Colorado Man Killed In Large Wood Chipper
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CT_Tree_Guy
Platinum Member
I just saw this thread - what a terrible, terrible shame, such a horrific way to go.
From the photo, it looks to be a Vermeer 1800 (18") like mine, or maybe a 1250 (12") . I have to believe that the operator was unable to reverse the feed rollers. The safety bar seems to be in place, but either he didn't/couldn't reach it in time (unlikely), or it didn't do its job.
The safety bar controls a hydraulic valve on the top of the machine that controls hydraulic flow to the two 18" diameter vertically-mounted feed rollers. The "default" position (LH feed roller turning CCW, RH feed roller turning CW) is "bar pulled back". Push forward a little on the bar to the middle detented position of the valve, and all hydraulic flow is cut off and the rollers stop. Push all the way forward on the safety bar and the rollers reverse direction (LH feed roller CW, RH feed roller CCW).
I take very good care of the safety bar, linkage, and valve, to say the least. I have often relied on it to save me from the same awful fate, and have thought many many times about what might have happened if I went to reverse the feed rollers and nothing happened. I have gone so far as to wonder which way I would prefer to go, head-first or feet first. I keep thinking head-first would be better.
There are many ways to "get it" when working in, with and around trees, but believe it or not, buying the farm when operating the chipper is pretty far down on the list. That said, not all chippers are created equal. When I say 'the chipper", I mean the type I use, which has the aforementioned feed rollers and a rotating drum with 4 knives on it. The drum is located immediately behind the feed rollers. As the knives chip the material, the chips exit through slots on the drum and out the chute.
The other type of modern self-feeding chipper is known as a "disc style", and uses a heavy vertical disc about 2" thick with (usually) 4 knives on it, oriented at about 45 degrees to the material being chipped. My first chipper, a Morbark Eager Beaver Model 200, was of this type. An inherent problem with this style of chipper is the fact that there is a sizable space between the feed rollers and the disc, into which chunks of wood can become lodged. One advantage of this style is that the material is "sliced" a little more efficiently than with a drum because of the angle of the disc.
The "modern" type of "drum" chipper is vastly different from another type of "drum" chipper which has no feed rollers, the notorious "chuck-and-duck" style of chipper. With a chuck-and-duck, the chipping and feeding is accomplished by the knives. I have never, ever used this type of chipper, and never, ever will. There is little margin for error with these chippers. A friend's brother was using one many years ago, and one of the crew went completely, 100% through it in the wink of an eye. They took the rest of the day off.
About three years ago, a local tree service was using a chipper like mine and a worker was pulled into it, losing most of one of his legs. They had defeated the safety bar because they usually fed the chipper with a machine on land-clearing jobs, and didn't want the inconvenience of having the feed rollers reverse every time the safety bar got bumped. The story goes that the climber jumped from about 30 feet as he saw what was happening, undoubtedly injuring himself in the process. He probably would have been unable to reverse the feed rollers, and I'm guessing he simply shut the machine off. This would have quickly stopped the feed rollers, and perhaps the drum as well if he left the clutch engaged. With the clutch disengaged, the drum takes a good 3 minutes to come to a complete stop.
So let's all think twice before we defeat any safety devices, unless in your good judgment it makes sense to do so. (Safety chain, chain saw nose guards, and table saw blade guards come to mind - YMMV).
The vertical feed rollers exclusive to Vermeer make a lot of sense, but as usual, there are trade-offs. While they do reduce the amount and severity of upward movement of branches as they are being chipped, they can induce violent sideways movement. I have been smashed more than once by such forces (but not once since the tree-bota has been doing most of the feeding), and a fellow tree guy had a worker injured by my same machine. As a crooked limb was being pulled into the machine, it swung violently to the right, pushing the operator into oncoming traffic. He got hit by a car and suffered a broken leg.
If I hear, "gee, that's a lot of money just to take down a tree" one more time, someone else might be going through a chipper, but you didn't hear that from me.
