Oil & Fuel Anyone use a mask to reduce Diesel fumes?

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I ran into the same problem when I first had my 3320. I love diesel engines through and through, but the exhaust is the one thing that I hate about them. Why tractor manufacturers have started putting the exhaust exits so low on the front of the machines is beyond me, it's completely stupid IMO. I tried numerous things to get rid of the amount of fumes that I breath. As it is now, I have to wear a respirator whenever I cut grass because I have horrible pollen, dust, grass, etc., allergies. The respirator I was using before I got the 3320 didn't block out the diesel fumes or smell. So I went and purchased this one from Lowes, AOSafety : Professional Quality Respiratory Protection.
It has a P100 filter (the highest filtration filter you can buy I believe), w/ a pre-filter that is charcoal based. The charcoal absorbs the smell of the diesel fumes and that makes the difference between this type of filter and others. So far it completely blocks out the diesel fumes and the only time I ever get a whiff is if I intentionally suck in lots of air while standing directly next to the exhaust. I kinda am annoyed that I have to wear it whenever I use the tractor, not just cutting grass. But I feel that keeping your lungs healthy is more important. It makes a big difference in how I feel after using the tractor. If I use the tractor without it I can tell that I have caused irritation to my throat and lungs because I'll have a slight cough for a night or two. With the respirator I don't encounter this problem and I feel great afterwards.

Another thing that will help greatly is to change the exhaust from a horizontal setup to a vertical mount. I installed the vertical exhaust kit on my 3320 and it made a huge difference in the amount of fumes that get blown back at your face. Even wearing a respirator it would be a good idea because the more fumes that are blowing in your face are going to wear down the effectiveness of the filters faster.

Personally I can't wait til' they start coming out with tractors that have emission control system's like the new diesel trucks do, I would definitely buy one. That's one thing I love about my 06 Dodge, it's still a pre-emission diesel, but it doesn't have anywhere near the smell that my 92' does. You can actually sit at a stop light with the windows down and not worry about it.

Finally some one is on topic.

Thanks, I was thinking of using a similar mask. I've used them for many things and I'm always glad when I do and mad at myself when I don't.

I use one of the thick cotton masks when doing lawn in peak pollen season to filter pollen. It's uncomfortable, it looks stupid, but what a huge difference it makes.

It took till about now for me to feel normal again since working on tractor 5hrs on Saturday running full throttle most of it.

Was your vertical exhaust a kit or your own. Would such a thing exist for the B2320?

 

[WH401]

Finally some one is on topic.

Thanks, I was thinking of using a similar mask. I've used them for many things and I'm always glad when I do and mad at myself when I don't.

I use one of the thick cotton masks when doing lawn in peak pollen season to filter pollen. It's uncomfortable, it looks stupid, but what a huge difference it makes.

It took till about now for me to feel normal again since working on tractor 5hrs on Saturday running full throttle most of it.

Was your vertical exhaust a kit or your own. Would such a thing exist for the B2320?

Nope problem, anytime. The vertical exhaust was a kit that JD sells. I don't know of such a kit being available from Kubota for that model tractor. It's not too hard to re-route the exhaust though. If something bothers you enough than you won't have a problem changing it to how it needs to be.

 

[TripleR]

Don't wear a mask, never felt the need. I used a BX2200 for five years and now use a BX2660 and JD2305 mostly. My Massey Ferguson 375 has an exhaust out the back as do my Ford 600 series and my Case has a cab with good filtration and the exhaust goes out above the cab. This has all been interesting and will be something to keep in mind though. I hate to admit it, but I kind of like the smell of diesel for some reason.

 

[westcliffe01]

A typical aftermarket oxidation catalyst costs about $100. It will oxidize CO to CO2, burn off most hydrocarbons but won't do much for the nitros oxides. If you combine this with a low rear exit exhaust (probably $150 at your local exhaust shop) you will have an effective long term solution to both noise and exhaust pollutants. If you still have a problem with other allergens, the mask will help, but in my opinion the alergens have a low risk of killing you, whereas the exhaust pollutants could.

My machine (bobcat B200) has a vertical stack, but it is too loud for my liking. I don't have any fume issues, but then I do burn ultra low sulphur diesel in mine. I will shortly do the rear exit exhaust conversion on this machine to cut down on noise. I am thinking of retiring the engine driven fan and going electrical, since that is another significant noise contributer and there is no way it needs to run all the time so there will be a fuel economy benefit too.

 

[scott_vt]

One benefit of all this reading is realizing CO may be more of a problem at idle than WOT. My shop detector (NightHawk) shows a couple hundred ppm after a few minutes with the BX running, usually at high idle. That's nowhere near enough to kill, but enough to make me stupid. No wonder we all drive around with the parking brake on...

Good Evenin Russell,
Some very interesting reading in this thread, some a bit over my head admittedly !

What I did want to make a point of is the amount of CO in PPM. As a volunteer fireman, when we get a CO call, we allways have an air pack on before proceeding to the front door. If we get a reading above 35 ppm we our required to put on our face mask before further monitoring with our CO meter. More often than not its the furnace or water heater, not working properly. Occassionally some one is warming their car in the garage under the house with the wind blowing it into the residence ! Some people just never learn !

 

[rdsaustintx]

Hi Scott.

Residential exposure is worst, as effects can be cumulative with continuous exposure. It nails kids and old folks first. 30 is the limit for occupational exposure, so I can see where your 35 guideline comes in. 50 can cause a heart attack. 500-800 can kill in an hour. You're doing a good thing out there.

Prior to cat converters, a bunch of cities routinely were past safe limits. I suspect westcliff knows more about that.

The saddest stories are the folks who setup emergency generators. Every time there is a hurricane or an ice storm, the inevitable news story pops up about a family getting completely wiped out.

Geez, I just depressed myself.

Russell (too stupid to wear my respirator)

 

[tommyz270]

TripleR - I'm with you... is it strange to 'like' the smell of diesel burning through the humming sound of a bota engine working hard?? But, I do have to say... that's outdoors -- when I'm going to work in my crawl space, it's going to be a little much, which is why I'm going to open as much as possible....

 

[rdsaustintx]

Tommy,

Have you thought about renting a fan or two? The rental places here have HUGE ones (for drying out houses after flooding).

 

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Just a follow up.

I used one of those $35.00 Paint spray masks (with 2 Charlcoal canisters) this past weekend.

I only worked an hour or so doing close FEL work but it worked perfect.

Rerouting exhaust would work for road work but would not for close FEL work or BH work. So I'm not going to fiddle with the exhaust.

 

[WH401]

Just a follow up.

I used one of those $35.00 Paint spray masks (with 2 Charlcoal canisters) this past weekend.

I only worked an hour or so doing close FEL work but it worked perfect.

Rerouting exhaust would work for road work but would not for close FEL work or BH work. So I'm not going to fiddle with the exhaust.

Great, I'm glad it worked for you.