Glad your gonna be alright, Still had to hurt. The helmet is hot and a pain when you first start with it, But when you get used to it you feel empty without it.
Convince me that a hard hat is necessary
- Thread starter Rowan
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Norwayclimber
ArboristSite Operative
I always wear a hardhat when opperating my saws, and use a faceshield as well. Not that Im really goodlooking, but things would have been worse if I hadn't. Had my 066 kickback once as I hit a nail, (chainbrake worked and so on), but the saw still came at great speed and hit my helmet right above my nose. I was bucking a log, and it lay in an awquard position in the terrain, so it was difficult to stay in a "clean" possition of the saw.
Anyways, just wondering, anyone of use the helmets with radio in? I use it alot when on the ground, and really lightens my work up. Only works for my smaller saws though...
Anyways, just wondering, anyone of use the helmets with radio in? I use it alot when on the ground, and really lightens my work up. Only works for my smaller saws though...
buckbandit
ArboristSite Lurker
Are hard hats needed??????
Rowan, you bet hard hats are a must when falling. 15 yrs and I've seen and heard alot. Skid lids are hot, heavy, impair my vision, on and on and on. Heck my old man logged most of his life with no more than a touque, warm hat for ya yanks, and never got boncked. Hell he only pulled out the tin hard hat for boiling up some tea. Anyways, here's my story. Last weak I was doing some hazard trees on a powerline feeding a bunch of oil patch facilities. 180 ft leaners, multi stem, stem rot, dead tops, some burnt by forest fires, all bad. Day one everything went good. It rained all damn day. The three of us humpin all our gear in for the day. Couple of steep slopes. Day two, still raining, Had a couple of trees down by early morning, slingin ropes and yardin them over, even had one come down without puttin a cut into it. 9:30 come up to an 80 ft dead poplar, put a rope in bout 40 ft up. Gonna pull it down hill, away from the line. It's an easy pull, specialy with my micro pulleys. I let my second run the saw, me and the other guy are on the rope. I knew we were pretty close to the drop zone but we had an old trail to run off on. I start watching the tree come over and move to my right. The tree turns in my direction so I go to my left but I know I've lost some time so I high tail it down the hill angleing off towards the trail. Just when I think I'm in the clear, CRRAACK. Some how when the tree hit the ground a 4 ft chunk of the top 3-4 inch across bust off and is sent like a heat seeking missle and nails me back left side of my hard hat. I get knocked to the ground so hard I damn near bust my arm and snap a tooth in half. Now I'm not sure how fast that thing was goin but I was at a flat out run going down hill and the guy who saw me get hit said it caught up to me like I was standing still and kept on going after it struck me. It damn near took my head clean off my shoulders. If I wasn't wearing my brain bucket there's a good chance I'd been in the hospital in a comma or worse. I even stayed and finished the day off. We got stuck in the afternoon and put in a 15.5 hour day. So if you'd ask me are hard hats needed I would have said yes and now I say hell yes. I concider myself good at my job and I try to do everything as safe and a practicle as I can. Because I had my hard hat on I got to realise the consiquence of makeing some dumb ass rookey mistakes and being just a little over confident.
Rowan, you bet hard hats are a must when falling. 15 yrs and I've seen and heard alot. Skid lids are hot, heavy, impair my vision, on and on and on. Heck my old man logged most of his life with no more than a touque, warm hat for ya yanks, and never got boncked. Hell he only pulled out the tin hard hat for boiling up some tea. Anyways, here's my story. Last weak I was doing some hazard trees on a powerline feeding a bunch of oil patch facilities. 180 ft leaners, multi stem, stem rot, dead tops, some burnt by forest fires, all bad. Day one everything went good. It rained all damn day. The three of us humpin all our gear in for the day. Couple of steep slopes. Day two, still raining, Had a couple of trees down by early morning, slingin ropes and yardin them over, even had one come down without puttin a cut into it. 9:30 come up to an 80 ft dead poplar, put a rope in bout 40 ft up. Gonna pull it down hill, away from the line. It's an easy pull, specialy with my micro pulleys. I let my second run the saw, me and the other guy are on the rope. I knew we were pretty close to the drop zone but we had an old trail to run off on. I start watching the tree come over and move to my right. The tree turns in my direction so I go to my left but I know I've lost some time so I high tail it down the hill angleing off towards the trail. Just when I think I'm in the clear, CRRAACK. Some how when the tree hit the ground a 4 ft chunk of the top 3-4 inch across bust off and is sent like a heat seeking missle and nails me back left side of my hard hat. I get knocked to the ground so hard I damn near bust my arm and snap a tooth in half. Now I'm not sure how fast that thing was goin but I was at a flat out run going down hill and the guy who saw me get hit said it caught up to me like I was standing still and kept on going after it struck me. It damn near took my head clean off my shoulders. If I wasn't wearing my brain bucket there's a good chance I'd been in the hospital in a comma or worse. I even stayed and finished the day off. We got stuck in the afternoon and put in a 15.5 hour day. So if you'd ask me are hard hats needed I would have said yes and now I say hell yes. I concider myself good at my job and I try to do everything as safe and a practicle as I can. Because I had my hard hat on I got to realise the consiquence of makeing some dumb ass rookey mistakes and being just a little over confident.
