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Jim: Back when these tractors were new, I don't ever remember seeing a 300 with vertical exhaust. It was quite common on the 350. I think it was probably always an option. It just took 2 or 3 years and a few hay field fires, plus getting gassed by the underneath exhaust, they soon disappeared. My dad was baling one day with a demo tractor, underneath exhaust. Starting field he was straddling first windrow, and being use to Farmalls, he didn't notice hay draging under tractor. Just about the time it broke into flames he lost it and pulling wagon behind baler, didn't notice until he got to corner and here was my brother and I trying to beat fire out with tree limbs we broke from a tree. We lost about 1/4 acre of hay that day. There were many such incidents across the land, thus underneath exhausts soon disappeared. Guys that operated these all day often complained about fumes, headaches, nausia, etc. If you have a butchered hood, probably someone had good cause. The idea behind underneath exhaust was fine, in orchards, around other trees, etc. It just wasn't for the open field livestock farmer.
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