John Deere E110 on Fire

   / John Deere E110 on Fire #11  
Not a JD Fire but I will share it.

In 1992 I purchased a 2084 Cub Cadet Garden Tractor. Equipped it with a 54 inch deck and used it to mow about three acres with since.

This year I was mowing a slight a slight slope area around a outbuilding where I have been mowing for years when all of a sudden the unit started turning over to my left and towards the building.

I turned the ignition off as it started over. Fortunately it only turned over on it’s side. But unfortunately it trapped my left ankle. I was lying there try to work my ankle and leg free and thought all I need is this thing to catch fire. About that time I hear a poof noise and smoke started coming out from the front.

The plastic grill had contacted the hot exhaust system and ignited. That made me pull harder on the leg. Then smoke started coming out of the dash area.

That really made me yank on the leg. I finally got the leg free and hobbled to the water hose and had a hard time extinguishing all the plastic hood and side covering. The hardest part to extinguish was the electric wiring.

The battery had slipped and tilted over and jammed the positive post against the metal frame created a dead short in the electrical system.

I used a bolt cutter to cut the positive cable on the battery and I was finally able to stop the fires. Fortunately I was able to get the fire(s) out before it got to the gas tank.

Two things caused my fire. One was the plastic grill igniting which then ignited the engine side panels and hood. The battery slipping and jamming the positive post against the frame and creating a complete electrical short.

And most fortunately for me I only got a badly bruised left ankle and minor lacerations on my left leg. Unfortunately for the 2084 though it was a total loss. Hated that, it was a good mower. Power steering, hydraulic deck lift, independent brakes for each wheel and tilt and telescopic steering wheel.
 

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   / John Deere E110 on Fire #12  
Geez, makes me think more about what is collecting around the muffler. In the fall when I’m chewing up leaves, there are times I’m pushing a pile a foot tall with my mower trying to mulch the leaves. I worked on my neighbors mower and found it had grass and hay stuffed every where under the hood from mice. I bet I pulled out a grocery sack full of hay and pine straw that was in every nook and cranny in the engine compartment. I hate that his mower burned up, glad nobody was hurt.
 
   / John Deere E110 on Fire
  • Thread Starter
#14  
I bought 4 fire extinguishers and mounted them at every shed in the family after our fire incident.

Just a couple days ago I saw “stuff” in the new mower.
It’s now mid august here and we saw some gray thistle seed and grass stuck in the new S100 JD mower.

It was hard to see how much was stuck in by the motor fins, because there is a thin silver metal plate that directs air over the fins.

So I took off the four bolts and lifted the black plastic engine cover up. This let’s you tip the thin silver metal plate back to see the motor fins.

My brother in law saw the pictures and said it was definitely a nest. But I’m not sure if the motor blower is sucking in grass and thistle seed and sending it to the motor fins and it gets stuck there.

My new mowing process:
1. Moth balls to store on the mower when it’s in the shed.
2. After mowing take the motor cover up and tip the silver plate back and using a compressor to blow out the grass, seeds, and nests.

Seems like a lot of work to mow but we definitely don’t want another fire
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   / John Deere E110 on Fire #15  
Fire extinguishers are smart. Very smart. I did the same.

Last week I decided to check to see how old they were. The oldest 3 were bought in 2014! Seemed like 3 weeks ago I put them up.

I tried them - 1 still sort of worked and the other 2 were duds.

So - having extinguishers - smart. Not replacing them in 7 years - not so smart!

MoKelly
 
   / John Deere E110 on Fire #16  
Fire extinguishers are smart. Very smart. I did the same.

Last week I decided to check to see how old they were. The oldest 3 were bought in 2014! Seemed like 3 weeks ago I put them up.

I tried them - 1 still sort of worked and the other 2 were duds.

So - having extinguishers - smart. Not replacing them in 7 years - not so smart!

MoKelly
What was the brand and models of those FE's ?
 
   / John Deere E110 on Fire #17  
Fire extinguishers are smart. Very smart. I did the same.

Last week I decided to check to see how old they were. The oldest 3 were bought in 2014! Seemed like 3 weeks ago I put them up.

I tried them - 1 still sort of worked and the other 2 were duds.

So - having extinguishers - smart. Not replacing them in 7 years - not so smart!

MoKelly
For replacements: DO buy only the ones with metal valves/handles.
The plastic parts deteriorate with age.
 
   / John Deere E110 on Fire
  • Thread Starter
#18  
Before mowing again with the new S100 JD mower I cleaned up all the grass and seeds I could find.

I also found the shredded and dried uo remains of Mr Mouse. So I now think the new mower had a mouse nest and probably the older E110 also had a nest which caused the fire.
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   / John Deere E110 on Fire
  • Thread Starter
#19  
The old burnt E110 is mowing again.
About $400 in parts gets me a mostly new riding mower.

Most of the time was spent digging out charred melted plastic.
Then new wiring harness and some new engine plastic.

I had a new S100 next to it so I could figure out where things went.

It looks really bad, and it smokes because it still has some thin coating of melted plastic on the muffler.
 

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