Side-Mounted Muffler Gives Tractor 5 More Hp

Side-Mounted Muffler Gives Tractor 5 More Hp TRACTORS Accessories 32-1-38 "I've been using small Kubota tractors since 1975. In 1980 a dealer told me that if I would exchange the 1 1/8-in. dia. exhaust pipe on my Kubota 2910 30 hp tractor to a larger size, the tractor's engine would run cooler and gain power. So I switched to a 2-in. dia. glass pack and gained 5 hp on the tractor," says Ray Bjorgaard, De Soto, Kansas. The tractor came with a muffler located directly under the hood, with exhaust coming out under the tractor, which caused the hood to get hot and the engine to lose power. Bjorgaard unbolted the muffler and rerouted the exhaust to come out the side of the hood. A restrictor ring was molded into the exhaust manifold. He used a stone to grind the ring smooth, then sawed the muffler mounting plate smooth and welded the pipe to the plate. He converted a 1 3/4-in. dia. pipe into an L-shape that comes off the manifold. Then he welded a 2-in. dia. pipe, which supports the new muffler, on top of it. To accommodate the tractor's side panel, he cut a U-shaped notch out of the panel, then pop riveted an aluminum horseshoe over the notch. "I paid $18 for the muffler and $1 for a new gasket that I bolted to the exhaust manifold. I already had the pipe," says Bjorgaard. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Ray Bjorgaard, 10060 Waverly Rd., De Soto, Kansas 66018 (ph 913 583-1744).

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