Combine Harvester Fire: Investigating Service Provider Negligence

Service Provider Negligence: What Caused This Combine Harvester Fire?

Combine Harvester – Service Provider Negligence

I was asked to examine a combine harvester recently purchased and had only been used once.  The owner turned off the battery switch at night and returned in the early morning and found it on fire.

Our examination concluded that the battery switch was not properly connected and was loose, causing resistance heating to occur.  This resistance heating initiated the fire of the dust and straw particles that had gathered on the vehicle.  At the time of purchase the owner had purchased two new batteries installed by the dealership.  The connection to the battery switch was difficult to access and hence a negligent installation was carried out.  IOC submitted their detailed report and left it to the insurer to make informed decisions on moving their file forward.