Whyground your boots?

[Remanfab]

Here in farm country some guys would bolt a small length of old chain onto the bottom of the combine, allowing the chain to drag on the ground. This was supposed to help dissipate static electricity and prevent everything from field fires to dirty windows on the cab. I have ran combines 'grounded' and ungrounded and could not see any difference. Farmers combining sunflowers were particularly aware of fire hazards, since the oil in the plants would ignite and burn easily.

[boslab]

Can’t remember exactly where, Canadian flour mill blew up, I think 6 or 7 giant silos went bang due to static apparently ( I think the titanic shook up when it hit the ice cube and they had a bunker explosion of coal dust, my own pet theory after seeing the dust extractor explode where the coal samples were tested in work)
lightning is static after all
mark

[I make chips]

I can see where keeping the combine at the same potential as the ground may have merit. For some crops where the header occasionally touches the ground I suppose this will suffice. I have no idea as to the voltage buildup the machine will develop without contact. 50kV? 200kV? And like walking on carpet in the winter it can give you quite a zap when you touch anything that is earthed. Letting a chain or cable drag certainly can't hurt.

*I remember as a young kid watching fuel trucks that had the dangling chain just above ground level. And watching these chains touch the ground when the truck hit a bump. I wonder if that created a spark...

[macona]

I actually have ESD shoes. My work buys us safety shoes annually. I get these. ESD and steel toe: https://www.amazon.com/Merrell-Jungl...07N2Z3MB5?th=1