Trailering Tractor with Forward Facing Exhaust. Issues?

LDowney

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Equipment
Kubota MX6000
Hey guys. Picked up my new Kubota M7060 tractor this week. As you can see from the photo below, the exhaust on this model is forward facing. Someone told me recently I need to close/cover this exhaust off when trailering the tractor to prevent water from entering the exhaust system and turning the Turbo in reverse would eventually burn it out. And yes, since this is my business, I trailer the tractor several times a week.

Is this a real issue? Should I be blocking this exhaust pipe off when towing?

Any Kubota M7060 owners that has turned the exhaust 90 degrees? Is that a better solution?

Thanks.

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BigG

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Load it backwards. JK There are arguments for covering or not but each engine is different. If this a concern to you why not purchase a flapper valve to cover the opening? If the valve is in place you do not need to worry about it blowing off or forgetting to put it on. http://armysurpluswarehouse.com/large-exhaust-flapper-cap-6-inch/ I do not know how big your exhaust is but it is not big money at least.
 

Fordtech86

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It wouldn’t be the issue of it turning backwards, it would just be an issue of the turbo spinning without the turbo being supplied oil for lubrication of the turbo shaft.
 

RCW

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Downey - I see you went with R4's. Nice tractor!

I can't help, but do recall this issue coming up a couple/few years ago here on OTT.

There may be others that recall the conversation/consensus better than I. Also maybe you could get lucky with the search function her at OTT.

Contractors haul turbo diesel equipment with similar exhaust everyday. Somebody's gonna know.

Good luck with that great machine,!

Sent from my QTASUN1 using Tapatalk
 
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dlsmith

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The turbo issue is an old wives tail. The way a turbo housing and turbine wheel are made, it would take a LOT of airflow to make it spin. Besides, where is the air going to go once it exits the turbo? Diesel engines have little or no valve overlap (Intake and exhaust valves open simultaneously) so there is no place for it to go.
In 50 years of working around construction equipment and trucks, I never heard of such a failure.

The problem of rain entering the exhaust is a valid concern though. If enough got into a cylinder with an open exhaust valve, it would hydro-lock the engine, and that would not be good. Water in the turbo housing would not be good either if left setting for a while. It could rust up the turbine wheel oil seal ring(s) causing it to fail.
 

SidecarFlip

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Mine are both pointed sideways and I trailer them both infrequently.
 

North Idaho Wolfman

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Turbos can spin enough to damage them, you can't move enough air.

Water is a small concern as ay water in there is bad, but you would have to be flying long at a good clip in a real heavy rain storm with the wind just right for water to ever get in there, that odds of getting any amount of water in there that would be of any concern are really really low.

But if your concerned about it, put a sock ( cover) over the exhaust when you move it.
 

sdk1968

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^^^ thought of a "sock" per se.....

was thinking about a sock for a different part of your body. LMAO

also can go by a less sexual name: stick a balloon over it.

or even just a ziplock bag with a rubber band on it.
 

SidecarFlip

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Turbos can spin enough to damage them, you can't move enough air.

Water is a small concern as ay water in there is bad, but you would have to be flying long at a good clip in a real heavy rain storm with the wind just right for water to ever get in there, that odds of getting any amount of water in there that would be of any concern are really really low.

But if your concerned about it, put a sock ( cover) over the exhaust when you move it.
Clean or dirty sock? Like I said, I just rotated my stack to the side.
 

hope to float

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Is there not a little U-bend at the bottom of the exhaust to trap any water going down the pipe.
Surely the same thing could happen parking it outside on a wet and windy night.
Used to always put a bean can on top of straight exhausts if the tractor was going to be parked up for a while but got sick of the sound of the bean can hitting the roof of the cab on start-up.
Eventually fitted a flapper :D
 

SidecarFlip

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Most every OEM stack is angle cut so a flapper won't work. Don't like those things anyway, make too much flapping noise.
 

man00

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Jul 3, 2013
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Always wonder with those flappers once they become stuck or hard to open if they create much back pressure...probably not?
 

LDowney

Member

Equipment
Kubota MX6000
Problem Solved! I unscrewed the 3 screws holding the exhaust end on, rotated until the screw holes lined back up which 2 out of 3 did and made 1 new hole. Screwed back on and done. There was no way I was fooling with putting a sock over that every time I trailer it. Now it faces to the rear. No wind or rain will be forced down when trailering. I like this look better as well. Not sure why Kubota doesn't do this angle from the factory.
1.jpg
2.jpg
 
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spacemanspiff

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Dec 4, 2015
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Have you ever tried to spin a new turbo by hand? Plus, there is a dpf in there also. People haul them like that every day. If it was harmful kubota would change it.

Is it pointed at your mirror? The manual warns about setting the barn on fire during a regen.
 

LDowney

Member

Equipment
Kubota MX6000
Have you ever tried to spin a new turbo by hand? Plus, there is a dpf in there also. People haul them like that every day. If it was harmful kubota would change it.

Is it pointed at your mirror? The manual warns about setting the barn on fire during a regen.
I agree but after reading dozens of posts about this being an issue, I'd rather have it pointed that way to be on the safe side. Plus, pulling it in the rain won't be an issue now either. Yeah, it's pointed at the mirror but it's a good 2 feet away. If it does damage to the mirror I will replace it and try another angle.
 

lugbolt

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only way the turbo can turn is if air passes through the turbine housing.

Look at the turbine wheel. It's shaped such that it will turn when exhaust passes over/through it. But backwards flowing air? It will BARELY (if at all) turn--ant that's with 120 psi forced into it (tried this the other day).

Getting air to pass through the turbine housing and through the engine is pretty close to impossible. Why? Because in order to get air to pass through the housing and past the wheel, and exhaust valve has to be open at the same time as an intake valve, so that air can pass through. Then you have the intake manifold, throttle valve (on common rail engines), air intake tubing, intercooler, and finally the air filter to get air to pass through. There's so much restriction that air flow is so low that it simply ain't gonna get the turbo to turn fast enough if at all to cause any damage.

Also, there's a film of oil stuck on the turbo's parts after shut down, and it takes a VERY long time to "hurt" the bearings and/or shaft at the low speed it might turn while in tow.

Not even mentioning the DPF...huge restriction in itself. Remember there's also the DOC.

I wouldn't call it an old wives tale. In the old days it might have been an issue but turbine wheels have changed such that they will barely turn with air flowing backwards across them; not even counting the way the housing works. In normal operation, the housing acts as a "funnel" which speeds up the exhaust gases as they hit the wheel. Air flowing backwards from the muffler/DOC/DPF is going MUCH slower and at a MUCH lower volume, if it gets past the turbine wheel, it's going so slow that it's just not going to do any work. Look at how a funnel works. You pour gas into it from the large end, it comes out the small end faster...but if you try to pour it backwards, it just doesn't work. Same principle.
 

SidecarFlip

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My feeling is, it's a non problem looking for a solution.
 

SidecarFlip

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I agree but after reading dozens of posts about this being an issue, I'd rather have it pointed that way to be on the safe side. Plus, pulling it in the rain won't be an issue now either. Yeah, it's pointed at the mirror but it's a good 2 feet away. If it does damage to the mirror I will replace it and try another angle.
Between this forum and everywhere else you posted, I'd say you have more than a few replies....:D