Man killed pulling tree over with tractor

[johnk]

Does it make a difference what grade the chain is i relation to the backlash??

[Gary Fowler]

I would think that the higher grade the chain is the more it would backlash as it would get a higher tension on it prior to breaking.

[Gary Fowler]

Any one ever measured the shadow cast by a tree and then measure a known items height vs shadow length to calculate the exact height of a tree, building etc. Example if you measure a trees shadow at 50 feet and measure say a 8 foot poles shadow at 10 feet then the actual height of the tree would be 80% of the shadow length or 40 feet. This keeps you from using too short of a pulling appratus and dont need a transit and calculator to figure angles etc to find the height.
A less accurate but still effective way is to take a sighting on the tree from about 50 to 100 feet away. Sight in a known distance of say 10 feet, then using a tape or even a stick cut to that sight length, just sight all the way up the tree jumping the bottom of the stick to the top location and overlapping a bit each time. This gives you a rough estimate of the height.

[JasG]

A farmer working my grandfathers land in the late 1980's pulled a tractor out with a chain. The chain snapped and the largest section went towards the pulling tractor. Part of it went through the rear window, down the side of the drivers head, cutting him and out the front window. After that if they used a chain they would use 2 chains with a old tire between the 2 and heavy tarps over the chain.

Of course I think they also stayed out of "wet holes" after that too. The tractor stuck had duals pulling a large disk.

[cqaigy2]

A farmer working my grandfathers land in the late 1980's pulled a tractor out with a chain. The chain snapped and the largest section went towards the pulling tractor. Part of it went through the rear window, down the side of the drivers head, cutting him and out the front window. After that if they used a chain they would use 2 chains with a old tire between the 2 and heavy tarps over the chain.

Of course I think they also stayed out of "wet holes" after that too. The tractor stuck had duals pulling a large disk.

I had no idea that chains would travel such a distance when broken. I'll always stay out of the way of travel. I've numerous chains break pulling logs and such and they always fell pretty much straight down. I've seen chain that was connected to something that stored the energy like a piece of cable or some other elastic product, when the chain broke, it would be flung stuff down the line of travel.

[bcp]

Any one ever measured the shadow cast by a tree and then measure a known items height vs shadow length to calculate the exact height of a tree, building etc. Example if you measure a trees shadow at 50 feet and measure say a 8 foot poles shadow at 10 feet then the actual height of the tree would be 80% of the shadow length or 40 feet. This keeps you from using too short of a pulling appratus and dont need a transit and calculator to figure angles etc to find the height.
A less accurate but still effective way is to take a sighting on the tree from about 50 to 100 feet away. Sight in a known distance of say 10 feet, then using a tape or even a stick cut to that sight length, just sight all the way up the tree jumping the bottom of the stick to the top location and overlapping a bit each time. This gives you a rough estimate of the height.

Another way for flatish land:

Make a 45 degree angle to sight along, then move until the bottom aims at your eye height on the tree and the angle side points at the tree top. Your distance from the tree plus your eye height is the tree height. You don't even have to measure or calculate. Just get the angles, then step a couple paces farther away. That's the approximate tree height.

Bruce

[JasG]

I had no idea that chains would travel such a distance when broken. I'll always stay out of the way of travel. I've numerous chains break pulling logs and such and they always fell pretty much straight down. I've seen chain that was connected to something that stored the energy like a piece of cable or some other elastic product, when the chain broke, it would be flung stuff down the line of travel.

Here are 2 videos that show what a chain can do. The 1st is on an oil rig, the 2nd is a tractor stuck the chain just travels sideways but still enough to hurt.

oil rig anchor chain snaps near death - YouTube

pulling out tractor chain snap - YouTube

[JasG]

I have seen a few silos pulled over also.

One when I was about 10 or 11 was a concrete silo. They had a cable that they weren't sure was long enough. I guess the plan was to weaken the silo enough and then drive the tractor and keep going. The company doing the work notched the from of the silo and just started working on the back side. Well the silo went before they were ready. The top was concrete also and when it went over dove into the ground a few feet behind the tractor attached to the cable. Rubble from the silo went down each side of the tractor didn't touch the tractor. I remember even then hearing them laugh about the plan due to not knowing if the cable was long enough and lucky the tractor wasn't damaged. I was thinking these guys were nuts to even think about doing this not knowing if the cable were long enough. I had already been pulling trees over with my dad by then and knew you just didn't use something shorter than your falling object.

[cqaigy2]

Here are 2 videos that show what a chain can do. The 1st is on an oil rig, the 2nd is a tractor stuck the chain just travels sideways but still enough to hurt.

Holy moly! The oil rig one was truly scary! and i sure wouldn't have wanted to get hit by the second one either.