Lubricants News and Updates

Posts by:

John Presti

Racing Season Kickoff - Renegade Race Fuels Available

Renegade Race Fuel

Renegade race fuels are premixed and factory sealed so no more guessing at mixing or additizing, and no more spending time and money to hit the gas station and juggle multiple containers. 

 

Renegade Ratman Bushwacker Juice 50/1 & 40/1 premix drums and pails are ready to use immediately.   From Renegade: "RENEGADE RATMAN BUSHWHACKER JUICE premix fuel is a specialty fuel developed with the lawn care industry in mind. This premixed product is not only an affordable premix fuel, but also offers quality that can’t be found at the pump.  Use of this product will reduce maintenance cost and increase time in service of all of the 2 stroke power equipment it is used in. RATMAN BUSHWHACKER JUICE utilizes race fuel technology along with premium HP synthetic 2 stroke oil to give your power equipment a performance edge"

 

Ethanol free options mean reduced repair costs and equipment replacement due to ethanol issues. Fewer repairs and equipment downtime combined with less downtime at the shop which makes it a no brainer.  

Renegade also carries P97 which is just your pure ethanol free gas too in a factory sealed drum or pail.  From Renegade," Renegade HR P97 is an ethanol-free unleaded race, small engine, and storage fuel that won’t gum up carbs or cause issues like today’s average pump fuels. Renegade HR P97 can be used as a storage fuel or in an exotic application that requires ethanol- free fuel."

 

Renegade products are available by special order monthly through John Presti, cell is 857.241.9678 or john.presti@burkeoil.com 

 

Next special stock order will be placed first thing Monday June 6th. . .So please order accordingly.

 

For more information on Renegade products, check out their website here:  Renegade Race Fuels or feel free to reach out directly by email.

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DKB Now Stocks Protection First Class Products

PFC

We're excited to officially announce that we are a distributor for Berkebile's 2+2 product line, which includes Protection First Class products. We have brake parts cleaner, white grease, aerosol grease, and PFC - Protection First Class Undercoating. 

The PFC Undercoating protects against corrosion and rust and it stays translucent so it does not impede diagnosing any vehicle issues, unlike some other products. Application is so straightforward that its DIY with compressed air. 

We have had a lot of positive feedback on the product so far, and anticipate that the customers testing out the PFC undercoating are going to have a much better experience this winter in terms of undercarriage protection than those who don't get their fleet covered before the salt and sand starts covering the New England roads. 

This stuff is fantastic for a diverse group of customers - auto repair shops have added it to their service menus, bus and transport companies are using it to protect their fleets on the road, and landscape contractors have had a lot of success protecting plows and equipment from corrosion. 

This fall we were able to have meetings with customers where a vendor rep demonstrated the product application process and answered any questions that came up. If that sounds like something that would help with your decision making process on these products, let us know and we can coordinate a demo & meeting at your facility. 

For more info on PFC Undercoating, this page has a ton of information on both the undercoating, and other PFC products for your vehicles & equipment - PFC Product Info  - or you can watch the video below for more specific info on undercoating:

 

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ICYMI: API Licensed Fleetline DEF is here!

Bottle of Fleetline DEF

In case you missed it - this July we received our first shipment of our FleetlineDEF cases! This is a fully API licensed product. The cases contain two 2.5g jugs each, and are an economical choice for an ultra high spec product, like the rest of our Fleetline offerings. 

For pricing and quantity options, or if you have any questions, feel free to contact us at lubesales@burkeoil.com 

 

 

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Oil Eater gets 2nd Place in Waste Min 2013 Industrial Degreaser Rating

Oil Eater product line

 

The Waste Minimization forum (wastemin.com) recently published its "2013 Industrial Degreaser Ratings" report. They tested the top 15 general purpose degreasers/cleaners, then ranked their performance, reported their pricing, and any hazard warnings relevant to the products. You can read their entire infographic on the study here: http://www.wastemin.com/discuss/index.php?threads/industrial-degreaser-performance-ratings-how-the-top-15-degreasers-stack-up.6/#.UzsDeKhdVRY  - they had some interesting results that challenge some conventional wisdom on what makes a good cleaner/degreaser - definitely worth the read.

