Load of hay catches fire, burns truck

TomA in CA · Jan 30, 2012

Yesterday we went about 40 miles down to the valley and picked up 16 bales of hay. The seller offered to load it so I let them. I didn't care for the way they loaded it and I did not get to check each bale. There must have been a hot bale in the load. We were about 3 miles from home and someone waved at us frantically, I pulled over and the load was on fire. My wife took the dogs and went up the road, her cell phone would not get out so she started screaming for help. Someone heard her a mile away and came and called 911. I had no fire extinguisher only an old jacket, tried to beat the fire out and throw the burning hay off the truck. She was yelling at me to get away from the truck. Finally it got so hot I had to quit. All I could do was stand there and watch it burn. The fire department (Bootjack Volunteers) got there and got it out. The cab and front end is ok but the bed is shot and lines and tanks underneath. The old 86 F250 Diesel is only worth about $2000. I have Comprehensive insurance on it, I reported it to the agent. We will see what they will do.

kevinj54 · Jan 30, 2012

Some idiot may have tossed a cigarette out also. Had a guy on the road a while back and the couch in his truck was on fire so the law figured it was a cigarette.

RayP(MI) · Jan 30, 2012

Came onto a truckload of teenagers pulling a 5th wheel trailer load of straw a few years back. FD was using a loader tractor to push burning straw into roadside ditch. Figgered teens were smoking, flickes an ash out the window, and ignited load of straw. Betcha dad wasn"t happy when they limped home with empty smoke damaged trailer.

Mike (WA) · Jan 30, 2012

Seems like it would be pretty unusual to have a bale catch fire while you're hauling- should have been steaming pretty well when loaded, and you'd have noticed. And this long after being put up, any green bales would have long since either burned up, or molded and cooled off. I suspect a cigarette.

Sad situation, either way. Insurance will probably total it, but you can probably buy the salvage and fix it yourself with the money, if you're so inclined.

S2710 · Jan 30, 2012

That fire was not caused by a hot bale if you only drove thirty some miles after it was loaded. It had to of been starter by something else. Hot exhaust or a shorted out wire or like the other postr said a careless cigirette somehow. Sorry for your loss.

Bob

2info · Jan 30, 2012

Tom, Sorry to hear of your loss, I think it's a good idea to keep a Fire Extinguisher in every one of our trucks and cars, you just never know when you can use it,
I suppose it would be cheap insurance of some kind to have one close,

rrlund · Jan 30, 2012

Sounds like the Walker Brothers back when round bales were new in the late 70s,early 80s. They were hauling from the field on an open wheeled trailer,no fenders. A bale was rubbing the tire and got hot evidently. They didn't notice,unloaded and burned up about 300 bales.

The people waving though reminds me of a story EJ Potter of tractor pulling fame told though.
He was getting in to jet engines and had a theory that if you got one traveling 70 mph it would start. He had an old grain truck with a newer V8 in it that he thought would go that fast so he strapped the engine to the top of it. He went into town and got a guy who he knew would do favors for him without a lot of questions. They too it out on a long stretch of paved road and EJ told him when he hit 70,blow the horn. He had a hose dropped in to the gas tank of the truck. It just so happened that when he hit 70 and hit the horn,there was a tractor stopped at the end of the field with somebody on it and somebody else on the ground talking to him. Then everything happened at once. The guys heard the horn,looked up,EJ touched off the engine and the whole back of the truck went up in flames. The two guys in the field were waving their arms half off,the driver just thought they were waving because he blew the horn. EJ was climbing backwards up the corner of the grain box trying to get the hose out of the gas tank. Quite literally,all he11 broke loose.

So you see,it could be worse,and you could have caused it yourself!

elmersooner · Jan 30, 2012

the important thing is you and your wife are in one piece. have put out a few hay fires as a volunteer--seems once you go down the road a little smolder turns into a big fire. last one we did was on the river bridge between oklahoma and texas. the land under the bridge belongs to my father in law--the cattle appreciated the hay that didn't burn.

TomA in CA · Jan 30, 2012

What cinched it for me was when the CalFire asked specific questions about problems with the truck and if I had smelled anything. We stopped for lunch after about 10 miles at 55mph. I did notice a smell when I got out of the truck. I checked under the hood and under the truck but did not check the load. They had the bales loaded sticking way out the sides (8' wide). I figure the bales caught the wind and fanned the hot bale causing it to smolder. There was an old Harley parked next to us and I wrote off the smell to that. I wish I had just stopped and re-loaded it right there.

jackinok · Jan 30, 2012

a hundred or so years ago during one of my wifes and mine frequent moves i tossed a cigar out,you should of heard the squealing when i started throwing her furniture out on the side of the road!broke me of the habit!Could have been a spark from the exhaust on the tractor also, that sat and smoldered till you got to moving good.Insurance should cover it ,but it probably would be totaled.You cant hardly scratch the paint on one these days without it being over what a old truck worth to fix it. Might watch around for a old flatbed,if the engine and stuff are not hurt,ive bought them for as little as $10 at farm auctions.where are you located? i have a welding bed off a ford i would let you have but its for a short wheel base. Guy had his welder bolted to frame with this bed sitting behind it.its been sitting out at the farm for years.and its all steel. so its pretty heavy.

