Detroit Alarm Clock

Bert · July 28, 2016, 06:33:07 PM

Im currently cutting on a mountain top above a rural road with probably 20 homes within 4 miles. I went to a picnic the other day that several of these residents attended. One thing led to another and pretty soon everyone knew I was the guy with that screaming skidder on top of the mountain. Most were polite about a guy trying to make a living, several looked at it as nostalgia and appreciated the sound of a Detroit diesel working, and a few were a little upset they couldn't sleep past 7:30 am.

jmouton · July 28, 2016, 06:59:04 PM

hey Bert i thought you were talking about gun shots that wake you up in the morning in detroit,mich, and then i read your post , now i get it ,,

jim

danbuendgen · July 28, 2016, 08:45:22 PM

Dude, I know all about that issue. Lots of people don't understand. I hate jobs near houses big time! I'm told my 240 can be heard for miles... Supposedly.
I was on a job once working the weekend, and had a neighboring landowner tell me "go home, it's my weekend off and I can't relax with all this noise!" I told the guy that I would love to be able to take the weekend off but I had to work. If the weather is good, I'm logging. Can't afford not too. I told the guy if he paid me for my time and equipment time I would gladly go home and enjoy the weekend off. He didn't like that idea so much. So the Detroit kept screaming!
Trouble is, those are the people that sabotage equipment when your not looking.

millcreek40 · July 28, 2016, 09:50:55 PM

I have two 240 a skidders one has a deutz & the other one has a 453 detroit I like the deutz as its much quiter but man is it hot in the summer. I think the 453 has more power or maybe it just sounds like it lol

lynde37avery · July 29, 2016, 06:45:12 AM

I had a job last year that the neighbor made rules and forced the land owner to abide. so I couldn't log there on weekends. you don't know how bad that screws up my business. he didn't care. hes some rich jerk from The city. that made me have to get there early and scream that detroit up thru the woods.

ehp · July 29, 2016, 06:50:01 AM

Just put a muffler on it setup like a clark or a later timberjack and end of the noise , I used a muffler that was made to fit a DT 466

danbuendgen · July 29, 2016, 07:00:31 AM

Quote from: ehp on July 29, 2016, 06:50:01 AM
Just put a muffler on it

But then it won't sound good...

Just kidding. I put a muffler on mine, I guess it helps. But if I'm chopping for it, I like it LOUD. I like to hear exactly where my skidder is at all times. Plus I don't want it seeking up on me if I need to drop a tree in the trail.

Ken · July 29, 2016, 07:04:39 AM

A few years back you could not go out the door of the house without hearing a Detroit working somewhere in the neighborhood. Not so much anymore. My harvester operator has a habit of leaving his feet resting on the drive pedals therefore the beeper goes all day long. He starts about 4 in the morning so I'm sure there have been a few less than impressed neighbors. That sound really travels especially on a clear night

timberlinetree · July 29, 2016, 07:14:59 AM

I put an extra large muffler on on ours. Don't think it helps that much. ???
It's always nice when a bad storm is approaching from the west and a cute girl coming from the east. Thinking she might be worried about my safety ???,only to get yelled at for making to much noise and she couldn't enjoy her wine :-\.
When a father's daughter was just back from 911( saw some bad stuff) and having a ruff time ask me to shut down I couldn't say no. Went right home.

Corley5 · July 29, 2016, 09:24:28 AM

My old Franklin's 3-53 can be heard very well at my house which is a mile+ from the job. It's got a muffler but I have no idea what's left inside it ;) ;D

danbuendgen · July 29, 2016, 09:30:51 AM

Quote from: timberlinetree on July 29, 2016, 07:14:59 AM
I put an extra large muffler on on ours. Don't think it helps that much.

This was my experience, it does something. But no matter the muffler size, a Detroit is still loud.

Ed_K · July 29, 2016, 10:30:12 AM

I have heard that if you change the air intake setup will do more for quieting down a dd. I haven't researched it, I have a dd466 muffler on my 4-53 it must be a little better cause I don't need ear plugs under the earmuffs ;D .

petefrom bearswamp · July 29, 2016, 06:17:05 PM

I thought I had posted this morning but didnt get in
When i was consulting, and had a job when the logger was using a Detroit, I could get to the header and tell which skid trail to go down to visit him.
I loved it.
Saved a lot of steps

treeslayer2003 · July 29, 2016, 06:43:01 PM

Ed is correct, its the blower you can't shut up. there was a silencer used on stationary units that worked well, but much to bulky for a skidder.

