180 Mods.

[Barryh]

The chrome muffler tips I welded on are good for at least 10 more HP
The heat reduction in the engine compartment far exceded my expectations.

I'm not so much interested (at this time), in the larger carb. My PT sucks gas as it is, but the heat reduction in it's self, is a really needed improvement for longer engine life. Great out of the box thinking.

 

[Beechwood]

I'm not so much interested (at this time), in the larger carb. My PT sucks gas as it is, but the heat reduction in it's self, is a really needed improvement for longer engine life. Great out of the box thinking.

The conversion is a very simple solution and easy to do. The hardest parts to fabricate were the new manifold flanges. I have a Hyper-Therm 380 plasma cutter with worn consumables ( a real pain in the as.. to use, i'll be ordering new fine cut tips today ) so I had to do some grinding on the 1/4" flanges to get the proper fit.

 

[MossRoad]

On a side note, about how much does a low end plasma cutter cost and what types of consumables do they use? I know nothing about them and was just wondering. I also see some that say "includes compressor" so I'm assuming they need forced air for something? Also, how thick of material will they cut?

 

[Beechwood]

On a side note, about how much does a low end plasma cutter cost and what types of consumables do they use? I know nothing about them and was just wondering. I also see some that say "includes compressor" so I'm assuming they need forced air for something? Also, how thick of material will they cut?[/QUO

I paid $1075.00 for the 380 I think list is about $1200.00. My cutter will cut 1/4" stock with a fine quality cut, 3/8" cut with so-so- quality cut, and up to 1/2" severance cuts. My unit needs a remote air compressor with a good quality inline desiccant air dryer. The consumables are the electrode, swirl ring, retaining cap, and nozzle. Inline moisture is a plasma cutters worst enemy, it will chew up and distroy the nozzle tip and electrode very quickly

 

[Barryh]

Very nice, I will be curious to see what kind of performance gains you get once you add your your new carb / with your duals setup. I bet just the duals alone will make a big difference.

 

[Highridge]

Sweet! Love the chrome.

 

[pajoube]

Heres one more from the front.

Very nice job. Keep the pictures coming.
PJ

 

[J_J]

On a side note, about how much does a low end plasma cutter cost and what types of consumables do they use? I know nothing about them and was just wondering. I also see some that say "includes compressor" so I'm assuming they need forced air for something? Also, how thick of material will they cut?

David, A low end plasma cutter is only good for sheet metal work. Air condition work, duct work, any thin metal, you can cut fast and all day. These units will cut anything that is electrically conductive. Stainless, brass, steel, etc. For the kind of work that you and I do, I would recommend something like the Lincoln Procut-55. It cuts 3/4 in steel and will sever 1 in. It runs on 220V. Most units use external air, while some smaller units use 115v, and a built in air compressor. Good quality air is a must, oil free, and moisture free. The swril ring and tips cost varies with the machine. I use a drag shield on my cutter, it lets you lay the shield on the metal and just drag it, maintaining a set distance. That make it easy to get a good cut. I paid $1895 for mine about there years ago. If you shop around you can find deals. Ebay is a good source. Type in plasma cutter for your search.

 

[Beechwood]

JJ;
Where did you get your drag shield?, or did you make it up?. If I'm cutting patterns or straight line cuts I make up templates using 1/2" plywood, that gives me about a 1/16" stand off while I'm cutting. The drag shield would be a lot easier to use. Do you have the circle cutter adapter?, I was wondering how good the quality of cut is. My Hyper-Therm 380 gun is the pac110 , same as the miller spectrum 375, with fresh tips it will cut 1/4" stock all day ( sometimes I wish it were a little faster ) leaving a very clean edge. Its a great machine for my needs,budget, and amount of use, very rarely do I need to cut 3/8" + stock.

 

[J_J]

JJ;
Where did you get your drag shield?, or did you make it up?. If I'm cutting patterns or straight line cuts I make up templates using 1/2" plywood, that gives me about a 1/16" stand off while I'm cutting. The drag shield would be a lot easier to use. Do you have the circle cutter adapter?, I was wondering how good the quality of cut is. My Hyper-Therm 380 gun is the pac110 , same as the miller spectrum 375, with fresh tips it will cut 1/4" stock all day ( sometimes I wish it were a little faster ) leaving a very clean edge. Its a great machine for my needs,budget, and amount of use, very rarely do I need to cut 3/8" + stock.

Lincoln makes the drag shield for my plasma cutter. I do have a simple circle cutter, and it works quite well. For small circle cuts, I bend some strong wire into the shape that I want. They can be made el cheapo. The way it works is this, drill a hole in the center of the circle you wish to cut. Bend one end of the wire 90 degrees 1/2 in long. The longer wire will loop around the end of the torch tip. The radius is determined by the diameter of the circle you are cutting. You then light off the torch, and push or pull the torch tip around the circle. You could make several of these for say, 1/2 in, 5/8 in. 3/4 in, etc. Picture below is a commercial circle cutter, for plasma or gas cutting.

For more info, search the internet for plasmawiz.

 

[Beechwood]

I have received a few PM's asking about the mufflers I used for my dual exhaust conversion. If anyone is interested in doing the conversion here is the info on the mufflers:

Lawn Mower Parts and Lawn mower Parts and Tractor Parts

When you get to the web site keyword in canister mufflers or KOHLER # 237550S

KOHLER PART # 237550S
AFTERMARKET PART # 105296 ( $29.34 )

 

[Barryh]

Thanks for sharing the information with us. So have you noticed any improvements other than the engine running cooler?

