Did I say I was having a bad week?

[woodlandfarms]

Well it got worse. Caught my PT on fire. NOT BAD, thank the gods, not bad, but truly a STUPID move on my part, and if I can find the security camera footage all of you will have a laugh as I am sure it was a Laurel and Hardy moment.

I set up to weld my rear cover hinge back, I made sure I was safe. Cleaned up all the oil around the welding area, got out some tin, made a nice shield for my hoses and such. Made the weld. Painless. Actually happy something was going right.

Closed the lid, walked around to the other side and OHHHH YEAHHHH I forgot that I had pushed a tree into the expanded metal side and broke some of the welds. Well, the lid is closed, grab the expanded, and pull it tight. ZAP, SPARK, SPLATTER, I am making dirty welds on dirty metal and my mig doesn't like it but outside of all the sparks things are coming together. So I stop, examine my work, smile, turn around and start to pack up my mess..

Hmm, do you smell something like rubber burning, did I leave something hot on the tire? Turn around.... black smoke coming out of the hood and the faint orange glow of a small fire. Immediatly I realize that the oil and grass in the bottom of the pan (on the side I had not cleaned) has molten slag on it and is on fire...

Grab the fire extinguisher and pull and depress..... Nothing. It slowly dawns on me that this extinguisher is at least 10 years old. OK, got another one just 20 feet away by the gas storage. Grab it, turn around, now I am really seeing the top of the flame coming over the bottom of the tub. Hustle my fat butt back to the tractor, pull, depress, and.... wait for it.... Nothing. Jeez I bought both of these at the same time. So now the panic is really setting in. I run around the shop and grab the garden hose. It of course is kinked around everything and I am unsure it is even long enough.... Sprint, yank, pull, with the hose spraying water everywhere and me having a hot 220 running across the shop floor.

Well, in the end it was quite anti climactic. Water hits the oil, flames go out immediately, and zero damage. I guess the thick coating of oil and grass prevented the fire from getting to any important parts.

At moments like this, I would ask any of you who live on the other side of the US to offer me a place to stay until this all blows over. Saddly I think your house might burn down if I am there.

Carl

 

[SpringHollow]

I am glad the PT etc did not end up in smoke.

With the week you are having, the army might be interested in sending you to visit some of our "friends".

Look at it this way - 99% of the population would not even attempt to fix something like the PT where as you have kept it going for a number of years.

Hope today gives you a chance to enjoy things.

Ken

 

[MossRoad]

!!!
:laughing:

 

[Gary Fowler]

I did similar when making a bracket to affix a different seat on my JD 332. I had to weld 2 of the bracket together while on the lawnmower which I did without problem but when I raised my hood, a buck shot had rolled down the frame and settled into some oily residue and had a little fire going. It would have been a big fire soon but luckily I was able to just blow it out. NOT so much drama as you had and I did have a charged extinguisher 4 feet from me.

 

[MuncyBob]

Wow! A week to remember(or forget, depends on how you look at it!)......you are past hump day now so just keep telling yourself it has to get better soon!

 

[cqaigy2]

Somehow, my week doesn't seem so bad now. :laughing:
Glad you got it all under control.

 

[ponytug]

And the award for cool, calm and the ability to prioritize under fire goes to: Carl!

I'm glad that it turned out well.

As others have observed in the past: keeping the tub clean on PTs is something of a self defense point...
Personally, I have found more loose connections just because the tub stays clean, so any oil weep/dust spot must be new.

How is your earthquake insurance for your places?

All the best,

Peter

 

[elmoreams]

Glad it turned out ok!

 

[90cummins]

I keep a 2 gallon pump up garden sprayer near me in the garage whenever I need to use the torches on an exhaust system just in case and have used it several times to keep surrounding areas cool and extinguish small grease fires.
I also use it when I'm doing plumbing in the house with a propane torch.
You might want to consider picking one up.
90cummins