Exhaust system for an off-road vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9688134-B2
Application number	US-201514826073-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 13, 2015
Priority date	Aug 14, 2014
Publication date	Jun 27, 2017
Grant date	Jun 27, 2017

Abstract

A system includes a muffler coupled to a frame of the off-road vehicle and mounted in a substantially horizontal orientation and a diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC) fluidly and mechanically coupled to the muffler. In certain embodiments, the DOC is mounted in a substantially vertical orientation rearward of the muffler relative to a primary direction of travel of the off-road vehicle.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An exhaust system for an off-road vehicle, comprising:
a muffler coupled to a frame of the off-road vehicle and mounted in a substantially horizontal orientation;
a diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC) fluidly and mechanically coupled to the muffler, wherein the DOC is mounted in a substantially vertical orientation rearward of the muffler relative to a primary direction of travel of the off-road vehicle, and
a mounting assembly configured to couple the exhaust system of the off-road vehicle wherein the mounting assembly comprises:
a front mount coupled to the frame of the off-road vehicle, and
a rear mount integrally formed within a fender of the off-road vehicle, wherein the front and rear mounts are configured to support the muffler above a wheel of the off-road vehicle.

2. The exhaust system of claim 1 , wherein the muffler is oriented at a downward angle relative to a ground plane along the primary direction of travel.

3. The exhaust system of claim 1 , wherein the DOC and the muffler are positioned forward of a cabin of the off-road vehicle relative to the primary direction of travel, and the DOC and the muffler are positioned above a fender of the off-road vehicle.

4. The exhaust system of claim 1 , comprising a DOC mounting assembly, wherein the DOC mounting assembly comprises at least one strap extending about a periphery of the DOC.

5. The exhaust system of claim 1 , wherein the front mount includes a platform extending over the wheel, and the platform is configured to couple the front mount to the muffler.

6. The exhaust system of claim 1 , wherein the front mount is coupled to and extends through a debris screen, and the debris screen is coupled to the fender.

7. A mounting assembly for an exhaust system of an off-road vehicle, comprising:
a front mount coupled to a frame of the off-road vehicle, comprising:
a base coupled to the frame and extending in a substantially vertical direction;
a platform coupled to the base and extending laterally outward from the frame, wherein the platform is configured to receive and to support a muffler; and

a rear mount integrally formed within a fender of the off-road vehicle, comprising:
a panel disposed above a top surface of a shell of the fender, wherein the panel is configured to receive and to support the muffler; and
a structural support configured to support the panel above the top surface of the shell of the fender;

wherein the front and rear mounts are configured to support the muffler in a substantially horizontal orientation relative to a ground plane.

8. The mounting assembly of claim 7 , comprising a diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC) mounting assembly configured to mechanically couple a DOC to a rear portion of the muffler and to support the DOC in a substantially vertical orientation.

9. The mounting assembly of claim 8 , wherein the DOC mounting assembly comprises at least one strap extending about a periphery of the DOC.

10. The mounting assembly of claim 7 , wherein the rear mount comprises at least one support member disposed on a lower surface of the shell of the fender, wherein the support member is configured to support the panel and the structural support.

11. The mounting assembly of claim 7 , comprising an attachment assembly configured to couple the front mount to a debris screen of the off-road vehicle.

12. The mounting assembly of claim 7 , wherein the panel of the rear mount is oriented at a downward angle relative to the ground plane along a primary direction of travel of the off-road vehicle such that the muffler is angled downward and substantially out of a line of sight of an operator of the off-road vehicle.

13. The mounting assembly of claim 7 , wherein the front mount comprises a body laterally extending between the base and the platform, and the body is configured to position the platform over a wheel of the off-road vehicle.

14. The mounting assembly of claim 7 , comprising a plurality of support members disposed along a lower surface of the fender, wherein the plurality of support members is configured to support the muffler.

15. An exhaust system for an off-road vehicle, comprising:
a front mount configured to couple to a frame of the off-road vehicle, wherein the front mount is configured to extend over a wheel of the off-road vehicle and to receive a first portion of a substantially horizontal muffler positioned forward of a cabin of the off-road vehicle relative to a primary direction of travel;
a rear mount integrally formed within a fender, wherein the rear mount is configured to receive a second portion of the substantially horizontal muffler; and
a diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC) mounting assembly configured to secure a substantially vertically oriented DOC to a rear portion of the substantially horizontal muffler.

16. The exhaust system of claim 15 , wherein the rear mount includes a surface is oriented at a downward angle relative to a ground plane along a primary direction of travel of the off-road vehicle.

17. The exhaust system of claim 16 , wherein the surface of the rear mount and the front mount are configured to orient the muffler at the downward angle such that the muffler is out of a line of sight of an operator of the off-road vehicle.

18. The exhaust system of claim 15 , wherein the front mount, the rear mount, and the DOC mounting assembly are configured to orient the muffler and the DOC substantially perpendicular to one another.

19. The exhaust system of claim 15 , wherein the DOC mounting assembly comprises at least one strap extending about a periphery of the DOC.

Assignees

• Cnh Ind America Llc

Inventors

• Boeshans James Patrick
• Novacek Jason Keith
• Rasset John Thomas
• Larson Jay Michael
• Tveito David Larry
• Stoltman Russell Victor
• Bautz Chad

Classifications

• F01N3/208

  Control of selective catalytic reduction [SCR], e.g. by adjusting the dosing of reducing agent · CPC title

• F01N13/1805

  Fixing exhaust manifolds, exhaust pipes or pipe sections to each other, to engine or to vehicle body (pipe joints in general F16L; fixing auxiliaries in motor vehicles in general B60K) · CPC title

• B60K13/04 Primary

  concerning exhaust · CPC title

• B60Y2200/221

  Tractors · CPC title

• F01N3/103

  Oxidation catalysts for HC and CO only · CPC title