2010 JD 2320 electrical fire-disaster

[Phil D]

Hi all-I purchased my 2320 in April 2010. At 195 hours last week I just did oil, transmission/hydro fluid, all filters and full lube on machine, bucket and 62" Mower. Mowed my lawn once-2 hrs and just mowed the neighbors field last evening-2 hrs. On the way home via my back trails as I got out into my field I smelled a funny chemical burning smell. I looked down and could see a glow behind the emergency brake latch and realized there was an electrical fire. I was still 300 yards from home so tried to drive there. Got to 150 yards from the house and the machine shut down. I sprinted and got two small extinguishers, raced back up the hill, popped the hood and tried to extinguish the fire which was concentrated in the electrical circuitry below the steering wheel. Very difficult to direct the extinguisher in there. Neither extinguisher was able to fully suppress the fire which was very white hot. It quickly spread with all that plastic and consumed the machine in a minute. I then raced and filled 5 gallon buckets and made 20 trips and finally, 40 minutes later, put the fire out. I live in a rural area with volunteer fire dept, long narrow driveway, very difficult spot to get to. I've been an EMT. I know response times here. I didn't bother calling the FD. I am sick about this. Insurance company says there not sure I'm covered as it was not listed under personal property. I called the dealer and haven't heard back. I have owned tractors for 25 years. I still have my trusty '63 Farmall 140. We have run a commercial maple syrup operation for 20 years, we have extensive gardens, cut and split lots of firewood, we know our machinery.

I have seen gas fires, grass-caused fires and electrical fires. This was 100% an electrical fire emanating from the circuitry below the steering wheel.

I am girding myself for a major battle. I have seen in some other forums where JD takes fires fairly seriously. Does anyone have any experience with this type of situation?

Many thanks-Phil D

 

[kennyd]

Phil, I am sorry to hear of this bad experience you had! I could not imagine seeing that. I have never heard of a fire like that on any of the JD machines, sorry.

 

[Phil D]

Phil, I am sorry to hear of this bad experience you had! I could not imagine seeing that. I have never heard of a fire like that on any of the JD machines, sorry.

Thanks Kenny. I sobbed for one second but was dead-set on battling the fire. Just a horrible feeling.

 

[jd110]

I haven't heard of any electrical problems on any of the compact series tractors. The best thing to do when an electrical fire starts is to get the battery disconnected as quickly as possible. I know that isn't always posible, but even if you can cut the cable going to the starter, it will remove the source of ignition. Once a flame actually starts, it will continue to burn, but at least the electrcal heat will be gone. That is one reason I always like to have at bare minimum, a pair of pliers and wire dykes/side cutters handy in any vehicle or tractor. Fast action getting the battery unhooked can avoid major damage. John Deere does take fires very seriously. Make sure your dealer reports it to the fire safety hotline. It is a dealer only hotline so I can't post the number here. There should however be a customer support number in your owner's manual. I recommend you contact them. I guarantee the dealer will get a call from them and will be sure the dealer takes action.

 

[Phil D]

I haven't heard of any electrical problems on any of the compact series tractors. The best thing to do when an electrical fire starts is to get the battery disconnected as quickly as possible. I know that isn't always posible, but even if you can cut the cable going to the starter, it will remove the source of ignition. Once a flame actually starts, it will continue to burn, but at least the electrcal heat will be gone. That is one reason I always like to have at bare minimum, a pair of pliers and wire dykes/side cutters handy in any vehicle or tractor. Fast action getting the battery unhooked can avoid major damage. John Deere does take fires very seriously. Make sure your dealer reports it to the fire safety hotline. It is a dealer only hotline so I can't post the number here. There should however be a customer support number in your owner's manual. I recommend you contact them. I guarantee the dealer will get a call from them and will be sure the dealer takes action.