Sunrise Guy
Addicted to ArboristSite
Actual event: Dan, my right-hand man, sometimes laughed at me for wearing a helmet. One day, a few years ago, he was up on a ladder, against a house, trimming out a branch on a Live Oak. A 2-3" diameter, 6" long piece of that branch took a wrong turn and popped him smack on the top of his head. He slid down the ladder and walked in circles, on the ground, trying to shake it off. He couldn't even talk straight as he walked. He later said that he was seeing silver birds flying around his head. He has not been without a helmet, since. End of story. Be safe, be smart----Wear your helmet!
Petzl Vertex Vent with Peltor 105 earmuff attachment, Pelter flip up face shield. Comes in Orange, yellow, red, white.
whole package aorun $130. cheap comfortable and does the job.
Rowan, you bet hard hats are a must when falling. 15 yrs and I've seen and heard alot. Skid lids are hot, heavy, impair my vision, on and on and on. Heck my old man logged most of his life with no more than a touque, warm hat for ya yanks, and never got boncked. Hell he only pulled out the tin hard hat for boiling up some tea. Anyways, here's my story. Last weak I was doing some hazard trees on a powerline feeding a bunch of oil patch facilities. 180 ft leaners, multi stem, stem rot, dead tops, some burnt by forest fires, all bad. Day one everything went good. It rained all damn day. The three of us humpin all our gear in for the day. Couple of steep slopes. Day two, still raining, Had a couple of trees down by early morning, slingin ropes and yardin them over, even had one come down without puttin a cut into it. 9:30 come up to an 80 ft dead poplar, put a rope in bout 40 ft up. Gonna pull it down hill, away from the line. It's an easy pull, specialy with my micro pulleys. I let my second run the saw, me and the other guy are on the rope. I knew we were pretty close to the drop zone but we had an old trail to run off on. I start watching the tree come over and move to my right. The tree turns in my direction so I go to my left but I know I've lost some time so I high tail it down the hill angleing off towards the trail. Just when I think I'm in the clear, CRRAACK. Some how when the tree hit the ground a 4 ft chunk of the top 3-4 inch across bust off and is sent like a heat seeking missle and nails me back left side of my hard hat. I get knocked to the ground so hard I damn near bust my arm and snap a tooth in half. Now I'm not sure how fast that thing was goin but I was at a flat out run going down hill and the guy who saw me get hit said it caught up to me like I was standing still and kept on going after it struck me. It damn near took my head clean off my shoulders. If I wasn't wearing my brain bucket there's a good chance I'd been in the hospital in a comma or worse. I even stayed and finished the day off. We got stuck in the afternoon and put in a 15.5 hour day. So if you'd ask me are hard hats needed I would have said yes and now I say hell yes. I concider myself good at my job and I try to do everything as safe and a practicle as I can. Because I had my hard hat on I got to realise the consiquence of makeing some dumb ass rookey mistakes and being just a little over confident.
nothing sends shrapnel flyin like a dead poplar hittin the ground!
From a nurse's prospective:
Getting whacked in the noggin and dying isn't the worst thing that could happen. Imagine getting hit hard enough that you live the rest of your life as a carrot, a stalk of celery...pick a vegetable.
