Vertical or horizontal exhaust?

Or just don't idle the truck. Get an APU or generator. All problems solved.

 

Weed burner typically has less exhaust restriction (less pipe/less bends) so in theory you could see a performance gain.

 

And CO2 is carbon dioxide. Carbon Monoxide is CO

 

The real danger is dihydrogen monoxide. Get that in your cab, it'll play hell with your wiring, interior, clothes, everything.... And even a tiny amount can kill you, under the right circumstances. The danger is very real.

 

They have the different types of exhaust for different vocational needs. In my application I have horizontal or "weed burners" because I haul cars and some of my clients don't like exhaust soot all over their cars. Additionally, on our trucks space behind the cab is money as we need every inch we can get for the loads to fit properly. I have also had horizontal exhausts on my flatbed and wrecker trucks, it lets the body mount cleaner and closer to the cab.

In a typical OTR freight operation it really does not make much of an operational difference, although having vertical stacks mounted on the outside edges of the cab can create a blind spot while backing. I have never liked having the stacks on the edge of the cab, although it does look sweet they are in the way.

When I built my last high mount tractor I spent the extra to convert it from vertical to horizontal for both looks and extra clearance between the front overhang on my trailer and the back of the cab. As for the exhaust fumes bothering other drivers or myself, I do not idle the truck when parked (have a bunk heater and never used air conditioning to sleep) nor do I idle the truck while loading as I have a electric powered hydraulic pump for the trailer. Even being a 2000 Mack, which are known for smoke, I hardly ever have a cloud stick around after starting the truck, it clears up fairly quickly and has not been an issue.

BEFORE AND AFTER

 

Here is another example of when a horizontal exhaust is needed, there really is not any room for a traditional vertical stack on this truck, especially since it needs to be at or under 40 foot total length in many east coast states and needs a 30 foot long bed to hold two average cars.

 

Noted. I stand corrected.

I don't know where carbon dioxide came from then? Nat gas perhaps?

 

I appreciated your pictures and discussion of same.

I suppose Im more of a simple minded person who got gassed too much perhaps and have a adversion to the ground systems. I would note that the stacks had a impact on backing but not too much so. There are ways to work around it I guess, Just never thought of that.

My position is strictly for the 18 wheeler or even larger. You made a case for vehicles that cannot use straight vertical stacks very well.

The closet I will come to accepting a ground exhaust was related to my love of trains, there is a mine engine that is built near Allentown I think, these engines exhaust into a large can filled with paper filter. They drive a small mine train that carry about 6 miners per car for several cars over 10 miles or more in some mines underground. Considering the ventilation and such they appear to have done a good job.

I made my position and you did a very good job with yours. I don't have anything else to contribute at this time that will advance or defend the use of vertical stacks for now. I find it interesting and somewhat worried you choose not to air condition perhaps when inside a cab with engine off. Ive personally been roasted by 150 degree cab temperatures while asleep a time or two when air conditioning failed in summer time at 105 and higher temps. I should be dead but for a number of gallons of iced tea or mint juleps plus a standing order to staff to call ambulance if I dropped and dispatch be ######. (Shop be ###### too, throw a new AC on there...) Ultimately Im disposed of because Im considered too expensive sometimes. But if the truck has it to keep you warm or cool, why not use it. And if it breaks fix it.

That shows you that I have run for companies whose interest was the income only and trucks are easily written off as losses and drivers were 50 to a week's orientation while they cherry pick the best of the top.

 

x1Heavy, I do have air conditioning in my cab and bunk, I use it while driving but have never been able to sleep with it even at home. I run fairly safe lanes and have always slept with a screen in the window and small fan, good enough for me. If I had a hired hand in this truck I would add a battery powered ac system like the Nite, I do not expect my drivers to live the same way I do, I will always provide them with comfort. Even when I worked for others I never used the ac and rarely idled unless I needed heat to keep from freezing, and even then it has to be fairly cold before I put the heat on. The closest to air conditioning I have come was the two years I lived in New Mexico, we had a swamp cooler which is a type of evaporative cooler using water and a fan to cool the air in our house. That system did not bother me, I quite enjoyed using it but it will not work back here on the east coast as our air is too humid.

As for vertical vs horizontal on large trucks, our stinger steer car haulers usually have a vertical exhaust and they are full 18 wheelers, but again they are a specialized vocational truck. I do agree with you that simple vertical stacks are the obvious choice for the typical freight truck. On the newer trucks with the after treatment systems like the diesel particulate filter many manufacturers are doing away with the vertical stack for simplicity, the entire exhaust system is contained in a box under the cab (although Mack and Volvo do have a vertical system as well for vocational trucks that need clear frame rails). With these newer trucks it really is not much of an issue since the exhaust is fairly clean and the trucks don't usually idle anyway.

Good discussion.