Re: Just helped get a dead man off a tractor

Posted by JML755 on June 27, 2018 at 10:50:58 from (166.137.90.119):

In Reply to: Just helped get a dead man off a tractor posted by Richard G. on June 26, 2018 at 08:27:28:

Sorry to hear. I've had a couple of those type incidents.

2 years ago, I was mowing a path and a branch of a tree that I had previously cut because it was laying across the path was unseen in the brush. It caught the right rear tire and the tree got pulled into the operator station. Felt like someone swung a baseball bat at my leg. Luckily (if you can call it that) it was my right leg and I was able to stomp on the clutch. Happened REAL FAST. I sat for a moment to get my senses and realized my leg was pinned between the thigh-sized limb and the tranny case. Hurt like a bugger. Couldn't move it. I decided to try backing up SLOWLY. The branch was scraping along the leg pretty good but I was able to back out. Got off the tractor pulled down my jeans and a good chunk of skin on my shin was abraded away. Took a while to heal but thankfully no broken bones.

Since then I've taken to wearing a loggers helmet when I mow. 3 weeks ago I was mowing paths (again) and part of an overhanging limb that I thought I'd clear got caught under the canopy of my tractor. I heard a bang and before I could stop the tractor, the limb came off of the canopy and snapped underneath it. Hit me HARD just above the visor of the helmet, knocked the loggers helmet off and some smaller branches scraped my face up pretty good as I moved forward through it. Then when it hit the ROPS, it came forward and whacked me on the back of the head. Luckily I was bending down to get out of the way and it was a glancing blow. Again, stopped the tractor, sat for a moment, got my senses back and checked for damage. Luckily none. I know I'd cleared that limb before, so I don't know what was different, maybe weight of new growth pulling it down, whatever.

As others have said, things happen VERY FAST. I've been clearing a lot of trees lately and have encountered numerous situations that could be dangerous: Widow makers, parts of trees under tension when you cut them, trees falling the wrong way, barber chairs. Before I start with the chain saw, I assess the "what ifs" and have tied off (successfully) potential problem areas with winches/ropes. But I'm sure that poor feller the OP wrote about thought he was on safe ground, too. :(

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