Carrying a fire extinguisher

37chief

Well-known Member
Location
California
Any of you carry a fire extinguisher on your equipment. Maybe it's not too dry where some of you live, but here on the west coast it doesn't take much to get a fire started this time of the year, by a rock strike with a mower. Several big fires have been started this way. Then some idiot was burning weeds last week, and the fire got away from him. I have started three since I have been mowing. One was almost out of control. The others I stomped out. This was before I started carrying extinguishers I have a 2 1/2 gal water and a power for a tractor fire. I had a tractor fire, one time from a shorted wire in one of those places with years of accumulated dust and straw and diesel fuel. I had a extinguisher in my pickup, which was near by, or I would have watched my JD 5020 burn up. I have a spark arrestor on two of my tractors, but not one of them. I don't know how much good they do. Stan
 
Always had one in the combine when we had one! I needed one a few weeks ago when my tractor started on fire, battery cable wore through under the cab setting the oil and chaff on fire. Had to throw dirt from the cornfield up in there, was in a tough spot to get it out.
 
One thing with ABC extinguishers. They are great to have but they are not forever. Every 6. Months or so turn them upside down. Leave them that way for a few days. Then you can put them back. What happens is the powder settles and compresses. Then it don't work !!
That is why in commercial buildings every 2 or 3 years they change out every extinguisher in the building. Better safe than sorry.
 
73 years old and seen many a tractor and dozer burn. Cardinal rule when any piece of equipment comes on this place new or used it is fitted with a new fire extinguisher . They are just too cheap not to have around. Also keep a fresh one at each shop door.
 
Make sure to tip them over every once in awhile an give a tap on the bottom. The powder settles and won't come out when needed,don't ask how I know. Once the powder is loose the extinguisher will work fine as long as the pressure is up.
 
Yes, on all tractors and equipment. Around here Farm Bureau provided extinguishers at reduced rate. I had to put out a truck fire once due to fuel leak on a recently serviced fuel filter. Glad I had it, as was the owner of the truck.
 
I keep one on everything that I own with a motor, no exceptions. On my tractors, I keep one within hands reach from the drivers seat because i want to make sure I have a way to clear flames as I get off it need be. Most of mine are old halon ones I removed from service out of aircraft, not the most environmentally friendly, but free of charge and knocks a fire down quick.
 
Yes sir or at least available in truck. Also keep them in buildings!! Let's say I have used a few over the years.
 
Carry one on everything. Glad we do, as our hay barn caught on fire 2 weeks ago and son grabbed the one out of the tractor to put it out. It was the closer than the ones in the barn. Replaced it the next day.
 
All my hay tractors have one in the cab. Then I have a pressurized water extinguisher on the baler as well. Then I have one in the truck which is usually close by.
 
I agree on the "invert and tap" procedure. Years ago I saw the inspector checking the fire extinguishers at a church camp I worked at. He would check the pressure, turn it over, thump the bottom with a rubber mallet a few times, check pressure again, and put on a new annual inspection tag.

Hmmm, that reminds me I haven't done that to the one in the utility room for quite a while . . .
 
I have never had a tractor fire but I've been around plenty of combine fires. In a chaff fire on a combine a dry extinguisher blows embers around so they can start more fires. Then you get REALLY excited. Water is by far the best in that situation. I even knocked down a small combine static dust fire on the top of the rotor cage with a can of soda one time. If a hydraulic hose blows and sprays on the manifold a dry extinguisher is best of course, but water will cool down the hot manifold quicker, eliminating the ignition source. When we were in wheat in the dry country each combine had a dirt shovel and five gallon water extinguisher. After a couple of months most of the crew knew how to use them and the result was we never lost a combine to fire. One of the combines lost a couple hydraulic hoses and one belt before they got it out but five young men with shovels and water got it stopped. When it is over you are kind of jumpy for the rest of the day though.
 
My brother learned a hard lesson. He's started a custom combineing business. Started in Texas and somewhere in Montana his pickup started the wheat field on fire. They weren't able to put it out but they did save the trucks and the combine but he had to sell everything to pay for the wheat.
I keep a fire extinguisher in my house, my shop and my truck.
 

A dry chem extinguisher is a waste of time on class A fire, a hot bearing, low voltage electrical and some class B fires.
The 2-1/2 gallon extinguisher treated with AFFF or even ordinary dish soap is what cools down the fuel on the surface and in deep seated fires.
 
The combiner I worked for did lose one combine early on in his combining career to a stubble fire. They had an 8820 stuck in the mud in southeast Oklahoma on a windy day. One of the helpers got in a hurry and drove through the stubble with a gas engine pickup and started the stubble on fire. The fire overtook the stuck combine and started the combine on fire. As they stood there watching the combine burn the engine started up and ran wild till it finally died. He darned near lost his life in that fire.
 
(quoted from post at 13:00:22 06/26/17) Make sure to tip them over every once in awhile an give a tap on the bottom. The powder settles and won't come out when needed,don't ask how I know. Once the powder is loose the extinguisher will work fine as long as the pressure is up.

So I should leave mine in front of the toolbox where I regularly trip over it, knock it over opening a drawer, and cuss a blue streak at it... I didn't know I was maintaining it at the same time!
 

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.

Back
Top