something to consider

A

aurthuritis

Well-known member
In December I purchased my first Kubota, a 2013 model RTV X1100c. I got a special deal on a low hour machine>only 18 hours< because it had been on fire!!! the fire did little if any damage because the owner had an extinguisher on board. the dealership said it looked like the fire originated on top of the engine behind the alternator so i thought maybe electrical or exhaust related. i just finished my 50 hour service and noticed the flash point of SUDT2 is only 262 degrees while the flash of standard UDT is 374 degrees. so my opinion is a small leak of tranny fluid especially if it was atomized could prove catastrophic. especially if it was aimed at the exhaust. I will take my thermometer and check EGT.
 
as udt2 is a bit thinner for cold weather im not surprised on a lower flashpoint.Thats why i always check and fill things while the machine is cold and make sure if i spill anything i wipe it right up.
 
Is the real take away from this to carry a fire extinguisher? I do...

Like Mark, I check for leaks before riding and only fill when engine is cold.
 
Speaking of which, and a little O.T. I could have lost a Jeep CJ7 once because of a freak fire. I was coming back with my wife from a deer hunting trip when I lived in Montana, and in the dark I noticed some flashes on the side of the Jeep. Thinking that it was one of my tail lights going bad and flashing I stopped. I got out and realized there was a fire under the vehicle. While driving through a stubble field during the hunt to move to a different hunting spot, I had collected a bunch of dry wheat straw that became packed against the exhaust pipe between the skid plate and the transmission, not too far from the catalytic converter. The straw had ignited, and if I hadn't had a fire extinguisher in the vehicle I would have lost an almost new Jeep and gotten stranded on a deserted dirt road in the middle of nowhere. After putting out the fire I managed to poke the rest of the straw out with a stick. After that adventure, I went to see a backdoor mechanic who removed the converter.
 
I didn't realizes the flash point was so low. I'm picking up a 5 gallon bucket and filters tomorrow for the RTV and ZTR, all well. Carrying a small fire extinguisher would be a good idea just the same.
 
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