About three years ago , the day before the predictedfirst frostof the time of year , Bledsoe County farmer and sack out agriculture teacher Bobby Loyd was balinglate - fall haywith plans to wrap it for silage . On this twenty-four hour period , he mop until around dinner when he keep out the tractor off for a short repast break . As he take root back into his stern to clean up where he had left off , the tractor would n’t start . “ I opine that was left over , ” he say . But , looking to get back to work , he leap it off with his tone arm truck , hooked it to thebalerand get baling .
The oddity still in the back of his mind , he decided to check and see if the tractor would start if he turned it back off . “ I baled perchance 15 bales and shut it off , ” he order . “ This prison term , when I jumped it off the battery was so low that I could n’t even get the power put-on to plight , ” he says .
Thinking it was an issue with the stamp battery , he went into township and purchased a new one . Then , after replacing the battery , he was able to operate another 30 minutes after which he pull out up , stopped and got on another tractor so that he could begin bunching hay , readying it for roll at daylight the next morning time .
By this clock time , it was dark , and Loyd was at the diametrical final stage of the field finishing up for the day . He looked up and see the other tractor that he ’d parked in the center of the field with a luminousness under it that clearly should n’t be there . Reaching for the fire fire extinguisher on the tractor he was heap with and driving across the force field at the maximal speed that he could still stay on , Loyd run across the sphere .
As he drew near , he saw that the fire were already blazing up under the windscreen at the very ending of the motor of his park tractor . “ I spray the fervidness extinguisher empty up under the tractor , ” he says . At one point , Loyd believed that he had succeeded in saving the tractor . “ But then it puffed back up , ” he says . snap up the fire asphyxiator out of the tractor that was on fire , Loyd tried again .
He was ineffective to make any headway this meter .
Bobby Lloyd
A passerby arrived on the scene , asking how he might aid . Loyd send him to recall another fire extinguisher that he kept stash away in his tone arm truck which was also parked in the flying field . While he was away , Loyd attempted to unhook the baler . Unfortunately , his would - be helper , having been unable to locate the extinguisher , returned empty - handed . So instead , Loyd asked for his aid in unhook the baler . He hoped to take a chain and drag the two apart . lamentably , the tractor and baler were connected with a homemade flag and the tractor was parked in a bit of a bind . “ I had the jack down and the pressure up , ” he says . “ I couldn’tget them apart . ”
The tractor fervour progressed quickly . Even though Loyd had also called 911 , by the time fire answerer arrived only a light metre later , the equipment was drop off . “ The wing were melting and were dropping on two big tire full of fluid , ” he say . “ I told [ the passer-by ] that it was n’t deserving getting kill over . allow ’s just back up and allow it burn . ” The tractor and baler were total losses .
Though he ’ll never acknowledge for indisputable , looking back at the events as they come , Loyd believe that the tractor fire was triggered by a short circuit in the electric battery cable’s length . In the make of tractor he was drive , the main stamp battery cable comes on the good side of the motor and crosses over the top of it going to the starter . “ The only affair that take a crap sense to me is that I somehow got a short [ in the cable television ] and that was what was run out the battery , ” he says .
Bobby Lloyd
Loyd consider himself fortunate . “ I never park a baler in the battleground , ” he says . “ But because I was search for those other Basel , I had n’t pulled this tractor back in the shed yet . ”
Had it not been for this svelte change to his subroutine , there very likely would have been a b fire as well . Loyd also considers himself blessed that , as is sometimes the case with tractor and equipment fires , trivial of his harvest was lost to the fervency as it was confined to the sphere around his tractor and baler . Bobby Lloyd
Causes of Equipment Fires
While not of necessity foreseeable , Loyd ’s storyillustrates the importance of fire condom and prevention . Mike Mathews , field service manager withTriGreen Equipment , says that while he does n’t see a lot of tractor and equipment fires , those that he does see are memorable . TriGreen , a John Deere dealership with stores in McMinnville , Winchester , Manchester , Mt. Juliet and Cookeville , Tennessee , as well as in Alabama , attend many farmers in the Sequatchie Valley arena and beyond .
In Mathews ’s experience , while fires can also be because of electric fires such as the tractor ardour experienced by Loyd , lightning bang and static electrical energy , most of those fire that he see are thermic effect .
“ We have some seasonal farmers , like your hay and oxen Farmer , that put sealed equipment in the shed and it sit for months at a prison term await for the next hay crop to be ready to harvest , ” Mathews says .
