Creamer
Elite Member
Was the machine running or just the engine on? I sure hope he was not trying to clean with it running although I have seen people do that as well.Machine was running and he was under the head cleaning it with out blocking it up. A hydraulic line or fitting gave out dropping the head and he barely rolled out before it pinned him! Hydraulic fluid sprayed on hot exhaust then ignited is the best hypothesis of how blaze started.
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I have to agree that it is very easy to begin to trust the hydraulics after thousands of times of them doing exactly what they are supposed to. But that is when they are going to give out - after the thousands of times. A simple cylinder block is well worth it.