# Fire extinguishers



## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

What do the experienced guys recommend?
I would think anything from an electrical fire to a field/brush fire is possible.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Can't remember what they are called, maybe a ABC? But I used three up on a combine once and would have been better off not using them at all as insurance didn't cover the cost of refilling them. I've never had a baler catch fire or a tractor, but one thing I know for sure, far as a combine fire goes, wait till that baby is burning good before calling the fire department as the last thing you want is the insurance company to decide to repair it instead of totaling it. We fought electrical gremlins for ever before the same combine caught fire again and was totaled this time, best thing the first time around would have been to make sure it was toast before calling the fire department the first time or should of snuck back down to the field and relit it after the fire department left.

The best thing we've found for putting out chaff and dust fires is a pressurized water extinguisher.


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## haybaler101 (Nov 30, 2008)

mlappin said:


> Can't remember what they are called, maybe a ABC? But I used three up on a combine once and would have been better off not using them at all as insurance didn't cover the cost of refilling them. I've never had a baler catch fire or a tractor, but one thing I know for sure, far as a combine fire goes, wait till that baby is burning good before calling the fire department as the last thing you want is the insurance company to decide to repair it instead of totaling it. We fought electrical gremlins for ever before the same combine caught fire again and was totaled this time, best thing the first time around would have been to make sure it was toast before calling the fire department the first time or should of snuck back down to the field and relit it after the fire department left.
> 
> The best thing we've found for putting out chaff and dust fires is a pressurized water extinguisher.


Same here on combine fires. Got soybean dust on fire around the clutch bell housing on my 1480 a couple of years ago. Knocked it out twice with a fire extinguisher but had to get a fire truck to hose it out to get it completely out. Fortunately, it only melted an oil pressure line, fixed it and went back to work. Neighbors had a brand new CIH 8010 that lit with soybean dust on the engine. They shot 6 fire extinguishers at it and by the time the fire trucks got to it, it was raging inferno. Completely destroyed the combine and a 40 ft. draper head.

If you are going to carry a fire extinguisher, make sure it is ABC and at least 20 lbs. I lost a tractor and baler a couple of years back, didn't have one and still think I could have saved it with one. I have been a volunteer fireman for over 20 years and I have never seen a fire like that 1486 IH when it went up. Hot transmission oil, hay chaff, and diesel fuel on a 95 degree day makes a hell of an inferno.


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## carcajou (Jan 28, 2011)

I have 2 1/2 water extinguishers on every piece of haying equipment. A homemade 100 lb propane bottle converted to a water extinguisher on the service truck and 5 lb abc's on everything! Had a bearing go on a baler last year and it took 2 full water extiguishers to cool things down. From now on the service truck will be in every field we bale just in case. Had a combine catch fire one time and a backed it in to a dugout to put it out. Mlappin is dead on, never again unless there is a risk of burning up the field,


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

_I bought 1 of these for the house.A small one was $318 and a large one for eq is $600.I'd have more of them if they were not so high priced.I have a water extinguisher on the new baler now._

_http://www.ake.com/_

_I liked the fact that if you used it not the big mess of powder all over.Especially in the house._


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## urednecku (Oct 18, 2010)

WOW, they are proud of 'em. Thing about the water extinguisher you can re-fill it yourself. Just dont' forget the dash of soap.


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

urednecku said:


> WOW, they are proud of 'em. Thing about the water extinguisher you can re-fill it yourself. Just dont' forget the dash of soap.


Here we have to add anti freeze to water type fire ext.


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## slowzuki (Mar 8, 2011)

On hay / chaff / dust a water type is far far better choice. On oil, grease, diesel, the ABC's are much better but you'd better have a big one as they don't last long.

One thing some of you might be interested in is a fire caddie, google it, just a DC sprayer pump and tank with some surfactant added to the water. Not 100% but some may come with foam additive? Some of the landfills run them here on the service trucks for when they set the dozers on fire on the pile. The dozer starts heading for the road while the truck heads for them and phones the FD. Some of the forestry folks use them too and I'm told they work well on wood chips packed into machinery.

http://www.firecaddy.com/pdf/electric_specs.pdf


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## blueriver (Oct 19, 2009)

carcajou said:


> I have 2 1/2 water extinguishers on every piece of haying equipment. A homemade 100 lb propane bottle converted to a water extinguisher on the service truck and 5 lb abc's on everything! Had a bearing go on a baler last year and it took 2 full water extiguishers to cool things down. From now on the service truck will be in every field we bale just in case. Had a combine catch fire one time and a backed it in to a dugout to put it out. Mlappin is dead on, never again unless there is a risk of burning up the field,


Would you share the plans for the 100lb propane conversion?


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## blueriver (Oct 19, 2009)

I was once filling the truck at a service station and in pulled a car that was on fire ... I thought shoot this is going to get ugly ... the station attendant came running out with A 2 liter plastic bottle of coke ... shook it up and poked a hole in it with his pocket knife ... that bottle shot foam all over and the fire was out !!! I asked him about it and he said the local fire chief had once talked about it ....course one does not always carry a 2 litter bottle of coke ... but it will put out alot of fire.


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## urednecku (Oct 18, 2010)

blueriver said:


> I was once filling the truck at a service station and in pulled a car that was on fire ... I thought shoot this is going to get ugly ... the station attendant came running out with A 2 liter plastic bottle of coke ... shook it up and poked a hole in it with his pocket knife ... that bottle shot foam all over and the fire was out !!! I asked him about it and he said the local fire chief had once talked about it ....course one does not always carry a 2 litter bottle of coke ... but it will put out alot of fire.


Makes sense!! Never thought of it, but i like the idea.


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## carcajou (Jan 28, 2011)

blueriver said:


> Would you share the plans for the 100lb propane conversion?


Sure, just give me a little time to get pics


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## cwright (Oct 19, 2011)

blueriver said:


> I was once filling the truck at a service station and in pulled a car that was on fire ... I thought shoot this is going to get ugly ... the station attendant came running out with A 2 liter plastic bottle of coke ... shook it up and poked a hole in it with his pocket knife ... that bottle shot foam all over and the fire was out !!! I asked him about it and he said the local fire chief had once talked about it ....course one does not always carry a 2 litter bottle of coke ... but it will put out alot of fire.


Yep the CO2 in the cola will do it.
I put out a engine fire with a Doctor Pepper.


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

Amazing. Never realized the CO2 from a 2 litre soda would be able to do that much.


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