In some of these instances , Bronx cheer will build a nest on top of the engine and as the exhaust fumes heats up when the tractor proceed to the field , the nest ignites . Other time , he says , bearings can go down and the customer does n’t catch it in fourth dimension . “ It will heat to create a caloric event from crop dust or chafe , ” Mathews suppose .
As for balers , whether round or straight , to foreclose mold producers bale their hay when it has a downhearted wet depicted object . “ Typically , a posture will work probably around the 130- to 150 - degree range , ” Mathews says . “ Under normal conditions , when it [ the heading ] scram a plenty of wear or starts to fail , you could see that get up into the 250 - plus - degree range . ”
At that temperature , the dry crop residue , not the hay itself , will get into certain areas against those bearings and heat up and ignite .
Fire Prevention
To forestall these type of fires , Mathews recommends pre- and/or post - season inspection performed by a franchise . “ We have a winter service of process special , ” he says . “ We encourage our customers to do an terminate - of - time of year or preseason review . We do it at a discounted pace . Typically , we do these in our slow time of year where we can proffer a better value for the customer . ”
As part of the inspection cognitive process , belt ammunition and mountain range are removed , shafts are turned , bearings are check , and they mind with experienced ear for noise to determine how rough heading are in period of play with the intention to see them before they go bad . As well , bearings are packed and other types of preventative alimony are performed . While these type of inspection can seem expensive , they ’re well deserving the investment in full term of fire prevention and downtime during the harvest home time of year .
Mathews uses the example of the franchise ’s hay customers . “ They do n’t get to schedule when they harvest , ” he says . “ It depends so much on the conditions and their study schedule . A lot of time , our hay manufacturer and small kine James Leonard Farmer are in a position where they have to do it when they get off work during the week or on the weekends . They ’ve catch a sozzled window because of the weather and other factor they have no control over . ”
It ’s not just the danger of fervency that the dealership promote inspection . “ It ’s the advantage of have the machine quick to go to the field when you need it , ” Mathews read . However , thermal events are a job . “ If you do n’t maintain your car and the bearing fails and it catches the baler on fire , then that ’s go to carry over to your crop , ” he read .
The Operator’s Role
Inspections and maintenance apart , operators with open station tractors can also make for a role in fire bar by listening and take in for signs of equipment failure . However , because of their amenities and the very fact that they are inclose within a hack , operator of cab tractors can be at a slender disadvantage . These operators may not get wind the motorcar incline so they do n’t catch that slight squeal or feel that little bit of vibration that could show some type of equipment bankruptcy .
To this end , TriGreen encourage owners that may be new to equipment or owners or operators who may be stepping up from older to newer equipment to attend the many customer events and clinic the franchise offers . During these events , customers are encouraged to take proactive measuring like taking a folio blower to tout craw residue off the machines every time they finish using them .
“ There have been times where a bearing might be in the process of failing , they [ the manufacturer ] refinement for the afternoon and get into their hand truck and drive away . Then two hours later they get a call that their equipment is on fire , ” Mathews allege .
Performing this character of precautionary metre could aid prevent this from happening .
The Manufacturer’s Role
Mathews excuse that as a preventative standard , most manufacturers do a salutary business before they release a production to market to check for previous failure or any defects in fabric or workmanship . They also closely monitor any fire events to verify that it had nothing to do with the manufacture process of the equipment .
As well , balers and some other types of equipment often amount with water fervour extinguishers that can be refilled and repressurized by the owner . It is less rough-cut for tractor to occur fit with these , so it is always a good idea to get one of your own .
A Costly Occurrence
Thankfully , most producer have insurance , and Mathews advises that if you do n’t presently have it , vest in some . But , while insurance may overcompensate most of your departure in terms of equipment , it does n’t hide the resulting downtime . Mathews ’ biggest piece of advice in terms of fervor prevention and base hit is to keep your equipment clear and be meticulous about maintenance . And , in the goal , saving yourself should always be your top priority .
Though Loyd did have indemnity reportage on his equipment valued at what he thought it was worth , he did have trouble replacing it . For example , his tractor , though used , was only a few years sometime and in good workings Holy Order . He struggle to find something corresponding to substitute both it and his baler with the useable insurance policy stock .
He keep to practice fire safety and prevention measures learn from his experiences as an educator and a farmer and hopes never again to experience another equipment flak .
This clause in the beginning appeared in the July / August 2023 government issue ofHobby Farmsmagazine .
