Unsafe Chipping ?

[Lorra]

Later on I was able to observe the chipping from my dining room window. I had a side-view.

Isn't it pretty unsafe to stand smack in front of the feed chute (which was chest-high and tilted upward), and jam the brush in with your hands? That's what these men were doing. They'd toss the brush into the chute, then stand facing it head on and inserted their hands into the chute...from my sideview observation point, the side of the chute obscured half their arms! That's how deep in their hands sometimes got.

Is this standard protocol or is this crazy? Shouldn't they have stood several feet back from the intake and jammed the brush in with a rake? (no rhyme intended).

 

[l2edneck]

Yes it is unsafe?

Yet it is done everyday.The correct way is to stand off to the side.We always made a push stick for the rakings and smaller debris.(see ima trailer guy now hehe)

 

[moss]

A rake is potentially dangerous, wouldn't want it to get sucked in. I believe it's stand to the side of the chute and feed branches in. Hands in the chute is bad. Some people who work around chippers have no basic safety training, they may be day laborers. On the other hand you'll see many crews doing it the right way.
-moss

 

[beowulf343]

Isn't it pretty unsafe to stand smack in front of the feed chute (which was chest-high and tilted upward), and jam the brush in with your hands? That's what these men were doing. They'd toss the brush into the chute, then stand facing it head on and inserted their hands into the chute...from my sideview observation point, the side of the chute obscured half their arms! That's how deep in their hands sometimes got.

Hmm, am I missing something? Most chippers i've run, the chute has been knee high. Now asplundh had some tall drum chippers, but the table on them were still only about waist high.

To answer your question Lorra, it is strange to stand right behind the feed chute. Usually you drag the brush against your side and walk it right into the chute until the feed wheels grab it. I have had my hands inside a chute but usually because someone tried to feed a branch with too wide a crotch and it won't back out or go forward so I had to reach in and cut it. Rakes in a chipper chute is a good way to have to buy a couple new rakes every week. (Heck, road rakings through a chipper is a good way to have to sharpen blades every week--sorry, my biggest pet peeve.)

 

[frashdog]

chest-high and tilted upward

oompah loompas make great groundies!:biggrinbounce2:

 

[Lorra]

It really was chest-high and...

I watched them closely for quite some time. The in-feed was torso high...it would NOT be accurate to say it was waist-high. The men didn't even have to lean over to jam in the brush. Also, earlier in the day, I had been standing right by it. Yes, it was chest-high, and I'm 5-8. It was a Vermeer.

It was a trimming job, so the limbs weren't that thick, and a lot of smaller limbs full of leaves were attached to the main limbs.

The chip crew were also the arborists---they were the ones in the tree doing the trimming.

 

[Bermie]

Your observation is generally right, you really should stand to the side of the chute and feed the stuff in, sometimes it's not possible if its a big branch, make sure there isn't a side branch that would grab as it goes past if it has to be chucked in from in front. Also for a push stick use a bit of what's being chipped so if it gets grabbed, no problem, then cut another one.

 

[Tom Dunlap]

"Yes, it was chest-high, and I'm 5-8. It was a Vermeer."

Hmmm...chest high??? That would make the bottom of the infeed chute four plus feet off the ground. I've never seen one that high. All of the chippers that I've seen are closer to waist height on a six foot tall person.

Standing on the side is the best place to be.

 

[begleytree]

TD, hows the new job going? I saw your mug in TCI. congrats man.
-Ralph

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

All of the chippers that I've seen are closer to waist height on a six foot tall person.

Some of the "whisper" drum types have very high infeed trays.

Maybe I'll get a pick of me and my buddy Dave's for you.

A rake is potentially dangerous, wouldn't want it to get sucked in.

Plastic rakes only, I'll use worn out ones with the tines removed so there is a solid fan to push with.

 

[M.D. Vaden]

A rake is potentially dangerous, wouldn't want it to get sucked in. I believe it's stand to the side of the chute and feed branches in. Hands in the chute is bad. Some people who work around chippers have no basic safety training, they may be day laborers. On the other hand you'll see many crews doing it the right way.
-moss

What if it's a wooden rake / bamboo?

:yoyo:

 

[RedlineIt]

I work in an area with a lot of sudden slope changes, it is not terribly unusual for us to have the chipper infeed deck on the ground or, conversely, at belly button height. I imagine it can be the same in Colorado.

If the crew you observed were on level ground, then their hitch on the truck is way too low.

When the ground level angles put the lip of the chipper infeed too high, I will sometimes just pull the truck forward two or three feet. Often that is all it takes.

Sometimes I can't afford pulling up two feet. The streets are tight here. In that case I will drop the chipper on a pair of wheel-chocks and level it out with the jack.

Keep thinking in terms of how you will get the job done safely. You won't go wrong with that.


RedlineIt

 

[Lorra]

Some of the "whisper" drum types have very high infeed trays.

Maybe I'll get a pick of me and my buddy Dave's for you.



Plastic rakes only, I'll use worn out ones with the tines removed so there is a solid fan to push with.

When you say "whisper" I assume you mean a quiet engine in the chipper. This machine was actually very quiet---it had a rather low humming sound. When the brush went through, it sounded like a giant whoopie cushion. Maybe if I reviewed the Vermeer web site I can identify it.

 

[boo]

I watched them closely for quite some time. The in-feed was torso high...it would NOT be accurate to say it was waist-high. The men didn't even have to lean over to jam in the brush. Also, earlier in the day, I had been standing right by it. Yes, it was chest-high, and I'm 5-8. It was a Vermeer.

It was a trimming job, so the limbs weren't that thick, and a lot of smaller limbs full of leaves were attached to the main limbs.

The chip crew were also the arborists---they were the ones in the tree doing the trimming.

yeah, allowing you to be in the work area does say something about them.

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

Later on I was able to observe the chipping from my dining room window. I had a side-view.

yeah, allowing you to be in the work area does say something about them.

boo, help us out here. What does the fact that a person watched them out of their dining room window tell us about the tree crew?

 

[boo]

When you say "whisper" I assume you mean a quiet engine in the chipper. This machine was actually very quiet---it had a rather low humming sound. When the brush went through, it sounded like a giant whoopie cushion. Maybe if I reviewed the Vermeer web site I can identify it.

I watched them closely for quite some time. The in-feed was torso high...it would NOT be accurate to say it was waist-high. The men didn't even have to lean over to jam in the brush. Also, earlier in the day, I had been standing right by it. Yes, it was chest-high, and I'm 5-8. It was a Vermeer.

It was a trimming job, so the limbs weren't that thick, and a lot of smaller limbs full of leaves were attached to the main limbs.

The chip crew were also the arborists---they were the ones in the tree doing the trimming.

Sorry for any drama..... I may have become nerve struck or something.

 

[arboralliance]

Soooo...

Lorra might have been better off saying "I watched them closely from afar"...

English lessons yay...:greenchainsaw:

 

[Lorra]

yeah, allowing you to be in the work area does say something about them.

When I was standing right by the machinery, it was shortly after they had arrived. They hadn't even begun working yet. In fact, they hadn't even yet gotten their things out of the truck. I left well before they pulled out their saws.

 

[Ekka]

I think Lorra needs to buy a camera.

 

[Lorra]

I think Lorra needs to buy a camera.

They were standing smack in front of the feed chute, shoving things in with their hands. Period. Why is this hard to believe? Is this how you would do it? I've always read you should stand to the side, and when things need to be shoved in, untangled, etc., to use a stick. Correct me if this is the wrong way to do it.