Tractor setting areas on fire?

[MapleLeafFarmer]

What do you consider high hours? One of mine has 6K on the meter and the other has 4500 on the meter and the 6K unit just happens to have a down exhaust outlet. I cut, rake and bale dry hay all the time and never have had any issues with fires. I actually prefer the down exhaust over a stack in the middle of the hood.

I would consider both having enough hrs and well past broken in that there is chance sparks past the valves are possible.


If say 500 hrs like a lot of people here seem to have on small acreage lots, worn valves on good quality tractor unlikely.
At 6,000 hrs though it is possible so something I would put some consideration on.
Could be one of a few causes of why sparks getting out of the engine into the exhaust.

Cheers

 

[lexluther]

Where I live you don't dare touch the ground with equipment all summer for the fire risk, especially not mowing ot tilling...absolutely he started it, should know better and should have an extinguisher on board.

 

[BillP618]

I've seen sparks coming out of an exhaust. I never delved into it to find out but I always presumed it might have needed a valve job (ran ok though) or maybe it was buildup on the exhaust side and glowed red hot then released and flew out the pipe.

Don't know. None the less, ever heard of a spark arrestor for a string trimmer, blower or something like that? Now you might know why!

I know chain saws have spark arrestors.

 

[Tinhack]

My first guess would be a rusted-out muffler. The iron oxide that forms as well as the carbon can ignite and throw sparks. As already mentioned, running a test at night with a hot engine should show if there's any sparks generated. Fires don't start on their own.

 

[TinkerToyz]

My Kubota RTVs which are diesel engines have spark arrestors on the exhaust to prevent exactly this type of "setting the woods on fire" incidents.

 

[Risingsea]

Driving under trees and a dead twig drops into the exhaust, catches fire and blows out the exhaust pipe is one that I have experienced causing a fire.

 

[Bentrim]

Back in the time well past truckers used to have a "stack mirror", it was used to watch the amount of fire out of the exhaust.
As a farm machinery tech I repaired burned combines often did not know what caused them but years later learned most were caused by a leaking exhaust pipe. It would leak a hot spark into the accumulation of dust and dirt and start a fire. It could have been a gasket out of the manifold, a poorly fitting connection or a bad flex pipe.
As a young man helping dad and while plowing at night with a 520 JD Gasser I observed the manifold and exhaust pipe glowing red with a short flame out the muffler. When pulling a load of hay home and going up a hill with the JD 70 diesel I watched a small red flame out of the muffler.
While working at a dealer noticed the manufacturers offered either spark arrestors or spark arresting mufflers as optional equipment. Eventually most tractors were equipped with spark arresting mufflers.
As for wet stacking "slobbering" have found some engines are more prone to it as others, especially in cold climates. Most of the time putting the tractor to use would dry up the slobber.
Vertical mufflers usually present less chance of a fire than horizontal "under the floorboard" mufflers.

 

[Al Kramer]

I’ve been mowing and seen sparks fly from hitting a piece of field fence or barbed wire on the ground. If it’s dry enough, it could definitely start a grass fire. Not to mention if it’s big enough, it could wrap around the mower. Ask me how I know this. Lol.

 

[beenthere]

Sparks from a diesel are likely hot carbon from buildup in the exhaust system. Not likely fuel, as mentioned earlier in this thread.

Work it hard doing something at night and you will see what is happening.

 

[redman135]

LouNY on p1 has the most likely cause. Years ago I had exactly this happen in a hay paddock being swept. The fire was put out quickly and by then the sweep tractor had cleaned its exhaust out, so it carried on. There was nothing wrong with the engine, just accumulated soot caused by light load and cool running.