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Lightning Starts a Tractor

M

Matt from CT

Well-known Member
Long, long time since I posted in these parts but figured some of you might enjoy this tale:

https://www.facebook.com/lapsleyorchard/posts/4443578052320559

We had one of the best lightning storms I can remember in a long while for both duration and intensity roll through my town around 3am. Local orchard straddling the town line this morning found their Ford 5000 idling away, buried in the mud, up against a tree in a straight line from where it had been parked 30' away when they left the day before.

They're taking a guess the lightning managed to get it running o_O
https://www.facebook.com/lapsleyorchard/posts/4443578052320559
 
My self I NEVER park a tractor in gear. Learned years ago to do that so that one can start them before getting on just in case you have to fix something to get them to run
 
that tractor was driven and then they tried to back it up more dirt in front of tire then behind it . it had some help getting in that spot
 
That's where a tire throws mud early on when its turning and the tractor can't go forward. Nothing to do with a person being there or not.
 

cvphoto94122.jpg


cvphoto94123.png
 
Old,
I'm the opposite. I'll never start anything without my butt parked on the seat. Some of my tractors require I'm sitting

I think Aliens may have started the tractor..

Wish Aliens would take me for a ride into outer space and I wouldn't have to pay. That would be just out of this world.
 
(quoted from post at 16:57:01 07/08/21)
<img src=https://www.yesterdaystractors.com/cvphotos/cvphoto94122.jpg>

<img src=https://www.yesterdaystractors.com/cvphotos/cvphoto94123.png>
Click to expand...
am with Tim.
 
Well most of my tractors are old and sometimes they want to fight me to get them to start. An example is my 1949 Case VAC. The ignition switch which is a toggle switch stopped working sort of. I have to hot wire it to get it to start. But if I turn the switch on and then disconnect the hot wire it stays running. I have a new marine grade switch to put on just haven't done so yet.
 
Old
I only have 2 old tractors,
1950 Farmall and 1953 Jubilee.
Both start and run like new.
Both have overhauled engines.
Jubilee has to be in neutral to start.
 
Newest tractor I have is an IH584 which I start by putting a wire on the battery cable and then touch the excite wire on the alternator to the charge stud to start it charging. It only has enough wires to make it run. My Farmall BA starts pretty easy but I still start it standing on the ground. My Oliver S88 starts easy but again I start it on the ground since I then have to lube the chains on the baler so I don't climb up just o have to climb back down
 
Back before I was around, my family had just gotten the farm, and the first purchase was an 8n... Parked it in the barn basement, and left it in gear. Came back a week later, found the 8n hard up against the stone foundation, and buried to the axle.
Also found one toasted mouse that gnawed on the wires to the key switch.
I wish I could have seen the look on their faces when they found that...
 
I believe that. About 4 or 5 years ago the neighbor right across the road from where I live now lost around 15 cattle from lightning. They were standing in a group and the next day they were dead.
 
Yep, it is possible.

I've seen burning cars start themselves up, horn blow, lights come on...

I suspect they found a melted wire harness once the investigation was complete.
 
Back in 81 my semi was struck while parked when i stopped to talk to a friend and he and i were standing in his shop looking out at the rain and storm . a bolt came down and nailed the top left rear corner of my East Dump trailer . We saw the trailer move sideways to the right about 3 feet . It caused all three batterys to blow every stinking light bulb to blow deep fryed the alt. toasted my C B, 400 watt liner , Scanner , company radio the Am /. Fm tape and the starter along with the fuel solenoid on the injection pump . Not long after we started having tire problems and when we went to do the brakes on the trailer we found pitted bearings and also on the drive axles . Two years later my other friend wife called as i was parking it down at there farm and she said the truck was struck by lighting AGAIN . I asked her if she saw smoke and she looked and said No , Fine if you see smoke wait till ya see flame then wait 15 min. and call the fire dept. Same deal as the first time had to replace repair it all.
 
Lightning cn start an engine which has a magneto ignition . if a cylinder is on compression stroke
and has some gas left in it then lightning can ignite it.
I knew someone who had a push lawn mower started by lightning
 
I know of 1 tractor that was sitting on my yard over night on a trailer. Guy was going to come back monday to pick it up after loading it friday night. Saturday at noon I hear a tractor starting up and shutting down. 3,4,5,6, times in a row. I was in behind the barn but went to see what was going on. Here the wires had started shorting out and there was a dash fire. Tractor is turning on shutting down, again and again. I ran for a bucket of water and poured over fire. Then went and got wrenches and removed the battery cables. He got insurance for it but was really pi$$ed about it because it was his newer tractor. Now he had to buy again or use his old one.
 
