Summer heat and debris warning for farm machinery

Farmers should ensure their combine harvesters are well maintained and cleared of dried debris or they risk seeing their machinery go up in flames, according to an insurance expert.
By The Newsroom
Published 18th Jul 2016, 14:42 BST
Updated 18th Jul 2016, 15:44 BST
A combine harvester in action.A combine harvester in action.
A combine harvester in action.

A repeat of the warm conditions that Yorkshire is currently enjoying in the run up to the harvest season would only increase the fire risk for what are costly pieces of farm machinery, according to insurance brokers Lycetts.

“It might come as a surprise to some, but instances of combine harvesters being destroyed by fire are not uncommon,” said Edmund Sword, an agriculture and property specialist in the firm’s Richmond office.

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“What happens is that last year’s chaff and dust can accumulate in the combines or balers and ignite when they started up for the first time or overheat during extended use.

“If we have warm and dry conditions before and during harvest time then the machinery is even more susceptible to fire as the debris will be tinder dry.”

Mr Sword said that insurance claims for combine fires can be worth more than £100,000 each.

To avoid any financial pain, Mr Sword recommended that combines are given regular maintenance checks.

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He also recommended that farmers insure their combinable crops under a ‘business interruption’ type of scheme to provide insurance cover for any loss of profit from crops lost in a fire and also the hire charges of a replacement combine or contractor charges so that the farmer can complete the rest of the harvest.

Related topics:Yorkshire