WARNING Watch your cables and battery posts

[clytle374]

Was cutting hay last Friday and Mom was taking a pass around the field with the disk mower. Saw smoke coming from the tractor and thought something was going on with the motor. Next the flames started under the plastic cover on the handle bars. Found the brake cable had rubbed against the battery positive post, shorted out, and welded fast. Cable was darn near white hot making the fire hard to put out. Cable burn in half and came loose. Burn most of cables up on the right side of the handle bars.

Just though you all might want a heads up.

Cory

[farmerboybill]

Was cutting hay last Friday and Mom was taking a pass around the field with the disk mower. Saw smoke coming from the tractor and thought something was going on with the motor. Next the flames started under the plastic cover on the handle bars. Found the brake cable had rubbed against the battery positive post, shorted out, and welded fast. Cable was darn near white hot making the fire hard to put out. Cable burn in half and came loose. Burn most of cables up on the right side of the handle bars.

Just though you all might want a heads up.

Cory

Hey Cory,

Good advice. I don't have that problem because I never bothered to mount a battery. I hate where it sits and I'm strong enough to pull start the KD440.

[RichardTX]

Rings and wrist watches were forbidden at my first job. One fellow ignored the rule and got his wedding ring between a battery terminal and ground. It instantly welded the ring to the battery terminal and the frame. He could not get free until the wedding ring melted off his finger. Now he has a permanent ring on his finger.

[ray66v]

Rings and wrist watches were forbidden at my first job. One fellow ignored the rule and got his wedding ring between a battery terminal and ground. It instantly welded the ring to the battery terminal and the frame. He could not get free until the wedding ring melted off his finger. Now he has a permanent ring on his finger.

When I was a kid, while working on a car, I shorted the positive terminal on a side terminal battery and a transmission cooling line, with a metal watch band.

I managed to get the hot watch off before it did permanent damage, and I never wore a watch at work again.

[clytle374]

Knew a guy that dropped a screw driver in a masive 24V power supply and had real nice scars from the flash burn.

Looking at the bcs manual, it looks like there is supposed to be covers on the battery cables that would have stopped this fire. I guess Earthtools used cheap cables.

Cory