Improving/Installing Cab Pressurizer for less dust

[treemuncher]

The cab pressurizer system on my Lamtrac 8300 has been less than stellar. The stock cabin air filter is an automotive type rectangular filter, about 1.5" thick, installed backwards that limits the amount of dust intake until it is completely clogged. Had it been installed correctly by the OEM, it could have worked somewhat suitably for at least 4x the life it was currently getting. My machine generates more dust than most other types of heavy equipment and I was tired of seeing dust in my cab. It's not good for my health, either.

Time for a little bit of rework. I had used an old welder with a blown engine for my PTO welder in my service truck. I had a left over Donaldson canister type filter and mounts left over from the dead Wisconsin. That was small enough to fit behind my back glass on the cab and clear when lifting the cab. Good, filtration in stock. I customized a bracket from some scrap and mounted the canister to that and used existing glass frame screws for attachment points.

The OEM system used a black pvc pipe with insulation wrap to get the fresh air to the air handling unit. No force fan, just whatever suction the system provided until the outside filter was clogged, again. I cut the rear polycarbonate "glass" with a hole saw at the proper location for tap in into the black pvc. I cut the black pvc and removed the top half and sealed the old filtration hole with a plumber's bung. I used some flex AC tubing to tie into the black pvc and ran some old piping into the new air filter mounted outside of the cab.


After testing the performance of the system, it was certainly filtering much better but I was still getting some dust into the cab and I knew I needed a pressurizing fan. I got on Ebay and did some research for 12v inline fans. Easiest thing was a bilge fan for a boat for under $30 delivered. 3" was close to the 2.5" piping that I was using and it only draws 2.5 amps while running. I needed hosing adapters and more hose to get this finished right. I found a great source for intercooler components, custom hosing products and forced air piping. Check out http://www.siliconeintakes.com/ for a full list of silicone piping, clamps, aluminum piping and more. They had everything I needed in stock including 3" x 2.5" adapters and a 60 degree hose to avoid a structural upright.


Once wired into my air handler, the system is running great and keeping my cab much cleaner. With the forced air system I will likely have to empty the cab air filter more often but I do have much cleaner air. This was a simple fix that took a few hours but was well worth the layout and effort. Hopefully this post will help anyone else looking for cleaner air in their work environment.

 

[Bootheal]

Well done!
Appreciate the link also.

 

[Delmer]

If you ever do it again, I'd stick with a centrifugal blower like you'd find in any junk car or truck. A centrifugal blower will operate better at a higher pressure, variable volume than an inline fan like a bilge fan. A bilge fan is designed to ventilate a small space through a very short hose with no restriction, and does not produce the pressure that a centrifugal blower will. And the centrifugal blower won't care if the volume gets choked down from a plugged filter etc.

 

[treemuncher]

If you ever do it again, I'd stick with a centrifugal blower like you'd find in any junk car or truck. A centrifugal blower will operate better at a higher pressure, variable volume than an inline fan like a bilge fan. A bilge fan is designed to ventilate a small space through a very short hose with no restriction, and does not produce the pressure that a centrifugal blower will. And the centrifugal blower won't care if the volume gets choked down from a plugged filter etc.

Agreed. I was more concerned about size and fit in this application than performance. The original system relied on the suction from the air handler for makeup/pressurizing air to the cab. This inline blower is working better than stock ever did and it is still piped the same so the air handler is supplementing the draw.

I had a system that I had pulled off of my PC200 but the components would not fit easily. I needed clearance when the cab is lifted to access the underside for maintenance.

Most important on this post was the link for siliconeintakes. I've had to replace and modify some air systems on turbos and this place has it all and at very reasonable prices. I've also used some of their clamps and silicone lines for radiator components with excellent results.