BEEMERS · July 30, 2016, 12:52:04 AM

I had a man confront me today about runnin 50 mph in a 25 mph subdivision.I was 30 ..0r 29 but with an 8v92 Detroit ..these folk have never heard this before..they hear me coming and the sound makes them think hell is coming down the road I'm at 25...all the way maybe 28 tops..but ..how can you explain..it ... if you wanted to?

motohed · July 30, 2016, 07:52:10 AM

I have had machines with the detroit , they worked well , and were pretty easy to work on , I would usually let a professional set the injecter rack , That was just faster and easyier . That being said , I don't miss the noise .

Bert · July 30, 2016, 08:05:54 AM

Quotethey hear me coming and the sound makes them think hell is coming down the road

:D :D

From an operator side of things in a skidder the noise isnt so bad. I wear Worktunes headphones and I can still make out most of the songs on the radio.

chevytaHOE5674 · July 30, 2016, 09:04:19 AM

I used to enjoy a nice loud screaming diesel (had straight pipes on a few of my tractors, dump truck, etc). Now after I've been doing it a little longer I enjoy the quieter exhaust and cabs. When I'm 70 years old I'd still like to be able to hear. Also like being able to have the equipment working away outside and not be able to hear it in the house (really helps with pesky neighbors). Two nights last week the wife and I mowed hay until 2am on a couple fields with neighbors close by, apologized to them the next day and all said "no big deal with the windows closed in the house they couldn't even hear the tractors running".

Gearbox · July 30, 2016, 09:20:35 AM

Like chevytahoe says better save your money if you like them loud . New hearing aids that work well are $ 8000.00 or more by the time you need them .

1270d · July 30, 2016, 06:35:42 PM

I have a hard time understanding why you would want equipment to be loud. I enjoy pretty good hearing and would like to for years to come. The more quiet the better. Ideally hydraulic hum would be the only thing heard. Sacrificing production because of noise wouldn't fly but I would choose something quieter than a DD.

1270d · July 30, 2016, 06:37:39 PM

The cooling fans are the noisiest thing on most of our equipment now. When they reverse it is deafening. When they aren't turning at all in very cold weather the machines are incredibly quiet.

nhlogga · July 30, 2016, 08:29:32 PM

My great uncle had a old morbark chipper with a 12cyl detroit with dual straight pipes. Broke the noise ordinance 5mi away. Town shut him down till he put mufflers on it

Spartan · July 30, 2016, 09:22:15 PM

Quote from: 1270d on July 30, 2016, 06:35:42 PM
I have a hard time understanding why you would want equipment to be loud. I enjoy pretty good hearing and would like to for years to come. The more quiet the better. Ideally hydraulic hum would be the only thing heard. Sacrificing production because of noise wouldn't fly but I would choose something quieter than a DD.

Well I will say this.

I have a detroit 4-53 and really would have liked something else. However, on a budget most of the machines I could afford were older. So... A detroit was about all I had to pick from at the time. I have tried to make it quieter in vain. Most of the noise now is engine bay noise to the tune of 80+ decibles in the cab. There are times that it is cool to kind of have a race car sound. But 90% of it for me is just loud. starts taking its toll after about 6 hrs and thats with hearing protection. I do love how simple they are...
Hate the injector line setup in the valve cover though.

HiTech · July 31, 2016, 08:02:45 AM

We were cutting on an area that was a hunting club. They would not let us cut on weekends as they said the skidders and saws running scared all the deer away. lol Never saw deer that wasn't enticed to an area where logging was going on. Though these people were all educated and knew exactly how deer reacted to loud noise and machinery.You have to take the good with the bad. Every Monday morning when we fired up the deer would come and visit us. lol I have felled soft maple and before I could top them out the deer where in there eating the buds. They have big buds and the deer love them. Try telling that to some of those weekend hunters.

thecfarm · July 31, 2016, 08:17:43 AM

HiTech,how right you are. I see more deer on my tractor than when I'm walking. You right about the deer coming out to feed. I told my stepson that and he really did not believe me. I was cutting a bog off on my land. I would twitch it out to the yard,about 500 feet away. Just drop it and go back for more. By the time I got back to the bog the deer would be there feeding. He came down to see me and could not believe the deer was there. They really did not want to leave when I came back.

Hilltop366 · July 31, 2016, 08:48:05 AM

It's a chainsaw to us but it is a dinner bell to deer.

I've always said that a Detroit has the amazing ability to turn diesel fuel into a bunch of smoke a whole lot of noise and a little bit of power.

