All-weather oil handles minus 42

A  chain reaction is defined as a series of events in which each induces or influences the next. In the forestry industry, such an occurrence is often related to equipment downtime, because when one machine breaks down, it can leave other machines sitting idle. This can result in lost revenue, increased expenses and the possibility of some very costly repairs.

With the combination of quality equipment, preventive maintenance, oil analysis and its choice of lubricants, Transport Hardy Inc. of Val-d’Or, QC, is making chain reactions a thing of the past.

Transport Hardy specializes in wood harvesting, roadbuilding, log loading, hauling and unloading. The business was formed in 1971 and has since grown to become one of the largest in the Quebec forestry industry. It now serves a large range of clients in the Abitibi region of northwestern Quebec.

“Preventive maintenance is very important. We do oil analysis on all of our machines and keep very detailed charts and records,” says Jody Morrison, operations manager of Transport Hardy.

The equipment fleet, which includes 16 log loaders, four articulated trucks, three wheel loaders, three graders, three tractors and a processor, operates around the clock under severe forestry applications and heavy workloads. Cold weather is also a factor. “We are faced with severe cold temperatures in this region. It’s quite common for us to see -39°C (-38°F) … actually last winter it got down to -42°C (-44°F),” says Morrison.

“It’s my job to make sure all of our machines are running at peak performance,” he adds.

“There are several companies we do business with and they all help us to be successful in the work we do … companies like Federal Equipment — who we purchase and service some of our machines through — and our oil distributor, Signal.”

Morrison was looking for an ultimate heavy-duty engine oil that would provide all-season protection and performance. “I didn’t want to have to worry about cold weather start-ups, or having to stock different oil grades, or reliability, or premature engine and component wear,” he says.

“I also like to have control over my service intervals. It’s not cost-effective for me to send a mechanic out to work on just one machine, because it’s a 300-km drive there for, say, an hour of work, then a 300-km drive back. I wanted to have the option of extending intervals so that we can service three or four machines in the same day.”

As a result, Morrison upgraded and consolidated to Petro-Canada’s Duron Synthetic 5W-40. “Duron Synthetic 5W-40 gives me great cold start-up capabilities, lubrication and wear protection,” says Morrison.

The product is an all-season heavy-duty engine oil formulated to maximize reliability and minimize wear, particularly in extreme cold-temperature conditions. It also helps conserve energy through ease of cold weather start-ups and provides fluidity without sacrificing high-temperature properties.

“Our service intervals used to be at 250 hours on all of our machines,” notes Morrison. “Since switching, we’ve extended those intervals to 400 hours. Now I have an extra 150 hours to play with, which helps me to schedule service appointments for several machines all on the same day.” IL

For more information, visit www.petro-canada.com.

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