Combines Fire extinguishers

Ever since the seeping engine oil leak that eventually caught fire on our Deutz engine, we have carried one of those shiny silver refillable water extinguishers. Throwing dirt tires a guy out very quickly. (luckily there were two of us there.) We bought the extinguisher at the local city fire supply store. I did see them at a John Deere dealer day before yesterday also, but I think they wanted a little more for it. They are very nice because all you do is fill it with water and pressurize it with an air hose til the needle points to the green zone. It mounts nicely on our R-52 ladder so you can grab it on the way out. It will spray a strong stream for probably 15 or 20 seconds. We have used it also to wet down smoking chaff before we had a full fledged fire. You just have to remember to empty them before winter if it gets cold there.

As an officer on our local fire department I would recommend you carry both a dry chemical and a refillable water type extinguisher. You will find the water extinguisher very useful for chaff and hot bearing fires. The dry chemical is needed for fuel or oil fires. Water will only spread a flamable liquid around. Contact your local fire department for information concerning where to purchase them. They may even be able to get you a discount.

Pressurised water extinguisher is always carried in a length of auger tube attached to the header [see"Heddy's mods in Hyper mods.] Small throw-away type powder extinguisher is attached to panel, just outside of and next to engine bay ladder for quick access. Isolator switch is located under batteries on R.H side. Powder extinguisher is also attached to grain tank just outside of cab door for the quick grab as you go past. Reason; Starter motor played up, we thought. Removed,checked.reinstalled. Power cables connected to starter. Key started. Cummins turned over at speed. Did not fire but did not stop churning either. Smoke, flames and general conflagration emanated from front, or thresher side of engine. PANIC! Frantic undoing of power cables from starter. Water extinguisher used liberally ! Injection pump solenoid wires had shorted and burnt out and destroyed solenoids. New solenoid acquired, had cuts in insulation on two wires adjacent to each other, about 2 inches from the solenoid. Burnt solenoid had shorted out in exactly the same place, also shorted the starting circuit and starter solenoid,engaging the starter with no means to break the circuit. The breaks in the solenoid's wire insulation looked like a manufacturing fault. I wonder how many other machines went up in flames from the same fault without anybody ever knowing whyIJ