-gb/articles/lubricant-trends/moving-to-even-lower-viscosities/