Stupid Dangerous Skidder Drivers!!!

[056kid]

So i am fixing to limb a drag of yellow pine today, I am hollering and revving my saw to help this dumbass get the hint. Well he didnt, he kept driving sending a dogwood straight to my back launching me about 6 feet. My left hand in particular my left thumb caught some part of the chain upon landing and all-most completely severed the nail!!
I have never been so hot in the woods before!!!
This is a prime example of carelessness and stupidity and how it can really get people hurt!
What if that little dogwood got me UNDER the drag?!


At the end of the day i confronted our skidder driver to tell him how stupid he was, he was not taking me seriously!! I then proceeded to push him several yards back to insure him that i was very serious , then he actually wanted to cop an attitude back!! Thats when i started to loose it, i smacked him in his face, he picked up a piece of poplar, i jerked it out of his hands. He is now threatening me verbally!, thats when i put him in an arm triangle and quietly told him to ''Get smart or be ready. As he began to panic from lack of oxygen in his dome, i let him go just for him to try and get me but only succeeding in ripping my shirt!

Next time im just gonna use my two fives..



I am by NO means a mean spirited person but when things go that far, i had to do something!!

 

[glenn31792]

I wouldn't have waited for the end of the day.

 

[056kid]

I wanted to finish my loads without running the risk of him quitting.

 

[oldirty]

i hate bad coworkers. i am dealing with one now. hopefully this mutt learned from his mistake and will operate a little better for ya.

good luck

 

[woodfarmer]

helloooo, your standing near a skidder, revving your saw and yelling over the noise of the skidder and you blame him, on paper you look like the dumb-ss, of course i wasn't there...someone has to be devils advocate:jawdrop:

 

[056kid]

Ya i know it can be perceived that way.
But he knew i was there, he cant even find the timber unless you lead him to it. and the rule is that when the saw cuts on, the skidder stops. When the saw cuts off and visual contact is made the skidder goes.
This guy just has a lack of respect and NO pride for the job!!
We put a brand new 7 thousand dollar cummins in the 450 grapple which started ticking and has developed a massive amount of blow-by! He has only put like 400 houres on it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
When i get him to actually stop so i can lop a top he will creep while i am sawing,D.A.N.G.E.R.O.U.S.E!
My boss dosent want to fire him caus he will just go draw unemployment which comes out pf pocket.

He refuses to touch a saw, He will not pull cable, And when he gets stuck he jumps off and just sits there wanting me or my falling partner to handle his mess.



The only reason that he was hired is cause him and my bosses son in law(loader operator) used i say used to be good friends.

 

[056kid]

After discovering his true colors they are nolonger buddies.





The kid is SOOOOO spoiled

 

[glenn31792]

By waiting longer it lessened the seriousness of the incident viewed from
his perspective -

 

[Gologit]

Ya i know it can be perceived that way.
But he knew i was there, he cant even find the timber unless you lead him to it. and the rule is that when the saw cuts on, the skidder stops. When the saw cuts off and visual contact is made the skidder goes.
This guy just has a lack of respect and NO pride for the job!!
We put a brand new 7 thousand dollar cummins in the 450 grapple which started ticking and has developed a massive amount of blow-by! He has only put like 400 houres on it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
When i get him to actually stop so i can lop a top he will creep while i am sawing,D.A.N.G.E.R.O.U.S.E!
My boss dosent want to fire him caus he will just go draw unemployment which comes out pf pocket.

He refuses to touch a saw, He will not pull cable, And when he gets stuck he jumps off and just sits there wanting me or my falling partner to handle his mess.



The only reason that he was hired is cause him and my bosses son in law(loader operator) used i say used to be good friends.

If he can't do his own job and he won't help other people with theirs I think it's time to tie the can to him.

 

[Zackman1801]

how old is this guy? im 17 and i know that you never approach a cutter unless they give you visual or verbal OK. its just common sense. I think this guy needs to find a new career before someone does actually get seriously injured or killed. I dont care who looked like and idiot if this guy cant be safe in the woods he shouldent be there....PERIOD.

 

[Bushler]

I'm not sure I got this right. Was the skidder dragging a turn and you wanted him to stop so you could limb it, and he didn't stop?

