I Learned About Arbwork From That

[Billhook]

In Flying Magazine there is a page near the end headed "I learned about flying from that" where pilots confess their sins in the hope that it might help others not do the same thing.

 

I'll start it off!

 

Just replaced the stolen branch logger with a tractor driven one which I am very pleased with.   The feed hopper folds up neatly to reduce the width for road work.

It is mounted on my Little Grey Fergie which is a good combination as the Fergie is petrol and I have rigged the safety bar on the feed hopper to cut the coil out to stop the engine.

 

I also noticed that when folded up the hopper makes a neat little storage compartment for transporting the Stihl 170 and the oil/fuel can. (no room on the cabless Fergie)

Somehow my mind went blank when I set off and lifted the hydraulic lever to raise the logger for transport.  The Grey Fergie is unusual in that it does not have constant flow hydraulics and the power take off must be engaged to power the pump to lift the arms...................

I was very lucky in that there was only a loud "Twack" as the orange chainsaw cover was ejected from the rear of the machine, luckily the chainsaw blade was not drawn in!

No harm to the logger blades but it does show the strength of the Stihl bar cover as apart from a couple of slits it survives to be used again.

Next time before I engage pto I will endeavour to engage brain at the same time!

[Squaredy]

Good thread.  We have all been on courses highlighting risks and dangers and safe practises to avoid accidents, but sometimes it is silly things like your incident where no training course would help.

 

I had a very silly incident last week.  I needed to syphon diesel from my backup diesel tank to my main one and to cut a long story short after racking my brain I tried sucking.  I got a mouthful of diesel (didn't swallow any) and it didn't work anyway.  It was at least 36 hours before the taste of diesel was gone, and trust me if you have never done this - it was disgusting.  I sometimes get a meal repeating on me but red diesel repeating on you is something else.

 

On reading up on it if you do swallow, and especially if any gets in your lungs it can be serious.

 

The moral of the story....have one of those syphon bulbs handy.  I own one but it is so rarely used I couldn't find it.

 

 

[Billhook]

My brother and I were coming home through a muddy track in the woods after dark.  I misjudged a corner and became very stuck with the six wheel drive Land Rover V8 Sandringham Six.

No worries, had a good winch in the front and sent brother off into the gloom to tie the cable onto a tree.

He went into a clump of Blackthorn and tied it around a stout 30 inch diameter Ash trunk.

Started the winch, and the cable took the strain and started to come in but there was no forward movement on the Land Rover.  

"What's happening"  I yelled.    The answer  "The whole tree plus root ball has come out of the ground and is heading towards you!"

Turns out that the tree had broken off about ten feet up and was rotten but he could not see this in the dark and amongst the Blackthorn.