Tragic: Pavement Roller

[chriscos]

Lafayette County man killed when pavement roller overturns on him

Lafayette County man killed when pavement roller overturns on him

"A rural Hazel Green man was killed Monday after a pavement roller overturned onto him as he used it to compact soil in the yard of his home, the Lafayette County Sheriff's Office said. John H. Kuhle, 53, was using the self-propelled pavement roller on a grade at his home about 7:40 p.m. when it overturned. The incident happened on Kennedy Road in the town of Benton.
Kuhle was pronounced dead at the scene by Lafayette County Coroner Virginia Douglas."

 

[kebo]

Sad. Seems like to me he was using the wrong machine for the job. Anyone here ever heard of using a paving compactor on their lawn? Not me. If you pack the soil to dense, the grass won't grow as well anyway.

 

[Localmotion]

Sad. Seems like to me he was using the wrong machine for the job. Anyone here ever heard of using a paving compactor on their lawn? Not me. If you pack the soil to dense, the grass won't grow as well anyway.

Not wrong at all - flat rollers (same as paving rollers) are often used on sites to compact soil... Likewise the same rollers are often used on cricket pitches / bowling greens etc...

That said - wonder if it was fitted with ROPS? If it was simply an overturn, ROPS would most likely have saved his life

Very sad story, and a lesson to us all never to take anything for granted.

 

[chriscos]

I'm wondering if it was some kind of "walk-behind" model rather than a ride on. I've never seen a ROPS on a "steam roller".

 

[RoyJackson]

I'm wondering if it was some kind of "walk-behind" model rather than a ride on. I've never seen a ROPS on a "steam roller".

I have seen ROPS on smaller rollers (rental units)...of course, that doesn't mean this roller had one, or if it did, he was using the seat belt.
These little rollers have been around a long time. My father used one (to compact the driveway) back in the late '50's. I remember, since he let me drive it (I was somewhere between 7 and 9 years old).

Does seem a bit odd it rolled. They're supposedly bottom heavy when you fill the rollers with water. But not a lot of traction if they have the smooth rollers. I wonder if he was loading or unloading the machine from a trailer or tilt-bed when he was killed.

 

[Perplexed]

Does seem a bit odd it rolled. They're supposedly bottom heavy when you fill the rollers with water. But not a lot of traction if they have the smooth rollers. I wonder if he was loading or unloading the machine from a trailer or tilt-bed when he was killed.

Maybe he tried to use it to flatten a large mound of dirt, and tilted it too much? Or had it tilted some and hit a rock... We need more details.

 

[RoyJackson]

Maybe he tried to use it to flatten a large mound of dirt, and tilted it too much? Or had it tilted some and hit a rock... We need more details.

Yeah, but it's very unlikely we'll get anymore then what we've seen so far...

 

[Duffster]

I know this guy personally and have worked with him in the past. It's a real shame.

I don't know this for fact but I believe the weather may have had a role in this. We were getting intermittent showers/drizzle about that time of day.

 

[Duffster]

Anyone here ever heard of using a paving compactor on their lawn?

Does it say it is in his lawn?

This article mentions it was on a grade, if that isn't obvious.

SW Wisconsin man dies in pavement roller accident - WBAY-TV Green Bay-Fox Cities-Northeast Wisconsin News

 

[powerstroke444e]

Seen rollers on there side many times on road projects and 9 out of 10 times the operator didnt have there seat belt on.

About a year ago a neighbor did the same thing but lived he said he was rolling the rough spots out of his yard

 

[kebo]

Does it say it is in his lawn?

This article mentions it was on a grade, if that isn't obvious.

SW Wisconsin man dies in pavement roller accident - WBAY-TV Green Bay-Fox Cities-Northeast Wisconsin News

The article said he was using it on his yard,which I've always thought was the same as a lawn. After all, why are lawnmowers called lawnmowers, instead of yardmowers??


Quote:

"A rural Hazel Green man was killed Monday after a pavement roller overturned onto him as he used it to compact soil in the yard of his home, the Lafayette County Sheriff's Office said."

 

[Duffster]

The article said he was using it on his yard,which I've always thought was the same as a lawn. After all, why are lawnmowers called lawnmowers, instead of yardmowers??

:laughing: I was just giving you a little crap.

My yard is all dirt, no lawn.

Seriously this guy is a home builder that likes to build and flip new houses so he could have been installing a new lawn. But even that isn't likely since we have been getting so ^%&*$( %($%** much rain.

Unfortunately there are some major projects around here that lost their general contractor.

 

[beenthere]

I doesn't take much of a slope to get those rollers sliding sideways, and not much of a soft spot to get them to tip over. Neighbor has a small one that has a 5 or 8 hp B&S for power. It is very tippy.
I've no idea what size this one was.
The lawn roller I pull will slide on a slope and can dig in pretty bad when the weight (center of gravity) shifts down hill.

 

[deereman75]

I know this guy personally and have worked with him in the past. It's a real shame.

I don't know this for fact but I believe the weather may have had a role in this. We were getting intermittent showers/drizzle about that time of day.

I am sorry to hear this. I think he might have been trying to drive side to side along the grade and with the rain it probably started to slide sideways and the edge of the drum dug in and it flipped, this is one of the only ways I can think of tipping one.