The number two finisher in their study was Oil Eater Cleaner and Degreaser (which we're proud to be a distributor of). Even better, they came in at half the cost of the first place finisher. Oil Eater is water based, non hazardous cleaner that can be used on anything from gettin grease stains out of laundry to truck washing, to brake parts cleaning. In the Waste Min study, Oil Eater also produced less rust than a traditional solvent based degreaser.  

If you want to learn more about Oil Eater you can visit their website at www.oileater.com or if you'd like try it out, we do have limited free samples available. Give us a call or fill out the contact form to the right for more info or to get a free sample while supplies last. 

 

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Why are Environmentally Friendly Lubes Important for Vessels?

There have been a lot of questions regarding Marine vessel lubricants and the VGP regulations on them, so we thought it would be a good idea to lay out some of the fundamentals on the topic. The VGP regulations on vessels requires that vessel operators replace conventional lubricants with environmentally friendly options whenever possible. 

The concern isn't so much spills as normal amounts of lubricants lost in vessel operation, such as from stern tubes. A 2011 study by the European Commission DG Joint Research Centre actually found that routine operational lubricant discharge created more pollution in the Mediterranean Sea than accidental spills did. That's pretty significant!

By using more environmentally friendly products, operators can minimize damage to the environment while still meeting lubrication needs. 

Key issues are if a product is biodegradeable - either readily or inherently, whether its toxic to the aquatic environment, and how much bioaccumulation compounds in the product cause (how much it will build up in living tissue over time). For example, conventional petroleum based lubricants have the potential to bioaccumulate, don't biodegrade well, and can be highly toxic to the aquatic environment. In contrast, PAG, synthetic ester, and vegetable oil based Environmentally friendly lubricants biodegrade readily, have low toxicity to the aquatic environment, and do not bioaccumulate. So in that context, it makes a lot of sense to switch as much vessel lubrication as possible away from conventional lubes. 

In future posts we'll get more in depth on what different products meet VGP requirements, as well as what different parts of the regulation mean to different businesses and vessel types.

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How is DEF Pricing Going to Look Going Forward?

According to farmfutures.com in their weekly review, Urea prices on the international market spiked this week, up over $120 per ton.  Futures were trending lower for the spring and summer months though, on hope that international supply issues could relieve some of the demand pressures  - hopefully that leads to a pull back in pricing over the next couple months, but time will tell. As you know, ammonia pricing also impacts DEF pricing, and the good news is those prices eased some this past week or stayed relatively stable anyways, depending on the individual market. (you can read more about the specifics on the Urea & ammonia market movements here: http://farmfutures.com/story-weekly-fertilizer-review-0-30765 )

 

Since DEF is 32.5% urea, price swings on the market impact the price of DEF. Urea is also used in agriculture for nitrogen-release fertilizer, so usually we see spikes in demand (and price) along with agricultural schedules. This recent spike appears to be more supply related.

 

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This Ain't Your Grandpa's Diesel Truck - SCR, DEF & Clean Emissions

Diesel Engines have sure come a long way from the noisy, clunky, smelly, black smoke pumping trucks we used to see. Today's diesel engines are quiet and clean, and in the case of 2010 model year and later vehicles - they even have emissions ratings better than many of their gasoline counterparts. How did that happen?

The first step was the big one - the switch to Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel dropped the sulfur content from up to 500 parts per million to a max of 15 parts per million, which improved pollution levels like crazy and got rid of the black exhaust. 

The other major shift came as a result of the EPA's 2010 policy on reducing the NOx levels in emissions to almost zero. This was accomplished with the implementation of SCR technology and the use of Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) - DEF is injected into the exhaust stream and neutralizes NOx into Nitrogen and Water Vapor.  

