Flood Disaster

[Oska 1]

Living in the SW of UK we have had some torrential rain and disaster has struck. The bit of land where I keep my 1974 C120 flooded and my Wheel Horse got totally submerged. I'm looking for advice on the correct course of action to take so that I can get this amphibious Horse working again. Many thanks.

[neil 2,398]

I also live in south west UK and i have the same problem . I have 6 tractors that have submerged under water .

My garden is at the moment 4 feet under water ( photos will follow shortly)

I am just about to give my wife a piggy back to get out to go to the shops to get some supplies for the weekend.

The land adjacent to our land is a total lake

Thankfully the house is just about ok but more rain is on its way so this time tomorrow i could be writing that we are under water in the house

lets hope not eh

[rmaynard 14,934]

Sorry to hear about your flooding.

Brian (buckrancher) has a bit of experience with tractors that have been in a flood. Maybe he will chime in on this one and give you both some advice.

[baerpath 517]

Don't let them sit. drain everything motor, carb, rear and gas tank and gas line ,More than likely you will need a bew battery Take the spark plug out and turn the engine over refill and run drain again refill and you should be fine. The starter will be fine along with the key switch although it may need the terminals cleaned. And wash them a bunch of times with fenders and all the guards off

Thats what we did after Irene , a freind had 14 of his go under water/mud

Duane

[varosd 1,185]

Duane is right...drain out everything now. I would also disconnect wiring connection/harnesses and dry them out.

[Wheel-N-It 2,967]

Friends, I am sad to hear of your situation there. It is absolutely crucial for you to get all the water out of the internials of your Horses. This includes the transmissions also. Fill the engine crankcase and cylinder, also the transmission with some clean, inexpensive motor oil. If you have an operating leaf blower, use it to blow all the water out where you can. Then purchase a big container of WD-40 or your equivilant, and give your Wheel Horse a liberal covering as soon as possible after drying. This will buy you some time so you can attend to other matters around your home.

I have worked as a flood disaster damage assesor several times during my career, and as long as your Wheel Horses have been flooded with fresh water, your damage should be minimal. Ocean water is much more corrosive, and your speed of recovery efforts is critical to gettting the Horses ever operating again.

Please let us know how things are going for you there. PM me if necessary.

Van

[Don1977 604]

On the engines I would pull the carburetor, head and oil pan and get them dried out a couple of gaskets is a lot cheaper then rebuilding an engine. The 8 speeds flush with kerosene or diesel fuel. Don't know about the hydrostatics I guess drain and hope that no water got in.

[Anglo Traction 759]

Oska/ Neil, Sorry to hear that. I've been watching the situation on the News and I knew Neil resides along the banks of the Bridgewater Canal.

Were the Tractors totally submerged or is there a 'Tide Line'. An Aircompressor will be handy for blowing out water from the Frame joints etc when you can. As for Engines/Electrics, follow the advice the guys have provides here.

Wheel Hubs etc should be well greased and reject water ingress, but all will be worth inspecting at some stage.

Hope You/they will all be ok.

[SNYFIX 12]

Simple - drain engine, trans, and fill w/fresh fluids. May have to do it a few times.

However, a teardown could be in order --

[Oska 1]

Neil

My sympathy is with you. Hope your house is OK. You may have to bring in those tractors to dry out! The lower part of the land I have is prone to flooding so I was mid building a shed on pontoon to put my tractor in, just in case. But I hadn't banked on the water rising so high. On a positive note the shed did float so it would appear my calcs were OK. However amusingly I hadn't tethered it up and it floated down the field a bit. So I had to go wading in and push it back in position. Now it is tied up ! I'll try to put a photo up. The tractor's going on it tomorrow before more rain comes.

Hope all go's well.

[Oska 1]

Just spotted all the helpful replies. I will get the tractor on to dry land (pontoon shed) tomorrow and follow your advice. Many thanks all.

[neil 2,398]

Well i have spent most of today trying to salvage what i can , The water level has reach around 4 feet deep at the deepest ,

here is a picture that i took in the dark when i got home from work the other night

i had to wade in and get the tractors to higher ground

[sorekiwi 761]

Wow, I'm sorry guys. Hoping it all subsides soon.

[Sparky-(Admin) 19,665]

Well that just sucks! Glad to hear no one has lost life or limb tho. Good luck with the cleanup.

Mike............

[tunahead72 2,346]

Sorry to hear about your troubles, gentlemen. It sounds like the guys who have responded have you on the right track, and quickly too. Good luck! :handgestures-thumbup:

[neil 2,398]

http://s

12 hours of heavy rain forecast for tomorrow

We think the house is going to flood tomorrow

we have put sand bags all ariund the doors today in the hope that this will prevent water coming in .

one man so far has lost his life after being trapped in his landrover

Worrying times ahead

More pics here

http://s1036.photobucket.com/albums/a448/neilhorse/

Edited November 23, 2012 by neil

[Sparky-(Admin) 19,665]

Wow! You dont have a single dry spot. Just be safe first....rescue tractors later.

Mike........

[KATO 115]

Sorry to hear it guys.....be careful and stay safe

[AMC RULES 36,957]

Seems lately, these 100 year storms are happening every twenty minutes.

Our prayers are with you and yours Neil.

[neil 2,398]

[Sparky-(Admin) 19,665]

Seems lately, these 100 year storms are happening every twenty minutes.

You got that right! I've never used my generator as much as I have in the last 18 months. My first gen took me almost 12 years to put 60 hours on the hour meter, my new one has almost 60 now and its 18 or so months old.

Mike.......

[AMC RULES 36,957]

For that, I feel the electric companies are partly to blame too...

making money, hand over fist, and not putting it back into the infrastructure.

I just bought a new Honda gen set for the house because of the well known issues involving our towns grid.

Everyone around me says it's been that way forever here...you'll get used to it. :techie-offtheair:

[Stigian 1,234]

I'd been wondering how you guy's in the SW were getting on with the weather and flooding..Not good I see!

How's the water level doing now Neil? I hope that it keeping out your house.. Fingers crossed for you Sir.

[farmer 1,075]

Really hope you can keep the water out of the house Neil, it's a pain when it's running down your neck, worse if you have to wade around in the stuff. But the prospect of it coming in the back door..... :angry-banghead: Good luck.

[neil 2,398]

It Rained nearly all day yesterday , started off quite light rain , then it started pouring down constantly.

The water is now very close to coming in the house .

At 5 am this morning i checked the water level & i checked again at 6.30 am and it had risen by 3 inches , now by my calculations if it continues to rise at that rate i would say that i by 8 / 9 oclock this morning i will be writing the next post with a snorkel & wet suit on .

So if you dont here from me to day will someone call the coast guard.