Cub on Fire! Don't Make This Mistake

[Rudi]

Mike:

As Donny so aptly put it:

Glad you wern't hurt. Rudi, can you say tip of the year :?:

I have taken the liberty of adding your original post plus part of the later post to complete the Tip in the Cub Tip of the Week!

This one really is a great tip to help others, so I do hope it is okay with you!

[phantom]

brian kov, you don't have to spill gasoline for a tractor to catch fire. gasoline fumes are heavier than air. when the tank is filled fumes are forced out the top. those fumes are what cause the fire. the fumes and air mix. when the mix is about 16:1 whoooof! a spark, heat from the exhaust pipe (even if the tractor is not running) can set it off.

[FCUBMAN]

Excellent reminder!
Thanks, I needed that!
Brian

[PAUL K. in N.H.]

CT, Thank You for posting this!!!! I am sure this will save one or more of us problems in the future. I am glad you were not hurt. I am headed to check my extinguishers right now to make sure they are ready to go if needed for anything. Thank You Again !!!!

Paul K. in N.H.

[carson946]

WOW im glad your ok!!!

I just got on the vol firedept so YA I really don't want to come up there and put out the cub or you I can tell you all kinds of things about fires and how they are and what makes them burn. But after takeing a test from a 900 page book it kind of stays with me lol. Im only 19 so im the youngest on the dept!

fumes!!! I have to do this The fumes are not what burns!! The fumes becomes a vapor and thats what burns! Any thing that has a flame is burning a vapor.


Im glad ever thing is ok

[CT Yankee]

Rudi...

Thank you...it's an honor. I hope it saves somebody some trouble.

Mike

[CT Yankee]

And Carson946...

I have a whole new appreciation for what you fireman do...fire is no joke.

Thank you for your service to the community...it's young men like you stepping up that make this great country what it is. I came real close to needing you guys yesterday.

Mike

[PageRob]

Thanks for the reminder, and glad you came out alright. My dad said he did the same thing years ago when Black Cat was still working out in Kansas. Hopefully we'll all be a little more careful.

[Phillip W. Lenke]

I remember a tale of a fellow who filled his lawnmower with gasoline inside his garage , then started right after ,burst into flames as well. He was not so lucky.
Just for your info Fill outside let set short time before starting to let fumes escape.
Phil

[gitractorman]

thank you for the post and I'm also very glad to hear that you are ok. Growing up with my father being a Cub Cadet dealer, I have learned a lot, and heard a lot of horror stories, especially surrounding gasoline spills. That is one of the things that my dad always reminds me of whenever I get an older Cub Cadet from him, about the old timer that almost died when he was filling his Cub Cadet 128, with the gas tank directly over the engine/coil and spilled gas. He unfortunately was wearing one of the old polyester coveralls that so many of the older guys wear around the shop and to do lawn work in. His gas spill ended up catching his coveralls on fire, and he ended up with burns over 50% of his body. He dropped and rolled, but the polyester just kept on melting. The tractor burned to the ground

Whenever I'm working on the old tractors, I have gotten in the habit of pushing them outside of the garage and filling them before even starting them. Whenever I'm using my Cub, the first thing I do is fill it with enough gas to get the job done for that day. That way there is not too much gas in the tank to splash out, and I don't have to stop in the middle of things to fill up a hot tractor.

Another reminder, especially for this time of the year, and especially for newer equipment with electric PTO clutches. Electric PTO clutches become very hot, especially when mowing heavy grass or mulching leaves. It is also common for them or the underside of the tractor to become packed with grass and leaves. I have seen many tractors coming in the shop lately where I can see scorched grass clippings around the PTO clutch. I know of one tractor that burned to the ground because it caught on fire while mowing, and luckily the operator got off of it in time, but got to stand and watch it burn down along with one of the large evergreen bushes he was next to. It took about a minute for everything to burn to the ground.

Thanks,
Bill

[Lance Leitzel]

Wow, thanks for sharing that story and scaring the heck out of me. I'm very glad to hear that you are safe.

Lance