 

[Beechwood]

Thanks for sharing the information with us. So have you noticed any improvements other than the engine running cooler?

The job I was going to start last weekend with my 180 has been put on hold (customer is still waiting to hear from their bank on the home improvment loan ). The work involves clearing a 24'x30' area for a new workshop/storage shed. It will be a good job to use the brush cutter, stump grinder, mini backhoe and bucket to see how it performs with the new exhaust. I'm also building the shop so I will be able to use my hydraulic boom to lift the field built trusses up (it's just a very simple even pitch truss with a center king post, so they will be light trusses). The workshop is going to 16'x24'. I would have gone with a larger building but it's their money and they are on a budget, I hope to hear this week that all went well with their bank.

 

[Barryh]

The job I was going to start last weekend with my 180 has been put on hold (customer is still waiting to hear from their bank on the home improvment loan ). The work involves clearing a 24'x30' area for a new workshop/storage shed. It will be a good job to use the brush cutter, stump grinder, mini backhoe and bucket to see how it performs with the new exhaust. I'm also building the shop so I will be able to use my hydraulic boom to lift the field built trusses up (it's just a very simple even pitch truss with a center king post, so they will be light trusses). The workshop is going to 16'x24'. I would have gone with a larger building but it's their money and they are on a budget, I hope to hear this week that all went well with their bank.

Great keep us posted.

 

[Beechwood]

CARB. AND DUAL EXHAUST UPDATE:
I did some excavation work yesterday and today. I used the brush mower, stump grinder, mini backhoe and bucket. I installed the new carb last week and I am very pleased with the results.

#! better acceleration.
#2 Engine compartment heat index has been lowered by almost half.( I used a very scienitific test--- I held my hand on the carryall bed. Before the conversion I could slow fry an egg on the bed now the bed is luke warm to the touch, )
#3 when I am digging into a pile of dirt the engine will not bog down as it did before the conversion, now the wheels just spin.
#4 the engine runs a lot smoother and shuts down when I turn off the key without poping and backfiring.
#5 when I got home I welded the mufflers to the 1" black pipe because the clamps loosened up by the end of the day.

I will fabricate two muffler support brackets this week.

 

[Barryh]

Much needed improvement, great job Beechwood.

 

[Beechwood]

I have received a few PM's asking about the mufflers I used for my dual exhaust conversion. If anyone is interested in doing the conversion here is the info on the mufflers:

Lawn Mower Parts and Lawn mower Parts and Tractor Parts

When you get to the web site keyword in canister mufflers or KOHLER # 237550S

KOHLER PART # 237550S
AFTERMARKET PART # 105296 ( $29.34 )

GOOD NEWS-BAD NEWS !!
The 180 is still runng strong since the conversion---but one of the mufflers crapped out today ( less than 16 HRS. use ). I bought the aftermarket mufflers- FROM ACROSS THE BIG POND (you get what you pay for ) to see how long they would last ($29.34 EA.) #105296. Well they didn't last very long !!. When I got home I tried welding the blown out crimped muffler end cap seam using C25 gas with .024 wire, and I still got burn thru.-- that tells you how thin walled the muffler is !!. I'm going to order the OEM KOHLER PART# 237550S- approx. ($45.00 EA) and compare the two mufflers. If anyone is considering doing the conversion stick with born in the US of A parts !! ( at least I hope the OEM mufflers are made in the USA. ). I'll find out soon enough.

That's my Rant for today.

 

[Gravy]

I finally made good on my threat to try the genuine Robin side mount muffler kit. It took some creative plumbing, but I got it done. I hope to post the pics someday (probably some foul-weather weekend).

It doesn't live up to my hopes. The quality seems fine, but I didn't gain enough in performance or sound control to make it worthwhile. It is somewhat quieter and more of a mellow tone, but it's still not quiet by any stretch of the imagination. The configuration of the manifold doesn't come close to lining up with the cutout in the engine cover, so I had to add several elbows, which may have hurt flow. There may be a slight power increase, but I'm not sure. It still backfires.

If I ever try again, I will probably make a manifold out of butt-weld pipe fittings and use a much larger-volume quiet muffler, possibly from a small car.

Dave

 

[BobRip]

I finally made good on my threat to try the genuine Robin side mount muffler kit. It took some creative plumbing, but I got it done. I hope to post the pics someday (probably some foul-weather weekend).

It doesn't live up to my hopes. The quality seems fine, but I didn't gain enough in performance or sound control to make it worthwhile. It is somewhat quieter and more of a mellow tone, but it's still not quiet by any stretch of the imagination. The configuration of the manifold doesn't come close to lining up with the cutout in the engine cover, so I had to add several elbows, which may have hurt flow. There may be a slight power increase, but I'm not sure. It still backfires.

If I ever try again, I will probably make a manifold out of butt-weld pipe fittings and use a much larger-volume quiet muffler, possibly from a small car.

Dave

Gravy, if you have the ROPS, sound bounces off of it and makes the machine louder. Put some sound absorbing insulation under it and the machine will be a little quieter.

 

[Gravy]

Bob,

I've been planning to do just that for nearly 2 years now, ever since I rode in the PT factory "bus" and saw that it had sound absorbing foam on the ceiling. It's on The List, but The List keeps getting longer...

Gravy