Sullair unveils its first Tier 4 Final compressor

Sullair launched its first Tier 5 Final compliant portable compressor at the Rental Show claiming a 15% improvement on fuel efficiency over its predecessor model.

The 185DPQ-KU/T4F is a 185 cfm/100 psi compressor powered by a Tier 4 Final, 36.5 kW (49 hp) Kubota D1803 engine featuring a DPF (diesel particulate filter).

John Miller, senior product manager for portable air at Sullair, told IRN that the fuel savings on the new compressors helped offset the significant increase in costs for the Tier 4 Final engine. The compressor also differs from its predecessor in using a direct drive air end, rather than a gear driven design.

The new engine has also changed the dimensions of the unit, making it shorter but slightly wider and higher - dimensions are 3.3 m (L) by 1.7 m (W) by 1.45 m (H)). It weighs 986 kg.

The unit will be ready for sale in the third quarter of this year, with a European Stage IV version planned although not yet available. The next Tier 4 Final compressor to be made available will be a 375 cfm unit in the first quarter of 2015.

The engine emission regulations and the introduction of Tier 4 Final regulations are having an enormous impact on the portable compressor sector. Transition arrangements mean that suppliers still have the option of selling Tier 4 Interim models – with a number of Tier 4 Interim compressors on show, including one from Chicago Pneumatic.

At least one supplier, Sullivan Palatek, was taking a different approach, offering a Tier 4 Final diesel compressor as well as an alternative unit powered by a gasoline engine.