Farm Equipment / Combine Fire Investigations Farm Equipment Fires, NAMIC.… · Newer Implements are fully computerized: • Advanced Farming Systems Controls every aspect of the

© 2016 Sedgwick Claims Management Services, Inc. - Do not disclose or distribute.

Farm Equipment / CombineFire InvestigationsAugust 25, 2017

© 2016 Sedgwick Claims Management Services, Inc. - Do not disclose or distribute. 2 © 2016 Sedgwick Claims Management Services, Inc. - Do not disclose or distribute.

Goals of this program

• Why Investigate Farm Equipment Fires.

• Implement Identification.

• Reasons Farm Implements Burn

• Common ignition sources for farm equipment fires.

• Questions that need to be asked of the owner/operator.

• Helpful Websites for Implement Related Research



Why Investigate Farm Equipment Fires?

Economics

Cost of big ticket items that we use everyday…

• Median Home Price of a single family dwelling in the UntiedStates in January 2017: $189,000

• Contents Coverage for that home Average: $142,000

• Total Fire Loss of Median Priced Home: $331,000

• Average cost of brand new Pickup truck: $43,000.00

• Average Cost of brand new passenger car: $32,000.00


Why Investigate Farm Equipment Fires

9RX Series Tractor$510,000

$140,000 for 12-row Corn HeadNew “T” series Harvester$402,759

CP690 Cotton Picker$900,118


Why Investigate Farm Equipment Fires

CHN Row Crop Tractor$300,000

Case AF-9240 Harvester$503,000

Case Module Express$1,100,000

Case Grain Platform$80,000


Implement Identification

Over the Road Vehicles Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)

Marine Craft Hull Identification Number (HIN)

Heavy Equipment /Farm Implements Product Identification Number (PIN)

Heavy Equipment also have several other identification numbers:

Engine Serial Number ESN

Component Identification Number CIN


Product Identification Numbers


How Does A Combine Do what itsSupposed to Do… Harvest a Varity ofCrops in a single Process?


How does a combine work


Implement ControlsNewer Implements are fully computerized:

• Advanced Farming Systems Controls every aspect of the unit via a touchpad controller in the Operator’s

compartment

This Technology first became available around 2011

Farmers began to really use this technology around 2015

Ability to transfer the machines diagnostics and all of its operationaldata to a remote computer in real time

• This a Subscription Service

• Auto-Guidance/GPS controlled

• Can adjust platforms, separator sizes, speeds, and type of cropfrom computer.

• Real time crop yield and moisture monitoring


Combines are not designed to catch fire

but are designed to burn


Why They Burn…Tremendous Fuel Load.

• Crop Chaff / Debris– Crop debris Build up throughout machine

• Combines are manufactured with Combustible Materials– Majority of the outside skin is plastic

– Most Fuel Tanks are plastic

• Hundreds of gallons of Ignitable liquids are on board• Fuel, tank has around 300 gallon capacity

• Hydraulic Fluid

• Engine oil

• Transmission / Gear case oil

• Coolant


Why They Catch Fire…What is the competent ignition source?

• Hot Surface Ignition• Bearing Failures

• Engine Surfaces

• Misaligned drive components

• Exhaust System

• Ignitable liquid line failures

• Crop debris comes into contact with a hot component

• Electrical Failures

• Non Electrical Sparks

• Picking up and ingesting Foreign Material into the separator

• Frictional Heating

• Catastrophic Mechanical Failure

• Human Action (Incendiary)


Maintenance of the Machine

• Farm equipment is operated in a very dry and hostileenvironment.

• Crop debris accumulates on the parts of the implementsduring normal operation and MUST be cleaned regularly.

• Combines are specialized equipment that is only used a fewweeks out of the entire year. They are parked the rest of thetime


Examples of Poor

Housekeeping Practices


Rodent Nest Fires

• Usually occur after unit stored for extendedtime.

• Operator just gets in and goes, with noinspection of the engine compartment.


Rodent Nest Fires



Evidence of excessive crop chaff accumulation


Evidence of excessive crop chaff accumulation




Evidence of Charred debris, build up of Crop Chaff


Burning debris causing spot fires




Crop Debris Accumulationas a result of an Oil Leak


ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE


ENGINE / FUEL TANK LOCATION


Burning debris falling on top of the fuel tank


Burning debris falling on top of the fuel tank


Engine compartment / fuel tank fire


SeparatorCompartment

Fires



Improper Maintenance

• Over Lubrication of the Bearings– Old style bearings were open and designed to have grease pumped

into them until it came out of the bearing housing

– Most of todays Bearings are sealed and designed to go for hundredsof hours between lubrication or replacement

– Sealed Bearings are designed to keep crop debris out of the bearingraces and keepers

– If over lubricated, the seal of the bearing jacket is broken and allowscrop debris to impregnate the bearing, leading to bearing failure.

– If bearings or races can be recovered, examine the metal for cropdebris contamination


Lightning Strike


Foreign Material Ingestion into Separator

• Often occur when operator has to run the platform againstthe ground or with the auto-leveler.

• Rock Catchers need to cleaned daily. If rock catcher is full, itallows rocks or other foreign material to enter the separator.

• This is typically a very loud event… Did the operator hearanything before the fire?

• May sound like a shot gun going off in the operator’scompartment.


Rock Catcher from Combine Full of Debris


Rock Ingestion Damage to Combine


Debris (Rock) located in the field


The Scene Examination

• Obtain the GPS Coordinates of loss site.

• Walk the field behind the implement to look for parts thatmay have fallen off or burnt areas away from the unit thatcould give you a side to start with.

• Use Metal Detector to look for metal bearings / componentsthat may have broken off the unit before fire discovered.


Questions that need to be asked…

• Any alarms or warnings sounding prior to the fire?

• Any unusual Sounds/vibration?

• What was the weather at the time of the fire?– Winds, Humidify, Temperatures, Dew point…

• What was crop moisture at the time of the fire?

• Where was the first place the fire was discovered?

• When was the last time the machine was cleaned?– How? By Who?

• How long had the unit been operated the day of the fire?

• How many operation hours on the machine this season?

• How Many hours on the engine / Separator?


Questions that need to be asked….

• Any maintenance or major repairs done on the machine thisseason?

• Where is the implement stored in the off season?

• What was the field condition at the time of the fire?

• How high was the platform off the ground?

• How fast was the unit being operated?

• DID ANYONE TAKE PICTURES/VIDEOS OF THE FIRE AFTER ITWAS DISCOVERED?


Implement Websites

• http://www.ritchiespecs.com

• http://www.thecombineforum.com

• www.deere.com

• www.caseih.com

• http://www.tractorbynet.com

• www.tractordata.com (Great for getting Specs on the unit.)

• Type MFG, Make, and Model in Search Engine

http://www.ritchiespecs.com/

http://www.thecombineforum.com/

http://www.deere.com/

http://www.caseih.com/

http://www.tractorbynet.com/

http://www.tractordata.com/

© 2016 Sedgwick Claims Management Services, Inc. - Do not disclose or distribute.

Michael Ling, IAAI-CFI, (V), CFEIFire Investigator Team LeadCellphone: 515-450-2342Thank you | Questions

Documents

Farm Equipment / Combine Fire Investigations Farm Equipment Fires, NAMIC.… · Newer Implements are fully computerized: • Advanced Farming Systems Controls every aspect of the