How close is too close? Do I need to worry about cylinder seals/lines as I toss stuff into a burn pile? What about rubber tracks over coals? Burning season is just about over here but I found myself second guessing my methods as I got close to the heat... Is there any rule of thumb for equipment and big burns?
don't worry about hoses or seals over the fire , just don't leave boom over fire,, and the tracks on coals just don't park on them. I run cat 304 clearing brush and I have not had any problems, I don't park down wind while putting brush on fire so I don't get a bunch embers on the machine and I watch it for about 1/2 hour when done to make sure I don't have burning embers , and most of all DONT let debris built up on the machine
If you have a Heli Tilt type quick hitch then I recommend removing it when burning. Unless they are now using a different seal material the heat softens then so much so they won't hold.
I favor a loader bucket, or a bulldozer. It tends to shield the rest of the machine.
i have always thought of it as if it is hot on me move it ,no high heat is good .sometimes we just have to use good cents, but if you do it long enough we all push it,
I prefer an excavator for burning as it's easier to clean the debris and easier to stack it on the burn pile. Only have the machine close to the fire long enough to stock it. My preferred method is a pit and air burner but that's overboard unless your clearing acres. 2nd option is dig a pit and pile the dirt on the backside. Feed the fire from the other side, the pit will create a "vortex" that will burn hotter as the heat pulls the air through the fire. A pit allows you to be above the fire somewhat and further away from the heat of the coals at the bottom. Also instead of using the bucket to chunk the fire up, if you have a thumb on an excavator keep a log around as a fire poke and keep the bucket out of the coals.