Here is what I tell my friends & family who choose to live life recklessly/irresponsibly, whether it's not wearing a seatbelt or ignoring chest pains (how come it's only men?):
1. Please pick out your funeral outfit now. I will be too distraught over your death, and will not be thinking clearly. I hope you like pink polyester.
2. Should you instead end up like a cucumber, be forwarned that I will not change your diaper or wipe your spittle. I'll be happy to take your car for ya, though. You won't be needing it.
3. Either way, you will never enjoy the taste of an ice-cold beer ever again.
Hard hats are much sexier than diapers.
Getting whacked in the noggin and dying isn't the worst thing that could happen. Imagine getting hit hard enough that you live the rest of your life as a carrot, a stalk of celery...pick a vegetable.
Here is what I tell my friends & family who choose to live life recklessly/irresponsibly, whether it's not wearing a seatbelt or ignoring chest pains (how come it's only men?):
1. Please pick out your funeral outfit now. I will be too distraught over your death, and will not be thinking clearly. I hope you like pink polyester.
2. Should you instead end up like a cucumber, be forwarned that I will not change your diaper or wipe your spittle. I'll be happy to take your car for ya, though. You won't be needing it.
3. Either way, you will never enjoy the taste of an ice-cold beer ever again.
Hard hats are much sexier than diapers.
Lol, sexier than diapers-and ya got the ice cold beer in there too, just to really get a tree guy thinking-nice!
Pete M
ArboristSite Operative
Another reason the hardhat is absolutely necessary........I'd done a load of cutting on Monday, all finished and just clearing up to do. It was hot. Took hardhat off while I finished blowing and picking up binfuls of hedge cuttings. Bent down to pick a big load up, stood up, walked forward and "rriiiiiiiiipp sccrraaatch ouch" as I moved forward under a rambling rose whose nasty pointy thorns grabbed at my bald scalp!
Bruce Hopf
ArboristSite Guru
This is what I do a lot. I put on one of those little hats that you can get for under your welding helmet. I even wear this little hat in the winter, to help keep my head warm. Bruce.
Bruce Hopf
ArboristSite Guru
Ever since I was about 18, I always wore ear muffs, while cutting fire wood. In 1991,I was 25, and I was cutting for a farmer, who wanted an old lane way removed, and he hired me to cut down the trees, and cut them into fire wood.
I fell a big Maple tree. The tree fell right here I planned it to fall.
There was a big Ash tree a few yards down the lane, so I went and cut that tree down. After I had the trunk cut through, as the tree was falling, it turned 1/4 of a turn, and fell on top of the Maple tree. Not where I planned at all.
So I started climbing the Ash tree. I cut through a limb, of the Ash tree, and all of a sudden. A tree limb from the Maple tree was sprung back from the weight of the Ash tree on top of it, sprung up over the Bar of the Chain Saw, good thing, and hit me square in the mouth. It snapped in half 4 of my upper front teeth. I helmet with a face shield would have saved my teeth, but I probably would have had a sore face for awhile, or a broken nose. Who Knows.
After that I didn't cut much fire wood like I do now. So when I started cutting the amount of fire wood fro my self 18 to 20 Bush Cords a year to heat my house over the winter, and 10 Bush cords to sell a year. I have 3 full hard hats, with face shields, and earmuffs, hanging up in the garage I also have2 pairs of ear muffs as well. One hardhat set is for me, one for my stepson, and the other is for my friend who help me with the cutting. The earmuffs are worn buy somebody who helps load the fire wood, and splits the wood with the tractor, and splitter, in a safe location away from the cutting of the tree.
I always ask my Mothers Boyfriend if he wants a helmet, and MR Cool always tells me no. I never cause an argument, But now after reading these posts, I will Insist that Hard hats will always be worn on this farm, from now on.
Rowan. You said 2 or three pages. I think that there is 7 by now.
Thanks. Bruce.
Tazman1602
ArboristSite Operative
4. Nurses always want to stick tubes in places that were previously "exit only"
That is exactly why I wear one all the time whether felling or bucking. Dying doesn't bother me, should have been dead 30 years ago but for some reason God let me live.
My biggest fear is I'll get in some accident like you speak of and LIVE. My son is a nurse and he tells me HORROR stories about people like this.
