Economy drives engine choices: fishermen press for fuel efficiency, low price, and durability

摘要

When Tom Nelson was shopping for engines for the new 58-foot limit seiner/combination boat he's building, economy was his top priority. Nelson found what he wanted for his vessel Crescent Moon in a pair of John Deere 6081A 330-horsepower, electronically injected diesel engines. The Homer, Alaska-based fisherman says he looked at the Cummins C-Series engines as well, and while he considers them good machines, the cooling configuration in the John Deere engines better met the needs of his shallow-draft vessel. Nelson seines salmon in Prince William Sound and herring in Togiak, and fishes halibut in the Gulf of Alaska. He says the John Deere has a reputation for reliability in Homer, where a number of boat owners report good luck with the 6081 A's 300 hp predecessor, the 6081. Nelson's concern for economy in the initial outlay and operation costs of his power units is shared by fishermen up and down the coast, according to Jeff Kramer at Jeff's Diesel Works in Seattle. The major manufacturers are all working hard to improve the fuel economy of their engines, he says, primarily with the introduction of electronic fuel control systems that have the potential to deliver "more efficient horsepower and better fuel economy and engine life." Says Kramer,"Caterpillar, Cummins, John Deere, and quite a few other manufacturers of engines provide new products that have that."