Check and maintain farm machinery to avoid summer fires
With more than 1000 combine harvesters catching fire in Australia every year, the danger for farmers is real. But there are ways to prevent a disaster this harvest season.
As harvest season approaches it’s time to check all your equipment and avoid a costly fire.
According to Grains Research and Development Corporation more than 1000 combine harvesters catch fire each year and 1 per cent of those are completely gutted.
A lot of it is caused by flammable material, such as chaff and other debris, getting into hot spots on the harvester, particularly the exhaust manifold and turbocharger around the engine.
Worn or dry bearings can also cause excessive heat that can lead to fire.
The risk is extremely high in hot Australian summers, but there are some commonsense ways to reduce that risk.
● Carry out a thorough inspection of the machine before the start of harvest and read the owner’s manual about how to properly inspect and clean it.
● When you’re carrying out that work, make sure the engine is off and the handbrake is on, and take the key out of the ignition.
● Get to know your machine and all the spots that tend to collect chaff and other debris. Don’t forget to check around hot spots for anything that could cause a fire.
● Make sure you have a couple of fully charged fire extinguishers fitted to the combine, easy to reach from ground level.
● Consider having an on-board fire suppression system fitted to the machine. These can detect fire and spray foamy water at high-risk areas.
● Checking the machine for debris should be carried out at least once a day during harvest. When it gets extremely hot and windy, perform blow-downs every bin round.
● Canola can get sticky and cause crop material to build up on the machine, which is a fire hazard. Take time to clean it off.
● Make sure that in the event of a fire you know exactly where you are and can clearly relate that location to emergency services.
OPERATING FARM MACHINERY, EQUIPMENT AND VEHICLES
Fires on farms can be costly, to the land, homes and equipment, so it’s your responsibility to make sure you don’t start a fire.
Be smart about operating equipment on hot, dry days, and exercise extreme caution before harvesting, grinding, welding, slashing or mowing your property.
It’s also best to avoid driving vehicles and motorbikes through dry grass or crop because the risk from the hot exhaust system is high.
When you’re out in the field, take regular breaks. Make it part of your routine to check for straw or grass build-up on your machine, and look for hot bearings.
Before starting work, you should also check machinery to ensure that spark arrestors are maintained. The most common cause of combine harvester fires is material collecting on hot engine components such as the manifold, exhaust and turbocharger.
The key to avoiding harvester fires is diligence in clean-down and inspection. Postpone paddock work during the highest fire-risk periods.
Driving vehicles with catalytic converters through dry grass and crops is particularly hazardous, and fires easily start.
Vehicles and motorbikes propelled with an internal combustion engine must not contact any type of vegetation unless they are fitted with a system that takes all of the exhaust from the engine through a silencing device.
PREPARE AND BE AWARE
Machinery incorporating a heat engine in contact with, or within 9m of crop, grass, stubble, weeds, undergrowth or other vegetation must be:
● Free from faults and mechanical defects that could cause an outbreak of fire
● Fitted with an approved spark arrestor
● Carry fire suppression equipment: this can be a knapsack spray pump or water fire extinguisher. It must be in working order, fully charged with water and have a minimum capacity of nine litres
● Tractors fitted with a turbocharger or an exhaust-aspirated aircleaner do not require a spark arrestor
If you are using cutting, welding and grinding equipment, it must be operated with:
● A fire-resistant shield or guard in place to stop sparks and hot material
● An area of at least 1.5m clear of flammable material or sufficiently wet down
● A water supply or an effective water knapsack of at least nine litres capacity available
● Cut-offs and electrode stubs placed directly in a fireproof container
HAY BALE FIRES
Spontaneous ignition is the leading cause of haystack fires and just one damp bale is enough to ignite a haystack.
Green or damp hay encourages elements such as bacteria and fungi to grow and decompose.
A series of complex biological and chemical reactions can then cause a build-up that allows hay to heat. This can produce flammable gases that may ignite.
To prevent or minimise the risk of fires at baling, aim for fast, even curing and ted within two hours of mowing if possible.
Set your mower-conditioner to leave wide, fluffy rows and bale as soon as you can.
At baling time, moisture meters can be useful, but remember they are just a tool — and the wetter the hay, the greater their inaccuracy.
Ensure wet patches in shaded or low-lying areas are cured as well as possible and use preservatives that work – the safest and most effective are buffered organic acid and antioxidant types.
Aim for moisture content of less than about 3 per cent above the preservative manufacturer’s recommended safe baling moisture content levels, although some can recommend up to 25 per cent.
Preservatives must be applied at the correct rate ensuring thorough integration and may be ineffective on very wet material.
After baling, shed or cover the hay as soon as possible, allowing good ventilation under the roof and gaps between rows, but if hay is to be stored outside, keep the stacks small and cover them.
Within days, check for signs of heating, such as warmth near or above the stack, condensation on the roof, a caramel or musty smell, slumping or corrosion in
metal.
HAY CUTTING AND CARTING
Your vehicle’s exhaust system should have:
● A fire-resistant cover on the load
● A spark shield, or be located under
the body of the vehicle so emissions
are away from the hay
● Be conscious of hot exhaust in
contact with long dry grass
TO PREVENT HAYSTACK FIRES:
● Ensure hay is fully cured before baling
● Know the history of the hay you purchase
● Keep haystacks to a limited size
STORE:
● In separate stacks
● In a number of places away from key assets
● Away from possible sources of ignition, such as roadsides, power lines, workshops and vegetation. Never store vehicles, machinery and equipment in your hay shed — there is increased risk of losing both hay and machinery
● In areas that are not likely to flood and in sheds that are in good repair to minimise the moisture content
● Use temporary fencing to allow stock to graze close to hay and silage stores to reduce fuel loads near these assets
● Don’t stack hay right to the top of a hay shed. Allow some air to circulate at the top — this helps to carry away moisture
● Protect hay from rain, leaking roofs and spouts and cover stacks with tarps or hay caps
● Monitor hay with a correctly calibrated moisture meter. Moisture content should be no more than 20 per cent (12-18 per cent is recommended as a precaution)
IF HAY GETS TOO HOT:
● Spread out the stack to allow to cool
● Don’t walk on top of hay, as it may collapse or ignite
● Don’t feed to animals. The heating process reduces the nutrient quality of the hay
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