Beware Combine Fires During Harvest

I was out to the farm over the weekend combining beans. Driving out to the farm I saw a lot of other farmers harvesting beans. A few were already combining corn. The weather sure has been cooperating so far. Sure hope it continues for another month or so. One thing I noticed is the cloud of dust coming from the combines. You always have some dust, but this year it seems to be more than normal.

This is a picture of the combine step Saturday morning as I was climbing into the combine cab. The picture at top is the tool box on the side of the combine. This fine bean dust is very flammable. Every year during harvest we hear about combine fires. With dust accumulated in certain areas of the combine all you need is a spark to set the combine on fire. It could come from a short in the wiring or a bearing that has worn out and gotten hot. Harley Manke mentioned it a few years ago on the Birthday Club to use a leaf blower to clean the dust off of combines. What a good idea, and it only takes about 5 minutes!