Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/674536
EquipmentWorld.com | May 2016 27 W hy did Tier 4 Final have so much impact on skid steers? Three reasons. First, emissions standards for machines less than 75 horsepower are dif- ferent than the standards for those with 75 horsepower and above. Skid steer models fall on both sides of this rating. Second, skid steer customers are price sensitive, and Tier 4 Final machines cost significantly more than their predecessors. The cost of compliance (and resulting percent of increase in total machine cost) can vary significantly on either side of the 75-horsepower break. How- ever, the difference is still substantial for any Tier 4 Final machine when compared to an earlier model of the same power rating. Third, skid steers have a small form factor, and Tier 4 Final compli- ance requires stuffing additional hardware into an already-crowded envelope. Customers complain about service access on skid steers as it is. How can you add more components, while also maintain- ing access and the small overall size that makes skid steers so versatile? Flexible deadlines In theory, all skid steers should now be Tier 4 Final compliant (see sidebar for timelines). In reality, they aren't. Because of the strin- gency of the Tier 4 Final emissions standards, the EPA created the Tran- sition Program for Equipment Man- ufacturers (TPEM) to allow OEMs more time to develop and produce Tier 4 Final compliant machines. There are rigorous guidelines for applying these "flex credits," and not all OEMs opted to use them. Wacker Neuson had no skid steers until launching two models (and two compact track loaders) in late 2014. These machines were de- signed, from the outset, to be Tier 4 Final compliant. "If you took off the drive systems and ignored the lift type, all four machines would be identical," says Brent Coffey, loader product manager for Wacker Neu- son. So, both of the company's skid steer loaders are in full compliance with Tier 4 Final. At the other end is IHI, also with two skid steers, neither of which will meet Tier 4 Final standards until late 2017. In the meantime, IHI is relying on the small volume allowance provision of TPEM, by which OEMs can produce and sell a limited number of non-compliant machines – for now. When IHI transitions to Tier 4 Final, they'll evaluate engine options. Both the 21-horsepower AS-12 and the 82.2-horsepower AS-34 currently use Yanmar engines, as did both of their compact track loaders. When bringing their CTLs into Tier 4 Final compliance, IHI kept the Yanmar engine on the 67-horsepower CL- 35, but went with Kubota for the 83-horsepower CL-45. "Our AS-34 needs to stay at or near its cur- rent horsepower rating to retain its performance," says Michael Aubrey, Wacker Neuson skid steer and compact track loaders were designed for Tier 4 Final when introduced in 2014. Powered by a Yanmar Tier 4 Final engine, the mid-frame Deere [318E or 320E] has cooled exhaust gas recirculation and an exhaust filter consisting of a diesel oxidation cata- lyst (DOC) and diesel particulate filter (DPF).