Wood Chipper Death... alleged lack of Warning Signs

   / Wood Chipper Death... alleged lack of Warning Signs #11  
Hope you took the laces out of the shoes.

Once in a while you can count on a good whippin too, if you like that kind of thing. lol

One dedicated person standing off to the side, to keep a hand on the forward/backward control at all times is the BEST approach. Not always possible.
 
   / Wood Chipper Death... alleged lack of Warning Signs #12  
Not going the naked chipping route ! Long pants, long sleeves, saw helmet, gloves ,chaps and still get a whipping!
 
   / Wood Chipper Death... alleged lack of Warning Signs #13  
I chip only young Ponderosa pines. Tell ME about getting whipped. If you ain't been whipped - you're not working hard enough. 900 to 1200 almost every spring. 1" to 6" on the butt. And this spring I will be doing it again. Makes these old bones ache just thinking about it.
 
   / Wood Chipper Death... alleged lack of Warning Signs #14  
Industrial Toys said:
Hope you took the laces out of the shoes.

Once in a while you can count on a good whippin too, if you like that kind of thing. lol

One dedicated person standing off to the side, to keep a hand on the forward/backward control at all times is the BEST approach. Not always possible.
Click to expand...
My father-in-law was talking about getting a chipper a few months back, I told him the only way I would be ok with it was if it came with hydraulic feed and a reversing lever around the outside so that if something happens you just have to push the lever and it pulls the tree back out (along with you if you are snagged).
I have no interest in getting a "chuck and duck" or "self feeding" chipper due to the danger if you get snagged and the height of the chute on a self-feeding chipper.

Aaron Z
 
   / Wood Chipper Death... alleged lack of Warning Signs #16  
I consider myself pretty cool under dire circumstances, (and witnessed this a few times) but don't know if I would have the clarity of mind to know to push the (reversing) rail. Especially if I am being carried off my feet or turned around. That machine would have more power and speed than I have to get myself into a favourable position. It wasn't built to do its job slowly.

As a last resort, my machine has these cables that hang down inside the chute that you are supposed to pull as you are being dragged in. Maybe by that time, anything to your knees is gone already!
 
   / Wood Chipper Death... alleged lack of Warning Signs #17  
   / Wood Chipper Death... alleged lack of Warning Signs #19  
I operated one of those hogs when I was young working at a pulp mill. It is not what many might be thinking as a wood chipper. What I operated chewed up LOGS. Big logs. It was about 2 stories high and I assume had hundreds of HP of electric motors running it. When I was assigned to the job of keeping the hog clear, I asked what happened to the normal operator. The bossman just pointed down into the hog. Yikes!

I was way up on top of the chute probably 20 feet and had long poles that I used to pry the logs loose from being jammed up. I had to use as much leverage as possible and spread myself across the opening to get into position. Very dangerous but this was back in the day where there were no harnesses, no safety equipment, not even so much as earplugs.

Not a whole lot different than when I walked iron structures a hundred feet in the air without fall protection. Or when a right of passage in the electrical trade was to touch 480 V wires live. Been there, done that. Crazy thinking of it today. Safety is so important.

That was nuts but before safety was as it should be and is today. I lived but should not have. That all said, it is too bad that this worker was not as lucky and I hope he had not ignored safety procedures. God bless the family.
 
   / Wood Chipper Death... alleged lack of Warning Signs #20  
I've had two chippers. Wallenstein BX42S and now, BX62S. The only time I've experienced "kick-back" was when feeding short lengths of trunk into the machine. Even then, the hanging flaps kept the chunk contained within the machine.

I know that anything is possible. I've stood on a box and tried to reach down to the chipper blades with my hand. Very brave with the chipper off the 3-point and stored in the carport. I come up about a foot and a half short. However, there is quite a difference between pushing my arm & hand down the chute and being pulled down when the machine is operating.

Maybe it's just me but I simply can't get my body far enough down the chute to come any closer. Also, I really wonder if a person would be nimble enough/quick enough to reach the release bar if he were actually being pulled down the chute.

Thoughts that will not bode well as I'm chipping this spring.
 
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