Factory clocks up 60 years
There can't be many heavy metal fans who haven’t heard of Basildon, situated about 40km east of London and originally created in 1948 to deal with the population boom after the Second World War.
With harvesting season in full swing and long hours being worked, it’s timely to remind tractor and machinery operators about a frustrating and sometimes expensive issue around fuelling up – the utilisation of Diesel Exhaust Fluids (DEF).
DEFs such as AdBlue and GoClear are used in a post-combustion process to lower exhaust emissions from diesel fuelled engines.
DEFs are not fuel additives, but a catalyst that is added to the exhaust gases, so if they are placed directly in a tractor’s diesel tank, serious damage to your vehicle can occur. Rural Insurance specialists, FMG, reminds its customers that commercial vehicle policies do not cover damage to fuel and engine systems caused by DEFs.
In the case of agricultural contractors, currently in a season with limited or newly trained staff, workloads are high, and they are always under pressure to complete jobs in a limited time frame. So, the cost of adding DEF directly to the diesel tank goes beyond vehicle damage, to the loss of time and productivity, especially if it happens in the middle of the season.
Palmerston Northbased Case IH dealership TransAg has seen this issue many times, so has created a simple tip which anyone can adopt to avoid the issue.
“DEFs are stored in a small tank and, just like diesel fuel, are part of the daily service regime, meaning the driver must ensure it’s kept topped up. To try and avoid the issue, we’ve been painting our tractor fuel caps bright yellow/orange - the universally recognised colour for diesel - to trigger a reminder and try and eliminate any confusion,” says Brian Lett from TransAg. “By contrast, DEF tanks are always fitted with a blue filler cap”
“It’s a simple yet effective action that TransAg have taken, so we wanted to share it so others could benefit from adopting it and help prevent making this avoidable mistake,” says Rosie Blackwood, FMG’s commercial segment manager."
A vet is calling for all animals to be vaccinated against a new strain of leptospirosis (lepto) discovered on New Zealand dairy farms in recent years.
Rural banker Rabobank is partnering with Food Rescue Kitchen on a new TV series which airs this weekend that aims to shine a light on the real and growing issues of food waste, food poverty and social isolation in New Zealand.
Telco infrastructure provider Chorus says that it believes all Kiwis – particularly those in the rural areas – need access to high-speed, reliable broadband.
World Veterinary Day falls on Saturday 27 April.
Graham Brown, the executive chef for Deer Industry New Zealand (DINZ), is excited about Korea.