How to keep a tractor from being... burned !

[Ed 22]

I don't want to hi-jack the other thread with a similar title, but someone managed to burn my garden mower and tools, last week !

It was stored on an enclosed, remote property, under a roof which was also destroyed. They probably used gas, thrown over the hedge (the hedge is so burned down, that I believe they stood just behind it, pouring a lot of gas on it, as it's much more burned than the trees on the side).



I couldn't insure it, as they wanted it to be inside some building... enclosure was not enough.

If I can buy a new one, my only idea is to buy a small, closed metallic shelter, 0.5 mm thick, but the locks do not appear to be that solid.

This was the little green beast, some years ago :



Any help welcome : donation - Paypal - to moderators, sorry for this, feel free to remove the link, but this is a real PITA ! 2 machines, metal from the engines is molted ! most tools, shelter, we have to remove the burned trees if I want to plant new for the hedge, etc !

Not sure what to do right now, I'd sure like to learn the police found something before starting to build something new ! and grass is growing already...

 

[rd_macgregor]

You might want to look into getting a 20' shipping container. They are pretty solidly built and lock up well. Unfortunately, no amount of locking can guarantee a sufficiently motivated thief, or vandal, won't manage to break in. I had a friend with a log cabin whose neighbor's cabin was broken into with a chainsaw!! Harder to do that with a shipping container than with a garden shed, but still...

 

[dickfoster]

That's too bad. Many people suck which is why I moved out of the city and to where there are far fewer of them but maybe not far enough. I store my tractor around on the backside of the house where it's out of sight of the road where people can see it. Out of sight out of mind. My RV shed is open on three sides and right up next to the road where it was too visible. If you buy a new shelter place it where it isn't easily seen.
Oh well maybe you can get yourself a new tractor now.
The shipping container idea sounds good to me. Cheap, weather proof and built stout.

 

[kevin37b]

Looks like the fire started inside. What have you got for neighbors ?

 

[Ed 22]

You might want to look into getting a 20' shipping container.

Although it looks better in a yard than in a garden, they are quite massive, I've been thinking of that for years. Now I'm forced to admit it would have been cheaper than the current loss !

I store my tractor around on the backside of the house where it's out of sight of the road where people can see it. Out of sight out of mind. My RV shed is open on three sides and right up next to the road where it was too visible.

It would be much more practical this way and I'd feel much safer (not if they still burned it, though !) but it's not where I live.

Looks like the fire started inside. What have you got for neighbors ?

Neighbors are farmers, those just next to us seem fine, open, and when we spoke together they never complained...

 

[Qapla]

Sorry to hear of this. Vandals are a real pain.

Hope you get some help. though I had a link removed (in fact, the whole post was removed) when I asked for financial help - something to do with needing to pay for advertising.

 

[darrenjttu]

Are you sure someone set fire to it. Cars can catch fire just sitting in the garage. Lots of things with batteries will catch fire and I can see a tractor being no different than the brand new dodge RAM I had to put out the other day.

 

[rd_macgregor]

I guess it could be pure, unmotivated vandalism, but I think Industrial Toys is referring to the way some folks take offense at innocuous actions or comments and retaliate. It might be you putting up no-trespassing signs, or a gate, where there didn't used to be any, or some overheard complaint about something (dog barking, kids messing around on the property, noisy parties, almost anything)...or even a totally imagined slight. Some folks are a bit unbalanced and slip over the edge too easily!

The point darenjttu raised also crossed my mind, but I haven't seen the evidence at the site like you have.

Bob

 

[Industrial Toys]

The point I was trying to make, is that trying to protect another tractor is futile if there are people out to destroy your property. The cost of such a structure would far outweigh the cost of what you are protecting. This just does not strike me as some normal occurrence. And thank goodness for that.

And yes, lawn tractors have been known to catch fire all by themselves.

Best of luck.

 

[Kubota 2350]

Anything with a battery, and or gas can catch fire without any help, what did the fire marshal in your area have to say about this fire?

 

[Ed 22]

Sorry to hear of this. Vandals are a real pain. ...

I agree, it's criminal and premeditated. No accident here.

Are you sure someone set fire to it. Cars can catch fire just sitting in the garage. Lots of things with batteries will catch fire and I can see a tractor being no different than the brand new dodge RAM I had to put out the other day.

I had the battery removed for the winter (else it doesn't start after months in the cold), it's in a basement, miles from the scene, and that's all what's left from it ! And no electricity there.

