[AT] Tractor Lightning Strike?

Thu Jul 15 09:25:46 PDT 2021

Neil Yerrigan once rebuilt a magneto for my AC/B. When he sent it back he
cautioned about parking the tractor where "an errant breeze might move the
tractor" and cause it to start! And I thought he was kidding!

Warren

On Thu, Jul 15, 2021 at 1:18 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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