Kubota M5660SUHD caught on fire (60hrs)!

[4570Man]

You would think Kubota Corporation with a net worth of $17.28 Billion would step up to the plate and swap out the tractor just for public relations.

Kubota (KUBTY) Market Cap & Net Worth - Stock Analysis

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They didn’t get a net worth of 17 billion by giving away free tractors. And equipment actually burns pretty frequently usually caused by the accumulation of flammable material in the engine compartment. And that’s what probably happens here especially since he was mowing at the time.

 

[ray66v]

You will have to prove that Kabota is responsible, to get awarded money in court.

That may seem simple, and obvious to some. But, it is not. It's also expensive, and there are no guarantees.

The fact that they haven't accepted responsibility, strongly suggests they don't see a path for you to be able to prove your case.

While you are new to this, they are not. They no doubt, go through this all the time. And, have teams that handle these claims, who know from experience, what is likely to happen if you pursue action against them.

I assume, you verified that you have no coverage under your home owners policy?

 

[Zork]

Update:

The inspector came to see the tractor back in August 2023 and we (i.e. lawyer) did not hear back until this week; basically they are not assuming any responsibility as they could not 100 percent determine that it was an electrical fire. Most likely it would be due due to "organic" mater on top of a hot engine.

Anyhow my lawyer is now filing a lawsuit as they could not prove either way.

I always check under the hood before I use the tractor, because I have found nuts and nesting materials on top of the engine. Also, the falling leaves tend to collect around the outside near the firewall.

 

[5030]

I have to open the hoods on mine before I start them because both have master disconnects on the negative battery terminals and I need to enable it before they will start and when I do that, I always look to see if any vermin have built a house under the hood.

That happened to a friend of mine with his 1 ton Ford diesel pickup truck. A squirrel decided to nest on top of the engine and when he was driving it down the road, the squirrel nest caught on fire and burned the entire truck up. Must have nested on top of the turbo....lol Rodents are sneaky little bastages.

 

[5030]

I would imagine that a lot of tractor and vehicle owners never look under the hood unless they need to add washer fluid or do an oil change.

Kind of like checking tire pressure and is probably why new cars comes with TPMS today.

 

[WinterDeere]

I would imagine that a lot of tractor and vehicle owners never look under the hood unless they need to add washer fluid or do an oil change.

Kind of like checking tire pressure and is probably why new cars comes with TPMS today.

I'm one of those. I open my hood to change my oil, fill the washer reservoir, and any other maintenance. But that amounts to a few times per year, hardly daily. Last week, it was to check brake fluid, after I had to do some rear brake work on my truck. But the time prior to that was when I changed my oil and filter around New Years (2.5 months).

In ~35 years of driving, that hasn't been an issue, and I think the odds are generally in my favor. Checking every day, especially since I have no one car that gets driven every day, would help to avoid rodent nest issues. At the same time, I guess some could argue that opening the hood every day increases the likelihood of hood latch failure, malfunction, or simple human error.

 

[5030]

Not sure about the comments about the dealer should cover it or Kubota should give him a new tractor, I don't see any of that EVER happening. That is an insurance claim plain and simple and the settlement will be ACV minus the deductible.

 

[Sportsman762]

This is a rough read. I feel bad for Fbitz. Simple mistake and did not realize that there was no rider for the tractor on home owners insurance. I am amazed that KTAC did not catch that.

I have had more than my share of fire issues for my age. Had a Kubota RTV900 burn up in college while working as a student groundskeeper. We had been doing mulch since 3am, it was right before lunch when one of the RTV's a student under me had been driving caught fire. It was a hard burn. Caught fire due to mulch getting on top of the engine. If it had waited another 20 minutes it would have been lunch when I would lift the beds of the RTV's and cushmens and blow them off.

Was helping a friend move round bales and his skid steer caught fire. I saw it and was able to get a few fire extinguishers (along with my drinking water) and put it out. The battery cable wore through and it arced catching the engine bay on fire. Fortunately it only required a $1200 wire harness, and a few parts off of a spare engine we had to repair it. The sad thing is that his other skidsteer had caught fire three weeks earlier and was sitting on the other side of the road burnt to a crisp.

Was helping the same friend at his farm one day and he was moving a Ford LTA9000 out of the way when it started billowing smoke. I was filling up a 5 gallon bucket of water for a calf at the time. I ran down there with the bucket and opened the hood while he disconnected the batteries before dumping the bucket of water on it. A few more buckets of water and a fire extinguisher and we put the fire out. The main wire off the alternator had rubbed through on the firewall causing an arc (looked like someone took an oxy acetylene torch and cut a 3" long strip in the fire wall). This then caught the insulation under the dash on fire.

Vehicle fires are scary. It is hard to determine what caused them. None of us here can tell what really happened as we have not seen the damage or what the tractor looks like. Even then it is hard to determine the source. I am paranoid and have a 5 lb extinguisher in my vehicles, and tractor.

I wish Fbitz the best of luck. Please post photos if you can I am curious what it all looks like. Also keep us posted on what becomes of this.

 

[Zork]

I think one doesn't have to worry all that much if you are using it frequently since it takes down time on the equipment for the rodent to investigate and scout for lodging, unless there is a history of activity. If you find a nest and clear it, I Believe it is highly likely the rodent will be back especially if you park it in the same spot.

 

[oosik]

I have on-going battles with mice and chipmunks. The hoods on all my vehicles are always left open when parked here at home. Seems like they avoid these open spaces. Best cure I've found to date. And, brother, I've tried them all. Except those electronic buzzer units. POC - in my opinion.

Anyhow - open hood allows a quick glance around the engine compartment before I close the hood.

Several years ago. Opened the hood on my CJ Jeep. Massive nest - right there on top of the engine. It surely would have burned after running the Jeep for a while.