MadDog
Platinum Member
The machines you guys have been talking about on this thread make my pto-driven chipper/shredder (which only handles branches up to about 5") look like a tinker toy.
However, even it could make short work of anyone careless enough to let himself get "in harm's way."
One of the reasons that I bought it, over various power-feed alternatives, was that the lowest hopper lip is over 4' above ground, the hopper feeds downwards at a 45deg angle and is so large that even if you were dumb enough to reach into it when running, you couldn't get even your finger tips anywhere close to the flywheel (blades) unless you were the size of Wilt Chamberlain.
The other nice thing about its design is that you are out of the line of ejection of any debris, which will be thrown up and out (and thus over and beyond you), unless you are dumb enough to be looking into the hopper while operating.
BTW, even on my machine, the flywheel (which is about 30" diam and consists of 2 1/2" plates with flail blades in between and knives on the hopper side of the one next to the hopper and has got to weigh a couple of 100#) takes 3-4 min to spin down. Chippers and PHD's are, I think, about the most dangerous attachments that "amateurs" like me get to use. I couldn't agree more that they, and everything else that we use, deserves maximum care and respect.
I have made a career out of being ultra-cautious (some would say "chickens**t' /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif ) about a lot of things that lots of folks consider dangerous; including high altitude mountaineering, scuba diving and single engine aircraft. I don't think that any of it is unreasonably dangerous so long as you understand the hazards and guard against them as much as possible.
Mountaineers divide hazards into two types, "objective and "subjective." The objective hazards are the ones that are beyond your control: sudden storms, avalanches, rockfall, the collapse of snowbridges over glacier cravasses and falling seracs, etc. You can try to avoid them but you can't control or eliminate them. The subjective hazards are controllable by climbers; failure to follow established protection procedures or maintain or inspect equipment, pressing on into deteriorating weather, travel at more dangerous times of day, are all just as suicidal as playing russian roulette.
Mountaineering is not unreasonably dangerous if you eliminate the subjective hazards and try to avoid the objective ones. ...but I guess I agree with you, John, no matter how careful you are, things can still go fatally wrong, through no real fault of your own, just like in your work. As you say, "be careful out there" and hope that fate doesn't have your number.
Bill, its nice to hear from you again. I haven't seen any posts of yours in a while and had been wondering if all was well with you. Happy New Year.
However, even it could make short work of anyone careless enough to let himself get "in harm's way."
One of the reasons that I bought it, over various power-feed alternatives, was that the lowest hopper lip is over 4' above ground, the hopper feeds downwards at a 45deg angle and is so large that even if you were dumb enough to reach into it when running, you couldn't get even your finger tips anywhere close to the flywheel (blades) unless you were the size of Wilt Chamberlain.
The other nice thing about its design is that you are out of the line of ejection of any debris, which will be thrown up and out (and thus over and beyond you), unless you are dumb enough to be looking into the hopper while operating.
BTW, even on my machine, the flywheel (which is about 30" diam and consists of 2 1/2" plates with flail blades in between and knives on the hopper side of the one next to the hopper and has got to weigh a couple of 100#) takes 3-4 min to spin down. Chippers and PHD's are, I think, about the most dangerous attachments that "amateurs" like me get to use. I couldn't agree more that they, and everything else that we use, deserves maximum care and respect.
I have made a career out of being ultra-cautious (some would say "chickens**t' /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif ) about a lot of things that lots of folks consider dangerous; including high altitude mountaineering, scuba diving and single engine aircraft. I don't think that any of it is unreasonably dangerous so long as you understand the hazards and guard against them as much as possible.
Mountaineers divide hazards into two types, "objective and "subjective." The objective hazards are the ones that are beyond your control: sudden storms, avalanches, rockfall, the collapse of snowbridges over glacier cravasses and falling seracs, etc. You can try to avoid them but you can't control or eliminate them. The subjective hazards are controllable by climbers; failure to follow established protection procedures or maintain or inspect equipment, pressing on into deteriorating weather, travel at more dangerous times of day, are all just as suicidal as playing russian roulette.
Mountaineering is not unreasonably dangerous if you eliminate the subjective hazards and try to avoid the objective ones. ...but I guess I agree with you, John, no matter how careful you are, things can still go fatally wrong, through no real fault of your own, just like in your work. As you say, "be careful out there" and hope that fate doesn't have your number.
Bill, its nice to hear from you again. I haven't seen any posts of yours in a while and had been wondering if all was well with you. Happy New Year.
