Got wacked

[Adirondaks]

This weekend while cutting a trail (see MX-5 First time) I was driving and my brother was trimming behind me with a chain saw the high branches about 200 feet away from me. He came over to tell me it was time for a break, I didnt see him behind me, about 75 feet, when I lifted the MX-5 to get over a stump. It shot a stone out that he saw coming. Four hours in the ER and 6 stitches to the face. No broken bones missed his eye by cm's. Ordered the face shield hard hat ear protection this morning.

 

[MikePA]

<font color="blue">Ordered the face shield hard hat ear protection this morning.</font>
For you or your brother, or both of you?

IMHO, the only place anyone should be when a rotary cutter is being used is in front of the tractor, way in front. Even 200 feet behind is too dangerous. They are more dangerous than regular mowers. It's much more likely, given the blade speed and the things rotary cutters are typically used for, that some object is going to come flying out, even with chain guards.

 

[dmccarty]

Adirondaks,

Did you get the chain guards for the MX5? I eventually got
them for my MX6 and they are pretty easy to install. I did
not need them at first since the road I mow had only one
person living on it. Now there are two houses with one more
being built and people walking the road now that I have it
cleared.

Just to many people to not have the guards. I still stop the
tractor if a car comes down the road and I hold them up
until I'm not mowing over anything new. Then I wave them
by.

Two helmets with face guards are usefull. Now that the road
is in good shape I don't wear my chainsaw helmet anymore.

I should.

The last time I mowed I was mowing under a tree that is
leaning from the woods over the road. An ice storm had
brought it down and its going to take some work to clean up.
I had cleared what was over the road though. I have driven
by this thing before with no problems and I was focused on
the ground looking at some big rocks and stumps.....

The ROPS hit one of the low hanging tree limbs. Remember
this tree is laying down with the top/trunk over the road 6-7
feet off the ground. The ROPS caught the limb and start to
break the wood. Part of the limb scrached me. The bad
part was that there was a limb in front AND back of the ROPS.
Thankfully I was driving real slow and I stopped quickly. I
was able to back out of the limb but it was not nice. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

What scared the $%^&*( out of me was that the tree could
have come on down after being hit by the tractor. It did not
but it could have. It would not have hurt me much but the
4700 would have been unhappy. I easily could have been
wacked in the head and if I had been moving faster I'm sure
I would have been.

Lesson learned. Look up! Even if you think it safe.... /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

Later,
Dan McCarty

 

[Adirondaks]

Yes it came with chain guards front and back. I ordered the helmet with a plastic face shield, you mentioned the chain saw helmet did you have a steel mesh face shield?
Before the incident with the rock I also had a few close calls with small 2 inch dia by 20 feet tall saplings that would get caught by the FEL as I backed up. It would whip by the side of the tractor very fast.

Lou

 

[dmccarty]

Adirondaks,

Yep, it has the metal face shield. Worth every penny!

I used to wear it all the time when I mowed but then I got
the sound suppressing ear protection. These allow me to hear
the engine if I want to as or listen to the radio. So I wear
them instead of the helmet.... The radio keeps me mentally
fresher so I suppose its the safer thing to do... I wish I could
wear both.

Be careful looking backwards. I get zinged by little rocks
from time to time. They don't hurt but I worry about getting
hit in the eyes which I why I want that helmet on. I do wear
saftey classes but I forget sometimes.

If there was a way to mound the sound supression ear
protection on the helmet! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Another new thing I started doing is wearing a breathing mask.
I don't mean those cheap N-95 or convience dust masks
either. They help but they still let in lots of dirt and they are
hard to breath through. I had to get a decent quality mask,
it has a couple of charcol filters and is rated for paint,
thinners, etc. I may have spent a bit more for the one that
can handle pesticides and such. I'll have to read the book
again. Anyway, it was around $30. I really needed it for a
non tractor job. I found that it was so much more comfortable
than the n95 masks, I could actually WORK in the thing and
still breath. I wear it when mowing with the tractor. I may
look funny but I don't spend a couple hours after mowing
coughing up dirt, dust, pollen, grass, and who knows what.

That mask stays in the truck with the other safety stuff....

Later,
Dan

 

[B7500]

Adirondaks,
I don't even THINK of messing with my woods without a head/ear/face shield. Do yourself and everyone else a favor. Just wear 'em.
..... There, I did my good deed for the day.
-Terry

 

[Adirondaks]

I ordered 2 of everything. Hard hats with built in face shield and ear protection, they were called chain saw face protection I opted for the plastic shield but I may also order the steel mesh shield and try both to see which is more comfortable.
http://www.probuy.net/

Lou

 

[Henro]

Hi,

I recently got a Woods rotary cutter with chain guards that I pull behind my B2910. I got it to clear and maintain two acres of hillside that is wooded and overgrown with a lot of brush, but no grass.

Mention of a face shield /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif me at first...am I correct guys are using a face shield when brush hogging? Or is that when using a chain saw?

It never occured to me that I would need a face shield to be safe when brush hogging, unless I put it on backwards to protect the back of my head/neck!

Am I totally missing the point? I am one that believes in minimizing the chances of an injury happening.

 

[Adirondaks]

I am brush hogging a trail through the woods, no grass just trees. My brother was following me and removing high stuff that I missed and he was leading ahead cutting bigger stuff when he got hit by a rock while behind the cutter. I , th operator, am getting the hard hat and ear protection because of the branches that whip from the FEL and engine noise. I added the face shield because the cutter would send pieces of splintered wood at me from behind and sometimes from the side. I am playing it safe. as I have after my first use learned to consider the rotary cutter very dangerous in the woody conditions I am in. Later when then trails are further developed I will use the MMM to keep them neat.