Combine Fire Photographed In Action

Combine Fire Photographed In Action COMBINES Miscellaneous 19-1-23 "Last summer our 1978 Deere 7700 combine burned up in the field while I was cutting wheat, and one of our family members was able to take these unusual photos while waiting for the fire department to come out," says Larry Buck, New Bloomington, Ohio. "I had only about five or six acres left in a field that I was saving for seed. I had just pulled the combine up to unload into a gravity wagon and had about half the grain out when all of a sudden black smoke started pouring out from the engine area. A boy who works for me drove home and had my wife call the fire department. After making the call she was on her way out of the house when she happened to see a camera laying in plain sight on a desk so she grabbed it. It was laying there be-cause we'd had company over for a few days. "Meanwhile, I was using a couple of fire extinguishers to try to put out the fire. The boy came back with more fire extinguishers, but the fire had started out so hot that we couldn't keep it down. "The black smoke made me think the fire was started by a rubber belt. However, the smoke never quit coming so I knew that couldn't be the problem. I shut off the engine, then climbed down and saw that some straw under the combine was also on fire. Then I climbed back into the cab to try to start the combine back up again so I could move it up on the road out of the field. However, I couldn't get it started. Luckily there was no wind at the time so the fire on the ground didn't spread very far. It eventually went out by itself. By the time the fire department came out the fire had blown through a window and spread into the right side of the cab. They dumped 750 to 1,000 gallons of water on the fire before putting it out. "The combine was a total loss, although the back half of the machine was still in good shape and we were able to keep the flames away from the tires. Insurance covered most of the loss. I bought another identical combine and kept the burned-up one so I could use it for parts. The burned-up combine had rear wheel drive which I'.ve already used to replace the rear wheel drive on the new combine. "We always kept the combine clean and power washed the engine every day. The fire department said the only dirt, chaff, or straw on the combine was from that day. A lot of combine fires start because of electrical problems rather than dirt build-up. It's hard to say what started the fire because everything in the engine and cab area was burned up, but we're pretty sure it was caused by an electrical problem because the tops of the batteries were blown out. That's probably why I couldn't get the combine started. Just before the fire started I had noticed a popping noise that was probably caused by the battery tops blowing out. Our Deere dealer looked at it but couldn't pinpoint exactly where the fire started either. "Combine fires can happen with any brand. However, most Deere combine fires seem to be caused by electrical problems. I've seen other Deere combines that were burned up in the cab area. In fact, a few years ago I bought a burned-out Deere combine for parts. "What I learned from all this is to make sure you carry at least two good-sized fire extinguishers because it takes a lot to put out a combine fire. I had two decent-sized fire extinguishers with me, but in my case it wasn't enough. Don't open the engine compartment if the engine is on fire be-cause that will provide the fire with more oxygen and the flames will shoot out at you. I found a 2-in. wide opening in the panel over the front and top part of the engine compartment and aimed water from the fire extinguisher through it, but it didn't help." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Larry Buck, 7632 Wildcat Pike, New Bloomington, Ohio 43341 (ph 614 499-2788).

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