Hay fire

[oliver28472]

I helped my brother make hay last Friday. It was some pretty good fescue and I was raking with a Kuhn speed rake and a Case-IH 485. This tractor is a diesel but has the exhaust and muffler under the tractor. I was making a turn in a tight corner and crossed a windrow. A big wad of hay hitched a ride under the tractor without me knowing it. I started smelling smoke and looked back and down to see what was going on. Just a little bit of smoldering at this point. I raised the rake up, drove into some unmowed fescue and reversed off of the hay. I finished raking and the smoldering turned into flames and a lot of smoke. My neighbors had come over to see what the smoke was about. They called 911 for a brush truck. Pretty soon it showed up, then another and a pumper and a tanker. The big trucks had to stay out at the road due to the terrain. The brush trucks were F-350s and got it out with the help of around 10 firefighters. Not much was burned but it was too much without the brush trucks. That night we got 4.2 inches of rain. The creeks got out and some of the round bales were in about 2 feet of muddy water.

 

[Denwa]

I helped my brother make hay last Friday. ..... Not much was burned but it was too much without the brush trucks. That night we got 4.2 inches of rain. The creeks got out and some of the round bales were in about 2 feet of muddy water.

Oliver,
Obviously not a good week to go to Vegas :' /

Your experience w/ the belly exhaust is another good point for consideration.
Thanks for sharing. Any inspiration here for your brother there to modify the exhaust system? Would seem a good idea. You know, just in case another
of those "what ifs" happens to happen.

Regards,
Dennis

 

[oliver28472]

He and I are the only drivers of that tractor and usually aware enough to stay out of trouble. I doubt if he'll change it.

 

[rpirkle1]

Bummer of a hay season..

Raked & baled for years with a IH 454 with underslung exhaust and was blessed not to have a fire start like that (and I think the 485 has better clearance). You caught it just right (or wrong)...

 

[medicshawn]

Search for water extinguisher or water can on Ebay. It's a 2.5 gallon water extinguisher. You unscrew the top, fill it with water and pressurize it with an air chuck like a tire. You can put out alot of fire with it. Won't do a round bale but sounds like it would have helped your situation and hopefully will keep from burning the tractor in the future.

 

[wendallb]

I am a volunteer rural firefighter and I have seen expensive equipment burn up in field fires, lost a hay baler a couple of weeks ago...Lucky got the tractor unhooked to save it..

Lost a combine three years ago.. so keeping a sharp eye out for problems of fire is a good idea...can happen at any time..

Be safe out there...