Accident

[brendonv]

1980's fiberglass can get brittle I bet.

 

[Paul B]

My thought was wrist and destroyed, as he commented that his wrist was broke.

 

[Al Smith]

For some reason the figure 1500 bucks is my guess for a full inspection.

Depends on where you're at .1500 -1800 bucks would cover the inspection plus restringing the booms .The kits for a 63 foot Hi-Ranger Fl boom run between 500 to 750 bucks or did a short time ago .

Maybe 10 years ago Tom and I restrung one of his when the kits were 500 which included every thing for the leveling cables .We had the instructions with the entire proceedure .It took a full day ,maybe 10 hours and it worked fine .Fact I still have the old cables and fiberglass rods in my woods .

Since that time he now has more money to spend and with getting the inspection it works out better to get a shop to do it .He uses specialized hydraulics from just south of Ft Wayne Ind .The tech BTW worked for Aerial lift of Conn. a long while until they belleyed up and told me the whole story .

 

[chris_girard]

Hope that you get better soon Erik.

 

[MasterBlaster]

I hope Ekkka and Lopa are OK, too.

 

[ClimbingSawyer]

Wouldnt wana expierence that...I would think it must have dropped to be in the hospital

 

[Bodean]

Dang, EriK. Get well soon. Scary.

 

[woodworkingboy]

I've had a number of broken bones, but never my wrist. I imagine it must really hurt. Broken bones suck.

 

[treesmith]

I don't think so. His waist destroyed the basket?

He has a gut and all, but I don't think that was the word.

Destroyed is what I took it to mean. "It was the main cable at tge kbuckle that popped. I dropped/swung about 35 foot. And landed hard in the cradle breaking the upper boom.there and my waist deatroted the basket. August 14 at 5:44pm..." I took it to mean that when the boom landed in the cradle it broke it at that point, and his waist "destroyed" the bucket. The drop would not be vertical in a cable break, but a pendulum swing. It would drop in a arc, throwing him against the bucket's side, and I figure he meant his waist took the blow, hence the internal injuries.

 

[flynhigh]

Get well soon! Bad news any tree guys getting injured.

 

[Tree Reb]

I wonder what the word deatroted was supposed to be?

Detroited, smashed/broken.

 

[Al Smith]

Destroyed is what I took it to mean. "It was the main cable at tge kbuckle that popped.

I can't picture why in the world the main broke or came unhooked .That damned cable is like an inch and a quarter inch and a half diameter ???

 

[treesmith]

I've heard of it happening years ago. That's one reason I traded off my old Asplundh bucket. I heard once they wire 25 years old (I think it was), they would no longer sell you parts for it, and the cables were supposed to be changed out every so many years.

 

[Al Smith]

I'm thinking you're right ,25 or thirty years .I think they might sell the parts but they won't work on them or recertify them .

Now I'm not really certain what the amount of time is for the main cable replacement,repacking of the cylinders etc but the cycle is longer than the life expectency of the leveling cables .

As I understand it the leveling cables because of the nature of the material it developes a "memory " of being wraped around the guide pulleys etc . So in essence it's more detrimental to them to let them sit unused for long periods as to use them and theorically keep them " exercised ".

That aside from the amount of failures and the accidents caused with injuries it's a damned good idea to keep them in tip top shape with a regularly scheduled recertification .Face it your life might depend on it and it just makes good business sense and further it's just the cost of doing business .

 

[sotc]

I think cable replacement is every 5 years

 

[Al Smith]

Main or leveling ?

 

[SkwerI]

Altec is 7 years on the leveling cables. Mine were replaced when I bought my truck so I have another 2 years before replacing them again.

 

[woodworkingboy]

We have mandatory vehicle inspections here, usually the first one is three years after the purchase of a new car, then every two years, or annually if it is more a work type vehicle. It's also when you substantiate that you have insurance and pay your vehicle taxes, which normally amounts to more than the maintenance check, if no repairs are required. The whole thing is highly regulated. The same would apply to service vehicles like a boom truck. Mandatory inspections are quite useful, I think, judging by the fact that in twenty years, I have seen a car broken down on the side of the road maybe once. It is a pretty heavy penalty if you get caught driving when the inspection date is passed, I think like $500-$600 and possibly a license suspension. The due date is indicated on the windshield. At least for passenger cars, you can do the inspection yourself at a gov't operated inspection place, and save some money. Most people opt to have it done by a mechanic. Not keen on government regulation, but inspections due aid for sure.

 

[MasterBlaster]

It shouldn't be a yearly thing so much as an hourly one.

 

[woodworkingboy]

I agree. There has been some talk about that, but it seems that business interests prevail in keeping it to time, rather than usage. Vehicle inspections are big business. I wasn't using my two ton truck more than a thousand miles a year, and still the annual inspection was required. I became sick of that, so I got rid of it. I'd love to get a unic or small crane truck, but the inspection hassle prevents it, since I wouldn't be using it much.

 

[Bermy]

Here its mandatory annual inspections, cars, bikes, trucks, horse and carriage...everything.

You have to go to the inspection centre, they check brakes, lights, bodywork, emmisions, tyres, cost is included in your registration/licence fee...HAVE to have insurance, then I have to get letters from the Gmt. to say I'm up to date on social insurance (gmt pension) and payroll tax,

There is a sticker in every vehicle window that is an electronic tag that gets scanned at various places across the ISland, if you are not licenced/registered there is a $3000 fine...

 

[woodworkingboy]

I used to enter an annual bicycle race that required a preliminary check before getting the ok to participate. One requirement is that your bike had to have a bell on it. The event was put on by a local town municipality, people that likely didn't ride themselves. A bell in a bicycle race.....

 

[squisher]

Ring, ring. Outta my way!

 

[gf beranek]

There is a sticker in every vehicle window that is an electronic tag that gets scanned at various places across the ISland, if you are not licenced/registered there is a $3000 fine...

That will make any small company compliant quick. No such thing in Cali...

 

[Al Smith]

I'd well imagine if a boom failure occured with a serious injury or heaven forbid a death there could be liability issues from OSHA .Such as using non certified older booms way over the time limits of inspections .

Probabley in a case such as mentioned with a private individual nothing would happen .That would change were it an employee who was injured .