Fuel additives & dielectric testers
The dielectric tester that BOB is using is the same tester that NTPA uses. It is over 30 years old and measures the conductivity of the fuel. This tester was designed before bio-diesel fuels. Bio-diesel fuels conduct electricity. B20 diesel fuel right out of the pump will not pass. This fuel can be purchased at various retail locations and is recommended by Ford for their 6.7 engines. See the badge on the side of the truck, B20.
We have found that adding Soy oil (Schaeffer) to bio-diesel fuel is an excellent lubricate.
At all NTPA events, you have a chance to sample your fuel prior to running. That way you know how much Bio-Diesel came thru the pipeline and have a chance to adjust your mix accordingly. We do not agree with this test as lack of lubrication can cause injection pump and injector failures.
Last year at Bowling Green, OH, 1 Super Farm tractor puller tested 14 fuel samples before he passed.
Tractor pullers have learned how to beat this dielectric tester, but ruin injectors every 6 hooks. Now NTPA first samples your fuel with a styrofoam cup. If you pass the styrofoam cup, then they proceed to test your fuel.
At Louisville this year, Van & Curt's fuel came out of the same jug (bio-diesel from our farm tank), prior to running, we had the fuel tested. Van's truck tested 5.0 and Curt's checked 5.2. We had to go downtown and get straight diesel fuel (not bio-diesel) to wein the mix down to pass NTPA test.
Temperature also effects this test. Also if the inspector is not cleaning his probes with the proper cleaning solution, it can effect the result as well. When we pull NTPA, we know this is the rules and we have to abide by them (agree or not) to run. If BOB is going to enforce this fuel rule, they must allow you to pre-test prior to running and they must also conduct the test properly.
We have been working with PPL for the past 2 years on fuel mixes. They know that the dielectric tester is an antiquated method and they are using a more common sense approach to testing. They are using 2 primary tests: 1. Styrofoam cup, the 2nd is a "flash" test of the fuel. If you fail the sobriaty tests at the event, they will send your fuel sample to a lab to be tested before implementing a disqualification.
Maybe it is that PPL is owned by a lubricant company that they know the importance of fuel lubrication.
Haisley Machine blended fuels have NO oxygenators or illegal components. We recommend this fuel because we are turning these injection pumps 3 times the speed that they were designed for.
We think if the smaller sanctioned groups such as BOB, ITPA & COTPC etc..want to test fuel, it should be the styrofoam cup and flash tests only. If the fuel passes these tests the guys cheating with fuel containing dangerous components will be caught.
We invested in a dielectric testers so we could sample fuel ourselves. Erik Stacey also purchased a tester for the same reason. It is a joke! You can put your fuel in a refrigerator and it will pass. Take the same fuel (hot) our of your fuel cell after running down the track and it will test 1.0 higher. We can set our fuel at our shop and then test at the track by an NTPA official and we never have the same readings twice.
In answer to the young man's question on doubling the Schaffer soy - YES it can and probably will make your fuel illegal. Because soy oil conducts electricity.
It is our desire to educate people and sanctioning bodies (if they would ask) about the importance of the fuel lubrication and the testing methods being used.
Pullers cannot afford to tear up injection pumps and injectors because of stupidity and God complexes of tech officials. We would hope that all santioning bodies would agree that having 40 trucks at their events instead of 10 is a good thing!
Good competitive trucks put butts in the seats! I thought that was the goal of all concerned. Like Van always says "There is no better reward than to hear the crowd cheering with his helmet still on at the end of the track!"
