Possible danger of tractor side exhaust

[MossRoad]

You can wear a respirator just as easily as wearing a face shield. You do whatever the **** you want with it, but there is a good reason why almost every current manufacturer uses the low exhaust.

Probably operator visibility and easier opening hood, not tree branches.

 

[arrow]

You can wear a respirator just as easily as wearing a face shield. You do whatever the **** you want with it, but there is a good reason why almost every current manufacturer uses the low exhaust.

If you wish to bury your head in the sand go right ahead. I feel your comparisons of a nuisance to a possibility of serious disease are inane at best. "Have you ever heard of a single confirmed case of lung cancer that occurred with normal operation of a tractor? Yeah, me neither". I also have not heard of a single person who has ad their eye poked out because their exhaust stack is vertical. But.. do you know anyone with cancer? How'd they get it? Just last week they came out with 90% of cancers are environmentally driven. Do you have even a clue what causes cancer in one person but not the other when both are living the same life style?
Might someone else have a predisposition to acquiring the disease because of lesser immunity?
"You can wear a respirator just as easily as wearing a face shield". Well, no you can't especially with a logging helmet on. Putting down the face shield I think much easier no? Also, some people do not venture out into the woods at all.
This is getting silly and yeah, I'll always abide by what a corporation decides to do with their product since corporations always have my best interests at heart rather than aesthetics, or competition or bottom lines.

Keep your side exhausts along with poo-pooing my concern. That will make the entire issue nonexistent I'm sure.

 

[varmint]

My first tractor had a vertical stack exhaust, and although it was an 80's tractor, and therefore perhaps didn't burn as "clean", I remember occasionally smelling exhaust, unlike the next two, which both had low front exhausts blowing down. That said, I will check for exhaust in my work lights next time I am out at night. Thanks for alerting us to a potential issue.

 

[buickanddeere]

Think of all the CO accumulating in your bloodstream and tissues.
CO is a contributing factor to crashes, wrecks and incidents when operating any kind of ICE machine. In particular with extended hours of operation.

 

[arrow]

My first tractor had a vertical stack exhaust, and although it was an 80's tractor, and therefore perhaps didn't burn as "clean", I remember occasionally smelling exhaust, unlike the next two, which both had low front exhausts blowing down. That said, I will check for exhaust in my work lights next time I am out at night. Thanks for alerting us to a potential issue.

That's one of the possible problems varmint. I got to the point when I didn't smell a thing either as us humans have a tendency to become "nose blind". For the longest time, I couldn't figure out why I'd have a raspy throat and irritation. Never associated it to being on the new machine for the last two years. Attributed it to "allergies' even though I've never shown a predisposition to such. I do not do much loader work but I am always coursing through the woods with the bucket down to protect the tractor. In this position, the exhaust is not blowing "away" from the tractor but bouncing off and up the lowered boom. In the meantime, before altering the exhaust, the least I can do is make sure the boom is raised high enough to at least clear the flow a bit better.

 

[k0ua]

I'm with you.
My last tractor had the vertical exhaust. Always snapping tree limbs in my face.
I prefer the low exhaust on my current machine.

Same here. I don't notice anything out of our DK's anyway, unless you stand right in front of the exhaust. I never notice anything up in the seat.

 

[pmsmechanic]

One of the best mods I made to my 4410 was the upright exhaust stack. Before when I had the low front exit exhaust I was always breathing in the fumes. They would swirl around your face all day! Now I hardly ever smell the exhaust. Yes I have to watch low branches, but it's a small price to pay.

 

[JerryK]

All exhaust options have their good and bad points... Top exhaust is OK if you can get it high enough, and you like looking at it all day. Rear exhaust is great until you are back their changing implements. Side exhaust, if done right, I like the best for me. Especially out in the woods.

 

[DK35vince]

Same here. I don't notice anything out of our DK's anyway, unless you stand right in front of the exhaust. I never notice anything up in the seat.

Don't know why some are apparently worse than others, but I never noticed any fumes from my DK's lower left side exhaust.

 

[k0ua]

Don't know why some are apparently worse than others, but I never noticed any fumes from my DK's lower left side exhaust.

Well, for one, I think our DK's are the cleanest emission wise tractors I have owned. I understand the Tier 4 final machines are even cleaner, but our Tier 4 interim machines are pretty clean. Sure a lot cleaner than my first tractor an old Long made in Romania. Now that engine had some diesel stink. And that includes a tree branch grabbing vertical thru the hood exhaust.

 

[4570Man]

I have used several newish tractors including Kubota, Kioti, and John deer tractors without tier 4 emissions. Non of them produce detectable amounts of fumes except when lugged. If you had an old smoke bellowing tractor it might be a concern, but a smoke bellowing tractor with vertical exhaust is still way worse than a side exhaust clean burning tractor. I know dozens of people with cancer, but most of them have never or very rarely used a tractor. While I haven't had my eye put out I have taken a bunch of slaps to the face while using the L2550 with vertical exhaust.

