Tractors an Brush Burn Pits

[NCL4701]

Farm type tractors loading burn pits that are burning is a very effective way to kill yourself.

This came up again today at work and I haven’t seen anything on it before thus this post. I looked for some public record photos but haven’t found any and only ones I have aren’t public record so can’t post them.

Don't know what others have done in other areas but around here, back in the day burning large brush piles or windrows of brush consisted of piling it up, plowing or discing a fire break around it and burning. Several years ago a new (at least to us here) trend started consisting of digging a burn pit, loading it up with brush, burn it, keep adding until it’s all gone, and when it’s thoroughly burned to ash, backfill, compact, overseed. Not a bad idea as it leaves a pristine burn spot unlike the burn on grade method. The first guys I saw doing this were loading the burning fire pit with excavators with thumb or grapple. And I don’t mean mini-excavators. They were full size excavators with sticks that were either long or longer. The base of the machine and operator were well back from the edge of the pit.

Farm type tractors with loaders, particularly with grapple, are great at moving brush. Some started doing the fire pit process with tractors on this area, seems like around 10 years ago. Problem is the loader bucket/grapple isn’t very far from the front wheels. So far I’ve been involved in around 8 or 9 incidents where the operator went to load more brush on a burning pit, the bank of the pit gave way, and the tractor and operator went into the burning pit. All the machines were lost. I well remember 4 of the operators died. One was horrendously injured but lived. The rest got out without significant injury so they aren’t as memorable.

Do whatever you want. Not here to argue and I’m pretty sure my son isn’t reading this so I’m not your father and pretty sure I’m not your employer. Just saying if you’re loading a burning fire pit with a farm type tractor/loader, the fire does not give one crap how awesome your tractor is or how many decades experience you have or how skilled you are. If you give it a chance, it will take out your machine and kill you in a horrendous manner.

Not trying to scare anyone but if you’ve ever smelled or seen a thoroughly burnt human it’s something you’ll never forget. Between that scenario, a few people wrapped around PTO shafts, and a few more rollover victims, I have a healthy respect for tractors’ abilities and limits.

 

[D2Cat]

I burn brush frequently. Usually have two piles to add material to. I never dig a hole, only burn on grade. Also, never push material into a fire with a grapple only the bucket. It's too easy to get material hung up in the grapple, and if it is on fire or ignites it's a new problem!

 

[OrangeKrush]

I also burn on grade but could see how this could easily happen!
I am planning on digging a new hole for my burnt pile of ashes though, not going to be very deep. There’s not that much of a pile but it may have pieces of debris that I cannot spread around the yard. Be safe out there!

 

[ehenry]

There was a post on this very thing earlier today but danged if I can find it now. There were pictures of the tractor and it was said it gone in to a burn pit. The subject was 'Death of an L_ _ _ ' I don't remember the model number other than it was an L......i think.

 

[Nicfin36]

There is certainly nothing wrong with reminding of us the dangers of day to day normal activities that can injure or kill us. I am scared of fire and have a large brush pile ready to burn now. I had absolutely no intentions of getting my tractor near it. However, someone might have decided to add to a burning fire with their tractor, and perhaps he/she will take pause and re-think their decision.

There was a fellow not far from here I recall in the news. He fell into a burn pit and his wife found him later with just his legs left. Another newly retired fellow was cutting a dead tree or perhaps another was cutting it for him. He had a burn pile going. Anyway, a large limb broke loose from the tree as it was being felled. It hit him and pinned him in the fire. He succumbed a day or two later in the hospital from the burns and injuries.

I don't like seeing kids allowed to play around burn piles. They aren't old enough to understand the dangers.

Also, people that use gasoline to start their fires. That's asking for disaster.

 

[old and tired]

There was a post on this very thing earlier today but danged if I can find it now. There were pictures of the tractor and it was said it gone in to a burn pit. The subject was 'Death of an L_ _ _ ' I don't remember the model number other than it was an L......i think.

L3901.... it was pointed out to the poster that since he wasn't operating the tractor and it was not on his property that he was very lucky that kubota insurance paid for the loss. (I got copies of the photos but will not post them...)

 

[SidecarFlip]

Been burning on grade for years and my tractors can handle big brush and logs. I just use common sense which is, sadly lacking today.

 

[SDT]

Farm type tractors loading burn pits that are burning is a very effective way to kill yourself.

This came up again today at work and I haven’t seen anything on it before thus this post. I looked for some public record photos but haven’t found any and only ones I have aren’t public record so can’t post them.

