Quite the Blow

Discuss non-crawler related issues here (keep it sane, please)
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Stan Disbrow
350 crawler
350 crawler
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Joined: Fri Jul 15, 2005 3:13 pm
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Re: Quite the Blow

Post by Stan Disbrow » Fri Nov 17, 2017 5:25 pm

Hi,

Oh, man! We all hated to hear that..... :(

Stay Strong, my friend. Take time in the woods. Not working, just In There. That'll help. Always does for me.

Stan
There's No Such Thing As A Cheap Crawler!

Useta Have: '58 JD 420c 5-roller w/62 inside blade
Useta Have: '78 JD350C w/6310 outside blade
Useta Have: '68 JD350, '51 Terratrac GT-25
Have: 1950 M, 2005 x495, 2008 5103 (now known as 5045D)

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Lavoy
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Re: Quite the Blow

Post by Lavoy » Sat Nov 18, 2017 10:31 am

Maybe it's corny, maybe not, but many, many years ago I had a customer with cancer. If memory serves, they told him he wouldn't make it. He spent a great deal of time working on or restoring his crawler. Long project I imagine with loss strength or stamina due to treatment. Ultimately he proved them wrong and beat it. In our conversations he always credited working on that crawler with saving his life. My only thought was that it is largely a mental fight, and the satisfaction and/or joy of putzing on a 40 year old piece of iron gave him the strength to fight.
I may have forgotten the details, but I never forgot how he told me about the crawler and saving him.
Lavoy
Parts and restoration for antique and late model John Deere crawlers.
Owner and moderator www.jdcrawlers.com

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CuttingEdge
2010 crawler
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Location: Maine

Re: Quite the Blow

Post by CuttingEdge » Mon Nov 20, 2017 4:51 am

Well if I fixed ye olde John Deere 350D up to its like-new potential that would keep me busy for awhile, and mentally in the game.

John Deere Bulldozers save lives...that is good to know!
I have no intention of traveling to my grave in a well manicured body; instead I am going to slide into heaven with a big power turn, totally wore out with busted knuckles, jump off my dozer loudly yelling, Woo Hoo, another Shepard has just arrived!

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CuttingEdge
2010 crawler
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Joined: Wed Sep 03, 2014 5:13 pm
Location: Maine

Re: Quite the Blow

Post by CuttingEdge » Mon Nov 20, 2017 4:55 am

Stan Disbrow wrote:
Fri Nov 17, 2017 5:25 pm
Hi,

Oh, man! We all hated to hear that..... :(

Stay Strong, my friend. Take time in the woods. Not working, just In There. That'll help. Always does for me.

Stan
I am still working. Once a logger, always a logger the mantra goes. Sadly I got hurt pretty bad again the other day while out logging. I bring this latest injury up because it is a situation that occurs all the time while logging, and the remedy is easy, but I have never had this result before.

Anyway I was picking up my "hardwood tops" which are the top parts of the logs after logging out the Hardwood Logs earlier in the week. I had all 7 tops on behind me and was negotiating a pretty steep turn and the longest log wedged BEHIND a live tree on the frontish end, and in FRONT of a live tree on the very end of the log. Since this was a full cord of wood tree length, the skidder was having trouble forcing the twitch to make the turn, and that tree way in back was preventing it. We are talking front end off the ground, winch chattering, wheels spinning struggle here, and we all know that leads to cable breakage on a skidder.

Only 3 feet of the log was jammed and kept from making the turn by this live tree, so the obvious way to fix the situation it to cut the log just in front of the live tree. Yeah you lose a few feet of log, but really what is a few pounds not going to the paper mill?

So I keep carefully cutting the front of the log so the tremendous pressure is eased off. I keep doing this and the log bows a bit, Figuring I am good to go, I take my saw and cut the back part so the end will be cut off and the log will swing around...away from me. I no more than touch the saw to the wood and the tree explodes in half, the main part of the log swings around away from me like it should and like the rocket I knew it would, but the last few feet of the log ricochets off the standing live tree too, and takes me out at the shins. I flip into the air and land flat out on the ground on my stomach. It happened so fast and so hard that it knocks the wind out of me, not to mention making me feel like my left leg is broken. I can't get up for the longest time, the pain and shock hitting me, and here are my options I am thinking: a skidder with a full twitch on and 1/2 mile crawl out of the woods...with a broken leg. GREAT!

