Is a fire extinguisher worth it on a tractor

[Soundguy]

i'd like to add that some of the kiddie and first a extnguishers can be bought in DOT grade witht he metal top and valve and hose vs the nozzle, plus a dot approved bracket. those are of much higher quality.. thus you pay a lil more.. but IMHO it is worth it. we use those at work and it is what I have at home.. they are less prone to leak vs the plastic ones..

 

[TCJatko]

Should you have a fire extinguisher of your tractor? Yes. Do they need annual servicing? I don't know. Last summer I heard a pop from the road next to us. I looked out and a guy with one of those Cobra replicars had stalled and caught fire. Strangely, he didn't have an extinguisher in the car. I grabbed an old dry chemical extinguisher and helped douse the fire. This was summer 2011, the unit had last been serviced in 1992, and had sat out in the barn since then. Worked like a champ! That said, I'd still recommend servicing at more frequent intervals.:thumbsup:

Correction: Serviced in 1993. Unit was a General 20lb. ABC.

 

[Soundguy]

i try to take mina off the holder and tap them against the wall while inverted every year to break up the powder.

soundguy

 

[CompactTractorFan]

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.)

There are also different types of dry chemicals (ABC, BC, Purple K)

There are a few other types of extinguishers (Class D, Class K, water mist, etc), but the average Joe would not need to worry about them.

 

[CompactTractorFan]

I had to use one on a fire I cant give any details of.

Hmmm.....

 

[CompactTractorFan]

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

As others mentioned, dry chemical ABC. Probably in the 5lb-6lb range.

 

[CompactTractorFan]

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....

We have one of them in our furnace room. I think it has been there since the house was build in 1958. The contents inside are clear, so I wonder if it's just water.

 

[CompactTractorFan]

JDgreen, just my opinion, but next time, buy a good extinguisher. Stay away from anything branded Kidde, First Alert, or Flag. Those are cheap extinguishers that are mass-produced for the consumer market. They are sub-standard quality. Some will be leaked down when you take them out of the box!

I second this. If you want to look at "real" extinguishers, take a look at Amerex. They are one of (if not the) nations leading manufactures.

http://amerex-fire.com/

 

[CompactTractorFan]

There has been some god replies to this thread so far. I never knew about the problems with the powder settling. :confused2:

I know this thread relates to tractors and vehicles, but there is one thing nobody mentioned yet. Pressurized water extinguishers. These are good to have around areas where the main hazards are class A fires. In the barn, yard, hay field, burn pile, etc. The nice thing about these is you can recharge them yourself. :thumbsup:

 

[JDgreen227]

There has been some god replies to this thread so far. I never knew about the problems with the powder settling. :confused2:

I know this thread relates to tractors and vehicles, but there is one thing nobody mentioned yet. Pressurized water extinguishers. These are good to have around areas where the main hazards are class A fires. In the barn, yard, hay field, burn pile, etc. The nice thing about these is you can recharge them yourself. :thumbsup:

Have probably seen those type...bit didn't pay attention at the time. I should have mentioned sooner that in every one of my workshops (basement, garage, garden shed, barns) I have a pair of 5 gallon buckets full of water with snap on lids stored in a handy area just inside the door. I empty them in the fall and refill in the spring. If a fire started in one of those shops and I was there, I think I would probably grab the water buckets first if I had a Class A fire start----or would that be a mistake?