Tipped Your Grinder? Cheers to Dumb Luck!

[Stefan Palokangas]

Stefan here, Arbtalk since 2014—grinding stumps out of Darvel, Scotland, and I’ve got a rookie gem. Been quiet a while, but dug up this beauty: first year, perfect day, me being a total numpty—tipped the grinder clean over. Photo’s the wreck—I was green, stupid, and damn lucky it didn’t flatten me. Only once, learned sharpish, rock-solid since. Who’s got a tip-over tale to match? Cheers to the madness—let’s hear your daft moments!

[rapalaman]

Good to see you posting again Stefan - hope you’re ok and have learned from this! All machinery is dangerous and we can all be guilty of complacency at times 👍

[MattyF]

Years back I was on a site and the guy who was responsible for health and safety of the company had been demoted to grinder operator to actually do something useful for the day on a all hands on deck job, we had been winching trees ahead and chipping them on a site clearance , we stopped briefly to discuss the next tree and turning around and seeing clouds of smoke from engine oil draining in to the exhaust and him with his hands on his head doing a mad dance around in circles to a rolled machine on virtually flat ground , I looked at the boss and he looks at me and muttered something about the babe can’t even do that without messing it up before running over and turning it off. 

[Stefan Palokangas]

14 hours ago, rapalaman said:

Good to see you posting again Stefan - hope you’re ok and have learned from this! All machinery is dangerous and we can all be guilty of complacency at times 👍

Was a while ago,  yes doing fine grinding away enjoying it even more now then i did when i started.   There is something truly special about stump grinding.  Hope you are well 

[Stefan Palokangas]

14 hours ago, MattyF said:

Years back I was on a site and the guy who was responsible for health and safety of the company had been demoted to grinder operator to actually do something useful for the day on a all hands on deck job, we had been winching trees ahead and chipping them on a site clearance , we stopped briefly to discuss the next tree and turning around and seeing clouds of smoke from engine oil draining in to the exhaust and him with his hands on his head doing a mad dance around in circles to a rolled machine on virtually flat ground , I looked at the boss and he looks at me and muttered something about the babe can’t even do that without messing it up before running over and turning it off. 

I couldn't belive it when it happend to me,  but it was just the once never happend again after that.

[rapalaman]

29 minutes ago, Stefan Palokangas said:

Was a while ago,  yes doing fine grinding away enjoying it even more now then i did when i started.   There is something truly special about stump grinding.  Hope you are well 

Me too - learnt quite a bit from reading your posts over the years. As I’m getting older and climbing is getting harder year by year, I find it easier to be on the grinder - hope to upgrade to a tracked or wheeled non pedestrian for the bigger jobs 👍

[Stefan Palokangas]

2 minutes ago, rapalaman said:

Me too - learnt quite a bit from reading your posts over the years. As I’m getting older and climbing is getting harder year by year, I find it easier to be on the grinder - hope to upgrade to a tracked or wheeled non pedestrian for the bigger jobs 👍

i been thinking to upgrade to a bigger machine a few times,  90 procent of the jobs are narrow access,  was i ever to get something bigger i think it would be a tractor with a grinder on it where i could use the tractor for other things to,  but i'm getting older to and don't want to complicate things.   Bought a pressure washer after seeing a youtube video spent daft money on it and now the passion isn't there for it,  so just sits in my garage.  The grinding is the best can do 2 days a week and still doing ok money wise.   No stress just fun