The heavy-duty diesel engine industry is highly specialized, with manufacturers, service providers, engine shops and repair facilities all playing an important role in ensuring these machines perform at their best. Manufacturers design and build engines that meet the specific needs of various industries and applications, while service providers offer a range of maintenance and repair services to keep engines running smoothly.
The market for heavy-duty diesel engines and equipment is diverse and includes a wide range of applications. According to a report by Grand View Research, the global heavy-duty diesel engine market size was valued at USD 14.7 billion in 2020 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 4.8% from 2021 to 2028. The report also notes that the transportation sector is expected to account for the largest share of the market due to the growing demand for heavy trucks and buses.
The construction industry is also a major market for heavy diesel equipment, with bulldozers, excavators and cranes among the most common pieces of equipment. Even more popular now are smaller-sized machines like mini excavators, mini excavators, and mini excavators. Companies like Maxiforce market directly to this segment.
“A lot of heavy equipment has a niche,” says Paul Kelly, president of Maxiforce. “Increasingly we’re seeing smaller equipment fill that gap of being an all-in-one tool. A big 907 Caterpillar excavator or D11 bulldozer will be used for construction. But then you have these smaller mini-excavators and mini-excavators that can be applied to anything , from construction to industrial to landscaping to agriculture – almost every racetrack has a skid steer. Whether it’s for moving equipment, clearing brush, etc. They’re like Swiss Army knives.”
It’s also important to note that tough diesel rigs and the engines that power them are, for most people, a necessity and not a want, unlike most of the other engines featured in Engine Builder. Construction companies, farms, private contractors, etc. depend on this equipment for their livelihood, so even in a recession, this industry is likely to remain stable.
What sets the heavy-duty diesel industry apart from the more general automotive/equipment market is warranty and after-sales OEM support.
“The OEM will have a parts warranty that will carry the machine for several years,” says Maxiforce’s Chris Harper. “For most machinery, the OEMs will have a 5-10 year warranty where if something breaks, you can fix it. In the diesel market, especially when you’re doing commercial diesel stuff, the OE only it’s going to stay behind that engine for that long. It used to be around five years guaranteed, now it’s closer to two years, sometimes it’s just one.”
Then comes the situation where diesel equipment owners have an engine problem and aren’t quite sure how to solve it without spending thousands of dollars. That’s where the spare parts come in.
Spare parts
Relying on OE manufacturers like Caterpillar, Cummins, Detroit Diesel and Waukesha has always been an option, but diesel equipment owners are now more than ever looking to the aftermarket as a more viable solution for replacement parts.
Most of the larger OE rigs have their engines built by other companies, usually Japanese companies like Kubota, Shibaura and Yanmar, making it difficult for owners to easily access replacement parts or new engines without paying an arm and a leg and dealing with extended delivery terms.
This is where companies like Maxiforce come in. According to the company’s website, Maxiforce can “generate savings of 30% to 40% compared to original equipment manufacturers.”
“We used to think the focus was on seven or eight engine brands, and now we’re focused on 60 or 70 different OEs,” says Kelly. “John Deere is probably what we’re most familiar with, but what we’ve really become popular with over the last decade is small-bore diesels. Most of these big OEs have these engines built by Japanese companies like Kubota, Shibaura, Yanmar, etc. and it’s hard for customers to find the right parts for those because it gets confusing. They don’t know they’re dealing with a Japanese engine and when they open the hood, they don’t recognize it.”
Maxiforce produces a wide range of rebuild kits and replacement parts, including many items not offered by either engine or machine OE manufacturers. For example, if you have a miniature Bobcat 753 powered by a Kubota V2203 engine, you will be hard pressed to find a Bobcat or Kubota overhaul kit. Fortunately, Maxiforce has created its own kit, which includes a set of pistons and rings, main bearings, front crankshaft bushings, upper and lower gasket sets, and other essential components to get the engine back up and running at a considerable saving for to the customer, but it’s still a win for the shop doing the work.
An extensive online catalog makes it easy for customers to find the exact overhaul kit for their particular engine and equipment combination. Maxiforce offers products for John Deere, Perkins, Caterpillar, Yanmar, Cummins, Kubota, Mitsubishi, Shibaura and IH/Navistar applications. Aside from their overhaul kits, they’ve also started offering standalone parts and bolts.
“We’ve really expanded our line of turbos, cylinder heads, fuel lines, sensors, etc. for the smaller rigs,” says Kelly. “The coreless turbos and injectors are very unique to Maxiforce, and we’ve probably tripled that range in the last year. It’s a great opportunity for the engine builder because they can change it, keep the core for later and they can make money rebuilding that injector and keep it and just buy us a new one, install it and go.
Maxiforce also has a co-branding agreement with IPD, another heavy diesel company. IPD Xtra expands IPD’s product offering into small bore engines using Maxiforce’s already established lines, providing Caterpillar’s broadest coverage of the construction and power generation markets. Customers can get the aftermarket engine parts they need for smaller Cat construction equipment such as skid steers, skid steers, loaders and generators, as well as customers’ larger equipment needs, all in one place .
Spare parts are an essential component for the maintenance of heavy-duty diesel engines and equipment. When a part fails, it can cause significant downtime and potentially lead to more extensive repairs. To keep your equipment running smoothly, it’s crucial to use high-quality replacement parts before it’s too late and a complete engine replacement is needed. But even before considering this option, it is imperative that equipment owners practice proper maintenance of their machines.
Maintenance and care
Regular maintenance is essential to ensure the longevity and reliability of heavy-duty diesel engines and equipment. It helps prevent small problems from turning into bigger problems that could lead to costly downtime or even engine failure. Some of the more important maintenance tasks include oil changes, filter replacements, and inspections.
Regular inspections are essential to catch potential problems before they become major problems. Shops can check for leaks, worn parts, and other issues that could affect engine performance. Inspections can also help identify areas where preventive maintenance may be needed.
Unfortunately, it is difficult to fully protect and maintain a machine’s engine simply because diesel equipment is often used for a multitude of purposes and applications. The engine in a minicar or other small piece of equipment was designed for one specific task, but it can be used for so many others. Also, any of these machines are rented out to contractors, and like anything that is rented or loaned, the equipment is often not cared for as much as it would be if it were owned outright.
“Temperature, time of year, altitude, these are things that will affect the timeline of your engine’s health, how it runs and when it breaks down,” says Harper. “It also depends on how that particular operator uses it. Take the oil pump and the lubrication inside the engine – if the engine is perfectly level, everything is fine. But once you start moving in a lean, which these vehicles tend to do, the oil will move to one side and the pump may not be able to pick it up. Now your engine is dying of oil and it will heat up and something could break” .
It’s important for owners and renters of heavy diesel equipment to know the best practices for operating their machines if they want to keep them in good working order and avoid costly repairs or rebuilds. However, if these issues do occur, shops need to know that they don’t have to turn this job down for fear of not being able to find the parts, because sources like Maxiforce have you covered. This is another income stream on top of your existing ones and a customer base that will thank you for keeping them going. EB
