What is that smell??? ...or why my Bush Hog caught fire...

[SanDucerro]

Ran the shredder for the first time this year. Noticed it didn't seem to be cutting very well, but I needed to knock out some overgrowth before I hit the field with the disc, so I kept going. There was this "smell" inside the cab that I couldn't place. Kinda like electrical stuff burning. Tried shutting off the AC and the smell lessened, but darn if I still seemed to be able to catch a whiff every now and then. Switch the AC to recirculate and the smell lessened again, but didn't totally go away. Kept watching the rows I had just cut and it sure seemed like I wasn't getting much done. I know for a fact I needed to sharpen the blades, but it sure seemed like it was cutting better the last time I used it. Took a look in the rearview and thought I saw white smoke - and I KNOW that ain't right. Stopped immediately (which was obviously way too late), hopped down and found the 10 year old Bush Hog Squeeler SQ600 was on fire!

OK - it was a small fire, but it was definately burning. Blew out the flames like a birthday candle and inspected the damage. Nothing really "seemed" amiss. Let the Bush Hog rest for a bit, topped off the gear box oil, and took it out once again - but now it won't cut at all. Took off my farmer cap and headed for my IT chair to do a bit of research. Managed to trace the issue to the slip clutch (so THAT'S what a slip clutch looks like) and yep, that's the part that was on fire! So I ordered replacement friction disks and a couple of new blades. I figure after 10 years of flawless service it was the least I could do... :laughing:

 

[k0ua]

Good Story.. You do know that they need adjustment and testing at least at the start of every season.?

 

[LD1]

That would certainly explain why it wasnt cutting well.

Glad the damage wasnt severe. But there isnt a whole lot to burn on an old heavy iron cutter

 

[CobyRupert]

You may want to take a look and see if there's another problem as to why it was slipping so much it caught fire. Do the gearbox and blades turn freely?

 

[SPYDERLK]

Insulating yourself from the environment interferes with your perception of it.

 

[SanDucerro]

You may want to take a look and see if there's another problem as to why it was slipping so much it caught fire. Do the gearbox and blades turn freely?

Everything turns freely, no obvious issues, nothing binding, blades spun when PTO was engaged, just don't cut. As to why it was slipping so much... oh, I don't know... could be that it had never been adjusted or even looked at in 10 years... heck - I had to look up "slip clutch" to see what one looked like! :laughing: I always wondered why I had never busted a sheer pin in all the time I had owned the shreader. :ashamed: Could be because it didn't have one!

I'm fairly certain I'm a Bush Hog customer for life, 'cause this thing has worked flawlessly since I bought it - and I've abused it something awful. It's taken down Huisache trees with trunks as big as my first, cut pastures and trimmed dirt mounds (not intentionally you understand), and just did whatever I asked of it. It was attached to the small tractor (L3130) when I bought it ten years ago and never even taken off until this year when I bought a PHD. To be honest, I completely forgot it had a slip clutch. Now that we're actually working the land and preparing to move out there full time I expect I'll pay more attention to yearly maintenance schedules. Hopefully my "story" will prompt others to take a look at their slip clutches and make sure their adjusted. Might save them some down time.

 

[jinman]

Keith, most slip-clutches will freeze together rather than loosen and slip. Did the adjustments have aircraft locking nuts? If not, you might consider investing in some. They are also called nylock nuts. Because slip clutches are exposed to the weather, they normally rust together and stick. Yours obviously did not. The clutch may have been loose since you owned it and only now wore enough to slip freely and generate enough heat to smoke and burn.

 

[SanDucerro]

Sounds reasonable Jim. The unit does not have nylock nuts and I'm pretty sure the nuts on there are rusted tight. The hitch pin that held the slip clutch cover was rusted and broke when I tried to remove it. The slip clutch itself was in obvious need of attention as well. I'll use nylocks when I rebuild it - thanks for the suggestion!

 

[Wagtail]

While you're at it, may I suggest that you purchase & install a fire extinguisher somewhere on your rig?

It's better to have it and not need it than the other way around... And you almost needed it, Mate.

 

[SanDucerro]

While you're at it, may I suggest that you purchase & install a fire extinguisher somewhere on your rig?

It's better to have it and not need it than the other way around... And you almost needed it, Mate.

You know, that's an EXCELLENT suggestion - and I'm a bit embarrassed I didn't think of it myself! While I would not have used it in this instance, it's VERY easy to see where this could have gotten out of control.