Don't know what others have done in other areas but around here, back in the day burning large brush piles or windrows of brush consisted of piling it up, plowing or discing a fire break around it and burning. Several years ago a new (at least to us here) trend started consisting of digging a burn pit, loading it up with brush, burn it, keep adding until it’s all gone, and when it’s thoroughly burned to ash, backfill, compact, overseed. Not a bad idea as it leaves a pristine burn spot unlike the burn on grade method. The first guys I saw doing this were loading the burning fire pit with excavators with thumb or grapple. And I don’t mean mini-excavators. They were full size excavators with sticks that were either long or longer. The base of the machine and operator were well back from the edge of the pit.

Farm type tractors with loaders, particularly with grapple, are great at moving brush. Some started doing the fire pit process with tractors on this area, seems like around 10 years ago. Problem is the loader bucket/grapple isn’t very far from the front wheels. So far I’ve been involved in around 8 or 9 incidents where the operator went to load more brush on a burning pit, the bank of the pit gave way, and the tractor and operator went into the burning pit. All the machines were lost. I well remember 4 of the operators died. One was horrendously injured but lived. The rest got out without significant injury so they aren’t as memorable.

Do whatever you want. Not here to argue and I’m pretty sure my son isn’t reading this so I’m not your father and pretty sure I’m not your employer. Just saying if you’re loading a burning fire pit with a farm type tractor/loader, the fire does not give one crap how awesome your tractor is or how many decades experience you have or how skilled you are. If you give it a chance, it will take out your machine and kill you in a horrendous manner.

Not trying to scare anyone but if you’ve ever smelled or seen a thoroughly burnt human it’s something you’ll never forget. Between that scenario, a few people wrapped around PTO shafts, and a few more rollover victims, I have a healthy respect for tractors’ abilities and limits.

I've been burning brush piles for decades and sometimes use tractor/FEL to build brush piles (prior to lighting) but NEVER while burning.

Pitch fork works great for restacking while burning.

SDT

 

[SidecarFlip]

Common sense again. Sadly lacking today.

 

[gas man]

L3901.... it was pointed out to the poster that since he wasn't operating the tractor and it was not on his property that he was very lucky that kubota insurance paid for the loss. (I got copies of the photos but will not post them...)

i actually was confused why the bucket had no burn marks and the main fire damage was in the center of the tractor.

 

[ehenry]

Gas Man, I wondered the same thing. The loader bucket was in fine shape. Any clue what happened to that post? Did mods remove it or whoever posted it.

 

[old and tired]

i actually was confused why the bucket had no burn marks and the main fire damage was in the center of the tractor.

I'm guessing they were adding more wood with the FEL; they kept the FEL high (away from the fire) and he said the side wall of the fire pit collapsed which would have put the FEL on the other side of the fire and the nose of the tractor directly in the fire...

That must have been a Oh, moment!!

 

[NHSleddog]

Don't drive on slopes,
Don't lift your bucket,
Don't go fast,
Don't drive near edges,
Don't get off your tractor,
Don't use your tractor for fires,
Don't use your tractor to lift things from trucks,
Don't use your tractor to pull things with chains or cable,
Don't use your tractor to push things.
Don't backup with the PTO running.
People have died doing every one of these things.

I guess we need a 3' warning sticker on the hood "DON'T USE YOUR TRACTOR".

On this occasion, I am with Flip. Use your tractor any way you need to, just use common sense when you do.

If you need to be told not to drive your tractor into a pit of any kind, (fire included), you should not own a tractor - JMHO. There are just too many things that escape you to keep/teach up.

Here is a mind blower for you. If you are going to be working around a firepit, do you wear a seatbelt of not? This will be a real conundrum for some.

 

[Creature Meadow]

I burn a lot, but not in a pit. I stack my debris on level ground and pile it up, mostly brush but do have some trees usually on the bottom.

My method for starting is soak toilet paper rolls in a bucket filled with only diesel fuel to act as wicks. place a few in the pile and lite, works great. I don't want to stand by it the whole time so I only burn when it is raining.

Once the pile burns down I round it up with a pitch fork and use a old pair of gloves I have from the fire dept. to pick up bigger pieces.

Stay safe OTT.

Jay

 

[chim]

As stated, common sense is often lacking. We have found that mechanical aptitude is something else that is really becoming rare with new hires. Many can't figure out what happens to the other end of something when you push on this end. We get people who think they're mechanically talented because they can move their thumbs real fast on their iPhone. In recent years we've had guys who didn't have a clue how to change oil or swap the spare tire for a flat on a pickup.