Ron Scott · July 31, 2016, 09:16:11 PM

I can agree with that, especially now after needing and encountering the inconvenience of hearing aids. ;) The noise of the Detroit's was especially not popular during our hunting seasons. Noise pollution got to be a problem.

loggah · August 02, 2016, 06:58:42 AM

I got sick of listening to the Detroits years ago in my Timberjack,and i traded for my 86 tree farmer c6d with the Duetz, like nite and day ;D then as i got slower i traded that for a powershift Franklin with a Cummins. I think thats why i still have my hearing !!!!! ;D

danbuendgen · August 02, 2016, 08:07:02 AM

I just moved to a new job with a fair amount of houses around. I'm sure we will have the whole neighborhood upset this weekend. Just had 3 days of rain, so we will have to work this weekend to make up for it. I worked last Saturday and people were complaining about the skidder and saws.... It's the "not in my back yard" thing.
People have there houses built out of lumber, they burn firewood, but once a logger is working near them, they get upset about all of it. The noise, looking at piles of logs at the landing and looking at equipment when they drive by, the way the neighbors property looks after, pollution (as if they don't burn fuel??), ect. Now if I was a farmer haying a field on the weekend, or doing any loud farm related chore, it would be no big deal. But overall, people don't like loggers....
I have had it happen a few times where we have to drive the skidder and/or the forwarder down the town dirt road to get loaded on a trailer to move to a new job, and people come out of there little houses to see what is going on and complain about it. The noise, tearing up the road, safety, "I'm going to call the cops". Got that one once! Again, if I was a farmer on a tractor pulling a piece of equipment down the road, it would not be a issue.
I wish people would grow up and look at the bigger picture.

Ed_K · August 02, 2016, 09:09:31 AM

Don't bet on the farm issue, the police showed up more than once when we were still running the dairy farm. One time for cutting hay at 7pm, couple time they showed up when we were chopping green feed to feed the milker's when we finished milking. Told the cop, what are we supposed to do not feed the cows.
I got in trouble once for telling a irate lady to move back to where she came from, an ruin that place some more ;D .

xalexjx · August 02, 2016, 01:19:40 PM

I had a 353 in my c5 tree farmer, now with my timberjack with cummins and an enclosed cab I dont think i could go back to it, nice to spend the majority of the day in the cab with the radio going and not be hearing the detroit scream in my head after going to bed! :D

Bert · August 02, 2016, 03:09:29 PM

QuoteI have a hard time understanding why you would want equipment to be loud. I enjoy pretty good hearing and would like to for years to come. The more quiet the better. Ideally hydraulic hum would be the only thing heard. Sacrificing production because of noise wouldn't fly but I would choose something quieter than a DD .

I never said i wanted loud equipment. I wear headphones to protect my hearing. Just a man working with what hes got is all. If i could buy a hybrid skidder I could afford I would. A prius skidder ;D Good luck with that, I think I'll stick to my detroit.

danbuendgen · August 02, 2016, 07:29:04 PM

Quote from: Ed_K on August 02, 2016, 09:09:31 AM
Don't bet on the farm issue, the police showed up more than once when we were still running the dairy farm. One time for cutting hay at 7pm, couple time they showed up when we were chopping green feed to feed the milker's when we finished milking. Told the cop, what are we supposed to do not feed the cows.
I got in trouble once for telling a irate lady to move back to where she came from, an ruin that place some more ;D .

Edd, I guess you are right. People can be just a pain in the butt. Well some people that is.... That's what I tell people too! Go back to where you came from! I'm trying to live here to get away from your kind!

enigmaT120 · August 03, 2016, 12:29:23 PM

I think Oregon has a Right to Farm law that probably covers forestry too. Also zoning laws to try and keep the woods and farm land from being over run by subdivisions.

danbuendgen · August 03, 2016, 06:12:29 PM

I'm pretty sure VT has a right to farm law also, but that doesn't stop second home owners, and folks with a broom stick up there a** from calling the cops!

longtime lurker · August 04, 2016, 07:24:56 PM

The exhaust system on the 666 with 453 GM in it let go a while back - pipe let go on the exhaust bracket so with the weight on it it proceeded to break the pipe in front of the muffler and crack it jsut off the manifold.
(Anyone running one of them without a muffler is nuts - and you can hear what the engine is doing better when its got a muffler)

Sooooooo... being as I was cutting a block about 10 miles from the local exhaust guy, and seeing as she's registered... I called dude up, booked her in, and drove her straight up the road through open farmland. Dude told me he could hear it coming for a good five minutes of the trip... so could everyone else in about 40 square miles I'd reckon :D

Anyway, new pipe, new muffler, and a spark arrestor later and she was a different beast. Didnt have the spark arrestor before - the muffler / spark arrestor combination really quiets it down, and sitting on it with ear muffs on I can hear rattles and squeaks I never heard before: maybe not so good as I found things to fix lol