Lastly, I'm sure you've all heard of the famous "Divorce, Connecticut Style" case of airline pilot Richard Kraft and how he disposed of his wife Helle's body by chipping it up with a rented chipper. I did a tree job for the public defender who represented him at his second trial, where he was found guilty. (His weapon of choice - a Brush Bandit 250XP, a 12" disc-style chipper. Fine choice, except for a couple of tooth fragments that crack forensic expert Dr. Henry Lee was able to link to Helle. Case closed.
I now have a strict policy for any chippers that I rent out: your wife has to return it.
***********
Anyway .... let's be careful out there, OK? For those unfamiliar with my "little bell" rule - when that "little bell" goes off, telling you there's just something not quite right about what you're about to do ..... stop, and think if maybe there isn't a better, safer way to do it. I've grown very fond of you guys, and I'd hate to lose any of you.
Here's to a happy, healthy and SAFE New Year,
John
From the photo, it looks to be a Vermeer 1800 (18") like mine, or maybe a 1250 (12") . I have to believe that the operator was unable to reverse the feed rollers. The safety bar seems to be in place, but either he didn't/couldn't reach it in time (unlikely), or it didn't do its job.
The safety bar controls a hydraulic valve on the top of the machine that controls hydraulic flow to the two 18" diameter vertically-mounted feed rollers. The "default" position (LH feed roller turning CCW, RH feed roller turning CW) is "bar pulled back". Push forward a little on the bar to the middle detented position of the valve, and all hydraulic flow is cut off and the rollers stop. Push all the way forward on the safety bar and the rollers reverse direction (LH feed roller CW, RH feed roller CCW).
I take very good care of the safety bar, linkage, and valve, to say the least. I have often relied on it to save me from the same awful fate, and have thought many many times about what might have happened if I went to reverse the feed rollers and nothing happened. I have gone so far as to wonder which way I would prefer to go, head-first or feet first. I keep thinking head-first would be better.
There are many ways to "get it" when working in, with and around trees, but believe it or not, buying the farm when operating the chipper is pretty far down on the list. That said, not all chippers are created equal. When I say 'the chipper", I mean the type I use, which has the aforementioned feed rollers and a rotating drum with 4 knives on it. The drum is located immediately behind the feed rollers. As the knives chip the material, the chips exit through slots on the drum and out the chute.
The other type of modern self-feeding chipper is known as a "disc style", and uses a heavy vertical disc about 2" thick with (usually) 4 knives on it, oriented at about 45 degrees to the material being chipped. My first chipper, a Morbark Eager Beaver Model 200, was of this type. An inherent problem with this style of chipper is the fact that there is a sizable space between the feed rollers and the disc, into which chunks of wood can become lodged. One advantage of this style is that the material is "sliced" a little more efficiently than with a drum because of the angle of the disc.
The "modern" type of "drum" chipper is vastly different from another type of "drum" chipper which has no feed rollers, the notorious "chuck-and-duck" style of chipper. With a chuck-and-duck, the chipping and feeding is accomplished by the knives. I have never, ever used this type of chipper, and never, ever will. There is little margin for error with these chippers. A friend's brother was using one many years ago, and one of the crew went completely, 100% through it in the wink of an eye. They took the rest of the day off.
About three years ago, a local tree service was using a chipper like mine and a worker was pulled into it, losing most of one of his legs. They had defeated the safety bar because they usually fed the chipper with a machine on land-clearing jobs, and didn't want the inconvenience of having the feed rollers reverse every time the safety bar got bumped. The story goes that the climber jumped from about 30 feet as he saw what was happening, undoubtedly injuring himself in the process. He probably would have been unable to reverse the feed rollers, and I'm guessing he simply shut the machine off. This would have quickly stopped the feed rollers, and perhaps the drum as well if he left the clutch engaged. With the clutch disengaged, the drum takes a good 3 minutes to come to a complete stop.
So let's all think twice before we defeat any safety devices, unless in your good judgment it makes sense to do so. (Safety chain, chain saw nose guards, and table saw blade guards come to mind - YMMV).