 

[ovrszd]

As soon as the warrantee is off my Kioti the first thing I am doing is reroute the exhaust up into the air. No more grass burner exhaust for me.

Is the tractor offered with a choice?? If so, warranty would be no issue. If not, I still can't see how it would be an issue.

I'm in the timber a lot. I converted my M9540 and my Ford3910 to horizontal exhaust. I never smell exhaust fumes. 9540 dumps right by the left side step to get on. 3910 dumps out the rear.

 

[ovrszd]

I have used several newish including Kubota, Kioti, and John deer tractors without tier 4 emissions. Non of them produce detectable amounts of fumes except when lugged. If you had an old smoke bellowing tractor it might be a concern, but a smoke bellowing tractor with vertical exhaust is still way worse than a side exhaust clean burning tractor. I know dozens of people with cancer, but most of them have never or very rarely used a tractor. While I haven't had my eye put out I have taken a bunch of slaps to the face while using the L2550 with vertical exhaust.

I am slow,,,,, so I had to read your post twice to fully get it. Well Stated!!!!

 

[JD425AWS]

I have the same concern. I also thought my diesel was pretty clean when not being lugged. I realized how wrong I was one night when I had car headlights parked in front of me. It became very clear why I have carbon all over my FEL even though I am careful never to lug the engine. It is newer B3030 but it puts out a steady stream of particles that under most conditions I couldn't see. In population studies, lung cancer doesn't show up in diesel operators until they have been working around diesels for 30 years. But personally that is a concern to me. I am 45 and I have been working with diesel machines since I was 15 so that's already 30 years. I have other exposures to pollution as well - welding, gas engines, 2 stroke chainsaws, trimmers, etc. There may be lot to debate in terms of relative risk, and I think each person has to find their own comfort level. But for me, this machine is too dirty for me to be comfortable. I don't like to use it when my kids are around. On a very still morning I won't go back into the garage after I start it for 15 minutes because the particles hang in the air. To some people I am sure that sounds a little obsessive. But I went and drove a Tier 4 B3350 around the lot at the dealer. I lugged the heck out of it and didn't see a speck of carbon. I feel much more comfortable on that machine and I know I'll use it more. The disadvantage is that you have to regenerate the filter every so often which can take time, but for me Tier 4 is a strong plus in thinking about getting a new machine.

 

[Mitkof]

I have a tier 3 engine, Mitsubishi I believe, front low left exhaust. Seems to burn clean after warm-up. Haven’t smelled exhaust, but we always have 10-15mph winds 24/7 around my place. I’ll check FEL for soot tomorrow. Interesting information here, thanks. I learn something new every day.

 

[dieselcrawler]

The low left front exhaust on my JD 3005 has left the back of the loader bucket stained black...



I'm sure I've absorbed some of the fumes in the 200+ hours I've put on it, and would like to re-route it. I have plans to turbo charge the lil 1.3L beast, I may wait until then to cut a hole in the side panel for an exit, but in the meantime will likely follow the existing route from the manifold and follow my front FOPS leg to over the roof line. If it's too loud with straight pipe I will add a cherry bomb type muffler, but after 8' of pipe and more than 360° of bends as well as being over the roof, I doubt I will care how loud it is.

 

[4570Man]

The low left front exhaust on my JD 3005 has left the back of the loader bucket stained black... http://s699.photobucket.com/user/wv... Uploads/20151115_192237_zpshjo30fdg.jpg.html I'm sure I've absorbed some of the fumes in the 200+ hours I've put on it, and would like to re-route it. I have plans to turbo charge the lil 1.3L beast, I may wait until then to cut a hole in the side panel for an exit, but in the meantime will likely follow the existing route from the manifold and follow my front FOPS leg to over the roof line. If it's too loud with straight pipe I will add a cherry bomb type muffler, but after 8' of pipe and more than 360° of bends as well as being over the roof, I doubt I will care how loud it is.

My tractor isn't nearly that bad. There is no black on the bucket, and only a small about on the loader arm which is about 6" from the exhaust pipe. I have never cleaned the black off and I can still see paint through the soot after 720 hours of operation. This this is not a tier 4 tractor.

 

[lostcreekranch]

My only concern, with the low right side exhaust, is going into regen while in tall dry grass during one of our droughts. I have a LS XR4046HC cab tractor but, have never had an issue with fumes. Never noticed any soot on bucket either.

My New Holland TL100A has side exhaust but, top of exhaust is near top of the cab.

Sent from my iPad using TractorByNet

 

[ultrarunner]

If I'm doing any serious work I wear a respirator and hearing protection...

Often though about diesel particulates since I work in the medical field.

Sure I take a ribbing from time to time... but at the end of the day I breath clean and hear well...

Always figured it to be an occupational hazard.

My old CAT Dozer was the least offensive Diesel wise... the straight stack did a good job diverting.

 

[4570Man]

I borrowed a D3 dozer to do some grading work. This had a vertical straight stack with no flapper. I put 2.5 gallon bucket over it to keep water out I forgot to remove the bucket before starting it, and shot that bucket 10 feet in the air when it roared to life.