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Another Tractor Logging Fatality

Started by JDeere, April 23, 2010, 07:05:20 AM

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JDeere

It is ironic that a few days ago I posted an article about a tractor logging fatality hoping it would remind us all how dangerous logging can be. Yesterday, my best friends brother in law was killed in Vermont while tractor logging. I don't know all the particulars but it appears they had a problem tree hooked to the winch to pull it over. He apparently got out of the tractor to hitch another tree to the cable and when he pulled out more cable it put sufficient tension on the tree to pull it over onto his head, killing him. He was about 60 years old and had a large sugaring operation in Island Pond, Vermont. My thoughts and prayers are with the family.
2013 Western Star, 2012 Pelletier trailer, Serco 7500 crane, 2007 Volvo EC 140, 2009 John Deere 6115D, 2002 Cat 938G, 1997 John Deere 540G, 1996 Cat D-3C, 1995 Cat 416B, 2013 Cat 305.5E

Sawyerfortyish

I'm sorry to hear about your friend and my heart goes out to his family.Thats a horrorible accident that can happen no matter what your driving. I can't tell you how many times I've had to sneak under a big broken limb to hook up to something. Always look up and be aware

John Woodworth

True logging is a dangerous ocupation even with the proper equipment but something else comes to play, knowledge which is gained through expierence or passed on by others and some times that comes too late. Production logging with non mechanized falling and processing around here is 1 load per man and 1 load per peice of equipment, to do so you need to know how to safely operate the equipment and lay out the situation, how to bridal your chokers, spin logs from behind stumps with chokers, lift logs over stumps on a long pull from behind a stump or pulling a tree over, every day is new and you are never too old to learn.

Logging with tractors is the gypo approach to making a living, you use what you have and hope for the best so you have to be extra carefull in a already dangerous environment that can be more dangerous by the lack of knowledge that goes with production logging. Safety is the biggest issue and is often overlooked just to get another log out, with out proper equipment, training or lack of knowledge-expierence these accidents will continue to happen.

Again all you tractor people take care.
Two Garret 21 skidders, Garret 10 skidder, 580 Case Backhoe, Mobile Dimension sawmill, 066, 046 mag, 044, 036mag, 034, 056 mag, 075, 026, lewis winch

bill m

Quote from: John Woodworth on April 23, 2010, 01:08:05 PM
Logging with tractors is the gypo approach to making a living,

Would you care to explain what you mean by this?
NH tc55da Metavic 4x4 trailer Stihl and Husky saws

treefarmer87

i agree with john woodworth the timber business is a dangerous business, but when i started i started with a tractor- and it paid my bills. i made $41,000 last year, just with my 5310. i made two loads a day everyday, i will not cut something i dont feel comfortable with, i always take my time, and go slow, i always listen to what a veteran logger has to say, my close friend gives me tips and hints all the time. i am the youngest logger in my area and i am doing better than some that have been doing it for 20+ years. i learn something new everyday, i am fortunate enough to have made enough money to have a good truck, skidder, and knuckleboom, and be able to get up everyday a cut timber, and be safe a come home to my family everyday. you have to be careful with what you do, do what you can with what you got, and be safe. and im lucky enough to have found forestry forum and listen to what everyone has to say.

be safe   
1994 Ford L9000
2004 Tigercat 718
1998 Barko 225
1999 John Deere 748G
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captain_crunch

Gypo Logger is West  Coast slang for Independent logger who due to cash flow uses anything that will get the job done. I Proudly spent 20 years of my life in this posision.
Granted Logging can be Dangerious(generally how much YOU make it) Here in Oregon till the OWL won we were raised around it and took its consecuerces with it as a part of life. I have a few scares to prove it but in my time in woods only major thing that happened was one feller had a Heart Attack (mainly due to being 75 years old) But we were raised around it also. I would be more worried walking down town in NY Cty un armed than anything woods has to offer 8) 8) 8)
M-14 Belsaw circle mill,HD-11 Log Loader,TD-14 Crawler,TD-9 Crawler and Ford 2910 Loader Tractor

Ron Scott

Treefarmer, well said!

There are many ways to "get the cut out", but know the risks and hazards of the methods and equipment used. I find that no two loggers have the same type of equipment nor will they do a job exactly the same way.

A good read for all woods workers is http://www.loggingsafety.com/thsm.htm
~Ron

treefarmer87

thanks ron, you just gotta watch what your doin, dont overload or be too hard on your equipment- a tractor or skidder with too large a drag is gonna come up on 2 wheels, i have had it happen before. be easy on your equipment and it will help you greatly in the longrun, and practice preventive mantaince and service equipment regulary
remember safety 1st no matter what you are using
be safe guys
1994 Ford L9000
2004 Tigercat 718
1998 Barko 225
1999 John Deere 748G
FEC 1550 slasher
CTR 314 Delimber
Sthil 461
Sthil 250

zopi

yeah..what little actual forwarding I have to do, the only way is with my little tractor..and it's a challenge..spent this weekend getting out 8 or 10 tons of nice straight yellow pine..(new siding for one of my old barns.) has the little beast rear up on me a couple of times...sure would like to have one of those smaller skidders like you see around...or even a larger tractor that isn't quite as light..4420 would be nice... :D
Got Wood?
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And lots of junk.