The vertical feed rollers exclusive to Vermeer make a lot of sense, but as usual, there are trade-offs. While they do reduce the amount and severity of upward movement of branches as they are being chipped, they can induce violent sideways movement. I have been smashed more than once by such forces (but not once since the tree-bota has been doing most of the feeding), and a fellow tree guy had a worker injured by my same machine. As a crooked limb was being pulled into the machine, it swung violently to the right, pushing the operator into oncoming traffic. He got hit by a car and suffered a broken leg.
If I hear, "gee, that's a lot of money just to take down a tree" one more time, someone else might be going through a chipper, but you didn't hear that from me.
Lastly, I'm sure you've all heard of the famous "Divorce, Connecticut Style" case of airline pilot Richard Kraft and how he disposed of his wife Helle's body by chipping it up with a rented chipper. I did a tree job for the public defender who represented him at his second trial, where he was found guilty. (His weapon of choice - a Brush Bandit 250XP, a 12" disc-style chipper. Fine choice, except for a couple of tooth fragments that crack forensic expert Dr. Henry Lee was able to link to Helle. Case closed.
I now have a strict policy for any chippers that I rent out: your wife has to return it.
***********
Anyway .... let's be careful out there, OK? For those unfamiliar with my "little bell" rule - when that "little bell" goes off, telling you there's just something not quite right about what you're about to do ..... stop, and think if maybe there isn't a better, safer way to do it. I've grown very fond of you guys, and I'd hate to lose any of you.
Here's to a happy, healthy and SAFE New Year,
John
RobS
Super Member
Great post John, thanks. I especially like your "little bell rule" and will pay a little more attention to those bells as a result.
/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
CT_Tree_Guy
Platinum Member
Thanks Rob, I hope that rule saves your butt as many times as it has mine.
A corollary of that rule is my little "hmm, I'm not screwed right now, but if I do this thing that I'm about to do, I might be, and might find myself wishing I could revert to my present state if I go ahead and do it."
There's a very fine line between confidence and complacency. It was the latter that landed a large pine tree, one of about maybe 20-30,000 trees that I have felled, directly on a customer's house. Now that was embarassing, but still, a pretty good percentage. (Cut right through the hinge I did, while ah-ha, cutting with the saw over my head, instead of taking the time to put on my climbing gear like I should have).
They were very nice about it, a nice Christian couple. So nice in fact, that they tried to put my mind at ease by saying "well, at least you got it down before it landed on the house". The obvious response ..... "but it DID land on your house!??" - barely escaped the transition from thought to spoken word.
Lastly, here's a link to a story about the fatal Colorado accident, including some additional details and about 106 comments on the incident, and safety in general.
Some highlights:
Brian Morse, 54, was declared dead at the scene, at a home in the 2300 block of Fountain Drive, after his glove became stuck in the wood chipper and pulled him in. [I wear gloves ONLY when handling spruce - ouch.]
The Larimer County Coroner's Office identified Morse, owner of Brian's Tree Trimming & Removal Service, using fingerprints. The cause of death was listed as <font color="red"> "total morselization." </font> The gloves protected Morse's hands, leaving the fingerprints intact.
Some comments from readers:
The chipper rotor PULLS the log into the maw..so if his gloved hand got caught on a log, and pulled in..it would be over in an instant. [Typical feed rate: 120 feet per minute. Not an instant, more like 2-3 seconds to unconsciouness.]
I knew this guy. He's done work for us before and was a really nice person that did an execellent job.
Once upon a time I spent many hours chunking logs and branches into a large Vermeer chipper. It had a large safety shut-off bar that went all the way around the feed chute. One light push on the bar and it would stop feeding. It was still scary because <font color="red"> nothing is failsafe </font> . Clothes and gloves would frequently hang up. Not for the faint of heart.
Once while operating a chipper, as a branch was being fed in it shifted to the left and pinned <font color="red">my gloved hand </font> to the side of the hopper. I freed my hand but lost the glove.
This must've been an old chipper - the kind that rips the branches right into the mechanism as fast as the [impeller hammers] (?) are spinning. [Nope.]
Modern units, no matter what the size, have a feed gear that slowly pulls the limbs into the [impeller hammers] (?). There is a bar that runs the entire perimeter of the chute that you simply push on to shut the machine down, in the event that you become entangled. [Close enough I guess.]
