Farewell. The Flying Pig Has Left The Building.

Steve Hynd, August 16, 2012

After four years on the Typepad site, eight years total blogging, Newshoggers is closing it's doors today. We've been coasting the last year or so, with many of us moving on to bigger projects (Hey, Eric!) or simply running out of blogging enthusiasm, and it's time to give the old flying pig a rest.

We've done okay over those eight years, although never being quite PC enough to gain wider acceptance from the partisan "party right or wrong" crowds. We like to think we moved political conversations a little, on the ever-present wish to rush to war with Iran, on the need for a real Left that isn't licking corporatist Dem boots every cycle, on America's foreign misadventures in Afghanistan and Iraq. We like to think we made a small difference while writing under that flying pig banner. We did pretty good for a bunch with no ties to big-party apparatuses or think tanks.

Those eight years of blogging will still exist. Because we're ending this typepad account, we've been archiving the typepad blog here. And the original blogger archive is still here. There will still be new content from the old 'hoggers crew too. Ron writes for The Moderate Voice, I post at The Agonist and Eric Martin's lucid foreign policy thoughts can be read at Democracy Arsenal.

I'd like to thank all our regular commenters, readers and the other bloggers who regularly linked to our posts over the years to agree or disagree. You all made writing for 'hoggers an amazingly fun and stimulating experience.

Thank you very much.

Note: This is an archive copy of Newshoggers. Most of the pictures are gone but the words are all here. There may be some occasional new content, John may do some posts and Ron will cross post some of his contributions to The Moderate Voice so check back.


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Sunday, September 20, 2009

Green Bulldozer?

By Ron Beasley



Via Big Gav we have the first Hybrid Bulldozer.



GreenBulldozer



This one may offend you more sensitive types as �ironic� or not green at all. But the fact is, the world needs bulldozers. Lots of them. But until now, anyone seeking a hybrid bulldozer was out of luck. But Caterpillar, the prolific maker of construction equipment has announced that for 2010 they will be selling the D7E, a diesel-electric bulldozer.

The D7E represents a mid-range dozer between Caterpillar�s popular D6 and D8 models, and commands a price premium of 20%, or $100,000, over a standard D7R. But that 20% can be recouped in as little as two years thanks to fuel savings of 10-30%. Plus, the electric-diesel drive system offers better power than its predecessor, which sold just 300 units in the U.S. last year (compared to 2,000 D6 and 700 D8 machines).

But nobody buys a bulldozer based on gas mileage. Rather, the efficiency is based on how much material can be moved per gallon of fuel, where the D7E really shines. Caterpillar dropped their trademarked �high sprocket� design, and turned the transmission into essentially twin power cables. It should be noted that this hybrid drive does not store electric power, but rather the 9.3 liter diesel engine powers a strong electric engine. This means even more instant torque, and since its a Caterpillar it can stand up to tough situations.

This is a logical move and I'm surprised it hasn't been done before.  There is a reason locomotives are diesel-electric, electric motors are better and the same should apply to bulldozers.



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2 comments:

  1. hidflectSeptember 20, 2009 at 1:10 PM

    I'm sure the 1sraeli Defence Force are eagerly lining up the get the "home/protester crusher" version.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ron BeasleySeptember 20, 2009 at 1:28 PM

    hidflect
    Not until there is a D8 hybrid available.

    ReplyDelete

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