RedLeg

Leif
Retired U.S. Army
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ljmathias

Guess I'll throw my dollar's worth in here, since I use a 4WD tractor for skidding.  It's a little small but has a FEL and a backhoe attachment.  Seldom use the latter but it balances the tractor pretty good when I'm pulling a log with the FEL.  I always skid going backwards with the tree in front and one hand on the FEL level so I can drop it if things start to go south- has happened a couple of times but since I'm old and less foolish (sure, I was young and real foolish once like most of us), I always drive real slow and watch carefully, but then I'm not making money skidding, just moving logs to a burn pile or to the mill for sawing.  I think the 4WD is essential- can't imagine having control with a heavy log on the front with just a 2WD...

So I guess my point is that if you can't afford a skidder or really big tractor, use what you have with great care- it'll work as long as safety is foremost in your mind while doing it.  Comes to that, lots of things just as dangerous or more so- like driving in town during rush hour or visiting Canal Street in New Orleans during Marti Gras...

Lj
LT40, Long tractor with FEL and backhoe, lots of TF tools, beautiful wife of 50 years plus 4 kids, 5 grandsons AND TWO GRANDDAUGHTERS all healthy plus too many ideas and plans and not enough time and energy

zopi

Quote from: ljmathias on April 26, 2010, 09:15:32 PM
Comes to that, lots of things just as dangerous or more so- like driving in town during rush hour or visiting Canal Street in New Orleans during Marti Gras...

Lj


Hey! I still have scars from that! literally...earned them too...but I got one of the King's cocanuts...
Got Wood?
LT-15G GO chassis added.
WM sharpener and setter
And lots of junk.

MFinity

Quote from: treefarmer87 on April 25, 2010, 07:53:50 PM
thanks ron, you just gotta watch what your doin, dont overload or be too hard on your equipment- a tractor or skidder with too large a drag is gonna come up on 2 wheels, i have had it happen before. be easy on your equipment and it will help you greatly in the longrun, and practice preventive mantaince and service equipment regulary
remember safety 1st no matter what you are using
be safe guys

treefarmer 87 you sure you're only 22?  ;)  You sound like an old, grizzled veteran to me  ;D  You've got a great attitude and go with a lotta savvy - giving you a good chance at becoming an old, grizzled veteran one day :D

treefarmer87

thanks  MFinity ;),  yea im only 22 i have seen a lot of people hurt or killed around here. i dont want to end up that way. my best friend is an old vetran i listen to everything he has to say. when im in the woods i take it slow, i make to loads a day taking it slow. i cashed a check for 1 load of poplar and got $230, i haul mon-thurs and i make anywhere from $600-$1000 a week. the money doesnt matter to me though, i love it so much i would do it for free. the thing that matters to me is i come home to my wife and kids everyday 
1994 Ford L9000
2004 Tigercat 718
1998 Barko 225
1999 John Deere 748G
FEC 1550 slasher
CTR 314 Delimber
Sthil 461
Sthil 250

a62chv

I keep thinking I'll take this story on the road, to the logging congress, or somewhere where a logging / operator safety talk is needed.  It's hard to paint the entire picture of the man I write about without making this about 7 pages long but I'll try to be as short as I can.  This is the first time this story has been told outside of the close circle of those involved.  I read this post, and the previous one about tractor logging, and thought it's story time.

I knew this man for 37 years, worked for him, and played with him.  He was a general contractor who retired due to a heart transplant about 13 years ago.  This man grew up on a farm in Kalkaska Michigan, a farm that included a sawmill operation.  This man's father was a summer farmer and a winter logger in the days when you skid with a horse and loaded rail cars by hand.  From growing up, to his occupation, this man was a jack of all trades.  He'd clear building lots, cut in power lines, ran equipment, built houses, he could do just about anything when it came to work.  I clearly remember times when I'd be under a hoisted load, cutting a tree that had a dead top, or find myself under a man who was working above me at a building project.  This man would always hollar at me to pay attention to what is above me.  He would end the scolding with saying "it will hit you on the head and kill you stone dead!" 

In 2005 this man bought a Woodmizer saw mill for a hobby and to do a little custom sawing for hire.  I enjoyed working the mill with him from time to time and he taught me how to saw.  This man was a steward of the land and despised waste.  In 2006 lightning struck a large white pine on his property and killed a couple others near it.  He could not stand to see those saw logs go to waste. 

On January 3rd, 2007 he felled the trees and salvaged several big saw logs from the trees.  Using a 1960's Case 580 backhoe, he began to skid the logs out of the woods.  This man's wife choked the logs while he backed them out to a place where he could set tongs to them for hauling to the mill landing. 

