Recycling parts from a burned tractor

[Rustyiron]

That is a sad group of photos. Sorry for your loss and hope you have insurance coverage.
Find a tractor or ag type "graveyard" that's in the parts business. I'd think that there would be plenty of parts that would be salvageable. Picture a guy who somehow had a catastrophic failure of his front axle, (I'm speculating here) the dealer doesn't sell the complete unit and the parts add up to $8000. He's going to take the chance and rebuild a junker. I can remember at least 2 guys here that have ripped off the top link part of the rear main housing, and another guy that needed an engine block.
Tractors and steel are built by fire (heat) and given the chance to cool slowly....
Still questionable parts, but the only opportunity to salvage an otherwise running machine weather parts or limited budgets.

 

[hosspuller]

There is nothing but scrap in that tractor. The only other use would be weight in a ballast box. Any bolt will be less than useful since the plating is burned off and the heat treatment annealed.

 

[Tinhack]

I too agree with the scrap assessment. The slow/long heat of a fire will draw out any tempering or hardness. You could open yourself up to a liability claim if something you sell fails and causes an injury.

 

[bcp]

I agree with the scrap diagnosis, but just out of interest...

Find some coil springs somewhere on the tractor linkages. If they are still springy, the temper on larger parts was likely not removed.

Bruce

 

[Gem99ultra]

No answer to your question... But just looking a the pictures makes me totally sick to my stomach. Your misfortune should be a lesson about fire hazards, to us all. Unfortunately, the more experience we possess, the more careless we sometimes become. Not implying at all about your particular situation. Sorry for your loss - and it was great.

 

[4570Man]

That’s pretty much scrap. Maybe the bucket and SSQA would be alright.

 

[coolconnection]

I too agree with the scrap assessment. The slow/long heat of a fire will draw out any tempering or hardness. You could open yourself up to a liability claim if something you sell fails and causes an injury.

Unless it has a high carbon content the fire might not have done to much damage to the steel and most likely is was a cold cool down. Only higher carbon steels can be heat treated such as M-1, A-2, 1075 etc. Before you say it yes low carbon can be heat treated but it takes some special circumstances and a really good heat treater. Standard soft cold rold steel has very little carbon in it to affect anything and if the steel got red hot maybe but it looks like the annealing process was a slow cool and not a fast cool down. Maybe if a fire hose blasted it directly to cool it down but still most of that tractor is low carbon steel. The rims might have taken some warpage with the heat because tires burn pretty hot. Engine block probably didn't get hot enough to affect anything, head seals on the outside might have taken some damage but there is also radiator coolant and oil in the engine, even if the hoses burnt through. Same with the trans, there is oil in that sealed metal and most likely absorbed some heat but kept it from getting to hot. Now aluminum may have melted some. I don't know the circumstances how hot it got, if the fire department blasted it with water and so on. I do know if you weld on metal it can weaken that area but again you are technically getting that area red hot.

 

[fried1765]

Unless it has a high carbon content the fire might not have done to much damage to the steel and most likely is was a cold cool down. Only higher carbon steels can be heat treated such as M-1, A-2, 1075 etc. Before you say it yes low carbon can be heat treated but it takes some special circumstances and a really good heat treater. Standard soft cold rold steel has very little carbon in it to affect anything and if the steel got red hot maybe but it looks like the annealing process was a slow cool and not a fast cool down. Maybe if a fire hose blasted it directly to cool it down but still most of that tractor is low carbon steel. The rims might have taken some warpage with the heat because tires burn pretty hot. Engine block probably didn't get hot enough to affect anything, head seals on the outside might have taken some damage but there is also radiator coolant and oil in the engine, even if the hoses burnt through. Same with the trans, there is oil in that sealed metal and most likely absorbed some heat but kept it from getting to hot. Now aluminum may have melted some. I don't know the circumstances how hot it got, if the fire department blasted it with water and so on. I do know if you weld on metal it can weaken that area but again you are technically getting that area red hot.

I agree that transmission and engine parts can be saved.....for sale.
If the insurance Co. (I assume you have ins.) will let you keep it for salvage, then keep it, and sell the engine and transmission etc. as parts.
If they want you to buy it back from them......forget it .... at any price.
I had a similar garage/contents loss, many years ago.
Had "replacement value coverage"
A suitable resolution to a very demoralizing situation.

 

[ovrszd]

I had a complete loss Shop fire 10 years ago. One of the items inside was my Kubota B2910. Looked just like yours. There's nothing there to save. In studying the pictures, everything that was aluminum is melted off the tractor. Including the engine front cover.

Bruce's point about coil springs is a good one. Will give you a bit of an idea. I consider Bruce to be the intellect in this conversation. What's the melting temp for Aluminum Bruce?

 

[ovrszd]

Not to jump in on Bruce, but I Googled it, 1,221F. In my opinion that compromises the temper of all metal involved.