RE: (ET) Re:MY "NEW IDEA" EGT ON FIRE

[Jeremy Gagliardi com]

How could that happen?  The bottom of my seat is wood.

--
Jeremy Gagliardi
Bethesda, Md
E20

On Fri, 17 Jan 2003 10:29:16 -0800 (PST), "Elie, Larry (L.D.)" wrote:
> If the SEAT SHORTS TWO POSTS no fuse will help.
> 
> Larry Elie
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Bob Murcek [mailto:rmurcek geisinger edu]
> Sent: Friday, January 17, 2003 12:48 PM
> To: elec-trak cosmos phy tufts edu; Jeremy Gagliardi com
> Subject: Re: (ET) Re:MY "NEW IDEA" EGT ON FIRE
> 
> 
> I thought about putting fuses in the battery box, but I've wondered 
> about the
> danger of a blowing fuse making a spark that would set off the hydrogen. 
>  (If
> the pack was overloaded it would probably be outgassing more than 
> usual.) 
> Anyone have expertise in this area?
> 
> >>> <Jeremy Gagliardi com> 1/17/2003 12:34:37 PM >>>
> Something similar happened to my father.  He originally owned two E20s (I
have
> since inherited one of them).  The E20 he used in Potomac, Md where we 
> lived
> (as opposed to Pennsylvania where we vacationed) came back from the shop 
> one
> day, and upon first use, something began smoking under the seat.  While 
> he
was
> still on it, one of the batteries exploded.  Because he was sitting on 
> it,
the
> explosion went down and out, rather than on him, but gave him a fairly 
> big
> jolt.  He got rid of the tractor soon after and never bought another 
> one.  I
> remember him only using the one in Pennsylvania.  I don't remember there
being
> a tractor in Maryland at all (I was 4 when we moved there), so the 
> explosion
> must have happened fairly early on, probably 74-75 when I was still 4 or 
> 5.
> 
> Recently, I inspected my E20 and did find worn wires both under the 
> tractor
> and in the steering box.  One had caused the terminal of one of the rear
> batteries to melt from a momentary (thank God!) cross connect.  I have 
> since
> repaired the wires and nothing serious has happened.  I use this as a 
> caution
> to periodically inspect all wires and battery connections in my tractor.
> 
> I'm thinking putting in some big fuses at the batteries just might be a 
> great
> idea.
> 
> --
> Jeremy Gagliardi
> Bethesda, Md
> E20
> 
> On Fri, 17 Jan 2003 09:27:31 -0800 (PST), "Jim (fiskfarm)" wrote:
> Hi Paul, What's cookin?
> Sorry )-:
> On a similar note, you better add an inline fuse AT THE BATTERY TERMINAL
> on the ACCESSORY LEAD!! (lights, etc fuse block.) My son was pulling the
> axle and wheels out from under a semi trailer using the I-5 while I 
> picked
> it up with the loader. It was doing a fine job pulling about 800 lbs. 
> when
> suddenly black smoke started pouring out all over.
> My son bailed, turning in mid flight to throw the disconnect, again
> Paul to no avail. I jumped off the loader, lifted the seat bat. cover and
> ripped the burning acc. wire off the battery. As any fellow electrician
> knows, the wires should be protected AT THE SOURCE rather than at the 
> load
> end. Apparently this never occurred to the engineers at GE. The acc. wire
> has no disconnect and no fuse to protect it and I have never seen an ET
> that did.
> Cause: The shunt by the steering column got very hot during the pull
> and melted the insulation off the acc. wire which then shorted and burned
> in the cluster right back to the rear battery, even melting part of the
> battery itself. Still ran fine but I must now run a new wire AND FUSE IT
> at the battery. Radio Shack, etc all have nice heavy in line fuse holders
> that are used for high power amps in our teens cars.
> This also goes for the LIFT WIRE as well!
> Jim
> ++++++++++++++++++
> Paul Wood wrote:
> 
> Dear
> EGT owners and sages,Tonight,
> with the first 6" of snow in Nebraska, I tried putting concrete (2 hole)
> "'cinder" blocks on the sheet metal shelf behind the seat of my 27 year
> old larlge frame EGT by GE.   
> This to help the snowthrower clear my driveway which is only 34 ' x 
> 17'.It
> didn't help the traction much, and I had to raise the hood and press the
> reset button to get it going once.After
> trying to back up the 12 percent grade of my concrete ddriveway, smoke
> started pouring out of the dash compartment.   
> The emergency disconnect sw lever didn;t make a bit of difference. I
> ran, got the big Halon beast fire and owner killer, and with a 4 
> or 5 sshots, the smoke stopped for a while.  Again, dark, no light,
> no wrench, burst into house, found flashlight, crescent wrench, and burst
> out to disconnect any batt terminals I could get to;  more smoke,
> more Halon, REAR batt coompartment now oozing smoke.  Knock the two
> blocks off, raisee the seat/nattery cover and disconnected one of the 
> four
> rear batts.  No smoke. I died. *&*%$*& blocks.Fright.Remorse
> to have rewired a new timer charger last month and  miswired the
$*%&#*wires. 
>    
> When daylight comes, I'm going to be sick looking at the fried wirings.I
> have an auto short finder gadget, might help.Advice?
> be careful not to load cinder blocks on the rear batt cover, and be sure
> the emergcncy disconneect will disconnect!Paul
> Wood, "sadder but probably no wiser."
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> 
> From:
> Ferguson Apiaries
> 
> To: elec-trak cosmos phy tufts edu 
> 
> Sent: Tuesday, January 14, 2003 5:13
> PM
> 
> Subject: (ET) solid state
>  Hi!I
> have looked at some of the arckives, has anyone had sucsess at solid 
> state? 
> I was thinking of a two stage: a golf cart controller for the armature
> and a second swithch for the field.  I would reverse the field instead
> of the armature.BillFerguson
> Apiaries
> Hensall, On
> 519-236-4979