Great post! :chainsawguy:
I use it even for trimming
I hated my hard hat when I bought I use the Peltor Lumberjack and I have to say that after cutting several times with this thing on there are several advantages to using one other than a bump on the head, I wear glasses and anyone who wears glasses knows it sucks to try and find a good pair for cutting and prescription safety glasses are expensive , I never have chips in my face anymore thanks to the mesh screen on the front, no more slapback cuts and scrapes on my face, my ears are better protected also both in sound level and again from branches slapping my head.
try to look at it like this one helmet $100 - $125 dollars one cat scan or MRI hmmm low thousands, that alone makes it worthwhile yes it takes a little time to get used to yes you may get harassed but who cares you can do a lot of things without an arm and without a leg but you can't do much if your brain doesn't work right...
I hated my hard hat when I bought I use the Peltor Lumberjack and I have to say that after cutting several times with this thing on there are several advantages to using one other than a bump on the head, I wear glasses and anyone who wears glasses knows it sucks to try and find a good pair for cutting and prescription safety glasses are expensive , I never have chips in my face anymore thanks to the mesh screen on the front, no more slapback cuts and scrapes on my face, my ears are better protected also both in sound level and again from branches slapping my head.
try to look at it like this one helmet $100 - $125 dollars one cat scan or MRI hmmm low thousands, that alone makes it worthwhile yes it takes a little time to get used to yes you may get harassed but who cares you can do a lot of things without an arm and without a leg but you can't do much if your brain doesn't work right...
Pete M
ArboristSite Operative
If you don't want to fork out the cost of the Petzl, I can highly recommend the Husqvarna chainsaw/arborist helmet with ear defenders and steel mesh visor - top quality ABS helmet, really comfortable, and very effective all round - cost here in UK is under £40. Not sure about where you are.
Bruce Hopf
ArboristSite Guru
I started buying my chain saw helmets from TSC a few ago. I have purchased 3 from there so far, one for my friend that helps me, my Stepson, and one for myself.
They are a Work King brand. They are a little cheaper than Stihl, and Husqvarna, but they are the same. TCS also carries Husqvarna chain saw helmets, and the only difference that I found between the 2 was one had Huskies name, the other one didn't.
Bruce.
mile9socounty
Two-Stroke Swope
I'm probly a little late on the medical kit parts. But when I got out of the service. My Gunny slipped me one of the brand new Marine Corps issued trama kits. Best damned thing he ever did for me. Quick clot, compression bandages, tampons (though they don't say that on it), bandages, tournakit and a lot of other things to soak up blood and keep your limbs together. I prays the lord that I haven't had to use it "yet."
Bruce Hopf
ArboristSite Guru
Well, Rowan. After almost 8 pages for your post, were you able to convince your Dad?
I am going to print off these posts, and give them to my Mothers Boyfriend to read. He thinks he has to wear nothing. Not even ear protection.
Oh Well. Its there Mellon that gets dented, if they don't. I know, its a poor way too look at it.
Thanks for the Great Post. It gave a lot of fellow chainsaws out there a chance to share their experiences. A lot of lessons learned for wearing protection, and not wearing protection.
After the incident happened with the tree limb, all the Nerves in the snapped teeth, had to be taken out, pins put in, and the Dentist I went to see, rebuilt the teeth.
Since then, I had to get a tooth removed, and another one snapped off, again. The Dentist told me that I will have to get the other three teeth removed, and a Partial Plate will have to be made, and installed, because they are getting brittle.
Its going to be a small fortune. Valuable lesson though. Could have been worse. The limb could have sprung under the chainsaw bar, instead of over it. If that happened, I would be here to share my story with you and the rest.
Be carfull, Be safe, and looking forward to chatting with you, and the rest of the fellow chainsawers, on these forums.
Take Care. Bruce.:greenchainsaw:
I'll put my two cents in for the face shield. You get whacked in the face while limbing a few times and you'll be buying a helmet with mesh.
That is once you stop cursing and throwing stuff. Man that :censored:hurts! 
That is once you stop cursing and throwing stuff. Man that :censored:hurts!
I was limbing today and could hear all the branches and small limbs hitting the helmet. If i wasn't wearing it i would probably have scratches all on my head. Had one fly back and hit the face shield, was really glad it was down. That would have hurt.
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