Is it safe to experiment with adding exhaust to a tier 4 diesel?

   / Is it safe to experiment with adding exhaust to a tier 4 diesel? #1  
S

strantor

Platinum Member
Joined
Jun 20, 2018
Messages
931
Location
Brazoria co., TX
Tractor
LS XR4140H
I'm about to get a PTO generator for my LS XR4140 for whole-home power backup and since the tractor will be parked near (but not too near) the house during this operation I want to see if there are any options to make it quieter. Preferably something that can be bolted on and taken off easily. If it were a gas lawnmower engine I wouldn't have much concern about playing around with the exhaust, starting by adding a car muffler to it or something. But since the tractor does all this sciencey wizardry with the exhaust I'm not sure if it's safe to even look at it with these kind of ideas in mind.

I don't claim to understand how all of it works but I know that during regen the exhaust gets super hot, and with the added restriction I wonder if it would get even hotter, and possibly damage itself. Plus I imagine the turbo would run hotter even during normal non-regen operation. And that's assuming it would work at all, which it might not, since added backpressure might throw off the sensors.

This is a 40hp tractor. No DEF, but it does regen. So, anyone want to weigh in? Is it safe to try adding a car muffler onto the output of the existing muffler? I'm not even sure it would make it quieter; I know that exhaust systems are tuned to application, but I just want to try and see. As long as it doesn't mean risking a $20k investment.
 
   / Is it safe to experiment with adding exhaust to a tier 4 diesel? #2  
its almost never the muffler that is making the noise, people add them and they do nothing on generator's. the mechanical noise of the engine itself is just loud. 2 sheets of insulation backed plywood would prolly make a larger difference simply placed between the tractor and the house
 
   / Is it safe to experiment with adding exhaust to a tier 4 diesel? #3  
Can you make a belt drive for the generator so you can run the engine at a lower RPM? I assume your LS does not have a two speed PTO with a gear that lets the engine run slower while still running the PTO at 540.

Nearly any car muffler will be made to flow more exhaust than your tractor produces. But a car's engine runs anywhere between idle (6-900 rpm) and redline, around 6k rpm. While most small diesel tractors redline at 3k. So the car muffler may be tuned to suppress noise at a frequency that the tractor can't reach.
 
   / Is it safe to experiment with adding exhaust to a tier 4 diesel? #4  
Buy 50 foot of electric wire and be done with it. And as already mentioned leaning plywood against the tractor on the house side will make a lot of difference.
 
   / Is it safe to experiment with adding exhaust to a tier 4 diesel? #5  
Move it further away. The sound level decreases by the square of the distance. ie double the distance, half the noise. triple the distance. 1/9 the noise
 
   / Is it safe to experiment with adding exhaust to a tier 4 diesel?
  • Thread Starter
#6  
Well if all you guys want to do is make common sense suggestions instead of addressing my half baked ideas then,... well, I guess I came to the right place. :p
 
   / Is it safe to experiment with adding exhaust to a tier 4 diesel?
  • Thread Starter
#7  
ericm979 said:
Can you make a belt drive for the generator so you can run the engine at a lower RPM? I assume your LS does not have a two speed PTO with a gear that lets the engine run slower while still running the PTO at 540.
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I have looked into it and I would like to do something like that but the tractor needs to run at least a certain RPM (2k?) in order for the regen to do its thing. Also at lower rpm it might not have the HP to run the A/C or electric heat.
 
   / Is it safe to experiment with adding exhaust to a tier 4 diesel?
  • Thread Starter
#8  
4570Man said:
Buy 50 foot of electric wire and be done with it. And as already mentioned leaning plywood against the tractor on the house side will make a lot of difference.
Click to expand...
I already have 50 ft! It's a 50ft section of shore power cable good for 100A. Even at 50ft still loud as heck.
 
   / Is it safe to experiment with adding exhaust to a tier 4 diesel?
  • Thread Starter
#9  
I guess I'll need to build a small shed to park the tractor in when it's being a generator
 
   / Is it safe to experiment with adding exhaust to a tier 4 diesel? #10  
That tractor is not all that loud when your cold and in the dark. But seems to get louder when you have lights and heat? Interesting problem.


:)


As other have said, distance and sound barriers. They make fairly economical materials specifically for sound deadening. The material that work really well can get pricy. Have to do some googling to see what is available in your area. Foam as some have mention helps.

Those 2 x 2 and 2 x 4 ceiling tiles for grid ceiling work really well as for a lower end priced product. 4 x 8 sheets are also available. Easily installed to the interior of a shed. They do need to stay dry though. Often times you can get them for free as buildings are remodeled or under demolition.
 
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