 

[reachtreeservi]

Ya i know it can be perceived that way.
But he knew i was there, he cant even find the timber unless you lead him to it. and the rule is that when the saw cuts on, the skidder stops. When the saw cuts off and visual contact is made the skidder goes.
This guy just has a lack of respect and NO pride for the job!!
We put a brand new 7 thousand dollar cummins in the 450 grapple which started ticking and has developed a massive amount of blow-by! He has only put like 400 houres on it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
When i get him to actually stop so i can lop a top he will creep while i am sawing,D.A.N.G.E.R.O.U.S.E!
My boss dosent want to fire him caus he will just go draw unemployment which comes out pf pocket.

He refuses to touch a saw, He will not pull cable, And when he gets stuck he jumps off and just sits there wanting me or my falling partner to handle his mess.



The only reason that he was hired is cause him and my bosses son in law(loader operator) used i say used to be good friends.

No one fired for cause can draw unemployment.
Get rid of him..... sounds like he's not pulling his weight.

 

[Burvol]

Logging is a team sport, period.There is plenty of time for a jackass to screw around and cost the outifit money, but never enough to take back a serious accident that was in vein. You should have punched him, a slap is kind of wierd in my book.

 

[Zodiac45]

That's no joke Kid,

I think you're well justified. You could have easily been killed. Just look in the fatalities and you'll see one I posted a few month ago where a guy in his 60s (been in the woods his whole life) got run over and killed by a skidder "moving out of the way of a dozer". Only takes one second and it's lights out. Glad you're ok.

 

[Bushler]

If the skidder was moving a turn and you stepped in front of the turn and got hurt I'd say that was your own fault.

Ships and rocks have the right of way.

 

[forestryworks]

the skidder operator i work with is a bit nuts... not dangerous... yet
and he's always lettin' the newbies know about him and his right away

now the mexicans that no habla ingles... well, they're dangerous

so i just watch my own ass

 

[PB]

Okay, I wasn't there but don't you think that you should have just gotten out of his way if he wasn't paying attention. This is common sense for all equipment operation. Watch your own ass and don't assume that someone else is. Unknowingly being in the line of fire is one thing, but seeing it coming and doing nothing about it is pure stupidity whether or not the guy was in the wrong.

I have spent many hours behind a diesel engine and you can't hear ####, especially a revving saw.

 

[056kid]

I had just fallen these trees and had been planted in the same spot the whole time(not in the way). He knew EXACTLY where i was, and for SURE i watch my own ass or i would all ready be encased in the wood that i cut. This kid is less than a year younger than me and was 21 in june. I have been in the back cut watching him come across towards the lay of my tree, looking right at me he manages to get under the tree as it is going over!! I asked him what the #### he was doing and he replied ''I didnt know what you where doing.'' HELLO, face pointing towards him, me back cutting, EYE CONTACT but him steadily closing yardage as if he wanted the tie log on top of the machine!
As for canning him, i aint the boss so i have not the authority to do that.


He was realll nice and careful today though. It will last a few days and then back to the same crap

Cummins came to investigate the damage to the new motor today.
She is completely eat-up with dust. 22 inches of blow-by on the meter .
Last time he cleaned the filter he did not replace the wing nuts that hold the two filters tightly in place, he just put the lid on and applied a wing nut there!
This #### is insane

 

[slowp]

Well, now you know to watch out when he's around. I was out while the rigging crew was pulling over trees. They didn't have a wedge and wanted the trees to go against the lean. I looked at the guy I was standing by and said, "I dibs the stump!" We were both within easy diving distance of a large, old growth stump. The trees went as planned. I have to be around so many different people, and I don't usually have a chance to decide who is safe and who is not, so I keep alert.

And, when guys are leaning on my pickup, exchanging information, I let them know I'm going to leave them so please no leaning. My rant for today would be Exchanging Information is Really Gossip.

 

[Gologit]

Hey, 056 Kid

Another thought. If your boss won't fire the skidder operator, even though the guy's a time bomb, maybe it's time you looked for another job. Better to get away under your own power than to get packed out.

Most side rods, and owners too, won't keep a guy they know will just eventually cost them a bundle. If your boss is keeping this guy just because of a thing like not wanting to pay the unemployment and totally ignoring the potential for serious injury he needs to re-examine his thinking.