MACS Monthly Newsletter - 2020 - JAN8

Off-highway use of R-1234yf
* Agricultural tractors (under forty horsepower)
* Self-propelled agricultural machinery
* Compact, utility and turf equipment
* Construction and forestry equipment
* Compact construction equipment
* Mining equipment
Essentially, they are asking EPA for the option to use either R-134a or R-1234yf as the industry sees fit for a certain
application, expecting that more people will be using lowGWP refrigerants in the future. They have also conducted a
risk assessment focused on any potential hazards to the operator, which includes items like cabin size, charge amounts,
high pressure cutoﬀ switches, pressure relief valve location,
evaporator and seal testing, etc.
At this point we're waiting to hear from EPA about further
application requirements which may need to be completed.
If there are none and EPA says the application is complete,
then yf will be allowed after a 90-day waiting period. Oﬃcial approval won't come until EPA publishes their next rule
(which we expect later this year) and is likely to include certain use restrictions similar to those used on passenger cars.
EPA will also prohibit retrofitting with R-1234yf, primarily
due to R-134a evaporators not being certified for use with an
A2L refrigerant.
Note: We've also learned that activities in Europe have begun
for Class 8 trucks to receive what the EU calls "Type Approval"
for using yf in those vehicles. Right now, they're still using R-134a
in over-the-road trucks like we are in the US, and to date there has
been no SNAP application for Class 4 through 8 vehicles. When
that happens, we'll keep you posted. Thanks for reading! ■
Steve Schaeber

It's been a few years since R-1234yf started showing up
in passenger cars and light trucks, but we haven't seen it
being used in anything else. Reasons for this are regulation
(there is no current US mandate for low-GWP refrigerants),
incentive (there are no carbon credits for HD use) and permission (EPA has not yet approved its use beyond Class 3).
But a group of oﬀ-highway equipment manufacturers and
their Tier1 suppliers (represented by AEM, the Association
of Equipment Manufacturers) have been working towards
getting it approved.
And if their SNAP application is accepted by EPA, R1234yf refrigerant may soon be allowed for use in newly
manufactured oﬀ-highway work machines.
Given the higher cost of yf and lack of requirements, you
might wonder why companies would want to switch. But
there are a few reasons, the first having to do with the F-Gas
quota system in Europe. It's a complicated scheme (based
on 2015 usage) designed to limit the amount of high-GWP
refrigerant being imported and used in EU member states.
For example, in 2016 and 2017 they only allowed 93%, and
for 2018 the amount was reduced to 63%. The gradual phase
down will reach 21% of 2015 sales by 2030. This makes R134a more expensive and harder to get in Europe.
Also, these manufacturers are not country-specific, as
most of them build machines for sale around the world. This
not only applies to US companies manufacturing products
here in the US for export to other countries but includes
those who build oﬀ-highway machines for US import. R134a is costly and hard to get in some regions, and if allowed
by EPA it would be much simpler to use yf. Likewise, US
manufacturers exporting to certain countries that ban HFCs
must ship their machines empty and complete the A/C
charging with yf upon arrival (since they can't legally do
this stateside).
The first step towards the SNAP approval process took
place in early May, with several AEM and MACS members
attending a meeting at EPA Headquarters. Led by AEM
(who represents segments of the oﬀ-highway industry including agriculture, construction, forestry, mining and utility equipment) the group reviewed the risk assessment they
had been working on over the last nine months for the first
machine configuration, which was agricultural tractors over
forty horsepower (Figure 18). Other machine types (each of
which require separate SNAP applications) include:

Figure 18: This AGCO RT100 tractor with a fully enclosed operator cab is working on a field in Winside, Nebraska. Even on cooler days, operators working inside
cabs like these need air conditioning to help counteract
the "greenhouse eﬀect" that takes place inside the cab due
to solar radiation and heat rising oﬀ the engine and drivetrain components.

MACS Service Reports is published monthly by the Mobile Air Conditioning Society
Worldwide. It is distributed to members of MACS Worldwide and is intended for
the educational use of members of the automotive air conditioning service and
repair industry. Suggestions for articles will be considered for publication, however,
MACS Worldwide reserves the right to choose and edit all submissions.

Editors:
Elvis Hoffpauir, Steve Schaeber
Production Designer:
Laina Forcey
Manager of Service Training:
Steve Schaeber
Mobile Air Conditioning Society Worldwide
P.O. Box 88, Lansdale, PA 19446
Phone: (215) 631-7020 * Fax: (215) 631-7017
Email: membership@macsw.org * Website: www.macsw.org

Unless otherwise noted, all photos/art by author.

January 2020

MACS Service Reports

http://www.macsw.org

MACS Monthly Newsletter - 2020

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