Exhaust conversion from grass burner to stack

[Looking4new]

I don't dare run my Kioti in long dead grass for fear of starting a fire. So after 5 years of thought and designing I bit the bullet and took her apart.


We separated the loader from the tractor;


The bolts holding the muffler onto the manifold were easy to take out;


I needed to remove the hood, first. The hardest part of that was getting the headlight harness off the hood. (No pics)

Stuffed a rag into the manifold hole to stop any cuttings falling in and cut the heat shield in two places so I could bend the horizontal part up.


The pipe I used was 1.75" by 45° angle, with a little 'customizing'. There are two of them. One off the manifold and the other fit into the first one. Both of these needed cutting/customizing.


The 2.5" x 30" stack installed. The stack is too short and I will be ordering a 3" x 48" stack this morning, along with adapters to go from 1.75" to 3". Might need to do that in two stages, but that is O.K. too.
The only thing left to do is cut the hood on the back corner. Pic of that to follow.

 

[LouNY]

Nice job. Just one thought if you bring the riser over closer to the corner of cab it will get it out of your line of sight quite a bit.
Also flat black is less noticeable then shiny.

 

[Looking4new]

After I get it all back together there will be pics of my view from the seat with a comparison pic from last winter with the grass burner. There will be a bit of obstruction on my left side but nothing I cannot live with.
I just ordered a 3" x 48" stack with a 45° bend at the top...$69.oo + shipping and two clamps for the hold down/up brackets.
I looked at my intake air filter just before I quit for the day. It is black. A pic of that will be loaded today.
New air filter ordered.

 

[Looking4new]

I just ordered from Summit Racing the exhaust heat tape for where the pipe runs near the heat shield. I tried to get it locally, but no joy.

 

[RedNeckGeek]

Don't you just love it when a plan works out?:thumbsup:

I've had the same concerns with the muffler on my Kubota. It points forward along the left frame rail at the bottom of the tractor, but it's equipped with a spark arrester. So far it hasn't started any fires, but then I've been careful to stay out of tall, dry grass with it, too...

 

[Looking4new]

RNG; maybe no fires from sparks off your exhaust, but what about heat? The Carrier APU on my big truck (Freightliner), in the owners manual it says to clear away any grass or other burnables near the exhaust pipe as the exhaust is hot and can/may start fires.
The Carrier APU uses a Kubota 2 cylinder diesel motor.

 

[Looking4new]

I will be wrapping the exhaust pipe from the manifold to just past the hood when the stuff gets here (It is the same stuff hot rodders wrap their headers with to get the heat away from under the hood). I am hoping the new pipe gets here about the same time as the wrap, then I can take it all off and wrap the pipe and install the new stack.
The hard part is done. Fabrication is always a slow process with me.

 

[RedNeckGeek]

RNG; maybe no fires from sparks off your exhaust, but what about heat? The Carrier APU on my big truck (Freightliner), in the owners manual it says to clear away any grass or other burnables near the exhaust pipe as the exhaust is hot and can/may start fires.
The Carrier APU uses a Kubota 2 cylinder diesel motor.

You're right, if parked long enough in tall grass, that stubby little exit pipe on the Kubota's muffler cold start a fire. In use, though, as in mowing, there's just not enough contact time to catch the grass on fire. At least there hasn't been in the ten years I've had this particular tractor.

But all this talk of exhausts is a reminder for me that I should probably pull the spark arrester off and clean it...

 

[countrybumpkin]

You will be better off with a stand off type heat shield over the wrap, it tends to rust out the tubing.

 

[Looking4new]

You will be better off with a stand off type heat shield over the wrap, it tends to rust out the tubing.

Unfortunately, the heat shield under the fuel tank is real close to the exhaust pipe. I will make this work until after the CV19 panic is over and I can get into a muffler shop and have them bend me a one piece tube.

 

[sixdogs]

Good looking solution.

 

[Looking4new]

Thanks sixdogs.

 

[sixdogs]

Let me add another thing since I have done similar conversions and was often stumped for the right size pipe. I found that hot rod mandrel bent pipes sold at rod shops such as at Summit racing usually fit my odd size and thickness tractor exhaust and muffler diameters. Saved me a lot of problems and fits surprisingly well.

 

[Looking4new]

Let me add another thing since I have done similar conversions and was often stumped for the right size pipe. I found that hot rod mandrel bent pipes sold at rod shops such as at Summit racing usually fit my odd size and thickness tractor exhaust and muffler diameters. Saved me a lot of problems and fits surprisingly well.

I will keep that in mind. I'm looking at Karbelt, first. Pereformance Improvements have shut down their website.

 

[redman135]

If you don't have a shed for your tractor, it would be a good idea to angle to end of the exhaust or fit a rain cap, as rain getting into the exhaust can rundown the pipe into the head, and then rust the valve seat.

 

[Looking4new]

The tractor has been 'shedded' since the day I took delivery. I am going with a 45°slash anyway. Rain can run down the pipe, but it wont get into the exhaust manifold/head due to the fact that the stack is not attached to the exhaust pipe. Water will run down both the inside and outside of the stack and fall harmlessly onto the ground.

 

[sixdogs]

Let me add another thing since I have done similar conversions and was often stumped for the right size pipe. I found that hot rod mandrel bent pipes sold at rod shops such as at Summit racing usually fit my odd size and thickness tractor exhaust and muffler diameters. Saved me a lot of problems and fits surprisingly well.

I will keep that in mind. I'm looking at Karbelt, first. Pereformance Improvements have shut down their website.

Forgot you were in Canada. The bends I used I were the mandrel bends for headers. For whatever reason, the ID and OD needed on my Kubota examples were perfect.

 

[Looking4new]

Forgot you were in Canada. The bends I used I were the mandrel bends for headers. For whatever reason, the ID and OD needed on my Kubota examples were perfect.

I buy from Summit Racing, too.
I have a buddy with a tubing bender, he bought it to bend the tubing for his roll cage. Trouble is, he is 6 hours north of me one way.

Here is another reason for the stack.

 

[sixdogs]

I buy from Summit Racing, too.
I have a buddy with a tubing bender, he bought it to bend the tubing for his roll cage. Trouble is, he is 6 hours north of me one way.

Here is another reason for the stack.
View attachment 650504

Did the heat cook your air filter?

 

[pmsmechanic]

I worked on an irrigation motor years ago. It was a small diesel lift pump for flood irrigation. They didn't have the exhaust led very far away from the pump house and the wind swirling the exhaust lead it back inside the pump house. The filter was so plugged the motor wouldn't run any more. Your filter looks pretty pristine compared to the one we pulled off of that little diesel motor.