A little fall

[Larry]

This afternoon I decided to cut some small pine limbs that were brushing against the side of the shop.  Plan of attack was to stand in the bucket of my small tractor and whack em off.  Put the bucket up to maximum which is about 8' plus off the ground. Started cutting with my Husky 272XP which was too big but I like using it.  I was cutting the limbs back a little at a time so I didn't get anything heavy falling.  Well, I extended the chainsaw over my head and cut a bigger limb.  It fell heavy, fast, and hard right on the bucket tilt control lever.  The bucket tilted fast and I was off balance hanging on to a big chainsaw which was idling down.  I had enough sense to keep the saw away from my body as I was falling and not a scratch on saw.

On the other hand I landed on one foot.  Swelling, pain, and can't put much weight on it.   Aspirin and adult beverages are helping.

Of course I had on all the safety equipment.....not.  It could have been much, much worse.  Simple afternoon task turns into pain.


I guess the moral to the story is think about what can go wrong before you do it.

[Don P]

An almost identical scenario happened here a decade or so ago. He wasn't so lucky, he didn't get clear of the saw. I'm amazed but they got his hand back on his arm.

[Nebraska]

Yikes, right could've been much worse.

[thecfarm]

I need to get rid of some limbs too. I am thinking about a pole saw more and more. I was going to use a ladder, but there is a rule on ladders and a FF member. So looks like a pole saw will be bought. I am thinking of a battery one. Don't really need another motor to maintain.
Hope you get better. Talk about bad luck and things going wrong.

[WDH]

Oh, the things that we do . 

[Jeff]

Glad you are basically still intact Larry.!

[samandothers]

It's good body parts are still attached and those injured should heal.

[Banjo picker]

Murphy's law usually apples.  "If things can go wrong , it will" glad you didn't get hurt any worse.  Dad was cutting a limb off a big tree in the front yard ...limb came down kicked the ladder out from under him an the old McCulloch sawed all the way around his left index finger.  He didn't lose it but it took a while to heal.  Banjo

[Walnut Beast]

Larry your a stud throwing that 272 around way up in the air. But be careful your no spring chicken 😊. Remember you have a sawmill to run.  I bet your feeling the pain of the battle wounds. Nice touch on not scratching the saw. I like that 😂. Bite the bullet and sip the whiskey for the pain

[Onthesauk]

Number of years ago I scared myself with the big saw doing something similar.  Went and bought a Stihl 170 just for stuff like that, much safer to handle.  Didn't use it often but worth it in the end.

[Hilltop366]

I think your a lucky man Larry, climbed a ladder to get in a tractor bucket to run a chainsaw, someone must be looking out for you.

I cheeped out on a pole saw, I think the blade was $10, made the blade holder from ash in the lathe and already had a 16' aluminum pole (stay away from power lines).

It has proven to be quite handy, just have to pace yourself on the 3" or 4" hardwoods but in 1" or 2" softwood just takes a few strokes and your done, easier than holding up a gas powered pole saw.



 

[donbj]

I think your a lucky man Larry, climbed a ladder to get in a tractor bucket to run a chainsaw, someone must be looking out for you.

My thoughts exactly! Though I have done the same darn thing. We have to get smarter as we get older and not do this stuff.

[Tacotodd]

 If you don't get smarter as you get older, then you don't get much older. The day that you quit learning SOMETHING is going to be one of your few remaining days.

That's MY problem. The only thing that I'm good for is a bad example! :-\ 

[Magicman]

How old do you have to be before this "old enough to know better" kicks in??  :

[Tacotodd]

It depends on what it is and how many times my dad had to try to bury a foot!

[Larry]

I go in for a routine physical on August the 7th.  I show the Doc my ankle which is still swollen.  He says better get an xray.  So I do but the clinic looses the xray for a week.  Doc calls on the 14th and says I have a fractured fibula.  He has already called in a prescription for a boot so I get my boot on the 15th.  What a pain.  I asked the girl that fitted me if she knew what a stick shift was and she told me she thinks her Grandpa had one.

Well I drive a stick shift and always will.  Boots don't work well with clutches!

My ankle doesn't hurt much, and swelling is nearly gone.  Almost been 2 months since the fall.  I think I know where I want to insert my new boot! 

[Larry]

I should also add that a couple of weeks ago I went to Home Depot and bought one of there battery operated pole saws and completed my pruning.  It worked great for the little stuff I'm doing.  One of those tools I may not touch for another 10 years.

[pigman]

Ten years ago I broke my fibula on the left leg helping a friend with his cows. I drove my 5 speed truck home without using the clutch. I ground a few gears and just shut it off in gear. I could walk with very little pain, but when I tried to push in the clutch, the pain was more than I wanted.

[Don P]

I broke mine, thought it was a bad sprain so taped it up and limped it off, that concrete floor in Lowes looked huge for a long time. Thought I was good to go. Several years later I hopped off the knuckleboom and twisted it again. It wsn't long before I went to the doc and said "I can't figure it out, I'm having to look down and watch every step". He said look straight ahead and stand on just that foot, I fell over, couldn't do it. He did the xray and saw the break, some Arthur, but he said in the second rollover the ligament down there let go. I had never thought about it but he explained that it was part of an automatic feedback loop to the brain that unconsciously helps us maintain balance. That ligament was feeding pressure and angle info and the brain was sending back muscle commands. He said the description of watching every step was a classic description, I had switched feedback to the eyes. I did some PT on a wobble board and then practice standing on the one foot when I think about it to keep whatever is doing the job now tuned in and my head came back up, we are a marvel of workarounds. He said if I keep rolling it to come back and he'd go in and hook it back up, so far so good so I'll try to leave it for OEMreman. That ankle is also a fine alarm clock, that's just a bonus  :D

[scsmith42]

How old do you have to be before this "old enough to know better" kicks in??  :

I can attest that it's older than 60....