I really appreciate your reply. I often have a small tool box on board but had pulled it off during my service routine. After I raced back and forth to get fire extinguishers and tried to suppress the fire-unsuccessfully-I then grabbed a heavy pair of linesman's pliers but the burning plastic made it too hot to get near the battery cables. After I brought my Nth 5 gal. bucket of water and doused the machine I was finally able to cut the negative lead. The battery was still juicing the frame-it was a real live nightmare. Big thanks for your input. Monday is going to be an endless series of phone calls.

 

[kuboman]

Sorry to hear of your mishap. Be glad it burnt where it did and not later on after you parked it in a shed. JD had a real problem back in the seventies with their ag tractors that would spontaneously com-bust in the cab area. It was always electrical and usually started after it was parked.

 

[Henri88]

Really sorry to hear this. I can just imagine the gut feeling you had while trying to extinguish the fire. Do you have pics. of the damage?

 

[EdC]

Phil

That is terrible! Hope your homeowner's insurance comes through you would think they would pick up a part of the repair/replacement cost at least. I carry a small fire extinguisher strapped to the ROPS but no way it could have controlled what you described. I will definitely add something to cut the cables. Never even thought of that before. Please keep us posted!

Ed

 

[Phil D]

Shamus

Phil was/is an EMT. The other fires were probably on responses he was on.

Ed

Bingo.

Thanks Ed.

In 25 years we've had one tiny gas fire on a farmall. Quickly extinguished.

Shamus-I don't appreciate your insinuation that it was negligence. We maintain our equipment impeccably. Electrical fires on a machine with less than 200 hours would be hard pressed to fall into the "negligence" category but I guess with your "60 years of farming" you would know that. Maybe you can't read very well. I said "I've seen" the other types of fires. And as the other poster pointed out...many of them on Emergency calls but some when I worked for an oil-exploration company in Wyoming. The point, which the other posters have all understood, is there is a distinct difference in fire types. Gas, grass, diesel, plastic and other materials burn very differently. So, for all of your 60 years of farming experience it sounds like you really haven't seen much. I'm not sure I will even address your comment about firing Hispanic workers but I guess the fact that you hire them in the first place says either your labor pool is too small or you're too cheap to pay a better wage to non-Hispanics. I have travelled many parts of the world including extensively in Central America (look it up if you're not sure where it is) and can assure you that your narrow-minded racist comment is just that. Hispanic people are just like everyone-some good ones, some bad ones and, unfortunately, some ignorant ones.

Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming. I spoke with my insurance agent this evening-ALL IS WELL. I'M FULLY COVERED. WHEEEEEWWWWWWWW......

I can post pictures but it has been like a loss in the family. I covered it with a tarp and haven't wanted to look at it. But I think I'll get some pix on Monday for posterity.

The gut feeling after I discharged the 2nd extinguisher was real helplessness and despair-150 yard sprints up a hill with 5 gallon buckets on full adrenaline was all I could do.
I told a friend of mine about it today and he said " You're a real Yankee-just wouldn't let it burn, would you?" And I replied "No. I was going to get that fire out eventually. I had to."
I must admit-I'm 49, 5'11-185 lbs, run a couple of miles 3-4 times a week, cut and split 10 cords a year, big gardens, 30 fruit trees...but in real life I'm a commercial photographer and
spend a lot of time sitting at my computer editing my work. My legs and arms were really, really sore this morning.

Any new features on the 2320 since 2010 that I might be looking for?

WHAT I REALLY LOVE ABOUT THIS FORUM AND THE KIND-HEARTED POSTERS IS THE SUPPORT, INFO AND THE EXCHANGING OF INFORMATION.
If there is anything in my experience that can help others then it was not a total loss.
I will definitely carry 2 extinguishers and never leave the garage without the tool box. Just the heavy Linesman pliers might have helped at the outbreak.

The reality is: unless the machine caught fire near home there's not a lot one can do-couple of heavier extinguishers, tools and hope!

Thanks,

Phil

Big thanks to all and we'll keep you posted.

