If you were to investigate every Hatz-operated machine around the world, you would find 17 different type plates in use on engines in the field. This is an enormous range, and it is often only the small details that are different. In this tips ‘n tricks article, we summarize the differences and tell you what your engine’s type plate reveals about the drive.

At first you might wonder: Why is there more than one type plate? Having 17 versions is so complicated. That’s true, but this is determined by international regulations and standards. Many differences relate to the location of use of the engine and the machine, or, more specifically, whether the drive is used in Europe, the American continent, or Africa and Asia. So we are not making it complicated for you on purpose ;-) .

But first, a bit of general information. The engine’s type plate is always placed on the noise reduction cover of the drive. It includes the engine number and engine version and serves primarily for identification. But you will also find information about the power of the engine on the type plate as well. Let’s look at a few examples.

Our single-cylinder engines, such as those from the 1D series, deliver less than 19 kW of power and can therefore bear a standard type plate for engines that are not subject to EU emissions legislation. The plate is black and includes only the basic information mentioned above. The engine/factory number (“Motor/Fabrik Nummer”), by the way, also provides you with certain information about your drive. The first three digits identify the engine. In this case, the number starts with 073, which is the code for the 1D81. So, if you can’t read the “type” (“Typ”) field anymore, this is your second option for finding out which engine you have in front of you. The following two digits provide information about the model version of the engine. This is followed by the year of manufacture and the consecutive production number. On the plate seen here, the year of manufacture is 1998 and the production number is 026315.

But what do the “Kennz.,” “NH,” and “PV” fields stand for? Those are not self-explanatory. We will explain it to you: Kennz.: This stands for “ID” and indicates whether this is a customer-specific design of the engine and if so, which one. We usually adapt our engines to the machines they are used in so the drive works optimally with the machinery. The manufacturer or the service partner can tell which version it is by reading this number. NH: This value relates to the power setting of the engine, such as the injection duration or the injection stroke. Depending on the type of engine, this value has a different meaning. You can find out the meaning for your engine by reading your Hatz instruction manual. PV: PV stands for “Prüf-Vorschriftnummer,” which means “inspection regulation number.” If there are specific inspection instructions for a customer-specific version of the engine, that is listed here.

These type plates are usually black. If you find a red plate on your machine, that indicates that it is an original replacement engine. It means that this Hatz engine was professionally refurbished by Hatz specialists and is just as powerful as a new engine. In some circumstances, the “T” in the engine number in the example shown may also be an RU, RM, SW, HH, or NO. This indicates which Hatz refurbisher restored the drive.

More powerful engines are subject to stricter guidelines. These type plates, therefore, contain even more information, which is especially important for these standards. This information is hidden in the EC number at the end of the plate (in this case, the example is a combination plate for the European and American markets). The first two letters before the star tell you where the engine was approved. In this case, “el” stands for Germany. The following combination of numbers and letters relates to conformity with EC Directive 68 from 1997 (an emissions reduction standard). The following five numbers (00/000) also relate to the directive. They indicate any changes to the directive. The second to last set of numbers relates to the type of approval from the Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt (German Motor Vehicle Transport Authority). The last two zeros are also there to express any potential changes to the approval.

In addition to these standard plates, there are many other versions with different headers or special notes about specific standards. You may also come across the emissions information plate. We will provide you with the necessary details about this in a future article. In this case, too, there are unfortunately several small but important differences. Would you like more information about a specific topic? Then write to us using our contact form or send us a direct message on Instagram or Facebook. We look forward to hearing your suggestions.