I have a rope getting caught in chipper stories.
One time, my dad was grounding for me. He is a very focused person and not aware of anything that isn't right in front of him. At least not in the tree world anyway. If there is brush to chip then that's all he wants to do.
He is not a tree man.
I was about 90 feet up a cedar.
Morbark Chipper with feed wheel and drum knives fairly close by.
Told my dad not to get my rope tangled in the limbs and get it in the chipper.
Practically pleaded with him to be careful.
I'm actually getting angry at the moment reciting this.
All he wanted to do was chip those limbs. Oblivious to everything and not wanting to be there. I feel like he couldn't comprehend, like I sounded like Charlie Brown's mom.
Getting worked up more as I realize that bad attitudes are what cause accidents.
Anyone who works with me will know the rope/chipper scenario is my biggest jobsite safety concern and what I talk about a lot on jobs. Especially after that day.
Had just popped top at a cut diameter of about 4 inches. Had flushed all limbs off, very limby.
Brittle cedar.
Tall stick, basically an inverted carrot.
Suddenly felt an incredibly abrupt and powerful tug. Re-oriented/yanked me with the kind of sudden violence that could not be resisted without non-human anchoring (flip line and climb line around tree).
The brittle stick held and the full remainder of my Arbor-Plex bunched up over above and behind me in a taller tree.
Basically that chintzy brittle top was enough to hold the line tightly enough to be severed by the knife instead of spooling the whole length up onto the drum.
Can't believe it didn't snap the top off that stick.
If the knives were duller etc. etc.
I have other stories.
