(Image: South Georgia Farming / YouTube)
Combine fires occur on American farms every year, and they are among the most devastating incidents a farm can experience. Obviously, the machine (and often the crop) are destroyed- unfortunately, many combine operators have been seriously injured and killed in these fires.
According to a report from the National Ag Safety Database, “combine and tractor fires are a problem that cause over $20 million in property losses each year and millions more because of lost time and downed crops during the busy harvest season…they also cause 40 or 50 serious injuries each year, and occasionally a person is killed because of a farm machinery fire.”
Thankfully, many combine and harvester fires can be avoided through preventative maintenance and easily-followed safety measures.
In 2017, Ohio State University’s C.O.R.N. newsletter published this list of safety recommendations for combine operators and work crews:
Their report found that “crop residue accumulation near a direct heat source such as the engine or exhaust system, or on and around bearings, belts and chains where heat can be generated, accounts for the majority of combine fires.”
Excessive heat around belt drives and bearings can be caused by worn pulleys generating excessive amounts of belt slip. Belt slip, in turn, causes pulleys to wear faster- creating a vicious cycle of pulley wear, glazing belts, and heat- lots of heat.
Belt slip and pulley wear aren’t just maintenance issues: in the context of harvester fires, they are safety issues, too.
Extreme Industrial Coatings has been repairing and remanufacturing severe duty machine components since 2003. Our Vulcan Grip® coating is the world’s first belt-friendly pulley coating that improves belt traction and eliminates excessive slip. The pulleys and bearings in Vulcan Grip-treated belt drive systems run cooler, prolonging bearing and belt life- and every Vulcan Grip-treated pulley comes backed by a Forever Warranty. We guarantee it will simply never wear out.
To learn more about Vulcan Grip and what it can do for your machinery, visit our website or email info@extremecoatings.com.
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