L39 Electrical fire, bad, but could have been total loss.

[Bob77064]

Mike, I am sorry to hear this. Hope you come out ok.

 

[ChiefLoneWolf]

Me too, Mike, sorry about the incident. It gave me pause though to check on my insurance policy and set things straight.
Good luck.

 

[oldballs]

As Don White asked, is there any reason for not installing a battery disconnect? It sounds like a good idea for a tractor (e.g.my BX) that sits outside all the time.

 

[mike69440]

As Don White asked, is there any reason for not installing a battery disconnect? It sounds like a good idea for a tractor (e.g.my BX) that sits outside all the time.

Only thing I could think of is hour meter memory?

 

[ccsial]

Only thing I could think of is hour meter memory?

I'm thinking they may use a flash or E2PROM and update it once per minute. If it uses a super cap a disconnect may be a problem. I had the battery out of my JD X748 for about 4 hours when I went for a new one and the LCD meter kept the value.

 

[BeezFun]

I put a "battery brain" on my wife's car because she was constantly leaving something on and draining her battery. But it also has the useful feature of a remote control that lets you connect and disconnect battery power. They have a manual version that's a little cheaper, you have to go under the hood and push a reset button. It sticks out a little bit, might be a tight fit on some tractor battery compartments.

 

[oldballs]

I'm thinking they may use a flash or E2PROM and update it once per minute. If it uses a super cap a disconnect may be a problem. I had the battery out of my JD X748 for about 4 hours when I went for a new one and the LCD meter kept the value.

That's right, I forgot. One winter when it was around zero for quite a while, I took the battery out and brought it in (for several weeks) where it was put on a trickle charger and not so cold. The hour meter picked right back up where it left off on my BX. Thanks.

 

[pacerron]

They were right about corrosion from the extinguisher chemicals... but.
Did the FD note a definite cause and starting point for the fire?
What do you have now to really determine the cause if the tractor company balks or your insurance company's investigator does the same?
What were you using the tractor for prior to shutting it down the night before?
You said it was out back but could it have been vandilism?
Any boot prints or tire marks that can't be accounted for?

 

[mike69440]

I put a "battery brain" on my wife's car because she was constantly leaving something on and draining her battery. But it also has the useful feature of a remote control that lets you connect and disconnect battery power. They have a manual version that's a little cheaper, you have to go under the hood and push a reset button. It sticks out a little bit, might be a tight fit on some tractor battery compartments.

I was relieved to find out there was no clause that excluded my tractor, as I never used it for commercial business, so it is covered by insurance less deductible.

I printed out the pages of the parts manual of the affected parts to help the dealer order the correct parts. I think I'll move part parts pricing up to near $3,000, as there are more than a hundred parts, large and small, that got cooked.

Still thinking how bad it would have been if the rears tires lit up, then the hydraulic fluid, then the plastic fuel tank full of fuel! There is a lot of fuel in a few pounds of plastic. Luck it was really damp that morning and breezy, otherwise the roof and seat would have been more than just mildly toasted.

I once saw a large off road dump at a steel mill get caught in a pile of hot slag. The driver barely got out alive.

Is the battery brain weather tight?

I think I like the following battery disconnect:
http://www.perko.com/catalog/category/battery_switches/product/351/

http://www.perko.com/images/catalog/pdf/Fig 9611-9612 Inst (9611INS1).pdf

 

[mike69440]

They were right about corrosion from the extinguisher chemicals... but.
Did the FD note a definite cause and starting point for the fire?
What do you have now to really determine the cause if the tractor company balks or your insurance company's investigator does the same?
What were you using the tractor for prior to shutting it down the night before?
You said it was out back but could it have been vandalism?
Any boot prints or tire marks that can't be accounted for?

Did the FD note a definite cause and starting point for the fire?

No, the panel was really consumed by the fire.

What do you have now to really determine the cause if the tractor company balks or your insurance company's investigator does the same?

I see fingers pointing every which way. My guess is that something on the circuit board cooked as that seemed to be center of fire. I know the ignition switch was off. I always check as dead battery +500 ft from the nearest battery charger is a pain.

What were you using the tractor for prior to shutting it down the night before?

It was shut down two nights with the heavy rain. Just moving dirt, & rock, just like for the past 6 years. After I removed the battery I checked the charge on the battery to see what kind of drain was on it through the event using my fancy digital battery charger.
It had more than a 90% charge, 12.8 volts and took about 10 minutes to bring to full charge at a low 6 amp max charge rate. So whatever set the fire happened quickly or did not take a lot of juice.


You said it was out back but could it have been vandalism?

1/2 mile to nearest other house, through woods dark, thick and very steep. There were no footprints, but after +3" of rain, there would not be any. If it was vandalism, I think Mickey Mouse had something to do with it. I can't tell if wires were chewed as they are bare of insulation and even the copper is a bit crispy.