PT1430 muffler and air filter modification

   / PT1430 muffler and air filter modification #1  

DonStillwagon

Member
Joined
Mar 5, 2003
Messages
37
Location
Murphy, NC
Tractor
PT1430 (2002), PT1430 (2022)
This post is in response to a request for mods to quiet the diesel exhaust noise on a 1430. I saw this on a visit to Tazewell on a machine used in the shop - the modification rerouted the exhaust from the short stack dumping the exhaust out the side behind the operator to out the back of the cage. It consists of taking the muffler off the engine (pretty simple as everything is accessible) and cutting off the short stack and welding a cover over the hole, and then using a holesaw to bore a cutout on the opposite end of the muffler. You might need to check on the internal structure of your muffler, on mine the short stack connected to a pipe that went to the other end through a center baffle. I welded a 10 inch piece of 2" od steel tubing to the muffler after drilling a bunch of small holes (3/16, I believe) and then capping it with a piece of plate. Then I welded a 12" piece of 3" od steel tubing over that so the smaller pipe was centered inside, making a rear exit stack. I took a short ring of 4" od tubing and welded it into the rear mesh lined up with the stack so that when the engine cover is closed it is centered and fits over the very end of the exhaust stack. This collar was welded to a piece of 1x1 angle fashoned and welded to short pieces of scrap material to cover the hydraulic PTO return line that the PT 1430 has going to the oil cooler. Weld the collar into the mesh, cutting the mesh out of the center and make the dimensions of the stack and collar so that they will not collide when opening and closing the cover.

This modification moves the exhaust noise to the rear at a lower level due the additional baffling, but the real benefit is getting that diesel exhaust away from the operator. Two conflicts arise with this modification, one with the location of the air cleaner on the back of the engine being in the way of the new stack location, and one with the rear light. I moved the light to the top of the cage looking out through the mesh as before but mounted on the cage instead of the engine. I routed the necessary wire through the angle mentioned before, and attached to the hydraulic line with wire ties.

On the muffler I decided to relocate it to the top of the cage in front of the fan using wire wound radiator hoses and steel pipe fittings. I made a manifold plate out of flat stock, and welded a 1 1/2" nipple into it at a downward angle, connected two wire wound radiator hoses togather to get to the nipple just forward of the fan (see the pictures). The nipple through the top of the cage is 2", and connects into a brass ball valve topside and has a 1 1/2 inch 90 degree elbow welded into the bottom side, aimed to the rear. Clearance is tight, so I held it close to the fan shroud and installed a bent nipple to guide the hose away from the fan shoud a bit - just slice a wedge of metal out of the nipple and weld the cut shut after bending. I found a piece of 1/2 emt bent to 90 degrees and going from a bolt topside to the end of the engine helped keep the hose from binding and chafing on the alternator fan shroud which houses the engine cooling fan - there is a lot of movement on the 2 cylinder engine. I welded a 2" nipple into the bottom of the air cleaner base and attached into the ball valve with a 12" extension pipe. Did not have the 12" extension at first, and the induction noise just behind your head is really bad at some rpm levels. The 12" rise helped a lot to change the resonance points. For those of you wondering, the ball valve works great to shut the engine down when other means fail. I can tell you that the Deutz will run pretty fast with the key off and the throttle closed if it is upside down, and since it is running on its lubricating oil it makes a great fog machine with really dense fog - lots of engine noise since it becomes a splash lube engine in that orientation but the Final Stop may be dramatic. Mechanics know that a rag is a good way to stop a runaway diesel, but an intake air valve that you can still reach is even better. PT makes a good ROPS, by the way. Another benefit of this modification is much longer air filter life - it is away from the chaff coming up behind the machine from mowing.

Well, this is probably way too long, but here are a few pictures if they attach ok. 100_0463.JPG100_0462.JPG100_0456.JPG100_0453.JPG100_0452.JPG100_0455.JPG
 
   / PT1430 muffler and air filter modification #2  
I can tell you that the Deutz will run pretty fast with the key off and the throttle closed if it is upside down... PT makes a good ROPS, by the way.

:eek:

And the rest of the story? Don't leave us hanging!
 
   / PT1430 muffler and air filter modification
  • Thread Starter
#4  
Actually, I was the one hanging - on the seatbelt that is. Story: New operator, mowing tall weeds alongside 10' dropoff, going probably too fast getting just a 1' cut along the outside of a gravel road, suddenly realized i had driven the right front tire into the air in an area where the bank had slid off, and just tumbled over and landed on roof against small tree. I was very fortunate due to good rops, able to shut engine down by feel since the cover was partially open - it did not respond to key off although the brushcutter did shut off with PTO switch. Somehow it did respond to the fuel lever being manually operated. No injury, just singed a bit in that hot engine area, oiled up with hot oil dripping from reservoir cap under the seat. Couple of things to remember should you have any engine upside down for a period - turn it over first with a wrench! The tow truck operator said it is a diesel, it will probably start up just fine, but I wanted to roll it over a few times using a wrench on the end of the crankshaft, and when I did so, it hydrolocked on engine oil long before TDC - just held steady pressure to squeeze the oil past the piston and slowly rolled it over two or three times, then it started right up with a LOT of smoke. I speculate that using the starter could have bent a rod or damaged something else.

In the LOL category, my rescue tow truck operator was unsure about retriving my poor machine due to having a similar recovery for an orange machine and having a very unhappy customer afterward due to scrapes on the paint. I informed him that I would please like to have my tractor back up here on the road with the wheels down instead of up and I did not care if it had ANY paint left ANYwhere! Apparently I do learn from close calls, and have had no similar experiences here in this hilly country. I have never had to use the air intake valve for shutdown except in testing, and it does work nicely.
 
   / PT1430 muffler and air filter modification #5  
Wow! So, did you remain calm during this procedure or did you panic?
Sounds like you had a plan before it happened so you were prepared?
 
   / PT1430 muffler and air filter modification #6  
Good job! I'm glad you were using your seat belt and didn't get hurt.
It's not unusual that a diesel will run on until it uses up the fuel or oxygen, unlike a gas engine that loses spark when the key is shut off. It's a good thing you didn't listen to the tow truck operator. I've come close a few times driving next to decent drop offs where the wheel gets just a bit to much air.:laughing:

Saw a cat driver that drove up on a corduroy style log bridge. The bark broke loose under the cat and it slowly slide off the bridge, dropped 20' onto it's side. The driver wasn't wearing a seat belt and he spit out the down hill side like a pumpkin seed. Luckily, the ground was very wet and the Caterpillar just stuck into the mud, on it's side, the driver was stunned and he surely would have been crushed if the it had tumbled over on top of him.
 
 
Top