Fire Prevention

TS227-UN-15APR13

To reduce the risk of fire, follow these guidelines, especially in any dry crop conditions:

• Equip the baler with a water-type fire extinguisher. Large capacity water fire extinguishers are recommended because application of water can cool hot parts to prevent a fire. (See Attachments section.)
• Keep foreign material (crop, chaff, twine, net wrap material) from building up on the machine near potentially hot areas. An example is bearings on the ends of baler rolls. Remove this buildup as part of the regular service operations.
• Prevent damaging seals by avoiding high-pressure power-washing adjacent to the bearings on ends of baler rolls.
• Check bearings on ends of baler rolls regularly for early signs of failure. (See Lubrication and Maintenance section or see your John Deere dealer.)
• If noticeable changes in machine performance occur indicating that a part is beginning to fail, stop baling immediately. Investigate cause of sounds, smells, or sights which are unusual.
• Promptly eject bales after they have been tied or wrapped. Do not use the baler to transport bales from the field. Do not bring a baler, with a bale inside it, into a building. Never leave a baler unattended with a bale inside the chamber.
• Use extreme care if it is necessary to park a baler in a field of a dry crop or stubble. Whenever possible, park baler on bare ground or in an area surrounded by bare ground. Before leaving a baler which has been operating, verify that there are no areas which are hot enough to start a fire. Do not leave the baler unattended near bales which have been baled wet, because spontaneous combustion can occur.
• If service requires using a welder, cutting torch or grinder, refer to Fire Prevention in Service—Baler section for guidelines which prove useful in preventing fire.
• Use extreme care when smoking around baler.