curved exhaust stacks

[karl f]

should you cover a curved stack if it will sit for an extended period of time outdoors? never see anything on dealer lots.

karl f

ps ot: was looking at pipe organ images today, and some pipes look like exhaust pipes, even with band clamps! which is what reminded me to ask this question. so far the closest link i've found to music and tractors is steam... :-D

 

[Steven f/AZ]

I never have, and haven't ever had a problem.

Of course, it would never hurt to put a coffee can or something over it...

 

[old]

Depends on the curve. If its a pretty good one and has a long end your most likely ok but if the curve sits straight up or in other words the end runs like the exahust pipe porbably should be covered
Hobby farm

 

[Hugh MacKay]

karl: Most modern day tractors with curved stacks don't have the stack going directly down to manifold. There are drains in the systems.

I'd still cover any stack if tractor is being parked more than a few days. If stack is tight, no tractor ever got enough water in the engine overnight, to harm anything unless there was something deflecting water down the stack. One of the worst items to deflect water down a stack is one of those exhaust caps held open by wind. Tractors parked near trees or higher buildings can take in a lot of water, but there again it's deflected water.

A tractor parked in the middle of an open field with tight exhaust, will take in very little water even in a 6" rain fall. I once got caught with Farmalls 560 and 300 in the middle of a field, 9" of rain in 24 hours, we couldn't easily get to those tractors other than by boat, and didn't get to them for 3 days. When we started them, very little black wet soot blew from the stacks. I'd be willing to bet most of it was trapped right in the mufler.

 

[Red Mist]

On a straight stack, a Royal Crown Cola can with the top removed works well over the stack. If you live in a area of the country with strong winds, I have seen tires hung over the stack. Works great. mike

 

[GordoSD]

My 966 has the rain deflector on it. The wind will pop that up a lot of times. I got in the habit of putting a pail over it. (short pipe, large muffler). On some occasions when I didn't put the pail on there, even though there was no rain or snow, I got more than I like to see white smoke on startup.
I now put that 4 gallon pail on there every time, and my starts are faster, and no white smoke, even if there has been NO precip.

WHEN IT DOUBT, COVER IT UP!

Gordo

 

[Anonymous-0]

My diesel tractors have curved exhaust stacks and I have never had a problem with them although they sit outside pretty much year round here on the west coast. I do not cover them although I probably should. The gas Farmalls have rain caps but then again they live in the shed most of the time.

BUT,,,,, My portable welder with a two cylinder Wisconsin engine had a straight stack and was always left with a pop (lets be realistic, it was a beer can) over the exhaust stack. When I went to start it a while ago the crankcase was full of water. Turns out there was a hole in the top of the muffler which created a funnel with much larger area than the open stack. Tractor mufflers are the same construction so do not think your pop can will give you security if your muffler is more than a couple of years old.

 

[Fancy Farm]

They will get water in them and they will rust out the elbow at the bottom of the stack.I have spent $1000.00 on my CAT tractor in the last 2 years on the exhaust. My Magnum has had the elbow at the bottom of the stack replaced at least 2 times,

 

[ericlb]

i usually cover my tractor stack and my trucks too, the tractor has a rain cap, but i dont trust those things to stay shut, to cover i just use a common rubber bucket, but i also use a bungee between the handle and hooked to the tractor where i can, seems our friend the wind likes to blow the bucket off while im at work and just before a rain or snow shower

 

[richardinnz]

Not so much while stood in a dealers yard, but MUST be covered when transporting on a truck, we have had problems with turbocharger failure due to the turbochargers being spun by the passing air while there is no lubrication being provided by the engine, mostly happend with loading shovels which have a large exaust pipe opening.

 

[teddy52food]

It is a good idea to disable the ign and bump the starter & turn the engine over a few times to make sure there is no water above the piston which could cause a hydrolic lock. (After sitting in the rain)

 

[Hugh MacKay]

Teddy: The only engines I've ever seen with enough water in them from an overnight rainfall, either had a leaky exhaust system, or some other object like a rain cap, tree or high building deflected water down the stack.

For close to 60 years I've been around tractors, and in a one night rainfall, yes even 9", the only time I ever saw a hydraulic lock up in pistons was my Farmall 300 with exhaust pipe loose in manifold, and that was less than 2" of rain. The operator had put a can on the stack, but didn't bother to tell me pipe was loose. The can was still in place and one cylinder was full. The water ran along the sheet metal and down the pipe. The same tractor with a tight exhaust, along with 560 also tight exhaust, sat in the middle of a 100 acre field in a 9" rainfall in 24 hours, nothing over the stacks. There wasn't enough water in the two of them to fill a thimble.

A tractor with a tight exhaust, uncovered, in an open field, over night, and full of water is something I've yet to see.

I quite heartily agree, if you suspect water, best to just leave the switch off and go for the hand crank. Starter could hit it hard enough to do damage, even without ign. I'd be tempted to remove spark plugs or glow plugs, which ever the case may be, crank the engine, watching which cylinder water came from, put all the plugs back but the one with water and start the engine. That is how I handled my 300 over 40 years ago.