*********************
Again, let's all be careful out there. Steel beats flesh every single time, and tractors squish.
A corollary of that rule is my little "hmm, I'm not screwed right now, but if I do this thing that I'm about to do, I might be, and might find myself wishing I could revert to my present state if I go ahead and do it."
There's a very fine line between confidence and complacency. It was the latter that landed a large pine tree, one of about maybe 20-30,000 trees that I have felled, directly on a customer's house. Now that was embarassing, but still, a pretty good percentage. (Cut right through the hinge I did, while ah-ha, cutting with the saw over my head, instead of taking the time to put on my climbing gear like I should have).
They were very nice about it, a nice Christian couple. So nice in fact, that they tried to put my mind at ease by saying "well, at least you got it down before it landed on the house". The obvious response ..... "but it DID land on your house!??" - barely escaped the transition from thought to spoken word.
Lastly, here's a link to a story about the fatal Colorado accident, including some additional details and about 106 comments on the incident, and safety in general.
Some highlights:
Brian Morse, 54, was declared dead at the scene, at a home in the 2300 block of Fountain Drive, after his glove became stuck in the wood chipper and pulled him in. [I wear gloves ONLY when handling spruce - ouch.]
The Larimer County Coroner's Office identified Morse, owner of Brian's Tree Trimming & Removal Service, using fingerprints. The cause of death was listed as <font color="red"> "total morselization." </font> The gloves protected Morse's hands, leaving the fingerprints intact.
Some comments from readers:
The chipper rotor PULLS the log into the maw..so if his gloved hand got caught on a log, and pulled in..it would be over in an instant. [Typical feed rate: 120 feet per minute. Not an instant, more like 2-3 seconds to unconsciouness.]
I knew this guy. He's done work for us before and was a really nice person that did an execellent job.
Once upon a time I spent many hours chunking logs and branches into a large Vermeer chipper. It had a large safety shut-off bar that went all the way around the feed chute. One light push on the bar and it would stop feeding. It was still scary because <font color="red"> nothing is failsafe </font> . Clothes and gloves would frequently hang up. Not for the faint of heart.
Once while operating a chipper, as a branch was being fed in it shifted to the left and pinned <font color="red">my gloved hand </font> to the side of the hopper. I freed my hand but lost the glove.
This must've been an old chipper - the kind that rips the branches right into the mechanism as fast as the [impeller hammers] (?) are spinning. [Nope.]
Modern units, no matter what the size, have a feed gear that slowly pulls the limbs into the [impeller hammers] (?). There is a bar that runs the entire perimeter of the chute that you simply push on to shut the machine down, in the event that you become entangled. [Close enough I guess.]
*********************
Again, let's all be careful out there. Steel beats flesh every single time, and tractors squish.
I see people circumventing safety devices all the time on all types of equipment. I think the chipper would be one thing that would be best left intact with all factory installed safety devices operational. Fortunately, this seems to be a somewhat rare occurance. Can you imagine what was going through that fellows mind as he was getting sucked through that thing?
I've heard of people suffering a similar fate getting sucked through a jet engine. I always wondered if that was one of those "urban legends". There couldn't be much left of a man either way.
I've heard of people suffering a similar fate getting sucked through a jet engine. I always wondered if that was one of those "urban legends". There couldn't be much left of a man either way.
RobS
Super Member
Jeff396
Veteran Member
I once saw a commercial actually showing a man being sucked into a jet engine. The advertisement was for actual footage black and white movies of wartime. It's been such a long time that I can't remember exactly what the movies were or who was selling them but it left quite an impression! What they showed was an aircraft carrier flight deck man looking up over the intake end of a jet fighter. He barely had his eyes over the front lip when it picked him up off the ground and sucked him in which was followed by flames shooting out of the rear of the plane. I still can't get over what suction there must be to pick a man up like that with so little to grab on to!
Jeff
Jeff
Henro
Super Member
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<font color="blue"> I take very good care of the safety bar, linkage, and valve, to say the least. I have often relied on it to save me from the same awful fate, </font>
John, boy I hope I am not reading into your words that you actually often got something (sleeve, coat tail, hung up in a branch, whatever)caught in the rollers and had to rely on the safety bar to stop the system from pulling you in!
