Here in Calif. people get notices to cut dry weeds before a fire starts, and burns their hose down. Some of my customers call as soon as they get the notices, when the weather is cooler. Others wait, then call just before the city has their crews do the work. Charging three times what I would charge. I don't mind doing the work, except this time of this time of the year the fire hazard is very high. Tomorrow I am doing the same field I started a fire on last year from a rock strike. I got it out with the help of a couple gardeners working on the house next door. Had they not showed up I would have made the 5 o'clock news. Doing the same field tomorrow. This year I have an extra fire extinguisher and a shove, and rake attached to my mower. Do any of you have to deal with fires this time of the year? Stan
- Thread starter 37 chief
- Start date
danofarming
Member
What kind of Mower? Extinguisher? Here in Tennessee I have never started a fire with a mower, but it has happened in EXTREME drought.
fixerupper
Well-known Member
Here in northwest Iowa we are green enough this time of year to eliminate the widespread fire danger. I'm not saying we are 100 percent safe but the chances are slim for anything involving a field. Later in the fall or early to mid spring is when we can have a corn stalk field or CRP land go up in smoke.
Bob Bancroft
Well-known Member
- Location
- Aurora NY
Sounds like it should be a night time operation! When things are more damp, and a spark/flame is more visible.
Bob Bancroft
Well-known Member
- Location
- Aurora NY
Similar here in NY. It's unusual for it to get dry enough, but it has a couple of times. So our benevolent lawmakers have decreed it illegal to burn from mid March to mid May. Doesn't matter that we may have just gotten a foot of snow, or an inch of rain!
DoubleO7
Well-known Member
- Location
- Crystal River, FL
Are those notices a public record that you can look for online?
Create a sliding scale upward as the deadline gets closer.
Then charge an amount making it very worth while to you to jump when they call in a panic.
john in la
Well-known Member
Create a sliding scale upward as the deadline gets closer.
My thoughts exactly.
My thoughts exactly.
It is early always humid enough to not have to really worry about that on summer. In winter the indoors air gets very dry but outside the snow and cold its humid outside.
Two falls were very dry like that in my life, combining was very nervous, it was so staticy and dry and everything seemed ready to cumbust. Scary times.
Paul
Two falls were very dry like that in my life, combining was very nervous, it was so staticy and dry and everything seemed ready to cumbust. Scary times.
Paul
Bob N.Y.
Well-known Member
- Location
- Norway, N.Y.
The rain we got today would dowse any fire.
Olliejunkie
Well-known Member
I try to keep my grass cut when its green or wet. Not allowed to use power equipment here when theres a fire danger.
caterpillar guy
Well-known Member
How would a tank mounted on the front of the tractor filled with water be for dousing the fire. 100 gallon aut to do it. could even put an electric pump on it to spray with for less water consumption during your fire fighting job. Would only have to grab the wand and hit the switch never even have to get off. Might have to turn it around.
With fire danger and mowing, is wind speed considered too? At minimum I would have a backpack sprayer handy. I would save the extinguishers for a backup or equipment fires. It's fairly surprising how little water is needed to put a grass fire out before it gets too big. Most fire extinguishers only last 10-20 seconds. Plus if you don't think you need water, you can use it to quench hot spots after containment.
I remember one year there was a burn ban here in PA in March when everything was still dead from winter and nothing had started to grow. There was no snow for a few weeks and no rain so things got dry.
Most of the time here in PA we are hoping for a stretch of days with no rain. I've never seen it so dry here that a rock strike from a mower might cause a fire.
Most of the time here in PA we are hoping for a stretch of days with no rain. I've never seen it so dry here that a rock strike from a mower might cause a fire.
Several years ago when it was drier than usual in NE Mont., several fires were
started by swathers cutting dry prairie grass hay and they hit a rock and made a spark.
That's all it took!!
Fortunately, all were discovered by the operators almost immediately
and all were carrying those air charged water extingushiers and shovels,
and none of then caused any damage.
started by swathers cutting dry prairie grass hay and they hit a rock and made a spark.
That's all it took!!
Fortunately, all were discovered by the operators almost immediately
and all were carrying those air charged water extingushiers and shovels,
and none of then caused any damage.
I had a pasture fire get away from me to the neighbors land when the wind shifted. What worked real good with foot tall grass and 2-3 foot tall flames was a snow shovel. One whack with a snow shovel would kill most of the fire under it. Basically worked the line from behind and got it before it spread too far. Had a friend with a wide, flat metal snow shovel and I used a wide, flat plastic one. The plastic one warped so it isn't any good for snow and the aluminum one got bent but I keep them handy for fires as they are light and easy to swing. Much easier than a grain scoop or a burlap bag with a bucket of water. I don't think my garden sprayer would have touched those flames and fire trucks can have a dickens of a time putting out fires with their pumps and nozzles.
I don't think the neighbor would have cared if I burnt his pasture too but with the wind shift I didn't have a back burn set up on his place. One pasture runs north and south with crop ground on either side so I had waited for a wind out of the east and I back burned by the state highway ditch so it didn't get on their right of way.
Similar threads
We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.
Copyright © 1997-2024 Yesterday's Tractor Co.
All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.
Yesterday's Tractors - Antique Tractor Headquarters
Website Accessibility Policy