Another Widow Maker

[Jag]

Yes, just the other day I did another dumb thing. I was mowing my other property and finished the old house place that is next to the road, and was going to mow down the old field road to the back of the property. There were two pine trees down across the road, very long but not very big around, I will just push the top over and go on around. About half-way the front wheel drops into a little rut and the top tree rider up over the loader, but the trees are inter-locked. Push a little more and the trees stay together and I say ok, and start to push it on out of the way. A big limb staps and relesses the the top tree and here it comes. The limb takes the exhast stack off and heads back to the ROPS just stopping short of it. I am down under the steering wheel and have pine bark, needles, and stuff all over me, not the least of which is the tree now sitting on my shoulder. Well I get the limb off and the tractor out, but it was a lot closer that I like to push my luck... Cost to redo the stack was only $10 but I will always remember this little stunt when I look at stack with its new weld... THINK and Take Your Time, you may only get the one chance to to the job, right or not.

 

[Harv]

YIKES, Jag! /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif

Glad you were able to duck in time!

I'm already learning that trees are one of the deadliest things out there, whether they're still up or laying on the ground. Whenever I'm maneuvering through the woods, I'm forever being surprised by a springy branch. These tractors are so danged powerful they push low-hanging limbs out of their way without a peep, and the first indication we have is when they break free and smack us upside the head! /w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif

I can almost forgive myself when I'm backing up slowly and the ROPS gets hold of one without me noticing, but all too often the same thing happens going forward and snag one with the bucket or loader arm. I guess I think I can duck it, or it's small enough (doesn't seem to be bothering the tractor) that it won't be a problem. Next thing I know I'm picking bark out of my teeth, or worse yet, my Chalkley Cup has been knocked off the fender. /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif

All's well that ends well... this time. Thanks for sharing. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

 

[Anonymous Poster]

We have a lot of Locust trees out here. Thay have thorns on them that are up to an inch and a half long. I stepped on a fallen branch once and it went all the way into my foot. That was the day I declared war on them. It has been an ugly battle. I cut some trees down. They counterattack by giving me two tractor flats. I cut more down. They counterattack me while I am mowing by grabbing my favorite baseball hat while I am ducking under one and throwing it down under my mower before I can get stopped. (fooopwhap! the sound of my four year old favorite hat being sent to heaven!) I counter by cutting more down. But now they have brought real blood. I was innocently cutting firewood (not even from a Locust tree) when the LOCUST MASTER PLAN was set into motion. I got smacked in the face by a branch from a Locust tree that had been held back by the tree that had fallen and which I was cutting up for firewood. I didn't think much of it (other than to always watch for stressed tree limbs and where thay are gonna whip to) but as I continued on I felt blood on my upper lip. No big deal, says I, it will soon quit. I keep cutting. Except now I am feeling the blood run down my lip and cannot wipe it off fast enough. Now I am worried. I hop in my pickup and look in the rearview mirror expecting to see some real damage but all I have is a single puncture wound that is bleeding like crazy. After five minutes it finally quit bleeding. The mighty Locust trees have won the battle for today. But the war continues on!

 

[dmccarty]

kubotadriver,

I got tired of getting smacked in the face from branches whipping back as well as bark getting kicked back from the chain when I started sawing. I have a Stihl face protector with ear muffs and a Stihl helmet that has the same face screen and ear muffs. The screen/protector is a wire mesh that really stops most stuff from hitting your face. I'm cleaning up lots of downed trees/timber slash and when cutting up the tops, face protection is a must. The helmet is the better protection but a bit hotter. I wear the helmet all the time when it is cold just to stay warm. But, I'm going to start wearing it this summer as well. Even though it is going to be somewhat hotter, hopefully keeping the sun off my head will be worth something......

I HIGHLY recommend using some sort of face screen when using a chainsaw. That screen stops something from smacking me in the face at least once during a chainsaw session. I also wear safety glasses, chaps and good boots. The boots have protection that go a good way up the foot not just over the toes as you see in many cheaper safety shoes/boots. I try to wear a rolled up hankerchief tied to around my forehead to keep the sweat out of my eyes. The last couple of work days I kept forgetting to put the "sweat band" on and it sure makes a difference!

Hope this helps.....
Dan McCarty

 

[Bird]

I just stopped this afternoon to visit a neighbor for a few minutes. I'd heard he'd had an accident. He was mowing with a tractor with a vertical exhaust pipe, a limb caught on it, and when it snapped loose, hit him in the eye. He said there was so much blood he couldn't see anything out of that eye and thought maybe he'd lost an eye. But he said when he got to the house and washed the blood off, he didn't have a single scratch on his face; it had punched in at the corner of his eye, and fortunately did little or no damage to the eyeball. The opthomologist thinks it's going to be OK.

Bird

 

[scruffy]

While many may not like the idea, I prefer a four post ROP w/canopy just for the reasons previously mentioned. While they may be cumbersome in some ways, they DO offer much greater protection.

 

[RobertN]

I have the Husky helmet/screen/earmuff. I swear by it! I use it when chain sawing, weed whacking, and working on the tractor.

The diesel engine gets noisy after a while. The ear muffs help. That face screen have kept a lot of "slappers" away from my face.

They are well worth the $$$

RobertN in Shingle Springs Calif

 

[dmccarty]

RobertN,

Another brand is Peltor. I think they are the ones that make some of the good shooting hearing protection.

This weekend I was doing some chainsawing, this time wearing my hankerchief around my forehead. It does make a difference. Anyway, I saw ran out of fuel so I was taking off the helmet, eye glasses, and hankercheif. THATS when the bit of sawdust got into my eye! /w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif You had to laugh at the irony of the whole thing. The dust could not get past all the safety equipment so it waited until I was "done" and then it got me!

Took a couple of hours before that piece of dust quit bothering me....... /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Later...
Dan