While backing out the loader bucket, that was raised about 5 feet to keep as much of the log out of the dirt as possible, bumped a standing dead red pine.  This red pine was one like we've all seen, bark gone, branches gone, missing the top that probable blew out 10 years prior.  The standing dead pine was nothing more than a 10 foot tall stump.  Although this stump looked solid it's base was nothing more than powder held up by about 4 inches of dried wood.  This man's wife watched as the dead tree fell and struck the man on the right side of the head, breaking in half, with half falling beside the tractor and the top half laying on the man's lap.  She ran to him and lifted the deadfall off from the man but he never knew it.  He was "stone dead" by the time she got there.

I'll never forget the panic in the voice when she called me that morning.  I went to the house, out to the tractor, and saw the man.  I am an investigator by trade and looked everything over very close.  I saw what had happened.  The entire right side of this man's skull was crushed by the blunt end of a long ago gone red pine branch. 

Being in an area that was unaccessable to anything but a tractor or ORV, my brother an I carried that man out of the woods, across one 40, to a waiting hearse.  January 3rd, 2007 was the last time I saw that man, my best friend, my dad. 

I learned that no matter how safety concious we are, how experienced we are, what equipment we happen to run, it only takes one unknown, unseen, or overlooked hazzard to kill us, to "hit us on the head and kill us stone dead".  My dad was a safety concious man, he always weighed risk with reward, but this time the risk won.

I guess my point is that nobody is immune, even if you are the safest guy on the job.  I hope this story simply reminds everyone to be alert for everything that is over their head. 
       

HOOF-ER

Thank you for sharing that story. I am sure it is a tough one to tell. It is important to remember how quickly life can change. Everyone please be careful out there. Welcome to the forum 62chevy. Hope you stick around. Lots of extended family here.   Loren
Home built swing mill, 27hp Kawasaki

MFinity

Especially tragic when it happens to someone who's as diligent about safety as anybody else. Still... it happens to the best of 'em.   :(

Thanks for the reminder a62chv... you can't be too careful

Jeff

Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

JDeere

a62chev,  Thank you for sharing that. I live in an area where 20 years ago everyone had a relative or a friend who worked in the woods and every year one or more loggers were seriously injured or killed. We can never be too careful and can only hope to learn something from each tragedy.
2013 Western Star, 2012 Pelletier trailer, Serco 7500 crane, 2007 Volvo EC 140, 2009 John Deere 6115D, 2002 Cat 938G, 1997 John Deere 540G, 1996 Cat D-3C, 1995 Cat 416B, 2013 Cat 305.5E

twobears


TREEFARMER87:you wrote... the thing that matters to me is i come home to my wife and kids everyday
  you keep thinking like that as long as you work in the woods.. two and a half years ago a friend/co-worker of mine didn,t get to go home and his wife is still sitting on the porch of there home waiting for him.i see her sitting there every time i drive by in decent weather.  :'(

delbert

captain_crunch

 Guys I am sorry for your losses of friends and family
But WITH OUT propper canopy and ROPS on any thing working in woods it is just a matter of time before things go south. No matter how carefull or cautious you try to be there are TOO MANY unseen things about.
I had abot 8 ft of a snag fall from a tree about 50 feet from D-7 Cat that  I was running and it took all the hyd lines off right hand dozer cylinder and I was eating lunch in pickup 200 yards away so figure that one
M-14 Belsaw circle mill,HD-11 Log Loader,TD-14 Crawler,TD-9 Crawler and Ford 2910 Loader Tractor

twobears


I,VE logged with farm tractors,dozers,factory built skidders and homebuilt skidders.i try to be careful but i,ve been hurt while working them all..if you work in the woods long enough you WILL!!!! be hurt...it,s just a matter of who gets to tell the story afterwards.
anybody that works in the woods should learn first-aid and prepare yourself for that day..trust me you,ll see stuff you never wanta see and it,s no time to be freaking out,puking your guts out or passing out from the sights..you can do all of that later once,your ok or your coworker is safe.

delbert

treefarmer87

thanks twobears, i thought i wasnt gonna be able to see my wife after what happened fri night, it wasnt a logging accident though, i bought her a kawsaki ninja 500 motorcycle a few weeks ago. she loves to ride she is an excellent driver. her nephew and i were gonna go turkey hunting sat. morning. she wanted to ride her bike, so i followed her in our car. just before the accident we stopped @ a gas station she said she was cold, so i went in our trunk a got her another jacket. when we came to this intercection this 15 yr old girl was driving her drunk father around ran a red light turning left we were heading straight, they hit my wife she flew over the car and went 20-25 ft on the other side of the car the bike caught on fire and the tank exploded catching the car on fire. the fire dpt. put it out quickly. she suffered a broken pelvis, right femur, and a broke bone near thr knee. i brought her home today. accidents can happen whener you dont expect them to.
1994 Ford L9000
2004 Tigercat 718
1998 Barko 225
1999 John Deere 748G
FEC 1550 slasher
CTR 314 Delimber
Sthil 461
Sthil 250

twobears


87:i,am sorry to hear about your wife..i hope she comes thur it ok.

delbert

Ron Scott

She was very lucky and we hope that she's doing well at home.
~Ron

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