Transporting tubo equipped machines

[RocksnRoses]

I was always under the impression that the exhaust pipe should be taped if facing in to the wind, when the machine is being transported. After reading some of the posts I am now wondering if the turbo can spin, but whether it does or not, taping is cheap insurance.

Rn'R.

 

[Boophoenix]

something not mentioned in this debate yet. what about debris say a small stone from the road or a twig get hung in there as it spools up? Odds of this happenig are slim, but the cost could be high. This would not be very good for the turbo. Personally I've never covered the exaust, but this brings new thoughts into the situation.

 

[imbzcul8r]

We cover all exhausts facing ahead. It's not worth giving a customer anything to bitch about. We use the tapered plastic cones that blasters use to plug blastholes.

 

[Iron Horse]

I loaded a machine onto my 8 wheeler tilt tray (roll back) for a new customer once . I climbed up and covered the exhaust with a vinyl bag with straps i had made . The customer seen what i was doing and said "you sir will be carting all my gear from now on " A little bit of care goes a long way .

 

[LowBoy]

Does everybody in the windy parts of the country park 'em with the stack downwind too? :stirthepot

Here's a good point if I ever heard one.ointlaugh

I do know that the Caterpillar dealership I hauled for was adiment about covering turbos while in transit. They claimed they had multiple failures due to this, and if you pulled into the yard with a piece on without a TurboSaver, they wrote it up.
They were especially stern about skidsteers.

I took my habits with me to the next job I got with a contractor, and when he saw me covering his exhaust on his stuff, I thought he was going to shed a tear of joy. A little goes a long way like Iron Horse said.

It always made me chuckle when the stack was facing backwards and they still got all worked up over it.

 

[qkoop]

They should be covered in any direction or in 60 mile an hour winds, i have had turbo falure happen twice after know it all lowbedders didnt cover it for extended trips.The impeller spins one way and then the other constanly because the presurre goes in then out.Air after the charge side of the compressor will compress slightly from wind presurre and there is movement in the shaft.Have you ever rolled your car window down and felt wind shutter with one wndow open.It is the same princapal.There is a reason why the big equipment companys want the exhaust covered,because it is a proven fact it is hard on turbos.

 

[AtlasRob]

I can honestly say I have never covered an exhaust or heard mention of it until a couple of weeks ago while talking to a guy who had unloaded 2 new Komatsu dozers over several months and both had thier stacks covered.
I have never noticed an exhaust covered during transport either, and I now make a point of looking whenever a lowloader goes by.:drinkup

 

[BCB]

we have hauled our s185 bobcat for several years with no signs of turbo damage

 

[LowBoy]

Not to be biased either way, but in the "old days", a lot of "know it all lowbedders" moved a serious amount of equipment around without the exhaust covered, before a "Turbo Saver" was even invented, and we never heard of a single failure. I'd hazard to say in a lot of cases these failures are due to overanxious operators wanting to go to coffee break or get home quickly, so they're shutting them down hot in my opinion. Either that or firing them up first thing in the morning at 2100 rpm's doesn't exactly prolong a component's lifespan either. I was taught as a pre-teenager by a big, mean older brother that whenever I started a diesel (or anything,) up cold in the morning, I'd better be letting that thing wake up on it's own without any throttle, or I'd be getting an $$$ kicking. It was something that I always remembered and practiced faithfully since. I shake my head when I see these guys fire something up at full throttle when it's 20 degrees out.

 

[Lashlander]

Yep, I, like Lowboy have left a trail of destroyed Turbos all over the Western United States. The only time I ever covered them was when they faced forward. That was only because of rain or snow going down the stack.
The only Turbo I've seen get replaced was on my old beloved 235. It started leaking antifreeze at around 11,000 hours. Now I realize I should have covered the stack when I hauled it to the job three months earlier!

 

[Dualie]

Um I can honestly say 100% that I have never covered a stack on turbo anything. ever. Lowbedding since birth damn near a million miles under my belt and never had a turbo failure that could be attributed to that.

to spin a turbo you to move volumes of air on both sides of the turbo. that means it has to go in the exhaust and out the air cleaners. period. Never seen an engine that would let that happen that still needed a functioning turbo

Even if the turbo was to free spin most all properly designed turbo's have a small well of oil that will still remain when the engine is shut off. while not enough to lubricate it at full throttle its more than enough to cushion it during transport.

I just don't by the covering your stacks business. but did have one joker operator that we used to play pranks on each other. I got back at him a while back by running the engine up to temp, shutting it down. then quickly sprayed some cold water into the exhaust stack.

when he went to fire up the unit in the morning he got a nice little shower of carbon everywhere. He promptly called me at 4:30 Am to let me know that I won and that I was #1

but to the original question, if covering the stack gives you a warm fuzzy feeling then by all means do it. If the customer requests that i cover it i will. that's where my stack covering starts and ends though.

