I hear you Tums. And I were faced with keeping several hundred pieces of equipment functioning 24/7, I might feel the same as you. Fortunately however, we're talking consumer usage here, so it's essentially a non-issue.
I am curious though, what are your plans for the future? Adopt the inevitable technology, hope to stumble across a warehouse full of brand new, pre-emissions equipment that has just been sitting in storage, or go out of business?
Change is constant, whether it be a pond or clean burn technology. I see it as learning to adapt, or being left behind. I don't have to like it, but there's not much I can do to escape it. Might as well educate myself and keep moving forward.
LOL the reason why I know all the pit falls of Tier 4 is I am proactive. Business do Tier 4 since we do not have any other viable options. In order to keep contracts in the go green era your equipment must constantly be moving in that direction. See a lot of big business will say you must have X# of Smartway EQ (Going Green) to be eligible for contract. We Had the first Caterpillar Tier 4 engine in Alabama in 2006. I even carried it to a Caterpillar open house with our then Governor in attendance. Anyway I excepted the technology and we passed the extra expenses on to the consumer. I am constantly working to fix it before it breaks through maintenance programs and other options (no idle tech ect). I have been in the business 30 years and Tier 4 is viable big business option. I however do know small mom and pop business that Tier 4 done them in. I personally will not own the current Tier 4 emission EQ for my private recreational use. I feel my personal money would be better spent refurbishing old school EQ for my own private recreation use. It is not like I can not get the parts as all of this stuff is still being made new for non Tier 4 countries. Cat stopped producing Tier 4 on highway engines for Tier 4 countries. They did not stop making engines for the rest of the world.
BTW I know were there is 20 New Cat pre emissions engines in storage.
