AWJ Civil, an Australian company that specialises in environmental remediation and civil engineering work, has decided to begin trials of Shell Rimula oils on its commercial vehicles following a successful trial on its earth-moving assets.
When looking to extend the oil drain intervals for its fleet of over 280 earth-moving vehicles, AJW Civil solicited the help of local Shell lubricant distributor Viva Energy. Any substantial reduction in the number of oil drains needed has the potential to drastically reduce the labour costs involved, as well as decrease the volume of oil used by the company each year. Of course, this needs to done while still maintaining optimal engine protection and performance throughout the drain interval.
For the trial, the company picked a grader and an excavator from its fleet to reflect the varying operational hours and uptime requirements of different vehicles. On being refilled with Shell Rimula R4 L 15W-40, a heavy-duty commercial vehicle oil, the vehicles were returned to work, with the oil being analysed by Viva Energy’s engineers after 0, 250, and 500 hours of operation.
The results showed that the oil drain interval could be doubled from the current 250 hours to 500 hours while still keeping oil properties within the optimal range. Once extended to the entire fleet, the company can expect to half the current 450 oil drains a year – a cost saving that the company is now looking to extend to its fleet of small trucks and light vehicles.