It wasn't though as I found out, just some major cuts from the bark, and a wide black and blue where it took me out across both legs, but man did it hurt. I was really hoping it would rain so I would not have to cut anymore, but the rain held off until noon so I kept cutting wood. I hobbled a bit and took it easy, and did NOT go down into the ravine I have been working, which is a post unto its own; I will save those tops for another day, but man did/does that ever hurt.

So be careful in this situation. It happens a lot while cutting tree length wood.

(PS: I know, if there are no pictures than it never happened, but trust me, you will want to see Katie's legs more than mine, now or before the injury!
I have no intention of traveling to my grave in a well manicured body; instead I am going to slide into heaven with a big power turn, totally wore out with busted knuckles, jump off my dozer loudly yelling, Woo Hoo, another Shepard has just arrived!

hydrogeo
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Re: Quite the Blow

Post by hydrogeo » Mon Nov 20, 2017 1:39 pm

Logging is an incredibly dangerous game. We had a good family friend die in the woods about 10 years ago. He had logged his entire adult life (30+ years). This was a guy that knew what he was doing. He didn't show up for dinner one evening, so after waiting for awhile his family went looking for him. Truck was at the landing. One if his adult sons hiked up into the woods in the dark and heard the skidder idling. It looked like he was twitching out a hitch of firewood and it either got snagged or he was limbing it. When he cut a tree in the hitch the whole hitch rolled over and an small oak pinned him to the ground and suffocated him. We've had other friends also lose their lives in the woods, but this one really hit home. After that I am so careful in the woods, I won't take any chances.

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CuttingEdge
2010 crawler
2010 crawler
Posts: 534
Joined: Wed Sep 03, 2014 5:13 pm
Location: Maine

Re: Quite the Blow

Post by CuttingEdge » Wed Nov 29, 2017 7:04 pm

UPDATE:

Well it seems I have a 20 KW PTO generator being given to me.

A few months ago I heard about a guy at church who is living in an RV and wanted to get his house built. He has a saw mill, but only 14 acres. Me, I got a few more, but want to get at least 40 acres cleared so we can raise more sheep. Well Katie and I talk, and I felt bad because in a lot of ways I have been blessed with so much, so I tell him and his wife we will give him the wood he needs to build his house, probably 10,000-12,000 board feet or so of hemlock for those on here who are interested in such details.

Well he finds out we have just a small generator and says, "I got a 20 KW PTO generator someone have me, but I don't have a tractor, so why don't you have it. It's been in storage for 10 years." I am like, "Well keep it until you get one", but he insists.

Don't get me wrong, when someone is up against it I am not going to change my mind and say, 'well that will pay for the wood'; no: we gave him the wood and it comes with no strings attached. Period. If I say a person can have something...well that is how it is. But equally, the guy is not one to take without giving back either if he can...so we both make out.

But he cannot be too bad of a guy: he has a 1963 John Deere 1010 bulldozer. If I remember right they have PTO's so I am going to make double sure he does not want to keep it. If I did the math right he would need 26 hp and a JD 1010 gas engine should have at least that, and even then, that is at full 20 kw production...right?
I have no intention of traveling to my grave in a well manicured body; instead I am going to slide into heaven with a big power turn, totally wore out with busted knuckles, jump off my dozer loudly yelling, Woo Hoo, another Shepard has just arrived!

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Lavoy
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Re: Quite the Blow

Post by Lavoy » Wed Nov 29, 2017 8:02 pm

Better rule of thumb is 3HP/kw in terms of real world requirement. Given how I see 1010's dyno, 12 KW is probably his max. He would also need to be careful, if he hits the throttle without paying attention, a 1010 runs about 830 PRO RPM at full throttle.
Lavoy
Parts and restoration for antique and late model John Deere crawlers.
Owner and moderator www.jdcrawlers.com

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Stan Disbrow
350 crawler
350 crawler
Posts: 2894
Joined: Fri Jul 15, 2005 3:13 pm
Location: Raleigh, NC

Re: Quite the Blow

Post by Stan Disbrow » Wed Nov 29, 2017 9:19 pm

Hi,

Ouch. Fried electrical motors, anyone? The PTO gen gearbox is taking the 540 up to 1800 to get 60 Hertz. Spin the PTO at 800, and you are going to really spin an electric motor to the point where it has serious issues.

Stan
There's No Such Thing As A Cheap Crawler!

Useta Have: '58 JD 420c 5-roller w/62 inside blade
Useta Have: '78 JD350C w/6310 outside blade
Useta Have: '68 JD350, '51 Terratrac GT-25
Have: 1950 M, 2005 x495, 2008 5103 (now known as 5045D)

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