Man killed pulling tree over with tractor

[JasG]

No details were released but a 22 year old person was killed pulling a tree over with a chain while logging. I just wonder if he was trying to pull the tree (skid) because it was hung up in another tree. Or if they were pulling it over with a chain? We either used long rope to pull over, or cable and would have the puller be far enough way no way it could hit them. Pulling the base of a sawn tree because it was hung up I've seen them start to stand back up and could see it coming over.


Logging Accident in Nelson Kills Vernon Center Man

Strange that right in the same area just over 1 year ago. A co-worker of mine, her brother was killed while logging also. In his case a limb was stuck in a tree and fell on his head.

 

[kebo]

Wow, just 22yrs old and he's gone. It sounds like whatever he was pulling with was just too short. Wonder if had taken the time to really think through what he was doing and the risks he was taking? Doesn't matter now.

 

[JasG]

Wow, just 22yrs old and he's gone. It sounds like whatever he was pulling with was just too short. Wonder if had taken the time to really think through what he was doing and the risks he was taking? Doesn't matter now.

Sad part is there were 3 other guys with him. Seems some reports state they were a "logging" outfit so they might do this for a living. If they were logging for dollars the tractor should have had a "FLOPS" which at least should have deflected the tree. I've seen pictures of log skidders hit by tree's. Might destroy the machine, but the operator lives in the stories I have read.


It wasn't instant either, at 1st they called for a medivac to come get him.

None the less sad and IMO could have and should have not happened.

 

[Dutch445]

Strange that right in the same area just over 1 year ago. A co-worker of mine, her brother was killed while logging also. In his case a limb was stuck in a tree and fell on his head.

It is sad, and like you said two in a years time within a few miles of each other. It's a dangerous occupation and/or hobby for sure.

I had a different link in my original post:
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/safety/257301-logging-accident-death-close-home.html

 

[JasG]

It is sad, and like you said two in a years time within a few miles of each other. It's a dangerous occupation and/or hobby for sure.

I had a different link in my original post:
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/safety/257301-logging-accident-death-close-home.html

I didn't see your thread, I waited to see if more information was put out.

So do you live on RT20 or Old State?

 

[Bob77064]

It's very sad that someone was killed.

 

[leveled]

I always thought a chain would not backlash like a rope or cable would if it broke.

 

[bcp]

I always thought a chain would not backlash like a rope or cable would if it broke.

That's what I thought, too, until I had a 30 ft chain break near the far hook and the whole thing came back into my windshield. Fairly low speed, though, compared to a cable. It didn't go through the glass.

Bruce

 

[pat32rf]

I bet it broke the glass....
I have seen chain come back just as fast as nylon rope. It all depends on how it breaks. Most times chain does more damage than rope, much like steel cable...
We jerk on nylon rope and straps all the time,,,,HEAVY straps and rope, and use the stretch as stored energy to unstick the vehicle with NO damage. I would never jerk on a chain as I have seen too much damage to bumpers, tailgates etc

 

[joshuabardwell]

Not that any of us would ever put ourselves in such a situation, but if we did, a snatch block could be a life saver.

 

[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.