Lawn Tractor Fire

[Bubba0031]

For all of you out there that are still cleaning leaves up from yards please learn from my misfortune. Yesterday while it was dry I was @ my elderly parents home cleaning up. I have a yard vac (cyclone rake) that I pull behind the lawn tractor. I have two sets of mounting hardware so I can use the machine at home or put the machine in my truck take it to their house and pull it at their house with Dad's tractor.

Yesterday I drove into a pile of leaves like I've done many times but this time the leaves piled up in front of the mower deck and under the tractor. Within about 30 seconds a plum of smoke came up from the front of the tractor. Before I could get the tractor and machine away from the house and onto the driveway flames erupted. The tractor caught fire along with the yard.

I managed to seprate the leaf machine from the tractor and stop the fire in the yard before it got to the handicap ramp and house but the tractor is toast.

[G27]

Wow, sorry for your bad luck there.

Pics?

[oldogy]

Sorry to hear of your bad luck.

Question: Did the tractor have a stock, original equipment spark arresting type muffler?

oldogy, who plays with antique tractors

[Bubba0031]

The tractor was fairly new ( 3 or 4 years old) and the exhaust was original equip. I looked under it afterward and it has a heat shield to keep persons from touching it but it appears the heat shield isn't adquate to prevent debris from touching the hot pipe. I looked under mine when I got home and it has a similar system. The FD came after I had extinguished the fire. They say this is common.

[56FordGuy]

What brand is it? Engine? When you say lawn tractor, I think MTD style heavy duty riding mower with an air cooled engine.

I've had leaves build up enough to smolder, but never enough to actually catch fire. Glad the damage was as minimal as it was. I'd like to see some pictures, might not be as bad as it appears.

56Ford(and old tractor)Guy

[frankmako]

at least you got to burn some leaves. so you can say it was not a all lost for a day.