What do you do about fire prevention where you store your tractor?

[SmallChange]

Inspired by a thread in "Build It Yourself" called "A cautionary tale about fiber board bench tops."

I have my tractor happily stored in one bay of my barn (a wooden pole barn 3/4 of which is partitioned off and enclosed with wooden stickbuilt walls). There's a 35 gallon diesel hand-pumped dispenser, empty Eagle safety cans, and various small containers of lube oils and greases. Also electrical lighting, and a battery maintainer. No gasoline or propane. I don't weld in there but might occasionally grind. Nobody smokes, and I don't remember ever using a torch or heater in there.

I ought to get an extinguisher hanging in there near the door, huh? What else?

There's another part of the barn separated by plywood-on-lumber walls where I have a lawnmower and gasoline, and a gasoline standby generator, and propane tanks for grill and heaters and weed burner. That's also lit.

What do you do? I figure some ability to fight a fire that I accidentally start is in order, though if something starts in there without me I guess it's just calling the pros and standing back.

 

[5030]

I don't worry about them, they are fully insured against all perils.

 

[dougtrr2]

My tractor and flammables are the the third stall of an attached three stall garage. The fire extinguisher is in the first stall. If you put the fire extinguisher in the place where the fire is likely to start, you may not be able to get to it when you need it. At least that is my thought process.

Doug in SW IA

 

[cqaigy2]

I store my flammables in a small covered structure probably 10 feet from the shop. Fire extinguisher by the man door and one at the back of the shop. My tractor is under another covered structure about 100 feet from there. Not real convenient, but it's relatively flat, so that's where the tractor is.

 

[grsthegreat]

just fire extinguishers on walls, and good insurance.

 

[Wagtail]

As has been said, fire extinguishers mounted by the entrance(s), preferably out of the 'elements'/weather.

Try and keep/store your flammables in one location and close to an entrance so that any fumes can 'vent' and, if possible, they can be evacuated in case of a fire.

 

[5030]

Any of my tractors going up in flames would be pretty remote as I always take the starting batteries (disabling the electrical system entirely) out of the equation when they are in the barn anyway. I run master disconnects on the starting batteries. That may not work with the new ECM controlled tractors as the ECM needs to be powered constantly or it 'looses it's memory'. In my case mine are 100% mechanical injection so no ECM on board. Fine with me. Bad enough having ECM's in the cars today.

 

[repete]

Any of my tractors going up in flames would be pretty remote as I always take the starting batteries (disabling the electrical system entirely) out of the equation when they are in the barn anyway. I run master disconnects on the starting batteries. That may not work with the new ECM controlled tractors as the ECM needs to be powered constantly or it 'looses it's memory'. In my case mine are 100% mechanical injection so no ECM on board. Fine with me. Bad enough having ECM's in the cars today.

Master kill switches on all of my farm stuff. Dump truck, farm pickup, tractors etc.

I also believe the best way to protect stuff from fire is a good attitude of fire prevention. My barn and shop wiring is protected as though it were a commercial building that is inspected regularly.
Fire extinguishers are great if you are there when the fire starts. If the heat lamp starts a fire at 2am you will lose a $50 fire extinguisher in the fire as well.

As a firefighter with 53 years OTJ, I cannot tell you how many times I have responded to barn fires. When you get there the owners are frequently screaming that they have lost so much, including their tractors and animals, yet up to the point of the fire they were totally content with "half-assing" their electrical stuff because after all, it is only a barn, not like a house that contains valuable things.

If you are going to do stuff, do it per code as most codes were written as a result of a disaster.

 

[grsthegreat]

Master kill switches on all of my farm stuff. Dump truck, farm pickup, tractors etc.

I also believe the best way to protect stuff from fire is a good attitude of fire prevention. My barn and shop wiring is protected as though it were a commercial building that is inspected regularly.
Fire extinguishers are great if you are there when the fire starts. If the heat lamp starts a fire at 2am you will lose a $50 fire extinguisher in the fire as well.

As a firefighter with 53 years OTJ, I cannot tell you how many times I have responded to barn fires. When you get there the owners are frequently screaming that they have lost so much, including their tractors and animals, yet up to the point of the fire they were totally content with "half-assing" their electrical stuff because after all, it is only a barn, not like a house that contains valuable things.

If you are going to do stuff, do it per code as most codes were written as a result of a disaster.

Agree totally. My shop and all outbuildings are wired in EMT conduit. House is all steel flex. No romex for me. After 30+ years as electrician, you would not believe the nightmare homeowner specials ive seen and had to fix. The absolute worse example was a house wired by their grandpa… it was wired entirely in lamp cord. You know, the 2 wire 20 gauge junk they wire the corner lamp with. The entire house.

 

[Torvy]

We built the shop/garage separate for this reason. Professional build. Fire extinguishers are important and you need many more than you think. Fires don't conveniently pop up where you plan for them. For me, one near each entrance and one near the workbench. 10 pounders. Those little ones run out too fast to be of much use.