More then once I have had a tractor sound like it was trying to start. Each time something had happened to short out some of the wiring. That is another reason I pack them out of gear always
 
(quoted from post at 13:28:11 07/08/21) My self I NEVER park a tractor in gear. Learned years ago to do that so that one can start them before getting on just in case you have to fix something to get them to run
Click to expand...


Old, you forgot the part about having tractors start many times while chained down on a trailer because they were in gear.
 
Have a WD Allis. Years ago the advance weights in the distributor were stuck. Turn key on and turn distributor 1/8 inch and it would fire up. Was hauling in hay and it worked all afternoon that way.
 
That tractor has a short circuit in the wiring somewhere. I have a Ford 3600 that cranked all by itself but couldn't start because the kill rod was pulled. Pushed the wall outward on pipe/pole shed and dug divots. Eventually it got so hot from cranking that it caught fire and burned.

No fuses on the old Fords .... we don't need no stinking fuses!
 
(quoted from post at 09:33:55 07/09/21) Took a picture of everything but where the lightning struck the tractor.
Click to expand...
It wouldn't have to strike the tractor directly.
 
(quoted from post at 14:03:41 07/08/21) Old,
I'm the opposite. I'll never start anything without my butt parked on the seat. Some of my tractors require I'm sitting

I think Aliens may have started the tractor..

Wish Aliens would take me for a ride into outer space and I wouldn't have to pay. That would be just out of this world.
Click to expand...
Every tractors in gear just like every gun is loaded.
 
Someday we may read about you getting run over.
A little wire and a switch will allow you to start your tractors on the seat.
Do you want me to send you some wire and switches?
I'm cheap. Have a drawer full of used wire and switches.
I have some push button switches, push to close, like a starter switch.
 
My uncle's Farmall 400 in the yard in reverse. A faulty isnition switch shorted to on and fired a cylinder with fuel (it had been run 5 minutes before this. It backed around in a circle 4 times getting bigger and bigger. it finally hit a rail road tie that pointed it out in a wooded area with 2 and 3 inch willow trees. It backed over about 20 of them and circled back to the lot. it hit pretty square into a tack shed pushing it off the foundation . The foundation caught the fast hitch sockets and one rode up on it concrete, the outer shoved against it. The left rear was now kinda supported and the tractor just sat there spinning the left rear till My aunt got home 2 hours later. She turned the key on and off several times, and it shut off. She then disconnected the battery. Interesting stories. Jim
 
My brother worked for a small city that owned an old Ford backhoe. It was left parked outside their shop building in gear. During a real heavy , slow, long rain, it started itself and pushed up against the building door, and spun the wheels down to the axles. Another employee found it and shut it off.
Years before I started my job as a truck mechanic, an employee was pressure washing a truck, and the engine, when it started ,, drove out the door, jumped a 15 curb, drove across the lot, and hit the company next door's loading dock. They said it would hit the dock, bounce back, and hit again, repeatedly. Finally someone got the door open and shut it off, but it took a while.
So my vote, in most cases, is water shorting at the starter! Mark.
 
I was awakened one night to the sound of our Case forklift trying to start. I got up and grabbed my pea shooter and ran out to the shop to it. Got there, and it was still on and off trying to start itself. Turned out that the alternator had gone bad and it was pulling the battery voltage down just enough to try to keep starting.
 
I had a garden tractor that was sitting out in the rain. Heard it cranking outside the door and checked it out. The water had shorted the start switch and allowed it to crank.

Would guess this is the more likely scenario vs lightning.
 
Saw pictures on farcebook the other day, dump truck had his bed raised under a power line, it arced almost 10 feet to the bed, blew the steer tires off the rims, and ran to ground through the right rear drive tires.
Driver sat in it unhurt til the power was killed.
 
George Yeh ,Just saw on the news That Richard Branson is only going to charge $250,000.00 dollars per 1 hour ride into space.Or if you feel lucky you might win one of two free tickets he is going to give away.
 
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