 

[kennyd]

Phil, great news on the insurance company! Now, good luck finding a 23, 25, or 2720 since they are technically discontinued for the model year '13

 

[yelbike]

Phil, I feel your pain. I had an insurance claim similar to yours(not fire though). The tractor was basically written off. It sucks even when the insurance company completely covers the costs. The 2320 is discontinued. 2035 is the new tractor.
BTW thanks for being EMT.

 

[compact]

Ugh...terrible feeling, good thing for insurance. I had white smoke billow from our cockshutt 30 while mowing, shut down, it got worse, as came around the rear wheel it burst into flames, under the gas tank. I thought about peeing on it - really, but grabbed a wrench and ripped out the white hot wire, it had gotten the grease in the steering knuckle going, blew on that...bad idea. Grease loves to be blown on while on fire. Grabbed my quart milk jug of water and got everything out. From start to finish...30 seconds. Things happen...

 

[BRBurns]

Glad the insurance has you covered. Your probably lucky that you were unable to get the fire out.

I had an electrical fire on my 4 wheeler last fall. I got it out with what looked like minimal damage. Still ended up being over $1000 in damage not counting my labor. Mine was caused by a wiring harness rubbing on the frame.

 

[Phil D]

Glad the insurance has you covered. Your probably lucky that you were unable to get the fire out.

I had an electrical fire on my 4 wheeler last fall. I got it out with what looked like minimal damage. Still ended up being over $1000 in damage not counting my labor. Mine was caused by a wiring harness rubbing on the frame.

It'll be interesting to see if there is any determination of a possible cause in the end.....and thanks again to all for the input.
Do we have any sense of the difference between the 2320 and the newer model?

Thanks,

Phil

 

[CinderSchnauzer]

First - sorry for the fire and glad you were not hurt.

Second, if it burned enough they can never determine the cause, that may be for the best. Let me explain. Some year ago we had a 115hp Suzuki outboard that had a case of spontaneous combustion in the electrical system inside the engine cover. The adjuster was making a big deal of whether there were "flames" or just "smoke" and trying to intimate that perhaps I had somehow been negligent to cause what we eventually agreed was a fire complete with "flames." While I insisted, and I think rightly so, there had been no negligence, we finally agreed that even if there had been, any such evidence was destroyed by the fire. They wrote a cheque for payment in full.

Glad to hear your insurance has you covered.

 

[ruko]

Just bought an 2010 2320 and so far it is good. I'm wondering why I can't see Shamus's comments. Have they been deleted?

 

[Coyote machine]

Just bought an 2010 2320 and so far it is good. I'm wondering why I can't see Shamus's comments. Have they been deleted?

Would seem things got heated, if one looks at the time stamp sequence, and admin must have clipped the post(s).

To the OP - sorry to hear of your experience, loss and heartache. There are battery isolation switches which can be used to shut off power instantaneously, and as an anti-theft measure too.
I used to use one on my 1800E Volvo coupe.
One example: http://www.summitracing.com/parts/mor-74103?seid=srese1&gclid=COPtvqLK4rcCFRKZ4Aod5FYA8g

Side or top mount versions are available.

OP- you did everything you could do to save your tractor and fortunately were not injured in the process.
As an EMT you know what's worth saving and lives are it. Possessions can be replaced- people can't. Good luck finding what you want to replace your damaged tractor.

And what caused the fire may never be known, however it may have been something as simple as a rodent chewing on wires.

I bought the house next door from my elderly neighbor. His son insisted the dining room chandelier had some faulty wiring. I immediately removed it from the ceiling. When we went through the house's wiring my electrician found the switch dead because of rodents in the attic having chewed the wiring insulation down to nothing, and a short was the result. Could have been a different outcome for the neighbor or me had we not paid close attention to detail when rewiring most circuits in the house.
My point is things happen, sometimes we can take precautions and prevent bad outcomes, sometimes we can't.

 

[Phil D]

Would seem things got heated, if one looks at the time stamp sequence, and admin must have clipped the post(s).

