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RELIABILITYThe tamper is powered by a PowerTech6068H fitted with a Funk pump drive andHMD Series 33000, four-speed transmission.Delia adds that John Deere engines are also the easiestto maintain of any he’s worked on during his 23 years asa mechanic. “The filters are all located in places thatmake them easier to swap out than on other equipmentwe maintain,” he says. “There are no panels to remove orthat sort of thing.”Delia also has high praise for the power John Deereengines deliver. “With the Brown Brontosaurus cutter headon it, we use the brush cutter to take down trees up to 10inches (25 cm.) in diameter,” he says. “You’ve got to havepower for that. And the tamper is a real beast. It actuallylifts up the whole railroad and moves it left or right, thenpacks the stone tightly under the ties. The whole time, theengine’s just screaming, but it never screams ‘Uncle.’”He says the John Deere engine and Funk transmission inthe ballast regulator make an ideal combination. “Havingplenty of horses and being able to shift on the fly are essentialwhen you’re pushing and dragging piles of stone, sometimesup to 100 yards (91 m),” he explains.“Reliability is also critical in our operations,” Delia adds.“We can’t have a machine break down on a main line, but wedon’t sweat that now. Since we got these John Deere engines,it’s been just great.”Engines: (ballast regulator) John Deere PowerTech 6081A— a 205-kW (275 hp), 6-cylinder, 8.1L, aftercooled dieselengine; (tamper) John Deere PowerTech 6068H — a 186-kW(250 hp), 6-cylinder, 6.8L, air-to-air aftercooled diesel engine;(brush cutter, travel and boom) John Deere PowerTech 4045D— a 60-kW (80 hp), 4-cylinder, 4.5L, naturally aspirateddiesel engine; (brush cutter, cutting heads) John DeerePowerTech 6068T — a 127-kW (170 hp), 6-cylinder, 6.8L,turbocharged diesel engine. Transmissions: (ballast regulator)Funk HMD Series 17000, two-speed transmission; (tamper)Funk HMD Series 33000, four-speed transmission. Pumpdrives: (ballast regulator) Funk Series 28000, clutch-driven,1:1 gear ratio, double-pad pump drive; (tamper) Funk Series59000, direct-drive, double-pad pump drive.A Perfect PatchPothole patching can be performedfast and efficiently by a single operatorthanks to the Magnum Spray InjectionPatcher built by Crafco Inc., of Chandler,Ariz.The Magnum patcher cleans the areato be repaired, applies tack coat, coatsthe aggregate with asphalt emulsion, andthen applies the mixture, all in one easycontinuous operation. “It’s the fastestway to lay a compressed patch withouthaving to pack it,” explains Hector Lara,Crafco engineer. “It’s probably twice asfast as conventional methods.”The power driving these functions isthe 60-kW (80 hp) John Deere PowerTech4045D engine, which performs three separatejobs. It powers the air compressorfor the emulsion, the lobe-type blowerthat moves the aggregate, and thehydraulics for auxiliary functions.“Dependability is important for thisapplication,” says Lara. “We have threefunctions coming off of the engine, andJohn Deere is such a stout product.”Government agencies continue to buya lion’s share of Magnum patchers.Municipalities and road departmentsin the states, as well as abroad, largelypurchase these trailer-mounted units.“John Deere engines are universallyaccepted because of the support that’savailable through the dealer network,”says Lara. “That’s why we pickedJohn Deere engines, and we hear nothingbut positive remarks from the field.”Engine: John Deere PowerTech4045D — a 60-kW (80 hp), 4-cylinder,4.5L, naturally aspirated diesel engine.Distributor: Western Power Products,Inc., Bakersfield, Calif., (661) 397-9155,www.westernpowerproducts.netOEM: Crafco, Inc., www.crafco.comCrafco combines speed and efficiency tocreate a top-notch pothole patching systemCrafco’s Magnum Spray Injection Patchercleans and then applies a mixture of aggregateand asphalt emulsion to a pothole. A singleJohn Deere 4045D powers the machine’s aircompressor, blower, and hydraulics.PowerSource 13