This can happen while mowing

[Donald]

Today I started up my Husqvarna lawn tractor after the winter (battery was on Battery Minder) and drove it down a 300' long path to my pond and mowed around the pond. Driving back I decided to chop up the leaves in the path. All of a sudden a small pile of leaves my tractor seemed to be pushing ahead were burning (flames), I assume they had touched the muffler. I turned off the mower (fuel pump) and pushed the mower back a foot and started stamping the flames and quickly they were all out. Drove the tractor to the middle of lawn and left it and went back and poured a bucket of water on the leaves that had burned. It did scare the bahzeebies out of me for a few minutes.

 

[Donald]

I will get a fire extinguisher for my small barn.

 

[eljefino]

I wonder if you had a squirrels nest in there that heated up, caught fire, shrunk a little, then shot out onto the leaves.

Regardless, a good outcome.

 

[Revving2Redline]

Should have dumped your beer on it if you got a cup holder on it like other people do.

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: Marco620
Should have dumped your beer on it if you got a cup holder on it like other people do.


Yes to cup holder, no to beer. The cup holders always seem to have keys or bolts or pins in them. Never anything to drink.

 

[dlundblad]

So did you find out what caused the flames?

 

[spackard]

Beats hitting a pile of dog excrement.

 

[GreeCguy]

Originally Posted By: Marco620
Should have dumped your beer on it if you got a cup holder on it like other people do.


That's alcohol abuse!

The proper way would have been to be drinking beer while mowing - that way you're "fire ready" if and when the time comes, (provided your aim is still true).

In all seriousness - glad no one or nothing was hurt or damaged.

 

[Errtt]

If it was burn day then your mower both cuts grass and burn leaves.

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: dlundblad
So did you find out what caused the flames?


The muffler is in the front at about the bottom of the engine.

I think with some sticks caught I was pushing a small pile of leaves forward and the height of the pile reached the muffler which was hot from the engine running and when some leaves touched it they caught on fire.

I should have had the mower deck all the way up and I do not think the leaves would have piled up in front of the mower.

 

[Donald]

I have considered setting up a small fire pump and hose on a wagon that I can quickly setup and pump water from my pond.

But maybe this was a once in a 100yr situation.

 

[loyd]

All I do when that happens is back up and move over half a swath and go forward again. When the pile of leaves is mulched the fire USUALLY oges out. If it doesn't then I deal with it.

 

[123Saab]

Originally Posted By: loyd
All I do when that happens is back up and move over half a swath and go forward again. When the pile of leaves is mulched the fire USUALLY oges out. If it doesn't then I deal with it.


Yep.

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: loyd
All I do when that happens is back up and move over half a swath and go forward again. When the pile of leaves is mulched the fire USUALLY oges out. If it doesn't then I deal with it.


How often has this happened to you?

 

[JTK]

Yikes..

Guess I've been lucky. I've mowed/mulched lawns covered in dry leaves for years and the most I've encountered is burning leaf smell when leaves got too close (or onto) the exhaust.

Those muffler boxes do get crazy hot, especially on V-twins.

 

[kkreit01]

I've had the same happen with dried grass clippings. Luckily I caught it in time. It only happens if I'm using the mulch plug on an old MTD (Ace). The muffler sits down low -- in front, and grass gets shot up in there when mulching. I never use the mulch plug anymore -- because I was also scared.