020 8880 3322For many materials handling jobs there is simply no serious alternative to using a diesel powered forklift truck. Strength, non-stop productivity, flexibility, robustness and low purchase costs are just some of the advantages that make these trucks indispensable to many applications. This is why they will always be part of the Hiremech range.
But what about the downside: diesel emissions? We all know air pollution is a bad thing and we try to burn fossil fuels only when necessary – as in the crucial activity of materials handling. In addition to any voluntary efforts we make to reduce diesel emissions, we are obliged to meet legal limits. This raises the question of how each of us can be sure our forklift truck complies with the law.
The answer is simple, really. Just make sure you buy or hire your forklift truck from a responsible supplier, like Hiremech, which acquires its trucks from responsible manufacturers. We would never provide you with a forklift truck which would be illegal to use.
You may well have read about the staged introduction of stricter emission standards for forklift trucks, referring to – for example – the EU Stage IIIB regulations or their US equivalent Tier 4 Interim. Importantly, if you bought a truck before these were introduced, you are allowed to continue using it without making any modifications. The same is true if you bought it during the flexibility period in which manufacturers were allowed to clear stocks of trucks meeting the previous standard.
If you are looking to buy or hire an emission-compliant diesel forklift from Hiremech today, the good news is that the improved technology of its engine will not only help the environment but will save on fuel costs. That’s because one of the keys to producing less emissions is to make engines more efficient so they burn less diesel.
For your information, the emission legislation specifies acceptable levels for:
- Nitrogen oxides – or NOx
- Hydrocarbons – or HC
- Carbon monoxide – or CO
- Particulate matter – or PM
Particulate matter consists largely of soot but it also contains oily residues.
Forklift truck engine manufacturers have used a number of approaches to reducing diesel emissions. Some of the most common are:
- Diesel particulate filters – trapping and burning particles from the exhaust
- Turbochargers – increasing engine power and efficiency so that a smaller unit can deliver the same performance but using less fuel
- Selective catalyst reduction – reducing NOx through use of urea, diesel exhaust fluid or some other catalyst
- Diesel oxidation catalysts – converting some parts of the exhaust mix into less harmful substances, including water, via a catalysed oxidation process
- Exhaust gas recirculation – lowering the peak combustion temperature, by mixing intake air with cooled exhaust gas, to reduce NOx and to produce an increased particulate content which can be removed by a particulate filter
Rest assured that the diesel forklift trucks supplied by Hiremech feature a combination of such technologies to make sure you stay on the right side of the law and do your bit for the planet.