Ellis Kinney · Jan 30, 2012

I agree with others about the cigarette theory. You would definitely hav noticed a hot bale. I have someone ahead of me throw a cigarette out the car window several years ago and it ended up in my lap. Ellis

Richard G. · Jan 30, 2012

A fellow about 5 miles from here took some bales out of the barn last year. That night with the fresh air getting to some warm bales caused a fire. All it takes is some air movement to set hot bales on fire.
Richard

John Harmon · Jan 30, 2012

I was coming home from town a few years back and about 3/4 mile south of town at the crossroads i saw a small truck sitting with a lot of black smoke around it and people throwing things out of the bed onto the road . When I got to the stop sign I see the bed of the pickup is on fire. i grab my extenguisher and run over to the truck and it is hot,can"t get near it at all. A guy standing there said they were going to a picnic and started the LP grille at home ,loaded it into the truck and some where the grille got turned over and the hot fire pot set the Duraliner on fire.Some how we got the fire out and they went on their dumb way leaving me with a depleted extenguisher.Don"t remember if I got a thanks or not.Doesnt matter.I felt like I had did my deed for the day.

Ron in NS · Jan 30, 2012

Is it a 4WD truck? I'd love to get an '86 Ford F250 with the 6.9 and standard transmission. I'd build a new box for the back.

keh · Jan 30, 2012

Don't think a bale would have stayed hot this late in the year without catching the barn on fire. I vote for cigarette.

KEH

Traditional Farmer · Jan 30, 2012

Unless that farmer makes hay in the Winter its not going to be a hot bale.Wet bales of hay will get hot in a day or so after stacking and will either set something on fire or cool off within at least a couple weeks.

Anonymous-0 · Jan 30, 2012

the hay was not the cause of the fire well it was because it burnt but the fire was started by some other cause.dry hay will not combust on it's own. do you smoke? or you met someone that did or hot sparks from a catalytic burn of yours or some other vehicle. in the last few years we have had lots of grass fire along the highways from catalytic converters

Ivan Grant · Jan 30, 2012

I had a load of hay catch fire about 4 years ago,a spark from my little Cockshutt 20 blew back on the load of hay it was pulling and caught the load on fire.I and the firemen saved everything but the hay and the wood floor on the wagon.

Billy NY · Jan 30, 2012

Might have been a spark or a cigarette, good you got out and no harm to you and others. I've never found a hot bale in winter, they usually mold up and feel like a brick sometimes, though I've found warm ones soon after baling. Hopefully you can get the truck repaired.

When I was a kid, I remember my farmer/friend used to do 20,000 plus bales, some of the hay ground was several miles away and they used to stack the wagons, tow in tandem, some smart@ss tossed a cigarette from a car, and they caught on fire, he had to roll both of them off the road into the ditch and watch em burn, not much left except the running gear without tires. Not sure how they figured it was a cigarette, would have to ask him. Thats a mean thing to do, and being short on wagons when you do that amount of hay certainly hits below the belt.

Paul from MI · Jan 30, 2012

I remember watching EJ Potter, the pride of Ithaca, MI, pull his tractors with Allison V12 aircraft engines in them. He went all over Michigan pulling, and never failed to put on a show. He ws the first guy I heard of putting a Chevy V8 in a Harley for a drag bike. No clutch, he just had an assistant push it off a kick stand to go. No lack of courage or common sense.

MSD · Jan 30, 2012

My brother lost a cab over Kenworth to a fire on the load he had. Had a pup behind but managed to get that unhooked and moved away before it got to hot. He said he never thought about raising the hoist and dumping the load. He had to put a new cab on and the steel bed was warped after that.

Tim in OR · Jan 30, 2012

a few months ago, we had someone with a big rig load of hay catch fire on I 205 just off I 5 south of Portland. The fire department tore that load apart and battled it most of the day. The semi-trailer was a loss, but I think they saved the tractor. sure messed up the traffic for the day.
tim in OR

Eldon (WA) · Jan 30, 2012

You answered your question when you said you parked by a HD.....they obviously came back before you did and tossed their smoke in the hay before they put their helmets back on, probably still laughing. 90% of HD riders are Aholes, at least the ones that ride past our farm!

donjr · Jan 30, 2012

Had a Baltimoron who bought a farm out this way, engineer who was going to make a killing with organic farming. He bought an old 5-star, a baler and mower, rake and wagons, etc. Got one of his first crops cut and raked. He was baling and one of the bearings on the thrower went out and started throwing sparks. But it was still running, so he kept baling until the load was done. He was at the far end of the field from the barn, so he turned around and headed home. He could have gone across the field, but the road was right next to where he ended up, so he threw the baler, and took the load out onto the road. It was just about that time someone hollered at him that his load was smoking. Being smart is what an engineer is, so he pulled the rig just off the road and unhitched the wagon. Then he hauled a$$ to the house and called the fire company, which got out about fifteen minutes after he found out he had a problem. Not in time to save the load or wagon. Or the telephone cables he parked the load under. I don't know how much his load or wagon was worth, but the repair to the phone lines was about $18,000.

led · Jan 30, 2012

Was he called "Michigan Madman"?? Seen him run that motorcycle with 327 ci chevy in Georgia in 1967.
Led

36 Coupe · Jan 31, 2012

Time to quit smoking.

greygoat · Jan 31, 2012

I read in one of those "Trucker" magazines, that
fire was/ is, a common hazard of long haul hay
haulers..sparks from exhaust stacks, espiecally
from engine braking!

rrlund · Jan 31, 2012

Yep,that was him. He wrote a couple of books by that name. There were actually 7 of those motorcycles. He built a new one every winter.

Load of hay catches fire, burns truck

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