MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — Cummins has doubled the oil change interval from 500 hours to 1,000 hours for its ComfortGuard Auxiliary Power Unit (APU). The move is designed to improve uptime for truck and fleet owners while cutting maintenance costs in half. The recommendation comes after extensive testing in conjunction with the engine supplier, Kubota, to ensure there was no degradation in performance or longevity.

On average, an APU runs about 2,500 hours per year to save fuel and reduce idling time on a trucks propulsion engine, says Shawn Wasson, APU business leader for Cummins. With oil and filter changes every 500 hours on the APU, the annual cost can exceed $350 for oil, filters and labour. With this new interval of 1,000 hours, costs will average only about $150 per year for an annual savings of about $200 per truck.

Officials say additional savings also come from improved uptime because the truck doesnt have to be serviced as often. The maintenance interval for most over-the-road trucks is also about 1,000 hours, says Wasson. By making the maintenance intervals for the APU engine and the trucks main engine the same, downtime is reduced for further savings. With Kubotas authorization behind the new Cummins recommendation, truckers can double their oil change intervals while still maintaining the manufacturers warranty.

The new oil change interval recommendation was the result of an extensive testing program by Cummins and Kubota to ensure that no long-term damage to the engine would result from the recommendation. Wasson said that APU engines run at a fairly constant load and RPM, which puts less strain on the engine than if it were used in an application where the load and speed varied widely. This constant load and speed results in less wear and oil contamination, the two companies determined.