To the OP - sorry to hear of your experience, loss and heartache. There are battery isolation switches which can be used to shut off power instantaneously, and as an anti-theft measure too.
I used to use one on my 1800E Volvo coupe.
One example: http://www.summitracing.com/parts/mor-74103?seid=srese1&gclid=COPtvqLK4rcCFRKZ4Aod5FYA8g

Side or top mount versions are available.

OP- you did everything you could do to save your tractor and fortunately were not injured in the process.
As an EMT you know what's worth saving and lives are it. Possessions can be replaced- people can't. Good luck finding what you want to replace your damaged tractor.

And what caused the fire may never be known, however it may have been something as simple as a rodent chewing on wires.

I bought the house next door from my elderly neighbor. His son insisted the dining room chandelier had some faulty wiring. I immediately removed it from the ceiling. When we went through the house's wiring my electrician found the switch dead because of rodents in the attic having chewed the wiring insulation down to nothing, and a short was the result. Could have been a different outcome for the neighbor or me had we not paid close attention to detail when rewiring most circuits in the house.
My point is things happen, sometimes we can take precautions and prevent bad outcomes, sometimes we can't.

Just a quick update and thanks to all who have chimed into this thread. My insurance co. sent a fire and explosion expert out to my place 3 weeks ago and he and the local fire marshall spent a few hours examining the machine. Just 2 days ago John Deere sent a product safety engineer from the plant where my machine was assembled, Atlanta GA. He met with the ins.co fire expert and they spent 4 hours poking and prodding. In the end they will be very hard pressed to make a specific determination without doing costly tests and analyses. I very much appreciate that Deere sent a representative out to look at the machine. My insurance co. was very prompt and professional and I got a cheque 2 weeks ago. The first question both fire experts asked was if I had mice in my garage where the machine was kept. I opened the garage door and showed them my two large tabby cats, Ronny and Donny. The cats come in every night. There are no mice(nor chipmunks or anything else they can get their claws into..) not only in the garage but @ the property. So, I've been scouring the web for used machines and had narrowed my choices to 2-3 that had low hours, turf tires and the 62D mowing deck. In the end I've decided to buy a new 2025r and have added the 54" plow as Deere is offering $500.00 rebate if a buyer buys two implements. I realize some of the shortcomings of this plow but will modify its width if necessary. The engineer from Deere was a very nice guy and he made the point to me a few times that from a safety standpoint it would have been better to just stand back and call the fire dept. He told some stories of horrible things he's seen involving tractors and people-death and dismemberment. It's true as the poster above pointed out: the only thing worth saving is a life. Machinery can be replaced. Nonetheless it was very hard for me to just sit there and watch it burn. But there certainly has been pain and heartache. I researched that machine forever and had gotten very attached to it's capabilities in helping me manage my 20+ acres. I've really missed it the last month and am doing the bulk of my mowing with my 42" craftsman and the old reliable 1963 Farmall 140 with the 5' brush hog. My local dealer has been great and has given me some additional savings on the new 2025r as well as offering some parts at cost and the mower height adjustment modification at no charge. They are also going to rig up a toolbox and fire extinguisher attachment on the rops. The tractor is not due to arrive at the dealer until August 1st or so. I think the battery iso switch is a great idea. I'm also seriously considering not keeping it in my garage which is a two bay on the gable end of my house. I have only a small 8' x 16' shed where I keep tools, the craftsman mower and my cyclone rake. I need to build a serious outbuilding but A) have little disposable income for that right now and B) want that building to have an accessory apartment. So a simple pole barn won't suffice right now. Anyway, that's the update. Thanks again for all of your kind words. Phil D

 

[buickanddeere]

I keep a battery wrench on every machine

 

[buickanddeere]

I was worried at first when seeing "2010", that the tractor was the dastardly 2010 turkey from early 1960's.
Did you consider the 4105 JD ? Similar $$$ and a larger machine.