Hello, the exhaust muffler on my Kubota U50-3@ has started to leak slightly. I have received a price for a new OEM muffler from my local (Norwegian) Kubota dealer: 950 Euro / 960 USD..... Preeeety steep price.. One can buy a similar sized universal muffler for around 40-50 Euro/USD.... So my question to you: Has anyone tried this? Anyone with specific muffler knowledge who can give me any tips of what to watch out for?
Can you do this? Yes Have I done this? Yes Will it last as long as an OEM? Definitely not
Guess at a price 1/19th the cost of the OEM that could still be a good deal!
Or, perhaps I`ll try to weld it... If a straight replacement would have been normally priced I would have never considered it, but this is way overpriced..
Aftermarket is around 300. https://www.ebay.com/itm/284867251810
Is it easy to change out? I’ve welded lots of mufflers/exhaust over the years and you win some, you lose some. If its cracked from vibration your success rate will be higher but may require reinforcement or extra bracing if possible. If its rusted out you will be chasing holes as you weld and probably end up with a crappy repair that may not last long. Also depends if you are a good welder and what method you are using
Or just put a straight stack on there and wear hearing protection! I won't be able to hear it all the way from Norway!
Where is the leak at on the muffler? Lots of times they stress crack on the inlet or outlet pipe joints. Easy enough to weld if you grind off any coating that the manufacturer might have put on. Unit in your photo doesn't appear to be anything special. Looks pre-DPF. Usually auto parts stores have catalogs that identify mufflers by dimensions and location of the pipe connections. I've welded up lots of excavator mufflers but a replacement is usually in the $1,500 to $2,000 range. I've cut them apart and welded back together in less than 8 hours. I've welded sheet steel over the top of rusted out sections instead of trying to weld up something that just isn't there.
I would try the easy weld to fix option before I would spend a lot of $ for a replacement. What do you have to lose other than a little time?
We use a lot of walker/dynomax mufflers and have pretty good luck with them. We find ourselves In situations a lot of the times where we need the machine back out ASAP and factory muffler assy is days away on back order or 6 times the price of what a muffler should be. We also use a lot of the walker/dynomax heat blankets and wrap where needed. Just try to get as close to original size as possible that makes the job a lot easier from the start. Haven't noticed any longevity issues as of yet. All the same all made in china OE or not. Once you get set up and if years later you need to replace it again all the work will be done and your still way ahead in the $$ dept. We constantly change and refit exhaust systems on mini excavators and skids because we install a lot of scrubbers for specific jobs. If you got the time and skills i would slap your choice of muffler on and role. Dont know if I would str8 pipe it. That would get annoying fast
I use Stanley Muffler a lot for making exhaust. They are inexpensive and do a pretty fair job lasting a few years. Look around their website to ascertain if they have anything you can adapt. https://stanleymuffler.com/