I guess it could be pure, unmotivated vandalism, but I think Industrial Toys is referring to the way some folks take offense at innocuous actions or comments and retaliate. It might be you putting up no-trespassing signs, or a gate, where there didn't used to be any, or some overheard complaint about something (dog barking, kids messing around on the property, noisy parties, almost anything)...or even a totally imagined slight. Some folks are a bit unbalanced and slip over the edge too easily!

Bob

Who ever it was, they are criminals. Imagine a toddler was placed there to sleep in the shade of the shelter (it happened in the afternoon, firemen called me, but happily enough nobody was there at this moment) ! I'd sure like to know who was behind it before deciding what's best to do now, and that was part of the reason for my initial post.

As I said, they apparently set the fire from outside the lot, on the other side of the hedge, we had a look and discussed it with an engineer, they probably poured gasoline or another flammable liquid from there. We could precisely deduce the point where they stood, as the hedge was much more burned there than under the wind of the fire... gasoline was maybe partly blocked or fell on the hedge, which would explains why it was much more burned there.

Police was also on the scene, asked some questions. I hope they can find who did it ...

 

[jim44]

I wonder why someone would throw gasoline over a hedge to start a fire? Why not get in there and do it right? And then fuel it with more gas thrown over the hedge? I've heard of several folks that have done such, and some survived and some didn't. Might check with ERs in the area to see if anyone may have shown up for treatment of some pretty serious burns. Another possibility could be lightning. My dad had a 20 ton bulldozer get struck, and it burned to the ground. Once it burned through the diesel supply lines, it really got hot.
Whole arson scenario sounds kind of unlikely to me. But, as I often say, beats the heck outta me!!

 

[Gary Fowler]

I would put in a 20 or 40 foot container which is solid steel. Any gasoline should likely burn out before it gets hot enough to damage parts inside.
Also with a container you could get insurance for what ever you put inside it. Nothing could keep a would be vandal or thief from getting to your belongings if given enough uninterrupted time. A good video surveillance camera would go far in capturing the perpetrator's of vandalous acts.

 

[Ed 22]

I wonder why someone would throw gasoline over a hedge to start a fire? Why not get in there and do it right? And then fuel it with more gas thrown over the hedge? I've heard of several folks that have done such, and some survived and some didn't. Might check with ERs in the area to see if anyone may have shown up for treatment of some pretty serious burns. Another possibility could be lightning. My dad had a 20 ton bulldozer get struck, and it burned to the ground. Once it burned through the diesel supply lines, it really got hot.
Whole arson scenario sounds kind of unlikely to me. But, as I often say, beats the heck outta me!!

The lot is closed, fence and 2 meters high hedge, so it's much easier to do it from outside ! The weather was sunny when it happened, so no lightning ! And again, I removed the battery for the winter, and there is no electricity network nearby. Arson is the only explanation.

I would put in a 20 or 40 foot container which is solid steel. Any gasoline should likely burn out before it gets hot enough to damage parts inside.
Also with a container you could get insurance for what ever you put inside it. Nothing could keep a would be vandal or thief from getting to your belongings if given enough uninterrupted time. A good video surveillance camera would go far in capturing the perpetrator's of vandalous acts.

I agree with the container, with a huge lock ! except it will costs nearly as much as the tractor to buy and install it there... and it doesn't look pretty without some more work.

No telephone nor electricity means the video surveillance is not really a possibility. Maybe a trap camera, like these used for animals could be a solution.

 

[davesl708]

I would recommend setting up some game trail cams. At least you may get some evidence to prosecute the arson. Three or four located in the brush.
The more the better incase they are spotted.

If you have a arson living in the area they will be back. They don't stop.

 

[Ed 22]

...
If you have a arson living in the area they will be back. They don't stop.

Now that you mention it, I remember there was a fire to a gardening/landscape building a few hundreds of meters away, some years ago. I also remember that I found a fox tail at this time, in my lot, some days before/after it happened ! I should have mentioned that to the police when they called me the other day, but it was totally out of my mind. Now I just went to the local police station to talk about that, they make me wait for 1 1/2 hour and then refuse to take my deposition/testimony, saying I have to wait for them to do their own investigation ! Now that's weird...

 

[Wagtail]

It could have been a fire-bug who was getting their thrills from burning the hedge... your shed/tractor was collateral damage.

I say this due to a spate of hedgerow fires that occurred in Melbourne, Victoria a few years ago. The bug only set alight old, property screening, hedges along residential streets.