Minnesota Soybean to unveil DieselSellerz truck at Commodity Classic

What started as an endorsement of biodiesel has evolved into a partnership promoting agriculture.

The Minnesota Soybean Research and Promotion Council originally reached out to the DieselSellerz, stars of the hit Discovery Channel show, Diesel Brothers, to build a truck to promote Minnesota’s move to B20 this spring.

Things rapidly became more involved.

“We started out with two directors saying, ‘Let’s have the DieselSellerz build us a truck, so we can promote B20 on the first of May,’” said Jim Willers, a director for the MSRPC, during a press conference at the 2018 MN Ag Expo. “One thing led to another and the next thing I know I am down in Brewster, Minn. with a Discovery crew, and we spent hours filming.”

DieselSellerz and Discovery Channel were immediately excited by the idea of working with Minnesota Soybean and biodiesel.

“We have found that it is a much bigger project than just a Minnesota-based project,” said Dave ‘Heavy D’ Sparks, CEO of the DieselSellerz. “That is what Discovery Channel got so excited about, because it is the future of fuel. This is something that is sustainable. This is something that has got a lot of technology behind it. It has got science and so, as we looked into it, we thought this is a great fit for us because this is stuff that we actually do.”

It was decided very quickly that the DieselSellerz would not just build a truck, but they would include that build as part of the television show. The upcoming-episode will go beyond the truck build to include the process of producing biodiesel from soybeans.

“We are getting away with a lot of stuff that we normally would not be able to get away with as far as stuff we are going to be allowed to show on the TV show,” said Heavy D.

It was the fall of 2017 when, Minnesota Soybean staff and a crew from the Discovery Channel met up in Brewster, to film agriculture as it happened.

They filmed the soybean harvest in the field. The film crew rode in the trucks as the soybeans were hauled to the biodiesel plant.

They followed the beans through the plant as they were converted into biodiesel, and the film crew was along for the whole ride.

“We spent hours filming,” said Willers. “They filmed the truck coming in and the biodiesel coming out and everything in between. The staff down there was very helpful. We went inside that plant and all over the place, where we are not supposed to go, stuff like that. This is a big deal for us.”

The following day, the DieselSellerz, with the help of three local soybean farmers, got a first- hand look at the type of machinery used to plant and harvest soybeans. From planters and tractors, to sprayers, combines and tillage equipment, each of the DieselSellerz spent considerable time learning what it takes to grow soybeans in Minnesota.

There are a lot of misconceptions surrounding biodiesel and the move to B20.

For example, many people unfamiliar with the process of biodiesel believe it is “fast-food” grease being converted into fuel.

“We just had to explain to them that is not how this process works. This is a completely different animal so that is going to be cool to show that on TV,” said Heavy D.

The episode will also feature the truck the mechanics are building for Minnesota Soybean.

“That is why the truck is so exciting,” said Heavy D. “It is something that we have never done before as well. It is a project that I have wanted to do for a long time. I literally have had it in my back pocket just waiting, waiting and waiting for that right client to come along.”

The design begins with a 2017 Ford F550 4×4 Powerstroke B20 Diesel.

Using Ford OEM drivetrain parts, they are converting it to be a true 6X6, the first and only true 6S6 Super Duty pickup.

When completed, the truck that can be driven around town or on any off-road terrain. It will be able to haul an excess of 30,000-pound trailers and features an 11-foot bed with double fender openings.

“I’m telling you it is a jaw dropper,” said Heavy D.

Just from bits and pieces of information and videos about the truck that they have posted on social media, they have already received numerous requests for the truck.

“I am talking big farms and factories, people down there saying we need that truck, how do we get that platform down here. It is innovative and new. Something that even the U.S. government is looking at because the platform is so robust and so capable. So, what we are building is much more than a show truck,” he said.

The truck is scheduled to be showcased at the Commodity Classic in Anaheim, Calif. at the end of February 2018. The episode of Diesel Brothers that will feature the truck is tentatively scheduled to air later this spring on the Discovery Channel.