Is a fire extinguisher worth it on a tractor

[JDgreen227]

I have done the "Invert and bang on the bottom with a rubber hammer" routine at least once a year for all the dry chemical ABC extinguishers we have in house and vehicles for as long as I can recall. The majority of the ones we have are 1A 10BC with a few larger models in the outbuildings. Have carried one on my JD since it was new, ditto all the vehicles, but never needed one. I have a bracket on order so I can install one of those Halon models I posted about here to the ROPS...aside from Halon and dry chemical types I don't know of any other extinguishers that can be purchased.

 

[MikeFarm]

Hi all

> ...aside from Halon and dry chemical types I don't
> know of any other extinguishers that can be purchased.

CO2, Water, Foam and Wet chemical are available. They are classed into particular categories as they are best suited to certain types of fire. (Easy to Google for these extinguisher types.) I got myself a 1kg dry chemical type just yesterday for my tractor before I read this thread I don't know if compaction does occur with dry chemical - I think we'll need an expert in the industry to tell us, if so though I think a foam type would be also fine for small hay/grass fires.

Mike

 

[deereman75]

Hi all

> ...aside from Halon and dry chemical types I don't
> know of any other extinguishers that can be purchased.

CO2, Water, Foam and Wet chemical are available. They are classed into particular categories as they are best suited to certain types of fire. (Easy to Google for these extinguisher types.) I got myself a 1kg dry chemical type just yesterday for my tractor before I read this thread I don't know if compaction does occur with dry chemical - I think we'll need an expert in the industry to tell us, if so though I think a foam type would be also fine for small hay/grass fires.

Mike

I can tell you compaction does happen, even if it sits still. I had to use one on a fire I cant give any details of. I pulled the pin, squeezed it, and just a bit of gas came out, no powder. It had been sitting unmoved for years. Ended up using baking soda to put it out. My uncle later told me that when he was in the park service, they said you have to shake them every few months, or they wouldnt work. I saw that first hand. This reminded me, today I will go around and do that to all the ones we have here.

 

[woodlandfarms]

So let me rephrase my question. First, is it reasonable to assume that a small size extinguisher will put out a fire on a tractor. Now, granted a fully engulfed vehicle will not be put out by anything but a pumper truck. I know from personal experience I put out a carb fire on a classic car, but the small bottle emptied just as the fire went out. As I see it if a tractor is on fire it has rubber and diesel and oil burning which to me is really hard to put out.

Second, what is the best type of extinguisher to have on a tractor.

 

[flyerdan]

I would say that it is, because it takes quite a while for a tire or pretty much any fire to get established. If you have an extinguisher on hand you can nip it in the bud, rather than have to run a couple hundred yards to a tow rig or shop, by then it's fully involved. And in the worst case if it does go up, at least the insurance company will see that an effort was made to save it which could earn you good will points toward a speedier settlement.

 

[JDgreen227]

Maybe twenty years ago I was attending a building safety presentation and this reasoning was introduced to us in the meeting:

"All fires start small, so be prepared for that and you have a really good chance of controlling them..."

You can argue the point that not all fires are small and easily controlled when they start, but the odds are that a good percentage of them will be. Which is why I have an extinguisher in every building, on every floor, in rooms like the kitchen where a fire is more likely to start I have two.

As for me, my tractor is covered under my homeowners policy with full replacement coverage if it is destroyed, but I am rather attached to it and would rather not go through the process of getting a new one. I just hope if it ever catches fire it is outdoors at the time because if the barn it is stored in catches fire it will be a total loss in ten or twenty minutes.

 

[Branchchipper]

This is part of what I wrote for an earlier, very similar post...

I have carried extinguishers on most everything for years, and have received a lot of blank stares/quizzical looks as a result.

Here's the bottom line, based on 3 decades in the fire business;

You need an extinguisher capable of preventing a small fire from becoming larger, in whatever fuel type it is likely to occur...

That's why a 2A10BC extinguisher is so common in a typical business- it is rated for A-common combustibles (paper, wood); B- flammable/combustible liquids (fuels); and C- energized electrical devices.

There are automotive-oriented extinguishers that are better suited for use on a tractor (see you local auto supply or fire extinguisher dealer), as they are geared towards the most likely fires therein (wiring, other electrical components and fuel)

You will not be able to extinguish a large fire in a tractor, BUT, your extinguisher may keep a small fire small, or, at least keep a "loser" situation from spreading to vegetation, vehicles or buildings.

Like wearing seat belts, carrying an extinguisher is not an infallible strategy, but the odds are good that you'll be able to make a difference.

Otherwise, its a pretty bad feeling to stand by and watch something burn because you were not equipped to take action!
__________________

 

[pacerron]

Had a wisconsin motor on a heston haybine catch on fire in the middle of a hay field about a mile from the barn, melted the carb and fuel pump off, plastic fuel line from under the seat to the motor melted dumping gas on it - long story short neighbor showed up with some cans of white powder - put some in my hand and threw it on the machine and it went out. Would like to know what was in that red can.

Bob

Probably baking soda.
In the old days of frying food in a skillet folks kept a box of baking soda
near the kitchen stove.

 

[JDgreen227]

About baking soda...reminded me of something my folks had in the kitchen of their rural farmhouse back about 1962...some clear glass ball or beaker-shaped containers (sealed) with a colored liquid inside. My mom kept them in the drawer under the oven and told us if the stove top ever caught fire to take one of these glass containers and throw it at the stovetop and the liquid would put the fire out. I always wondered if she was serious or not....

 

[flyerdan]

The liquid was probably carbon tetrachloride. I have a couple of the antique brass pumps that my dad had had for ages.