FRANKFORT, Ind. — Running a ditching business, farming, raising horses and hunting just didn’t keep Sandy and Brandon Neal busy enough, so Sandy Neal started Hoosier Ag Tuning in January 2014.

“We like to stay busy,” she said with a laugh. “There’s never a dull moment around here.”

At Hoosier Ag Tuning, located at 6216 W. CR 200N. in Frankfort, Neal uses Ekotuning software to optimize diesel engines to unleash their full potential. The technology increases horsepower and torque while reducing fuel consumption, according to the Ekotuning website.

“Ultimately, it’s the safest way to give your diesel equipment more horsepower,” she said.

Explaining the difference between Ekotuning and other options for boosting horsepower, she said other companies put a box containing a chip on the engine.

“It tricks the engine into thinking it needs more fuel, and that’s what gives it more horsepower,” Neal continued. “It tricks the injectors into staying open longer, and that’s how it achieves more horsepower.”

Ekotuning works within the factory settings of the tractor, she said, by remapping the fuel system. For example, if a dealer makes four tractors in the 9.0-liter category, the engines will be labeled differently, but they’ll all have the same internal components. They’re simply set differently at the factory to allow only so much fuel at once, so that’s where each tractor tops out at horsepower.

Remapping the fuel system via Ekotuning can make the smallest tractor in a given class think it’s the biggest, Neal said. “We stay within the safety confines of each individual tractor,” she added. “The chips don’t realize what’s physically safe for each machine.”

She said Ekotuning allows her to customize diesel engines to whatever horsepower a farmer wants, within those safety parameters. She compared it to buying custom cabinetry versus generic cabinets from a “big box” store.

She explained she uses a dynamometer up front to measure the horsepower of the equipment – which must have a PTO – she’s tuning. Then she sends the file to the company, where it’s remapped.

Once it’s returned, she places the new file in the machine and does another dynamometer reading. By doing the two readings, Neal said, she can show the machine’s owner the before-and-after horsepower difference.

“I can work on almost any farm tractor, combine, forage harvester and some forestry equipment – anything that has a diagnostic port and is ECU-controlled,” she said.

She said she and Brandon learned about Ekotuning when he started researching a way to increase the horsepower of the tractor he uses to pull a ditcher for his business, Ditch Doctor. A thorough researcher, she said, Brandon called the Canada-based company and talked to the owner, who was looking to expand in the Midwest.

“Ekotuning seemed to have the best solution,” she said, adding at the time, she and Brandon were looking for a way to supplement their household income. “Since it was a good solution for our own equipment, it seemed like a good business to get into. We dug a little deeper and decided to make the investment.”

Hoosier Ag Tuning will have a booth at the Indiana-Illinois Farm Show with brochures and video explaining Ekotuning. Neal said they’ll be on hand to answer any questions. In addition, they’ll announce a show special.

To learn more about the business or to set up an appointment, call 765-242-6101.