Bad bucket stories?

topnotchtree · Feb 5, 2004

I have heard this from a couple of different guys and I do believe it. The boom was in the air, stretched out through the phases.(line clearance) The truck blew a hydro line and caught on fire. By the time the ground guys got the trimmers attention the truck was engulfed badly. He panned sideways to fold back up and the truck stalls. He is too high to jump, and no rope of course, and no way to get to the truck to get a rope. The groundman was able to toss him a 12 foot pruner. He reached out about 8 feet to hook a limb of a big spruce tree. He dropped from the bucket holding on to the pruner hooked on the limb. He swung into the spruce, and started sliding down the pruner pole. Thus pulling the pruner chord, loping off the limb holding him.He slid down the side of the spruce and landed unharmed.

MasterBlaster · Feb 5, 2004

Any hyd line that ever blew(or I cut!) made itself immediately aware to me!

NeTree · Feb 5, 2004

Almost sounds like an urban legend... but I pity the guy if it happened.

topnotchtree · Feb 5, 2004

I know the guy personally that was there on the ground. He was pretty bummed out cause he had a set of bashlin hooks laying on the deck. They were turned into a puddle of melted aluminum!

topnotchtree · Feb 5, 2004

I also had a foreman whos dad was testing a new bucket design many years ago. As it was explained to me, the big pulley on the knuckle that the cables wrap around, was made of a high tech plastic resin of some sort, instead of metal. It had passed all their testing but failed when he was in the air. bottom boom was straight up, and top boom was straight out. He suffered a broken leg.