Mini Excavators Are Dangerous!! I Made A BIG Mistake
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- Опубліковано 7 лют 2024
- I feel the graphic images are beneficial in helping to share this cautionary tale and will help others learn from my mistakes and keep them safe. This incident unfortunately landed me in the emergency room. I healed up and now I’m but wow!
I bought this Chinese mini excavator, mini digger, micro track hoe or micro trackhoe as they are called. It’s a Kymron sold out of Oklahoma and is made in China. It has a 14 horsepower Briggs and Stratton engine which gives it possibly more power than a 2200lb mini excavator needs. I use it for all kinds of projects, from digging, trenching, picking up logs, moving rocks, etc etc. I have a 8” bucket, a 16” bucket, a 30” grading bucket and a rake or grapple. It comes with a 36” hydraulic dozer blade and a hydraulic thumb. It also has a hydraulic oil cooler with electric fan.
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My Equipment
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My camera is an iPhone 15 Pro Max
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My watch is an Apple Watch Series 9
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The microphone I use
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My Tripod
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My tripod phone holder for my iPhone 15 Pro Max
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My Drone. DJI Mini 4 Pro
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#miniexcavator #chineseminiexcavator #minidigger #oklahoma
Dead branches in trees are known as widow makers for a reason.
I learned that lesson. lol. I’ve never heard that term used with a tree. I sure have now! lol.
Did same thing pushing on a dead tree. Little guy on my shoulder says don't do it. Well I did it. Next thing I remember is standing in a pool of blood in my shop . No idea how I got there. 24 staples later & a year & half of neck pain later. No more playing with dead trees. Live on a forestry property lesson learned. 66 years old at the time 2020.
Wow!!! Glad you are ok. That’s scary. I certainly learned my lesson!
Glad your ok. Lesson learned do not modify safety equipment ! Never trust a dead tree they are deadlly.
Thanks. So true. I didn’t know, but I sure know now. Sheesh. Dang trees. lol.
I grew up in logging camps, I spent 47 years pulling wrenches on logging equipment. I have seen lots.
You, my friend, are definitely one lucky fellow.
Old dead trees like that are known as Widow Makers. They got that name for a reason.
Good video.
Thank you. I know I am.
Can’t imagine the stuff you’ve seen. Those logging operations are wild and not for the faint of heart!!!
You are blessed! Everyone needs to watch this video. Thank you!
Like I said, I am lucky. It’s a little embarrassing, but I thought putting it out there provided more value than not.
Never bump or shake a dead tree with limbs, thats a great video to hopfully educate a lot of people!. I'm glad you are ok!.
It seems like common sense, but so many people, like myself, have never been around tractors and other equipment. I didn’t know they fell so easily. Just never thought about it.
Thank you. My family is glad I’m ok too! Lol
Dead trees are unpredictable, glad you made it out with just minor injuries.
I learned the hard way. I’m glad too! Lol
@@OurLifeInTrees Your rear grill with the exhaust cut-out is upside down, you know this right? That's why the exhaust oval isn't where the muffler exhaust actually is. Should be an easy fix. Glad you are ok, be very careful "bumping" a dead tree, they can also come right back on top of you and crush you instead of falling the other way like you intended!
@@michaelshrader5139 I’ve tried the other way, still doesn’t quite work. Apparently it’s this direction to access the spark plug.
Thanks. I learned the hard way.
Thanks for the share. Yep I too would probably remove the canopy. Your experience made me a believer to don’t change nothing! I’m currently looking to purchase a mini excavator. Best! Charlie
Yeah, it wasn’t my brightest moment! lol. Hopefully my stupidity helps keep some of you safe. lol.
About a month ago, I was helping a friend work on a truck, replacing the frame section on an f150 spring/shock tower. I had been grinding and using an air hammer to remove the rivets. It took about an hour, then another 15 minutes to cleanup the frame beneath that piece. I had been wearing my gloves, long sleeves, glasses, welding cap, and a face shield the entire time for my PPE. I thought I was done grinding, so I set the shield down. Then needed to touch up a corner of the new piece, so I just grabbed the grinder, because it’s only gonna take a few seconds to trim that up. About two seconds in, without my face shield, the wheel caught and kicked the grinder right into my face. I thought I was going to black out it hit me so hard, right in the nose. I tossed the grinder down, yelled to my buddy to unplug the grinder so no one else got hurt.