At 71, I was raised in a whole different era. I know, the old "When I was a kid" thing might get old to some, but believe it's noteworthy. Our entertainment wasn't spoonfed to us. We were sent out to play and figure it out on our own. Go fishing, knife-throwing contests, baseball, bicycle tag, whatever struck our fancy.

We grew up making and fixing things. Want a soapbox racer - "borrow" some of Dad's tools when he's at work and build one from some old boards and some baby carriage wheels. Take discarded bike parts and make one from them. Build a treehouse and wobbly steps to access it.

There's no excuse for raising kids who can't do at least some things on their own. Our sons are 44 (completed apprenticeship to become an electrician following college, owns rentals and does most of the repairs as a side business), 40 (computer analyst for a college, recently rebuilt an automatic trans in his Cherokee) and 36 (engineer for a candy company, commonly does things like his own hardwood floors, roof repair and plumbing).

The youngest was always in my hip pocket when we were building our house - regardless of the winter weather. Even at 5 years of age he learned a lot. His project for a "Show and Tell" in his kindergarten class was sweating copper. Due to safety concerns, we had to do it at home and make a picture book for the demo.

I must be getting old.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

The original Post was on TBN and here.
The thread was by a TX Chris.
He has deleted the posts, for "personal reasons"

 

[OrangeKrush]

chim....we just remember the way it was!
I think because of the way kids are brought up now days you have to remind them of the dangers.. they don’t know any better! Plus a lot of what they do know was learned online.. you know.. it’s real/true if it’s online!

I gotta admit that I do learn a lot online but you gotta have common sense there as well. Not to rush out and try the first thing you see posted on a question. I take pride in knowing what I do know and still remember is what I learned by trial and error.. doing things on my own and actually learning why this or that works the way it does.

I know what I learn online I usually have to go back to if I want to replicate it. Not sure if it’s memory loss or just the fact that I know it’s as simple as typing in some words.. big trouble if we lose our connections!

 

[Nicfin36]

I could talk all day about the younger generations. Not all are this way, I know. But, most I know or encounter, think unlike any group of people that came before them. I know they are a product of their environment, but I often clash with the ones I know.

The ones I know feel like certified people should do only the work they are certified to do. If you aren't trained to change a light bulb, call someone who is.

That was slightly off topic, I know.

 

[Fastball]

As stated, common sense is often lacking. We have found that mechanical aptitude is something else that is really becoming rare with new hires. Many can't figure out what happens to the other end of something when you push on this end. We get people who think they're mechanically talented because they can move their thumbs real fast on their iPhone. In recent years we've had guys who didn't have a clue how to change oil or swap the spare tire for a flat on a pickup.

At 71, I was raised in a whole different era. I know, the old "When I was a kid" thing might get old to some, but believe it's noteworthy. Our entertainment wasn't spoonfed to us. We were sent out to play and figure it out on our own. Go fishing, knife-throwing contests, baseball, bicycle tag, whatever struck our fancy.

We grew up making and fixing things. Want a soapbox racer - "borrow" some of Dad's tools when he's at work and build one from some old boards and some baby carriage wheels. Take discarded bike parts and make one from them. Build a treehouse and wobbly steps to access it.

There's no excuse for raising kids who can't do at least some things on their own. Our sons are 44 (completed apprenticeship to become an electrician following college, owns rentals and does most of the repairs as a side business), 40 (computer analyst for a college, recently rebuilt an automatic trans in his Cherokee) and 36 (engineer for a candy company, commonly does things like his own hardwood floors, roof repair and plumbing).

The youngest was always in my hip pocket when we were building our house - regardless of the winter weather. Even at 5 years of age he learned a lot. His project for a "Show and Tell" in his kindergarten class was sweating copper. Due to safety concerns, we had to do it at home and make a picture book for the demo.

I must be getting old.

Some of us grew up with farm equipment. Some of us had parents or grandparents that showed us the way. Some of us came to the game late and learned on the fly. But we’ve all done things that were ill-advised or stupid at one time or another - either out of carelessness or ignorance. Nobody’s got the market cornered on brains. Everybody stay safe. Stay smart. Ask questions first. Have a great holiday season!

 

[sheepfarmer]

I've been burning brush piles for decades and sometimes use tractor/FEL to build brush piles (prior to lighting) but NEVER while burning.

Pitch fork works great for restacking while burning.

SDT

I wouldn't use either of my tractors on a lit burn pile, partly because I hate fire and have a healthy fear of having a fuel containing vehicle that close to flame. In addition, being a pitchfork user, I have noticed that the ground stays darned hot around the edges, and you can ruin rubber boots. Can't be good for tires either.