Stupid Mistake today

As much as I don't take this advice that is why its good to take a friend. Just have to make sure you are on the same page dropping trees. I am sure it scared the daylights out of you. Glad that you are ok and could share the story. Takes a big man to admit mistakes.

 

Glad you're Not hurt badly.
The way I look at it, the trees and branches are always out to get me

 

Not gonna argue it was a dumb move to pull on it at all when it was hung up. I was honestly just trying to decide whether I needed to back the truck down to pull it over and never would have guessed in a million year it would come down. It had to come down as it was over a trail and getting to the point it was hard to get under it with the truck and tractor (all the snow and ice this winter played into that) but I should have figured something else out when I realized it was hollow. As far as trying to get out of the way I was moving backwards at an angle it was just an odd situation as you don't usually have trees in the shape of a rainbow. Had it been just a normal straight leaner it wouldn't have even been an issue.

I know there is no right answer for all situations but I have a quick question to anyone who has some input. What do you do when they are hollow but still have to come down? I cut for about 5-6 years with my wifes uncle who worked for the forestry department, climbed and cut his whole life and he always said to plunge and come out the back so it can't barber chair but he's really then only person I have cut with that I would take serious advice from as he is very well respected around here. I'm curious if there are other ways I should have approached this one?

 

Doing fine today just black and blue bruises. I told the guys at work my wife beat me up pretty bad over the weekend

 

I've had a few mistakes but not quite as bad.
Good thing about it is they make you much more careful next time Around
And the moral is don't get on your wife's bad side

 

With a tree… rugged girl.

 

Well said. Glad you are all right.

 

Hey Cert, thought of you this morning when I got one of those exciting little surprises too. And, I was just plain lucky. Shoulda gone right over with my tractor. I was digging out a pile of frozen snow where I plow. I pushed ahead and couldn't get the bucket all the way down to the ground to catch snow, it was up about 6", on ice. Took the first bucket out, and when I went back for the second bite there was that frozen ice on the left but none on the right. I didn't know that. I slid the bucket in further and when I did, that left rear jumped up on that ice and snapped the tractor up on 2 wheels. My hand was on the lift lever and I drove it forward dropping the bucket. Just barely enough. Dammit. That was close! When I'm in the woods rolling, I'm always looking for rocks and stumps, and I go real slow… I'm kinda ready for it. Not as much this morning… until about 5 seconds after this happened. Jeezuz… chit happens fast.

 

We should all post our f-ups on here to make everyone else aware of the pitfalls of rushing things, working over tired etc.
To me I could care less if I look like an idiot if it prevents someone with lesser experience from getting themselves in a bad position.

Good on you Certified

 

Glad that ended ok! Growing up on a farm and driving tractors on steep hills since I was 13 has caused me to have a lot of close calls. There were a few times the only thing dad said was don't tell your mother !

On time when we were square baling the I was on the tractor stacking and the trailer was almost clear full. We were coming down a hill that we had baled a thousand times before and for some odd reason the trailer started pushing the baler causing the baler to jack knife, the wagon bounced hard and all the hay started falling from over my head pushing me off the wagon. As I dove between the baler and the wagon with the hay falling on me the wagon smashed into the baler crushing a 1" round bar in almost 6". Had I been seconds later falling I would have been pinned between the wagon and baler and most likely dead. There are always a lot of freak accidents when you have heavy equipment involved.

One of the neighbors we were helping haul silage was trying to unplug his chopper and got pulled in all the way to his shoulder. I was about 14 when that happened and I can still hear his screams and remember the life flight helicopter landing in the hayfield like it was yesterday. He lived with one arm from that day on and is still milking cows to this day a couple miles from the old farm with his son.

 

Made me think of a guy at work... Came in looking like he got in a helluva fight... Claimed his wife threw the fridge down the stairs at him.

We all called B/s... He was known for exaggerating stories. I mean how many folks can THROW a kitchen fridge?! He weighed maybe 120lbs soaking wet.

Couple weeks later the wife comes to work for something... 6ft 4, 300lbs and a deep baritone voice.
Yup... Could throw a fridge.

 

Close calls Cert. Thanks for the stories.
My son is your age and I had to laugh. He's had his share of close calls too, and when he was a kid, I'd always say "don't tell your mother"…

 

Glad you're ok Cert. I was cutting a bunch of some gnarly honey suckle this past weekend. Got some real good examples of barber poling. It's amazing how much energy is in just 2-10 inch limbs and trunks.

 

Something similar I did not see until I hit it.
Riding a 3 Wheeler, I decided to go through a Field with tall grass, no trail, I didn't see the huge ant hill, Right rear tire only hit the hill, Flipped me, broke my toe, Lesson learned.
Edit, Oops, I put this in the Wrong Thread

 

Hard to look back on the dangerous chit I did on the farm near death experiences and all when I worked so hard to get the current plant I run OSHA VPP certified.
....but since we're sharing war/farm stories.

Used to dance around on the back of an 8 row corn planter making sure the seeders were evenly filled and pushing the two forward fertilizer bins around with a stake while navigating all the gears/chains...
Got my boot lace caught and fortunately the leather was rotten enough that when I pulled it ripped every metal eyelet out of them - as I stood back dumbfounded my leg wasn't ingested in that cog - my boss kicking it the cab with the radio cranked up. He never even knew it happened until 3-4 1/4mile passes later and we changed seed.

Another time he wanted to hook up the 3pt fertilizer spreader to the smaller ford tractor -I did this by myself all the time - he was operating the tractor and while I'm down under the spreader between the tire told him to raise up a pinch to get the stabilizer/anti sway bar on....he lowered it instead and my neck was between the tire and a tubing support bar on the hopper - talk about oh chit.
Kicker was his wife was standing there when I was hooking it up - she cursed him out.
I stood up after he raised it and walked out of the barn, stood there for a few minutes and stated I wanted a raise over my current $3.75/hr I think I was 14-15yo at the time
It was fun job though.

Anyone ever run a tractor in "ghost driver"/autopilot while laying irrigation pipe?
Or jumped off the drivers seat of a manually throttled tractor while your coworker is riding on the pull hitch hauling 3 hay wagons?
Or done "corn suicides" - running start off the back of a moving haywagon into a stand of corn

 

Glad your ok, that could have been bad.
I’m wondering (as a learner) if making the initial undercut at 90 degrees to the severe lean would have made that tree drop to the side to prevent it from hanging up? You might have to make a tapered hinge to counteract the pull a bit? Of course being hollow changes things, but I am wondering if it weren’t hollow if that would be the answer. Just a thought, I would be interested in hearing from someone with more experience.