Bad end to a good day!

I had a chipper come off once also. Backed up to it, let someone else hook it up, never got out and checked. The chipper came off and went into the ditch as soon as I turned out onto the road. I was very lucky, we were able to jack it up and hook it back up, don't think we ever told the boss man. I know of a couple other incidents like this that have happened to people I have worked with over the years. Scary how often things like this happen, especially when it is so easily preventable.

It is so easy to get in a hurry and get distracted. It is also really easy to walk around the vehicle every time before you take it out on the road.

Thanks for posting, going to make this a part of our next safety meeting.
 
After reading this thread I thought of another item that I'm going to add to my trailer SOP.

It takes off from Frax's procedure where the hitch pin is held.

From now on I'm going to follow this plan:

<u>Disconnect</u>

Pull pin/lock from hitch/unlatch
Hold pin in my hand
Chock wheels
Drop wires/chains
Jack up tongue
Re-pin/lock hitch

<u>Connect</u>
Pull pin/lock from hitch/unlatch
Hold pin in my hand
Jack down tongue
Pin/lock the hitch
Connect wires/chains
Unchock wheels

In the past I've dropped the trailer and left the hitch unpinned. This change adds a deliberate move which won't let me get distracted.

This abides with the principle of 'Don't put it down, put it away'

http://tinyurl.com/6oc24am
 
[ QUOTE ]
I had a chipper come off once also. Backed up to it, let someone else hook it up, never got out and checked. The chipper came off and went into the ditch as soon as I turned out onto the road. I was very lucky, we were able to jack it up and hook it back up, don't think we ever told the boss man. I know of a couple other incidents like this that have happened to people I have worked with over the years. Scary how often things like this happen, especially when it is so easily preventable.

It is so easy to get in a hurry and get distracted. It is also really easy to walk around the vehicle every time before you take it out on the road.

Thanks for posting, going to make this a part of our next safety meeting.

[/ QUOTE ]

You know what's really scary? How many F ups the boss isn't told about.

SZ
 
A good friend and I had that happen once in SC. I believe it happened in 2003. I came back from dumping a load of chips in the 350 and backed up to the chipper not putting the hitch down. I did hook the chains up and my friend was in the tree and needed something sent up. Now aware that later he would go and dump another load nearby. He was driving down a two lane road in a busy neighborhood. As he was coming around a bend in the road the chipper came off and came inches from a lady jogging and the tongue left to lines in the asphalt. It then had the momentum to go up into a yard of an elderly lady on bed rest and came to a stop a few feet from her window. There was zero damage to the chipper, just a smashed stop sign, the road and most importantly not harming anyone that could have been injured or died. All from not taking the time to do things right and do the walk around. It is so simple and so easy to overlook. I think anyone would rather hook up chains (which we found the hard way can bust)and put a pin in the hitch verses explaining to someone's family you did not do your job 100%. Sorry about the damage Steve, and your right WE SHOULD KNOW BETTER and DO BETTER.
 
My first week driving a topkick the 12" whisper chipper came off TWICE.

The pintle locking pin was gone, and I wasn't cool with that, but it was a spring latch style and was told it wasn't a big deal.

After a 20 minute drive on the freeway, a few major streets and turns later I get to a side street where I encounter speed bumps. Going 10-15mph hit the first bump...BATUNGK scrape. Slowed,stopped, got out to check damage. No real harm, pintle was wide open and I swore to myself that I had triple checked. Boss was with me, I was reprimanded and reminded to always double check. I knew I had, and was left scratching my head. Again I voiced my concern that I would feel much more comfortable with a cotter pin in the pintle, so we make-shifted one from some 7 strand cable. All good, on our way.

Few days later we did a job wayyyyy out from where we normally work, solid 45 min drive one way. On our ride back into town we hit rush hour traffic in downtown. I noticed traffic backing off of me, then I saw a bit of chipper swing out of the truck in my left mirror......then a little more in my right mirror......then EVEN MORE in my left again. Stayed calm, slowed the truck down and pulled over. Traffic was at least 300 yards behind us as they all watched the chipper come off the hitch (chains still attached) and start traversing from left to right, each time whipping out farther and farther until it was rocking out on one wheel slamming down and repeating the motion on the opposite site. Once me and the boss got out we walked back only to find the pintle down in the locked position with the makeshift cotter pin in place. I guess it just failed.

I was gunshy as hell for a while, and every time I pass the Livingston ave exit on I70 in downtown CBus I remember that moment
 
The only time I let someone hook up for me was when I had to pull a small Dosko stump grinder behind my pick-up. I double checked everything, and it was right. The only thing I didn't check was the ball. I had a 2 inch, it needed a 2 1/2. Didn't know it at the time as I DIDN'T HOOK IT UP.

Sure enough, going south on the 57 it pops off, lands in the chain cradle, slams into the back of my truck. I look in the mirror and saw it and a mother in a mini-van with eyes as wide as her headlights. I make it over to the sholder, get on the back of the trailer and move it back, and re-hook it. Made it safely a few exits back to the yard and figured out what happened.

I always hook up myself now. Even if someone else looks like they did it right, they may have missed something.
 
[ QUOTE ]
I have made it my routine when hitching up that the first thing done is to close the hitch. Before the jack chains or lights. I also put a piece of flagging tape on the hitch cotter pin.

[/ QUOTE ]

Welcome to Tree Buzz Gabe!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

New threads New posts

Back
Top Bottom