Anyone been hit by a throw weight?

W

Winchman

Carpal tunnel level member
Location
Southwest Georgia
I use a Big Shot and 12-ounce shot-bag throw weight for setting lines. Sometimes the throw weight will bounce off a limb, and every so often I'll lose sight of it. That's scary because I know it could hurt me, but I don't know how badly. I imagine a throw weight just falling from sixty feet or more packs a lot of energy, and the bounce would add to that. I've never been hit, but I've had a few close calls.

Has anyone here been hit or know of someone being hit? Any injuries? Any guesses as to how bad it would be?
 
I have heard of bruised and broken ribs from throwball impacts.

One guy I know spent a couple of days in the hospital with a ruptured spleen after being hit with a bag. The bag was stuck and he pulled with both hands to one side, leaving his torso exposed. When he lunged, it snapped free, and he couldn’t get out of the way as he fell.

Fun (not so much) fact: a 14 oz. bag moving at just 60 mph has as much momentum as a .22 bullet.
 
Thankfully I haven’t been hit yet from retrieval on the ground but awhile ago I had to retrieve a stuck rope and ball in the tree. Being lazy I kept trying to yank it out as I ascended and was finally successful when I got about 8 ft away. the ball and rope flung out of the tight union right at me, hit me square in the face, knocking my safety glasses to the ground. Really glad I had them on.
I try to wear my helmet and glasses with throw ball I think it’s a fairly dangerous
 
I was trying to reach the top of a decent size Red maple one time. I was using a cradle throw. The weight hit a large lower branch came right back a took the skin off my collar bone. Other than a bloody mess, it wasn't too bad.
 
I’ve been hit a couple times, mostly in the shoulder, or in the arm the few times I’ve been foolish enough to try to catch that little missile.

I always wear a hard hat when I am using a throw weight, those things are definitely heavy enough to knock a person out with a decent hit to the head.
 
I do the same as boom slang, and if you do catch them they hurt like a mofo, i usually try to move my hand out of the way last second. One of my guys had the ball break off in the tree, the line snapped back and zapped him in the tit, it left a huge welt he whined like a girl lol! Who knew the thing was so dangerous but much less dangerous than climbing to set lines!
 
I took a hit on the top of my helmet from a 16 oz bag thrown by an instructor, I was up in a tree, the bag had 20'-25' of drop before it hit me. My neck was sore for a couple hours from the straight down compression force, after that it was fine,

I took a 10 oz bag in the shoulder when my slingshot kicked back, pretty good smack, cleared up well after initial pain. It should be obvious but always wear eye-pro when firing a big slingshot.

I always shout "Throwing!" and require that anyone throwing at a climb site with me to shout "Throwing!" when they let things fly.
-AJ
 
I got nailed on the helmet with a 10 oz bag in thick understory canopy, could just barely see my target, throwing by hand, didn't have a big shot. I think it missed and bounced off the trunk, fell at least 30 ft, couldn't see anything or tell where it was, then it landed on me. Lets just say I was very glad it was only a 10 oz, little missile.

Years ago when I worked for Norm, I was throwing a 12 oz for at least 20 minutes, trying to get a line in a big spready walnut at a condo complex. Wasn't happening. So my buddy Benny walks over and says "let me try". First throw, sends it way up, through a useless crotch, lets it run to the ground to take the bag off for the next throw. Except it doesn't hit the ground. It hits the hood of a BMW, putting a nice size pock mark in it. We're all like 'oooooohhhhhhhh'... A couple minutes later the owner appears from the building, hops in, doesn't notice the crater in the hood, and drives off... Shoulda moved it when we asked I guess ...
 
"Throwing" is good.

"Stand Clear" might be better.

I was tasked with seeing a line out of a bucket into a big doug-fir under inspection. 140' shot in the end. Little did I know employees and the consulting arborist decided to go into the work zone while we were working.

My fault for not calling out to "stand clear"...a more clear and less ambiguous command for the tree worker and non-treeworker, alike.

I don't care for "headache" when people want someone to "stand clear".
 
I've defiantly hurt my hand trying to catch one pulling it out of a tree before. Not a good idea...
 
I've been hit a few times with a 16 ounce bag (slow learner). Once on the top of the hardhat, once on the shoulder, and once in the back while trying to get out of the way. Not fun, but never any injury. I also used to try to catch the bag, mostly while wearing winter gloves. I was tired of wading around in deep snow to retrieve it. Dumb and lazy.
 
Thankfully, I have a good ability to anticipate the flight path, and step aside.

I've dented a Weber grill top, and made many indents in wet turf/ moss.
 
In my first months of doing this work, I was in the back alley of an upper west side apartment in Manhattan and I had tied the knot incorrectly to the throwline. I threw the throwball at the tree and it went sailing into the backyard balcony of the apartment across the alley. Luckily I didn’t hear glass breaking and a cat shrieking..
 
Do this.
Standing on line while bigshoting. Thought I died 16oz lead bag in the chest. Shook it off back to work.
Rk off the side of the forehead
, nice bump with minor bruise. Frustration. Stop, breath, focus and be patient. You want something smooth and predictable when retrieving. Or just let it drop and remove and retie. Or just get another line and bag.
 
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