[AT] Tractor Lightning Strike?

[Kenneth Gene Waugh]

Indiana Robinson took us down memory lane a bit with his article---I still
define one of my major steps toward manhood -- I was around 10 years
old--my grandfather had an old JD G---'37 or '39, don't remember which.
Anyway, I had tried and tried for ages to get that thing started, and one
day I did!!! I recall that I scooted right under the tractor to close the
pulley side petcock---and if my memory serves me, the two row cultivator
was mounted, making that even more difficult. I can imagine me crawling
under something like that today!!! HA!
In any case, Thanks!! for the memories!

On Thu, Jul 15, 2021 at 8:46 AM Indiana Robinson <robinson46176 at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Here is a link to a short article I sold to Yesterday's Tractors way back
> in the 1990's I believe. I was only about 7 when it happened (late 1940's)
> but I still recall it clearly. Just don't ask me what I ate for breakfast
> this morning...
>
> https://www.yesterdaystractors.com/articles/artint46.htm
>
>
> .
>
> On Thu, Jul 15, 2021 at 4:38 AM Jim Becker <mr.jebecker at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Wind hitting the fan blades on the flywheel?
>>
>> *From:* Dean VP
>> *Sent:* Wednesday, July 14, 2021 9:10 PM
>> *To:* 'Antique Tractor Email Discussion Group'
>> *Subject:* Re: [AT] Tractor Lightning Strike?
>>
>>
>> There are stories of tractors starting on their own (supposedly
>> Non-lightening related) when parked in gear on a slope. Two friends of mine
>> and I were hauling several garden tractors from an antique tractor show in
>> Cottonwood, AZ to Apache Junction and along the way we stopped at a Rest
>> Stop not too far down 17 and discovered one of the Garden Tractor engines
>> had started running by itself. We all three verified they ALL had been shut
>> down upon loading and being tied down. The engine was very happy just
>> idling away. .  Have not figured that one out to this day. And BTW none of
>> us had been drinking. No lightning strikes either that we are aware of.
>> We did believe that it was possible the ignition switch may have been left
>> on.  But how did it start? IF it was in gear causing it to start due to
>> starting and stopping of the trailer why did it come out of gear after it
>> started? It was not in gear when we found it with the engine idling. We
>> also determined that the tie downs were tight as can be.  One of our little
>> mysteries we talk about occasionally usually requiring us to make more shim
>> stock.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Dean VP
>>
>> Snohomish, WA 98290
>>
>> "Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and gospel
>> of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery."
>>
>> ..Winston Churchill...
>>
>>
>>
>> *From:* AT <at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com> *On Behalf Of *Spencer
>> Yost
>> *Sent:* Tuesday, July 13, 2021 9:14 PM
>> *To:* Antique Tractor Email Discussion Group <
>> at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
>> *Subject:* Re: [AT] Tractor Lightning Strike?
>>
>>
>>
>> Lightning struck my shop while I was in the office in the house next to
>> the shop.  I had just finished the shop and nothing was in it except a
>> halogen light stand and some tools and materials as I was finishing up some
>> small details ; preparing to move everything in.
>>
>>
>>
>> It did two things. First was, it tripped a GFCI receptacle in the shop
>> You would expect that right?  Except  it was the courtesy GFCI receptacle
>> on the halogen light stand (not part of the building circuit) and that
>> stand was NOT  plugged in at all. Figured that out the next day when I
>> tried to plug in a drill to the light stand.  The next thing it did was to
>> turn on my flatbed scanner - like I had hit the button on the front to take
>> a scan.  It took a very nice scan of an empty bed. By the way it was so
>> close to me all I heard was a concussion, not really a thunder clap and all
>> I saw was blue light around me.   Pretty spooky.
>>
>>
>>
>> If anyone wants proof, I will take a picture of the burn mark where the
>> strike must’ve hit the peak of the roof and ran in on a flood light to
>> ground.  It left a burn mark on the vinyl soffit as it traveled from the
>> gutter across the soffit to the flood light.   It is there to this day.
>> It’s also the only flood light whose base has rusted.
>>
>>
>>
>> So yes - inductive current was generated in two devices in the only
>> lightning strike I was involved it.  So that’s a real thing.
>>
>>
>>
>> Spencer
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>>
>>
>> On Jul 13, 2021, at 7:30 PM, Steve Offiler <soffiler at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> Thx Cecil, and Jim B as well... pointing out that lightning can induce
>> current in solenoids.  I was going with more of a melted
>> insulation/shorting hypothesis, but I’m equally inclined to believe the
>> induction hypothesis.
>>
>>
>>
>> SO
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>>
>>
>> On Jul 13, 2021, at 6:03 PM, Cecil Bearden <crbearden at copper.net> wrote:
>>
>> 
>>
>> Lightning struck a light pole near my Arctic 366 ATV and stuck the winch
>> relay pulling the cable so tight on the drum it had to be cut out, and ran
>> the battery down and 2 weeks later the battery had to be replaced it was
>> only 3 months old..   Lightning will do strange things...
>>
>> Cecil
>>
>> On 7/13/2021 9:48 AM, Carl Szabelski wrote:
>>
>> If it was a lightning strike, there should be some evidence of lightning
>> hitting the tractor. The starter wire should also show a short that allowed
>> the starter to engage. Also, if the starter was engaged due to a short, I
>> would imagine that it was engaged all the time the engine was running and
>> is possibly burned out from being engaged for so long.
>>
>>
>>
>> I had the H take off on me once when I tried to do a start and realized
>> that the battery was dead. I connected the jumper cables before before
>> putting it in neutral and as soon as I made the last connection, off it
>> went. Had to jump on while it started heading for the pond. Turns out that
>> I left the kill switch off from the previous start attempt and the starter
>> switch had also stuck in the closed position from the previous start
>> attempt. So when I made the last jumper cable connection, the starter
>> kicked in and off it went. Didn’t realize the starter switch was stuck in
>> the on position until I made the next jumper cable connection, this time in
>> neutral with the kill switch on, and heard the starter engage and run. So
>> it is possible for a tractor to take off if it’s in gear with the kill
>> switch off, and the starter is somehow engaged.
>>
>>
>>
>> Carl
>>
>> On Tuesday, July 13, 2021, Stephen Offiler <soffiler at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> I'm not sure who can see this, but I hope it is available to the general
>> public, whether you have a Facebook account or not...
>>
>>
>>
>> https://www.facebook.com/soffiler/posts/10225960016456420
>>
>>
>>
>> Not MY tractor.  It's on my Facebook page because I'm sharing it.  You
>> can read commentary from the owner, Lapsley Orchard, and you can also see
>> what I came up with.  I am really curious to hear input from ATIS members.
>>
>>
>>
>> Steve O.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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>
>
> --
> --
>
> Francis Robinson
> aka "farmer"
> Central Indiana USA
> robinson46176 at gmail.com
>
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-- 
Gene
Kenneth Gene Waugh
Elgin, Illinois
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