Well... I tried one more time to get the injector out over the weekend. I figured I'd try heating the injector and then hitting it on the side with the air hammer to try and break it free. Well... things didn't go according to plan. The injector return lines were covered with a cloth fabric that holds the grease. I brushed past the line with the torch and it lit right up. The fire was pretty small, but I didn't have a glove on so I couldn't grab the flame to snuff it out. No water or a shovel was near by either. I went to grab a bucket and some water, but realized the barn water was shut off because it had froze the night before! By now the machine was smoking pretty good and the fire was into the belly pan. The machine was only 10' from the barn, so I called 911. The cop came first and I asked him for his extinguisher. Pulled the pin and as I was walking up to the machine something popped and the flames reached up to the top of the lift arms. I gave it the entire extinguisher but it didn't put the fire out. Now the fire was on the gravel under the machine so a fluid must be burning. By now a second sheriff was there and we hit it with a second extinguisher. Still wouldn't go out, but it was knocked down. I left to grab a garden hose and a third cop had arrived and was pulsing his extinguisher to at least keep the flames knocked down. I was able to get a garden hose strung out and the wife turned the water on. Felt like it took an eternity to purge the air out of 300' of line but once I had water I was able to get it out. It was at this time that the volunteer fire department came and they used the brush unit to really wet it down.
Once everybody had left, I called the insurance company and told them they needed to get the machine towed because it was leaking fluids. They said an adjuster would be calling but that they wouldn't pay for the tow until he had looked at it. Checked on the machine an hour later and there was a 20' plume of fluid running into the grass. Knowing it had 32 gallons of hydraulic oil and diesel on board I called a environmental clean up company. They sucked the tanks dry, threw down some oil dry and covered the plume with some plastic so the rain wouldn't spread the spill. He figured the clean up will run around $7,500 because they had three guys on a Sunday. They'll excavate the contaminated gravel during the week after the insurance company approves the remediation and when their labor rates are lower. The spill amount was well over the limit so it got reported to the DNR as well. The clean up guy warned me that the insurance company would try to deny the remediation claim so I'll probably have to fight them. They should have just towed it, would have saved them a bunch of money.
At first I thought the machine was a total loss, but now that I'm looking at it, it's actually not all that bad. Only the left side of the engine burned and it looks like the hydraulics are still holding pressure (edit - I now believe the curl is bleeding down). Obviously the wiring is gone, but it looks like some new fuel lines, maybe a dozen hoses, a new battery and the machine would be functional. Never burned the paint and the cab is untouched. The starter and alternator are both on the opposite side. Think it's repairable? I didn't take any pictures of the engine compartment so I'll try to get some tonight.
What's the machine worth? Gehl 6635DX, 1999 year, 3250 hours, bald solid tires, enclosed cab, heater, suspension seat, led lights, backup camera, single speed, high flow. Machine is in pretty good shape and we just went through the entire hydraulic system with new drive pumps and lift cylinders.