Near misses are serious events!
Somehow I know you have to have meant that you rely on the safety bar daily to be there for your protection should the worst happen.
The feed rollers have never really started pulling you in, have they?
John, boy I hope I am not reading into your words that you actually often got something (sleeve, coat tail, hung up in a branch, whatever)caught in the rollers and had to rely on the safety bar to stop the system from pulling you in!
Near misses are serious events!
Somehow I know you have to have meant that you rely on the safety bar daily to be there for your protection should the worst happen.
The feed rollers have never really started pulling you in, have they?
CT_Tree_Guy
Platinum Member
Bill, at last we meet!
I have read so many of your posts you wouldn't believe it. Hundreds and hundreds. I was an "Elite Lurker" before I joined, and your posts were always among the most enjoyable - thanks for all the good work.
As for "close calls" .... while the feed rollers themselves have never actually grabbed me, there have been many, many times that they would have had the reversing mechanism not functioned properly, or I too would have been "morselized". It usually involves carelessness, for instance when the crook of a branch hooks on behind you and starts pulling you into the infeed chute. You find that bar pretty quick.
That is reason number 1 of 20 that putting a grapple loader on the chipper is a top priority. Problem is, I have way too many other "top priorities", if you know what I mean. My loader of choice is the Farmi 3861 - a beautiful grapple made in Finland that'll pick up a ton and has a 20' reach. That loader plus the tree-bota = watch out trees. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
Relying on the safety bar and reversing mechanism to keep from getting killed is really just the about the same idea as making sure your brakes work, or your steering linkage doesn't fail at high speeds. A mechanical failure can often kill you, it's really just that simple.
Of course, some failures are worse than others. You probably know that in the space program, they call those types of failures "Crit-1's" (Criticality 1 - if it fails, you die). In the space shuttle, a Crit-1 might be the loss of a wing, or 2 of the 3 main engines, or a failed joint on a solid rocket booster.
I guess the only 100% safe machine is one that's turned off and sitting in your garage. But like they say, "a ship is very safe in its harbor, but that's not what ships are for".
Anyway, I'm still here, and as Clint Eastwood said in "The Eiger Sanction": "Gettin' killed ain't in the game plan". /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
Happy New Year to you Bill, and again, it's nice to finally get to talk with you.
Best regards, John
I have read so many of your posts you wouldn't believe it. Hundreds and hundreds. I was an "Elite Lurker" before I joined, and your posts were always among the most enjoyable - thanks for all the good work.
As for "close calls" .... while the feed rollers themselves have never actually grabbed me, there have been many, many times that they would have had the reversing mechanism not functioned properly, or I too would have been "morselized". It usually involves carelessness, for instance when the crook of a branch hooks on behind you and starts pulling you into the infeed chute. You find that bar pretty quick.
That is reason number 1 of 20 that putting a grapple loader on the chipper is a top priority. Problem is, I have way too many other "top priorities", if you know what I mean. My loader of choice is the Farmi 3861 - a beautiful grapple made in Finland that'll pick up a ton and has a 20' reach. That loader plus the tree-bota = watch out trees. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
Relying on the safety bar and reversing mechanism to keep from getting killed is really just the about the same idea as making sure your brakes work, or your steering linkage doesn't fail at high speeds. A mechanical failure can often kill you, it's really just that simple.
Of course, some failures are worse than others. You probably know that in the space program, they call those types of failures "Crit-1's" (Criticality 1 - if it fails, you die). In the space shuttle, a Crit-1 might be the loss of a wing, or 2 of the 3 main engines, or a failed joint on a solid rocket booster.
I guess the only 100% safe machine is one that's turned off and sitting in your garage. But like they say, "a ship is very safe in its harbor, but that's not what ships are for".
Anyway, I'm still here, and as Clint Eastwood said in "The Eiger Sanction": "Gettin' killed ain't in the game plan". /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
Happy New Year to you Bill, and again, it's nice to finally get to talk with you.
Best regards, John