a hazard i never thought of...

Bill_N

Bill_N

New member
Location
Rhode Island, USA
I was recently doing a deadwooding job with a older bucket. It was one of those jobs where there were a bunch of trees throughout the yard and I was just driving around cleaning the canopies. I wasn't paying that much attention to where things went to do to the fact that there was nothing but the truck to hit. This particular truck is near the end of it's life, so if a few pieces bounced off the box or cage no biggie. More important to finish the job before daylight ended. Of course I still did my best to avoid hitting the truck, as well as landing pieces in a good way for my ground men. All the while cutting like a madman to try to get it all done. Then as I watched a 4 inch 15 foot long piece hit the ground my heart started to race as I suddenly found myself falling out of the sky!!!! I watched the piece fall to the side of the truck tip first then spring toward the lower controls. It actually hit the override lever and the upper boom down levers and wedged itself there so I was full wide open upper boom down!!! As I fell out of the sky I waved frantically to my ground men who just waved back to me thinking I was joking around. luckily once the boom pushed its way past the branch in front of me there was nothing but clear sky all the way to the truck, and the boom was 90 degrees off of the truck so I was able to reach out and clear the lower controls as soon as the bucket came to rest in the pocket of the lower boom. Everyone else went on like nothing happened, but it was a real wake up call for me!! What if there was something in the way of my descent! What if the upper boom had struck a solid object like a tree or a building or worst a power line. This particular bucket has no way that I know of to stop if the lower controls are overriding. As I said in the title, it is a hazard I have never thought of before. I'm not sure if any bucket i have run has a shut off for the whole system, it's something I never thought of before, but it sure will be on my mind from now on.
 
Holy crap Bill, I'm glad you're ok. That's scary stuff.


The newer Altecs do have an engine shut off switch in the bucket, a feature I now have a new appreciation for.
 
That reminds of of a day of loading brush with my grapple loader.

Friends of mine run a lansdscape nursery/installation company. They hired me to haul away their pile of tear-outs and debris. Since the debris was stacked like hay I would grab a wad with the grapple and pieces would be sticking out like X's. Sometimes my helper would nip off ends or I would jam it into the box and squish it with the boom. On one load I put a load towards the front of the box under my feet. A stick was poking out and swung up and wedged the foot controls, which controlled rotation. It also pinched my leg in place. As the platform rotated my leg was being pushed. My knee and foot were jammed and the log was on my calf. I was trying to move my leg but I couldn't. I thought that I was going to see my leg broken in front of my eyes. At the last moment the rotation stopped. I got my helper to cut the piece free. That night I spent time welding in 1/4" plate guards around the platform. Now, I see most grabbles have pedal guards installed.

Whew...lucky us, huh?!
 
Thanks for sharing Bill. Glad you got a lesson out of it rather than an injury.

I've been scared before by "sticky" hydraulic controls when the temperature is low. Below freezing, press the left or right pedal on the Prentice loader, and you might start turning and not be able to stop until you press the opposing direction.

Hydraulics are the best thing that ever happened to our equipment, but of course they have their own dangers.

Another reason I love the kill switch on the Altec 75' bucket!
 
"All the while cutting like a madman to try to get it all done."

There could be a bigger issue at work here,

....or...

Climbers rule, buckets drool.
 
[ QUOTE ]
"All the while cutting like a madman to try to get it all done."

There could be a bigger issue at work here,

....or...

Climbers rule, buckets drool.

[/ QUOTE ]

I know Bill personally and I can tell you that 1.) He is a talented climber that does not settle for status quo, and is always learning, and 2.) Isn't the type of guy that would sacrifice safety for speed.

I am lucky, my Altec has a Hydraulic stop right next to the bucket, easy to see and activate.

-Tom
 
[/ QUOTE ]

I am lucky, my Altec has a Hydraulic stop right next to the bucket, easy to see and activate.

<font color="red"> </font> .

-Tom

[/ QUOTE ] <font color="red"> </font>

But does that control override the lower controls? I would guess not. If it did if a limb hit the climber and that control......they could not be lowered from the lower controls.
 
[ QUOTE ]


[/ QUOTE ]

I am lucky, my Altec has a Hydraulic stop right next to the bucket, easy to see and activate.

<font color="red"> </font> .

-Tom

[/ QUOTE ] <font color="red"> </font>

But does that control override the lower controls? I would guess not. If it did if a limb hit the climber and that control......they could not be lowered from the lower controls.

[/ QUOTE ]

I assumed that it did, because it seems like it is a 'voluntary' control. You make a good point. I am going to check this asap.
 
Sorry, no disrespect meant.

Back to the issue: inadvertent/accidental lower control activation, yes a very real possibility.

How to avoid: groundcrew awareness, the guys on the ground are the backup for the guy in the sky, from watching where limbs bounce to keeping an eye on outriggers to spotting clearance from wires.

Maybe install a guard too as was mentioned about the loader pedals, although it shouldn't impede an emergency lower, maybe a hinged door with an easy latch?
 
Tom, thanks for the kind words... There is a shut off for the upper controls in the bucket but nothing to shut off the override from the lowers.
Raven, it's cool I asked for it with that madman comment. I was just trying to allude to why I would allow pieces to be coming near hitting the truck in the first place. I thought that telling it in a story form was more interesting then just saying hey a limb struck the lower controls. As far as climing I am a big advocate for climbing to do a proper pruning but these were mostly all red oaks with single stems and very good access for the bucket when you can get 4 or 5 trees from 1 set up climbing just doesn't make sense. Actually if I had my choice I would have liked to have climbed some while someone else were in the bucket but that was not in the cards. And yes a decent ground man would have been able to resolve the hazard quickly. Unfortunately the two men I had on the ground were both young kids who were not really paying much attention. Not at all how I would like it but unfortunately that's the best this particular company had to offer that day.
And yes I do and was wearing a fall arrest harness.
I really like the cover idea the lower controls already have a box around the sides all we would have to do is add a couple hinges and a door.
 
I think covering the controls is a good idea. I was just surfing the web earlier, wound up watching an episode of wrecked. I like how the large wreckers are set up by O'Hare towing, they have controls on each side of the truck for the equipment, and the controls are contained inside the last toolbox on the bed.

the attached pic is a good example of what I'm talking about.
 

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