On some systems, a portion of the fuel is used for lubrication and cooling. This fuel bypasses the nozzle tip and returns to the fuel tank.Let''s take a quick look at the individual components that make up the fuel system.* Fuel Tanks -- All fuel tanks have a fuel intake fitting on top of the tank for filling and a drain or outlet fitting on the bottom. One or two additional fuel fittings may be found for returning unburned fuel to the tank.Fuel tanks are not trouble-free components. Metal tanks will eventually rust. The rust, combined with water from condensation, forms a mud inside the tank. Sludge forms in the tank when unburned carbon from injector nozzles is carried back to the tank with overflow fuel and combines with water. Thin flakes of hardened mud or sludge can easily plug the fuel outlet hole. This usually occurs when the tank is severely shaken.

Like all of Bobcat''s skid-steer loaders, the A220 can accommodate myriad-powered and nonpowered attachments everything from angle brooms and augers to wheel saws and whisker brooms. And it''s that versatility, along with the all-wheel steer capability, that has the company licking its chops in anticipation of a range of new markets. "We have several test machines in the field right now at a wide variety of customers," Fitzgerald said. "We''ve got one at a recycling plant where they''re running in all-wheel steer 100 percent of the time because of tire wear. They''ve taped the switch so the guys can''t run in skid-steer mode. They''ve got three other machines there and they go through approximately $12,000 worth of tires a year. If the plant can reduce its tire cost significantly, the price difference between an 863 and A220 can easily be justified. The other area of concern is a landing area by a conveyor. Current operating methods wear out the concrete surface. Grooves get worn deep enough into the concrete that they need to mill it out and repour the concrete. The A220 is a lot easier on the surface.

"In just 10 years, the number of chip mills in the region has more than tripled--to at least 150--each devouring an average of 10,000 acres of forest a year," says Danna Smith, executive director of the Dogwood Alliance, a consortium of environmental groups opposing chip mill operations. And with each American using up 688 pounds of paper a year (the Chinese consume just three), chip mills are not only profiting, they''re expanding.

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