SCR Emissions Graph

Image Credit (and a great source) - http://www.factsaboutscr.com/scr/engine-control-standards.aspx 

If you want to learn more about SCR specifics and how DEF works to eliminate NOx emissions, You can find out everything (and probably more) that you ever wanted to know in this new product information video from Peak at the following link: 

http://www.peakhd.com/product-lines/bluedef/about/ 

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Winter Additive Options

It's getting cold out there! 
Now is a good time to revisit the topic of winter fuel and fuel additives. Very few things are more critical than ensuring your fleets winter operability.
There are a lot of options out there, from Kero blending to different types of Additives. We've seen a lot of people have loyalty to the Valvtect Diesel Guard Winter Additive. The video below gives you a good amount of info on the product - if you're weighing out additive options for the winter season, it's worth a look. 
 
 
 
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Ethylene Glycol Demand Driving up Antifreeze Costs - Again

Antifreeze prices will be going up for all major suppliers this Spring due to the rising price of Ethylene Glycol. Ethylene Glycol is the main componant of automotive antifreeze - but it is also used in the manufacture of plastics and resins, including plastic soda bottles and it is also used in some medical applications. The increase in demand, especially for manufactured plastics as a result of economic expansion in countries like China has made global prices continue to climb.

As an effect of this, antifreeze manufacturers bear a higher cost of production for finished product, so costs are continuing to rise on the supplier level as well.

Most suppliers have set their increases to take effect on April 1 - we are holding off til April 12th to try and give you an opportunity to beat the increase if you can. If you would like to place an order before the prices increase dont hesitate to contact us at 617-884-7800 or email us at lubeorders@burkeoil.com

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Lubricants News: Don't Let the Cold Slow You Down

Don't let the cold slow you down

 

We all know that icing is one of the major causes of cold temperature fuel-related problems. As it gets colder, ice crystals begin to form in diesel fuel that contains about 500 ppm of water. In cold weather, diesel fuel is also prone to gelling, the solidification of diesel fuel into a partially crystalline state. These solidified waxes thicken the fuel, and then clog the fuel filters, causing the engine to stop running.

 

DIESEL GUARD ANTI-GEL DEICER

A highly concentrated multifunctional winter diesel additive for individual vehicle treatment.

 

Contains wax crystal modifier and deicer to help prevent gelling and icing in ULSD and biodiesel blends up to 5%.

 

Anti-Gel Deicer bottle
   

* Multifunctional detergent to keep injectors clean

* Lubricity improver, corrosion inhibitor, stabilizer and cetane improver to help improve cold starts

* Reduces Cold Filter Plug Point (CFPP)

* Reduces Pour Point

* Highly concentrated for easy storage and handling

* One quart treats 250 gallons

* 12-1 qt. bottles per case

 

DIESEL GUARD D-THAW

D-Thaw gets gelled fuel moving again. Reliquifies gelled diesel fuel and de-ices frozen fuel filters - the two most common causes for winter fuel problems. The most effective product to reliquify gelled diesel fuel and de-ice frozen filters.

O-Thaw bottle 

* Non-alcohol formula

* Add directly to frozen fuel filter to melt ice and wax

* Will absorb 1/3 cup of water for every quart of D-Thaw

* One quart treats 50 gallons of fuel in a "gelled-up" emergency

* Resolves any gelling diesel fuel in tanks during the cold winter months

 Diesel Gaurd logo

Dennis K. Burke offers a full line of ValvTect Diesel Guard products.

 

 

 

 

 

CLEAR AND DYED KEROSENE

Dennis K. Burke offers both clear and dyed kerosene in 5 gallon pails and 55 gallon drums. Every 10% of kerosene blended with diesel fuel lowers the cloud point about three degrees.

We carry clear kerosene for winter blending in on-road vehicles, dyed kerosene (non-taxable) for winter blending in off-road vehicles, as well as heaters requiring a K-1 Kerosene.

You can also purchase dyed kerosene at the pump from our gas station located at 410 Beacham Street in Chelsea, or, if you have a jobsite or location running kero we can deliver in for you.  

 

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