Staying Safe in the Woods

[Gypo Logger]

Hi there, yesterday wasnt a good day at all and I should have stayed home, but it turned out alright by the days end.
Anyway, it all started with a sleepless night so I was beat tired right off the bat. Then at 6 am. I get a call from my sawmill guy that his mill is down and he's not buying any logs. Well isnt that just the sweetest thing?
So off I go to the woods not feeling to proud with lots on my mind. I park in my favourite spot in the shade of a large Maple on the edge of the bush, lower the tailgate and start sharpening and fueling and drooling over the 088KD.
Having done that I get the JD540A and sling the 088 under the log arch and go cruising for some green gold. I spot a nice one on the side of a gentle slope and leave the skidder below in a small valley and drag the 088 and my sorry ass up the slope to the 30" stem and start sawing on it at 1.5 tree lengths away from the skidder ( should be two tree lengths).
Just when I had the tree notched and almost ready to fall, I changed my mind as to its direction of fall and cut off a corner to stear it the aditional 15 degrees. Well the maple went alright but colided with two large Beech trees and sheared the crowns off at 20 ft above the ground! Kaboom, right across the skidder between the log arch and canopy was laying 1.5 full cords of Beech.
So I says to myself, self, I think the boys on arboristsite would love to see this picture, so out to the truck I go and get the camera but it's got no disk in it. It was worth a trip to town so I get back in the truck to go and the phone rings. It's my lawyer/ woodlot owner. " John, stop all cutting now, the neighbours and golfers are complaining about the noise". I was logging a 17 acre woodlot on a country club/ private golf club. Then my lawyer/woodlot owner tops it off by saying:" and oh ya, just say you dont know where the boundaries are of the property if asked why you are cutting there".
Wow, this story is just to long, and I hate to bore anyone, but the long and short of it is that I munched my 385W and almost got the 088 when I had them both pinched in a log.
Safety is mostly a state of mind and if your mind is on the job and your are relaxed and comfortable and not upset about things then you will be safe. I had all these things against me yesterday, but continued to work anyway, which isnt good.
I got the 10, 000 ft of logs and 3200 ft of veneer trucked out though and found a new log buyer as well, so things are fine, but my 385W is hurting a bit.
John

 

[Tzed250]

It's OK

At least your not hurt

 

[bwalker]

At least your not hurt

Exactly, machines can be easily fixed/replaced, body parts can not.

 

[John in MA]

Ouch, I feel for you after seeing that photo. Like the guys said, at the least the only things broken came from a store. Sounds like a close shave.

(insert joke about taking too many hits the night before from the tuned pipe...)

 

[mryb]

I third that......at aleast you're not broke... Pal/Creep/Rick

 

[dbabcock]

I'd rather not see the day that ArboristSite has to do without my good friend. Get some sleep, creep.

 

[Toneman]

"Things" are made every day, hey that what puts food on table for most of us.
Main thing is no one was hurt.
John, look on the bright side, now you can some new stuff, not that you really need an excuse but hey, go for it.
Tony

 

[Jumper]

Just curious.....

How are people able to complain about noise during the middle of the day???? I find it amazing folks expect suburban and rural settings to be free of smells, noise and sights that are not always necessarily pleasing to the senses. Duh, what does one do with a woodlot-harvest wood, and that out of necessity involves saws and by extension, noise and lots of it. I was fully expecting another visit myself from bylaw with a complaint about my chainsaw being used to buck up some wood for my woodpile, afterall they complained about the wood in the drive this spring. Glad you had your bad day and emerged unscathed in person!

 

[Cinnamon Girl]

Keeping Men Safe

John is right, if a man's head is not clear...and preoccupied with other things, he should not be in the woods working with dangerous equipment. Also, he mentioned that he hadn't had any sleep. Lack of sleep is a major contributor to preventable accidents, so you guys need to make sure that you are sleeping more than you're playing. I maintain that our military leaders have it straight when they don't allow "female companionship" during bootcamp training. Honey, listen to your buddies, and get some sleep creep!! If you dont, I may not have a honey to worry about.



:angel: CB LWBSSS

P.S. If you don't start getting some sleep, you won't be fit for October, aye? Do you get it?

 

[treeclimber165]

First of all, I agree with all the others in being relieved that you weren't hurt. You are right about the mind being your most important safety equipment.

Too bad about your saw. But since it's trashed, I could probably take it off your hands for a parts saw. Give ya a hundred bucks for it.

 

[Kevin]

http://www.barbneal.com/wav/ltunes/yosemite/Sam13.wav

Couldn`t you have stuck your arm in the notch to keep the tree from falling?
You just weren`t thinking again, eh?

 

[crowe]

Gypo.

I know how you must feel having cut now for twelve years their are some days you wished you had stayed at the house. You know some days I go to the woods feeling like their isnt a tree in the woods that I couldnt turn 360 degrees if I wanted to and other days well I dont even wanna go near them. What you had happen their is always my worst fear cutting a tree close to a property line, fence or near equipment, it seems like their just tree magnents. Its one thing knowing you can make the tree swing but what about everything else in its path? Where is it going to land at. Sometime's I feel like I need to clearcut the whole path in front of it to get it felled right. However, you can never trust a tree, sometime's they take the path they choose. Hopefully you will find that one tree back in the brush somewhere that has veneer written all over it and you can make an even trade for a new 385W with a little beer money to boot. Wishing you better days Wade Huggins(crowe)

 

[Gypo Logger]

Hi Brian, the 385 was lucky, I cant believe it, all that was damaged was the handle, guide bar and my pride.
Heres how it got crushed. After I sawed off the beech limbs off my skidder, I backed it up the slope and set the parking brake, let out the mainline and choked the butt of the log. The 088 was pinched just below the crown and the 385 was pinched just below the 088. Then the skidder died, it appeared that the inpact of the beech had severed a hole in the fuel line. In order to fix it I let off the parking brake to roll it down to level ground little knowing that the winch is locked when the motor dies.
So as the skidder gathered speed and the mainline got taught the 2000lb+ log was yanked out and draged over the 385 and just gently kiss the 088KD.
To compound matters I thought I lost my glasses but I was wearing them with a missing lens lol.
I wish I could have taken some pictures as it was a sight to behold.
I always work alone and any external forces that I cant control can ruin a day. So think ahead, be relaxed and dont push yourself beyond your own capabilities and most of all have fun and enjoy the day.
I would like to thank you all for showing concern for me in the woods. ICWTGYPMLWB
Thanks again,
John Lambert

 

[tony marks]

what would worry me most is the guy hinting, u might not be cuttin his trees.
do that down here in carolina an u in deep dooky. and im not kidding a bit.
id be hunting the state line if it happened to me.
sorry u had a bad day bud.

 

[Dennis]

Johnbouy...glad ya made it through ya creep...you still owe me money....lol...

Where is this race in October??? Or am I holding another event?? lol...tell me now...and what are the classes there....I will bring some saws...

 

[Gypo Logger]

Hi Dennis, there is no race, but we could make one in Falkland B.C. Susie was just stiring things up.
Whata ya mean I owe you money? You owe me 1000$ for that saw I traded Ken after he made that pipe for Robert in exchange for that Art Martin chain you stole from me.
Gypo