Seat belt opinions....

[MotorSeven]

Mike,

Thanks for the post...that's a heck of a story. Here is the thing, i'm not actually considering "jumping off" , what i am considering is whether or not to use the seat belt at all strictly under the steep grade circumstances. I think that it may be better (God forbid i ever go off the embankment) to get ejected early and prior to the machine rolling 10-15 times down a tree/rock infested 100' drop. There is a fair sized creek at the bottom that can't even be seen from the logging road because of the steepness of the grade. So being attached to the plunging tractor that will end up in 2-4' of water quite frankly scares the bejeesus out of me. I think that under this unique set of circumstances that i will not wear the seat belt, and hope that i get dumped off during the first roll. Logging is risky, tractoring is risky, together it will require alot of respect and attention to details.
I am glad that you survived to tell the tale, and i hope that it keeps others like myself from making the same mistake!

RD

 

[keeney]

A: Don'roll over is the safest!

B: Like a car roll over, statistically, you are far better off strapped into the machine with a protective cage structure then ejected. I would recommend something with more penetration protection than just a ROPS made of a single bar. A full FOPS on top, for example, and front and rear corner bars as another poster pictured.

Also, wear a helmet with a chin strap so if you roll, your head doesn't crack against the inside.

C: Being ejected, there is a very good chance the machine rolls over you. Gravity tends to make things fall out on the downhill side. If you fall out on the downhill side, the machine almost surely rolls on you. Luck will determine if it crushes your head or chest, or just your legs. Its unlikely you will fall out on the uphill side - it would have to get rolling pretty fast to sling you out against gravity.

Another way to think about it:

If its just you rattling around inside the prtoected crush-proof cab area, its just your own weight of maybe a couple hundred pounds bashing you against the inside of the roll cage from a distance of a few feet = bruises, broken bones, maybe a concusion: survivable.

If you fall out and the machine rolls over you, its thousands or tens of thousands of pounds of unyielding steel landing on you = instant squished internal organs: sure death.

Landing upside down in the water unconcious would suck, but it sounds like there is some chance the machine would not necessarily reach the water, and if it did, there is only a 25% chance it lands completely up-side-down.

- Rick

 

[Farmwithjunk]

WOW...............

I've always heard that everything happens for a reason. Maybe the "reason" behind that story is to make others aware of what can happen.

Glad you survived the accident.

Even happier that you have such a great attitude about it....Speaks volumes about you.

 

[NewToy]

After reading and thinking about Riptide's story I think the most viable option is to limit your exposure to these potentially deadly chores. Seems like anything can happen, and when it does it comes at you FAST!
Be careful out there.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

From every report and/or insurance company poll I've ever read, farming (no matter on what scale) is ALWAYS in the top 3 or 4 "most dangerous professions". Equipment design is a factor, carelessness enters in to some extent, but FATIGUE plays the biggest role. Also one must include the numbers of CHILDREN injured or killed on farms.

If someone was to magically reduce the number of farm related injuries/deaths, some other occupation would fill in for it. Just unfortunate that the way of life/passion/profession some of us love so much is such a killer.

On a daily basis, I use a grain auger, mowers, balers, run tractors on hillsides, move cattle in VERY confined spaces, work in dusty conditions, ect..... A person needs to be very aware of the dangers involved. And short of not doing what I love, there's no way to eliminate the risk completely.

JUST BE CAREFUL OUT THERE GUYS!