Baler Fire

[belezar]

My JD 567 caught fire yesterday. This was my first cutting with it, bought used and have baled about 250 bales so far and love the baler. Is this common? I don't know the cause yet, as I have not seen it as my help was running it at the time. He said the top roller is where the flames came from. Maybe a bearing went out. Supposedly this is repairable, but we will see. My luck with used equipment has not been good this season, and this baler was in great shape, or so it appeared.

[Ed of all trades]

don't know about J D bailers but I hope it turns out well.

[ejb69]

I know of a few other balers that have burned up. They were not JD's. I was told a bearing went on the one I know the most about, the baler and tractor both burned along with part of the feild.

[Posm]

They all burn. JD puts a lot if stress on the top drive bearing with trier design. If you see a JD burn, most likely it is the top left drive bearing.

Harvesting equipment of all kinds are subject to burn. The combination of dry crop and moving parts are a recipe for fire. Almost everyone puts a fire extinguisher on their second baler. When you buy an extinguisher, choose the water type. The dry type are good for chemical fires but will spread a hay fire.

[bigbull338]

the most common cause of any baler fire is from a blown bearing during baling.an that can happen to any brand of baler.now picking up a rock could cause a baler fire as well.

[purplewg]

I have had two baler fires. First was a bad bearing on an old New Holland 851. Second was the same baler but never figured out what caused it. Third was this past weekend in a Vermeer 5400. I went over it with a fine tooth comb and can't find anything mechanical that caused it. After the first baler fire I put a new fire extinguisher on the old NH. Then I had the second fire. The new fire extinguisher did not work at all and was fully charged. I am now designing a water tank to fit to the front of the tractor. It will be 20-30 gallons with a 12 volt pump and 30-40 feet of hose. Then again insurance might be cheaper. Then again if I let if burn down, I can't finish baling my hay.

[ctlguy]

deere machines are no more prone to fires than ANY other round baler. One of the best investments you can make is a lazer temp gauge, they can be bought for as little as $60. At the end of the day (or even part way through the day) check each bearing and you will have a real good indication of a possible bearing failure. I prefer water extinguishers but any style is better than none at all.