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Van Wert co. NW Ohio | Last Thursday was a day that
i would like to forget. Was cutting soybeans at 2pm on a hot and windy day when I looked in the mirror an all I saw was a huger cloud of black smoke and dark red/orange flames about 5 feet high coming from the engine compartment of my new[to me] 9670 combine. The combine shut off and I ran for the fire extinguisher only to decide that that was a really bad idea when something exploded from the fire area and I decided that the captain going down with the ship was a little over rated. Called 911 waited what seemed like forever while watching the combine be completely destroyed in front of my eyes. Only 500 hours on it,what a waste. From here on the news is nothing but good. JD dealer busted his a$$ and got me a 9770 same age as mine with 50 less hours to use and had it on my farm by noon the next day,insurance company has been incredible has offered to pay full and I mean full value of the 9670 including fuel in the tank,beans in the bin and tools in the toolbox. Dealer has offered to sell me the 9770 at a very fair price so it looks like I have or soon will have a very nice machine. Here's the point to this whole rant. I've met with two insurance investigators in the last several days trying to figure what the he// happened. One man is an ag engineer from Iowa who makes a living looking into machinery fires for Grinnel [sp?] insurance that I think is based in Iowa. He said that there are theories that these rotary combines generate huge amounts of static electricity and with rubber tires and plastic skid pads under the header there is no way for this charge to be discharged unless you have a metal strap or chain dragging on the ground. You can bet that I put a chain on the 9770 before it ever went to the field figuring that it might help and if not, so what. Here is my question; how many of you drag a chain to discharge the static buildup, do you think it helps and has anyone ever had a fire of unexplained origin while dragging a chain? Also, any stories of fires in 70 series Deere combines and what causes them? I REALLY do not want this to happen again. TIA |
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West Texas | A few years back, during a dry fall, everyone was having trouble with fires on cotton strippers. People tried everything under the sun but basically decided extremely dry wind conditions were the problem. |
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NW central IL | deeres have a history of loosing the chopper bearing |
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Eastern NC | The only fire that we have had since running the rotary machine was the result of ingesting a rock into the machine. It broke off several of the seperator tines and filled the rear end of the machine up with sparks. When the operator heard the clanging of the rock going through he stopped tha machine and got out to look for damage. He smelled the smoke as soon as he left the cab. He called for the fire truck and began discharging the extinguishers. He was less than one mile from the local fire dept. and they responded very fast. The machine was not lost but it was filled up with water and the grain was ruined. All of the plastic on the new machines does not help at all when they begin to burn. |
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NW central IL | the 300 gallon plastic fuel tank doesnt help either |
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East Palestine, OH | we drag a chain but the theory was to keep the windows clean...maybe the dry air might have some play in it also(low humidity)??? |
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MO | I really do not buy into the static electricity theory too much. If the machine were building up that much static, everytime you were holding onto the ladder getting on or off, you would get the crap shocked out of ya. |
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ND | Good point!!!!!! |
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Hagen Brothers farms,Goodrich ND | missouri9170 - 9/30/2010 22:29
I really do not buy into the static electricity theory too much. If the machine were building up that much static, everytime you were holding onto the ladder getting on or off, you would get the crap shocked out of ya.
I agree, funny how people insist on chasing static electricity phantoms while ignoring that big hot firepot of an engine, with it's 1000 degree exhaust, right over the dirty end of the combine.
Of all the combines that I have owned, conventional and rotor, only one has never had a fire in very dry oily crops .
It was a 1482 IH rotor machine. The 1482 is a pulltype, PTO driven combine where the hot tractor engine is 30 ft out in front of the dirty end of the combine.
Edited by Jon Hagen 9/30/2010 22:37
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Renville Minnesota | Sorry for your experience, seems like a burnt combine (no matter the color) is a very sad sight. Glad the people you deal with are doing what they should. I highly doubt the rotory - static electricity buildup story, but Im not qualified. Logic would say Red machines should have burned for the last 35 years at a very high rate compared to the conventionals....... As for the chain, I think a ripper shank would be more beneficial, but, still highly doubt dragging anything would help. Good luck, hope your harvest improves! |
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Rocky Comfort, MO | My uncle bought a brand new 9760 a couple of years ago that was still on a dealers lot. He farms quite a bit of rice. They got it in the field and after ten hours it caught fire. They got it put out quick, cleaned up the machine and started back in. It caught on fire a total of five times I think he said. They had the dealer come out and found that the chaff and trash would get stuck in a particular spot towards the back of the rotor and would build up enough to cause a friction fire. They had to change something out on it that was the cause of the issue. I think it was a known problem. I don't think he has had any trouble since. |
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Ontario | Do you ever get a shock when you step off the ladder on a rotary combine like you get from
a road vehicle in the winter |
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North End I-15 | Sorry to hear of your loss , never a fun moment .
Tail wind ,10% humidity always seems to bring on a fire .
Have been around 4 JD rotary fires .All seem to start @ /near the computer box above the fuel tank .
Only one was completly destroyed .
The other 3 had from 4000 to 20000 $ in damage .
2 were custom cutter machines , 2 were good neighbor Don's .
Insurance on all 4 was very good . No problems with adjustments or repair costs. |
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WCOH | Poly skid plates aren't that thick, if there was that much static don't you think it would jump to ground? |
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far sNSW , Australia | We now drag a chain on old 1660. Last year in really dry canola I am sure we had a static fire. It started on top of the front axle under the transition cone. Lucky the smoke drifted up in through the cab filter. Nothing was ever found wrong that had caused it, and our tech had never heard of a fire down there. |
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Leesburg, Ohio | That interesting...we may lose one tomorrow, but have never had one go out yet on a whole long line of Deere combines over a 50 year period. |
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SC North Dakota | All it takes is one hot ember off of the turbo to start a fire. You guys should try combining really dry flowers at night. Looks like fireflies in back of the combine. It does seem like these newer combines are starting on fire on a more regular basis. Not matter the color. |
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Central Nebraska | We have been dragging a chain for years. all of our fire problems went away after we installed it |
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Caraway, AR | Would you know the build date of that combine? John
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SE IA | Been running Deere combines a long time and haven't ever lost a chopper bearing. Some of the machines were run to 3000+ hours. Not trying to argue, just hadn't ever heard of that particular problem. |
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SE IA | I thought about the plastic fuel tank too. The other morning putting 200 gallons in it I started to think about how little heat it would take to melt it. |
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North End I-15 | More surface area to carry electricity , no bouncing links to break continuity.
One fellow here took and rigged up a 12 volt light . One wire to rotar cage , one to ground . It would light a clearance ligt quite nicely.
I have had kocha dust glowing on hyd lines on top left side of 1688 . Lots of blower time with a leaft blower . Never had a fire on the red one but I know they will also burn quite nicely . |
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combine fire