 

[Iron Horse]

The damage will not be seen when the machine is unloaded off of the float , it's the microscopic damage that causes a Turbo not last it's intended lifespan . It may take years off it , when it fails will anyone even remember the time it was floated without the stack covered , or will they just put it down to wear , hot shutdowns , operator error , poor oil qaulity etc ?

 

[Dualie]

How is the air flowing? air has to FLOW in order for the turbo to spin. No intake and exhaust valves would have to be open in the same cylinder at the same time for that to happen.

simple test take your air cleaner piping so you can see the intake side of the turbo. Then take 120 PSI of shop air free flowing out of a half inch air hose and shove it down the stack. Note the amount of movement in the turbo impeller.

 

[LowBoy]

Yep, I, like Lowboy have left a trail of destroyed Turbos all over the Western United States. The only time I ever covered them was when they faced forward. That was only because of rain or snow going down the stack.
The only Turbo I've seen get replaced was on my old beloved 235. It started leaking antifreeze at around 11,000 hours. Now I realize I should have covered the stack when I hauled it to the job three months earlier!

See how you are Lashlander??!! You should get your butt kicked for that premature failure of that 235...:cussing

That thing was just getting broke in....whatsdamatta with you?

 

[Orchard Ex]

It may take years off it , when it fails will anyone even remember the time it was floated without the stack covered , or will they just put it down to wear , hot shutdowns , operator error , poor oil qaulity etc ?

So how do you separate out the wear created by hauling w/o a covered stack from all the other causes and positively assign blame for a failure?

 

[Dert-T]

Nice pic Iron Horse, do you have any other shots of that rig ? Love to see those good looking lowboys !!
If I've actually done this right, here's a pic of a 345BL with a covered stack from the other day.

 

[Haul-Pak]

I've had this argument with many a wise guy apprentice. (Know it all ... But Know FLAP all!!!)

I only cover the stacks to keep water and snow out.

This is just an old wives tale they tell apprentices.

Valve overlap: Does happen but only on 1 pot per 4. Not enough to turn a big burly Turbo Charger. On CAT machine's the air would flow around the Dust ejector as this is the route of least resistance!.

 

[Iron Horse]

As i and qkoop said earlier , i don't believe the impellar can spin . But the buffeting air can make the impellar rock back and forth , up and down and possibly in and out with the end float the shaft has .

Dert-T , no , i only had that pic when i was looking at ideas to build a float to cart my own excavator . The driver that covered that stack in my photo has got a job with me anytime he wants one . That's the sort of guy you could trust not to loose your contract carting Caterpillars equipment for them by being to lazy to spend 1 minute covering the chimney , as Cat demands that it is done . And you are obviously the same quaility professional operator that takes care of someone elses gear . You will be supprised how many people take notice of that bucket over the chimney and write the phone number down off your door .

Orchard EX , by allways covering the chimney , if the Turbo does fail one day , that will be one possibility you can count out 100% .

 

[Orchard Ex]

As i and qkoop said earlier , i don't believe the impellar can spin . But the buffeting air can make the impellar rock back and forth , up and down and possibly in and out with the end float the shaft has .

Dert-T , no , i only had that pic when i was looking at ideas to build a float to cart my own excavator . The driver that covered that stack in my photo has got a job with me anytime he wants one . That's the sort of guy you could trust not to loose your contract carting Caterpillars equipment for them by being to lazy to spend 1 minute covering the chimney , as Cat demands that it is done . And you are obviously the same quaility professional operator that takes care of someone elses gear . You will be supprised how many people take notice of that bucket over the chimney and write the phone number down off your door .

Orchard EX , by allways covering the chimney , if the Turbo does fail one day , that will be one possibility you can count out 100% .

If you want to cover the stack, more power to you, It's your $$ on the line.

But, if a (relatively) stationary impeller is so fragile as to be damaged by a little rocking (or moving up and down, end to end) while on the trailer, how does it make it through a day of spinning at xx thousand RPM with all the shock and vibration of digging/hammering/walking on rock etc.? Like Dualie said, theres still enough oil on it to get through startup, so it's not dry.

I don't agree that someone who doesn't believe the urban legend of the turbo is lazy or unprofessional. And I'd like to hear from someone at Cat (corporate not just a dealer) that demands that the stacks are covered to save the turbo. (Gmads, Tigerrotor?)

Until then I'll take Dads advice: "Son, never argue with a true believer"
This was an interesting exchange/debate until the "lazy" and "unprofessional" insinuations.
:deadhorse (didn't this horse get beaten a year or so ago?)

 

[LowBoy]

Not to keep :stirthepot...but I agree with Orchard Ex in calling this issue an "urban legend". However, I was always a good boy and indeed took the time to climb up and cover each and every chimney, no matter how high, awkward a climb, or senseless it seemed to me. It was a cheap insurance policy.

If this is such a controversal topic, we need to call Adam and Jamie and get the Mythbusters on this right away. (Besides, I LIKE Kari...She makes me feel funny.:naughty)