</font><font color="blue" class="small">( definitely from the exhaust....stopped the other day to open the gate, and lo and behold, there's a new brown spot where I stopped the tractor )</font>
Same thing here with my 2544. If you stop anywhere over green grass for more than a minute or so after she's HOT. You will get a rectangular scortch mark right below where the muffler/exhaust was.
G/luck
Joel