# spontaneous combustion



## maniakmax1788 (Nov 24, 2009)

Wednesday May 26th 2010

Cause of fire: TBD

Was not being operated, half tank of fuel, key off. doors/windows closed. High temp day (90's)

Any ideas?


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## 2005_Sierra (Aug 7, 2009)

was that a 272C?


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## buckwheat_la (Oct 11, 2009)

cause of combustion; a slow leak, hiting something electrical, and/or a short in the wiring


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## maniakmax1788 (Nov 24, 2009)

even in a 6 month old machine? especially not being operated! no one was within 1000 feet of it.


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## Camden (Mar 10, 2007)

Battery explosion


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## maniakmax1788 (Nov 24, 2009)

how does the battery explode? because on the other side of the lot is another identical 262C that was bought at the same time. and that machine is fine. Defective battery perhaps with the immense heat? even a 90degree day isn't that much though.


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## buckwheat_la (Oct 11, 2009)

did someone need insurance money?


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## maniakmax1788 (Nov 24, 2009)

yeah we can't think of any enemies but it deff. was not for insurance. if it was for insurance we could have spared one of the older junk 246's


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## 2005_Sierra (Aug 7, 2009)

have you fired any employee's recently?


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## buckwheat_la (Oct 11, 2009)

i was just making fun, but seriously, i am still guessing a short and a leak somewhere


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## wizardsr (Aug 8, 2006)

Ah, that sucks... 

Post 'er up on craigslist as "mint condition", make excuses for why the buyer can't see the machine first, and demand a wire transfer for payment before pickup.


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## jb1390 (Sep 23, 2008)

Had it been operated recently? I would suspect arson. Diesel fuel doesn't tend to light easily without accelerant, and even then there would be 2 points to failure. You would need an electrical issue (that sparks in just the right place with enough heat to ignite diesel), along with a fairly rapidly leaking fuel line. Lead-acid batteries don't tend to spontaneously combust when not charging-generally a battery explosion would be caused by overcharging, which couldn't happen if the machine was off. Did the fire marshall inspect for gasoline, kerosene, etc? What time of day/night did this happen?


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## kjgp1300r (May 27, 2010)

Machine was used 24 hours before it randomly caught fire and exploded. Had >100 hours. It was used all winter for plowing.


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## kjgp1300r (May 27, 2010)

Fire Marshall was kind of an idiot.....Machine caught fire around 3 PM and exploded about 3:10. Machine was located near woods where people hunt/hike/ATV etc. There was another machine exactly the same with about the same hours located about 50 yards away. It is giving us starting issues, it turns over but will not start. Then sometimes it fires up with out any issues at all. These new "C" series machines are junk if ya ask me.


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## maniakmax1788 (Nov 24, 2009)

quality control.... Caterpillar is going downhill...


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## Mr.Markus (Jan 7, 2010)

Tony Soprano sleep next door?


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## icudoucme (Dec 3, 2008)

On that machine is the batterey located in the engine compartment or under the cab? can you get some pictures of the other side? The explosion/s was probably the tires bursting. There are only a few things that cause explosions with vehicles tires, gas shocks/struts, and aerosol cans. Diesel doesn't really explode in those conditions. If the right side tires melted and the other side is fine chances are the fire started on the outside and spread inside.The variable here is the wind. if it was windy and blowing on the left side that would explain why it's not as "crispy" If it started in the engine compartment chances are it would spread evenly to both sides. If you have more pictures with closer details of the left, right, and rear I'll see if i can get my buddy to look at them. He's an arson and explosion forensic guy he's really good.


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## kjgp1300r (May 27, 2010)

Here are some more pics.....

Battery located under cab.
Fuel tank located to the right of the motor.


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## kjgp1300r (May 27, 2010)

That's all i have for now, i can get some more this weekend.
The tires are not fine on the other side, both rear are gone, the right front is the only one semi intact.


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## plowinli (Dec 18, 2007)

I am not familiar with that machine but to me it look like arson. I have no expertise but if you look at the machine from the front it has more damage on the right side, when you look at the engine compartment it looks like there is more damage on the right side again but that is the opposite side. Being that most poeple are right handed and would be throwing from their right side. The final kicker is there is almost no damage on one side of the machine. You can throw lite matches in diesel and it will not light, it takes a steady hot fire to start diesel. I think they used some kind of accelerant to start it IMO. If it turns out to be arson I hope the catch the bast***!!!


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## NICHOLS LANDSCA (Sep 15, 2007)

I'm going with arson. That thing burned and burned hot for a while,the coolers are gone. Nobody on the jobsite at 3pm?


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## forestfireguy (Oct 7, 2006)

All I csan say is it's odd, rubber hoses in the engine compartment are not burned or melted, other things (radiator as gone completely. I assume the fairly large open space in the engine comprtment is where the fuel tank used to be?? Also odd, is the rubber line above and to the right of where the fuel tank was( most likely a sustained fire in this area) is still there, not that anyone's ever going to know, but it would be interested to know how much the radiator contained the fire before it failed..........


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## fireside (Mar 1, 2008)

first off sorry for the loss hope you do ok on insurance.
Just my 2 cent from your photos. If yours is the same as mine the battery is located to the lower r/rear with hydo filter above. If you look in the pictures you had a very lower burn pattern starting from right (battery area)spreading left much latter in the fire.Also the fire on the left was pretty quick mostly from the fuel in the filters located on that side. Both desiel and hydro tanks are plastic desiel being the lower tank. As for the hose's mention in other post they were protected from the burn by air movement pulling the fire forward, the motor and melted metal from the radiator and oil cooler. Here's my take as to what happened. You had a dead short in the battery wiring(no fuses or breaker) The wiring runs just under the fuel tank. Things got going causing a failure of the fuel and hydro tanks Causing spilling combustable products fueling the fire. This would explain the intensive fire melting both the radator and hydr cooler. I bet if you look under the skid the bottom is clean burned from the fuel running under the skid from the inside passinger compartment drain holes. that also would explain the extensive fire damage to the outside of the skidsteer. I don't think you had an arson. just an unfortunate accidental fire
If you couild i would like to see a better picture of the lower right side and the underside of the skid


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## kjgp1300r (May 27, 2010)

*More pictures*

Here are some pictures of the other side.


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## maniakmax1788 (Nov 24, 2009)

kjgp1300r;1045041 said:


> Here are some pictures of the other side.












time to loose some weight. christ! what am i doing to myself haha i look like jeff baaarrrrr


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## cet (Oct 2, 2004)

I wish that would happen to my Deere.


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## swtiih (Nov 30, 2008)

Hard to believe that would happen by itself. Kids or teenagers would be my guess.


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## Cranky (Jun 19, 2010)

A case of robbery + arson?

Poor thing...


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