A proven formula for engine reliability

Based in Torrington, Conn., O&G Industries designs and builds a wide range of projects – everything from elementary schools and hospitals to Interstate highways and correctional institutions. The company also produces ready-mix concrete, asphalt, quarried aggregates and masonry products.

As the largest diversified construction services company in the Northeast, O&G Industries has an extensive fleet of vehicles. “We have 103 ready-mix trucks, 120 tri-axle dump trucks, 30 road tractors and a variety of service, fuel and delivery trucks,” says James Zambero, vice president.

With that many vehicles, the need for reliable, long-lasting engines is essential. “Longevity is a key reason we specify Caterpillar engines,” Zambero says. “I’m not a low-bid buyer. I want to purchase what’s best for the company and what’s going to give us good service life and solid performance. Excellent parts availability and top-notch customer support also are critical. We get all of that and more with our Cat engines – and that’s why our entire fleet is powered by Caterpillar engines.”

O&G Industries uses Caterpillar C15 engines in its dump trucks and C13 engines in its ready-mix and masonry-supply division trucks. Zambero figures that the dump trucks could get by with C13 engines, but he specified the larger C15 for a couple of good reasons.

“We have a quarry that has a very steep hill,” he says. “When our dump trucks are coming down that hill in third or fourth gear, our drivers don’t need to apply the service brakes. I don’t think they could do that with a C13 engine. Everything in life is give and take, so I’d rather carry a little extra weight on our dump trucks by using C15 engines and know they are coming downhill safely and not burning up the service brakes.”

When Cat engines with ACERT Technology first came out, Zambero says there was some concern among his peers about whether the advanced engine electronics would perform reliably. “We didn’t have any problems,” he says. “Our Cat engines are really bulletproof.

“Then, when everyone was talking about low-sulfur fuel, there were concerns about fuel mileage. However, we’re achieving the same fuel mileage with our new 2007 Cat engines as we obtained from our older Cat engines, and a lot of our new Cat engines aren’t even broken in yet. By the time they are broken in, we’ll be getting better fuel mileage – and that’s money we can put in the bank.”

“We’re achieving the same fuel mileage with our new 2007 Cat engines as obtained from our older Cat engines, and a lot of our new Cat engines aren’t even broken in yet.”

– James Zambero, vice president,

O&G Industries Inc.,

Torrington, Conn.

For James Zambero, vice president of O&G Industries, Torrington, Conn., the formula for equipment reliability is basic. “I don’t care what you buy,” he says, “if you don’t practice good maintenance, you’ll have problems.” Zambero should know. O&G Industries has a fleet of more than 400 trucks that are serviced by 75 service technicians located in seven facilities. Here’s some of his advice:

Manual Greasing

“We don’t use centralized lube systems on our trucks,” Zambero says. “We have found that with a centralized lube system service technicians aren’t looking for problems when they lube a truck. However, when they’re climbing around and underneath a truck to access the grease points, they know what’s going on. For example, we had a truck come in recently and while it was being greased, the service technician discovered a broken cross member, worn U-joints and a chaffed air line. We’re able to spot problems and prevent expensive, after-failure repairs by greasing our trucks manually.”

Oil Sampling

“We’re not only diligent about changing engine oil at manufacturer-recommended intervals,” Zambero says, “we also realize the importance of sampling engine oil. We take about 7,000 engine oil samples a year.” By using fluids analysis, such as Caterpillar S•O•S Services, engine owners can keep minor repairs from becoming major ones, and avoid complete failures. S•O•S Services also shorten repair times and allow greater flexibility in scheduling repairs.

Diesel Fuel Conditioning

“Every year, in late summer and early fall, we do maintenance on our diesel fuel storage tanks. We pump out any water that might be in the tanks. Then we run a bacteria and fungus test. If needed, we put a biocide treatment in the tank. We also begin using a diesel fuel conditioner on September 30 and continue using it through March 30. What we put into our fuel storage tanks eventually gets into all of the equipment in our fleet. So, the additives not only clean the storage tanks, they clean the entire fuel system of our vehicles.”