I grabbed my sweat rag and held it on my face. My buddy looked and said, we need to take you to the ER. He drove me and I was in and out in less than 30 minutes - fastest ER trip I’ve ever had. They cleaned it a little bit. Gave me a couple antibiotic pills, put some butterfly stitches on it to hold it together. The bleeding had already stopped, except for a very minute “leak”. They sent me home for the night and said the surgeon office would call in the AM with instructions to go get it “repaired”. “Repaired” ended up meaning “surgery”.
I had broken the bone of the nose, and cut completely through the main cartilage, and the left nostril, all the way down to the end of my nose, and it grazed the inside of the bottom of the left nostril. They had to stitch inside and out repairing all of the different layers internally, including the cartilage, and then stitch the outer tissue. They also had to put “stints” inside each nostril to keep the tissues from adhering to the wrong tissue. It was a miserable week until they finally took the stints out and I could breathe again.
Boys and girls, wear your PPE AT ALL TIMES. It doesn’t matter if the job will “only take a few seconds”. It only takes one fraction of a second for that “oh shit” moment, and then it too late. Take it from me, is not worth it.
Holy crap!!! That sounds horrible. Glad you are at least mostly ok. Dang. No thanks. We all do stupid stuff sometimes & pay the consequences.
Thanks for admitting your mistake. It will save many people a headache. Been there done that....
Thanks. Yeah it sucked.
Glad you came out of this potential catastrophe without major injury. When doing things like this every safety measure you can take is none to many. I heated our house for over 15 years with firewood and cut down every size, shape and condition of tree you could think of during those years. One thing early on a good friend admonished me to do (insisted) was " DROPPING-KNOCKING DOWN WEAR A HARD HAT" He wouldn't let me alone until i did. Gotta tell you it seriously saved my bacon a couple of times.
Sounds like a good friend. I didn’t consult anyone before I decided to be dumb. lol. Now I know my friends probably would have advised against it. Sigh….
Dead trees are called "Widow Makers" for good reason, more dangerous than any other trees.
Yeah. I learned the hard way.
Had a similar experience with a tree, my tractor, and a sunshade on my ROPS. Tree branch broke and came down landing on the sunshade and ROPS. Ruined the sunshade but I was okay. I will take $300 for a new sunshade over $300 for a doctor/ER bill any day. I learned my lesson that day.
Amazing how many of us have learned this lesson. I am always cautious under trees now. Scary stuff. Glad it worked out for you
I'm glad you're not seriously injured. You might talk to your welder friend and see about using a couple of pieces of heavy duty expanded metal screening, in a frame, and make removable front and rear screen guards if you plan on doing anymore tree related work.
That’s a great idea. Would be useful and probably make it more rigid.
Thanks for the video I have ran mini excavator and big excavator when I first started running them the same thing happened to me the machine had its roof on but it busted some glass and cut me from that point on I don't do test bumps I put the bucket up and use Steady pressure to push trees over dead or alive there can be limbs you can't see that are dead
Dang! Add broken glass and that sounds worse! Glad you are ok. I certainly learned my lesson about dead trees.
There is a reason they call those branches widowmakers. Glad you came out of it relatively unscathed.
Yup.
Just watched this video. I feel like I found my twin in stupidity. I mixed three items together last March that put me in the hospital: Dead tree, ladder, old chainsaw. Tree broke before I was prepared, nearly cut my hand off when the chain raked my hand, fractured ankle. Cut deep enough to just start cutting strands of the thumb tendon. Surgeon called it a flesh wound since I did not hit any nerves, muscles or blood vessels. Yeah, STUPID came to my mind pretty fast, as well as Lazy (not preparing properly), over confident (I've cut trees before), etc, etc. Yes, my luckiest day on earth since I came away with the best possible outcome. I will never forget that lesson! Welcome to my world, and let's both not have to explain another stupid act...
Hahahaha. Dang!!! That sounds horrible and we are the lucky twins!!!!
Glad you were relatively unharmed and able to share your story! Leave your roof on folks.
Yes sir! For sure leave that roof in place!!
Thanks for the warning! Just brought home my mini and was looking at a dead tree as I was going around the yard looking for things to "fix". Think I may leave that one alone for now and work on some digging first.
Yeah, I agree with you. Wish I would have realized how easily those branches can snap off and fall. I’m actually now buying a helmet to use for some jobs. lol.
Glad that you are OK.
Thank you. I’m lucky.
Always watch out for widow makers whilst in the trees. I'm forever looking up while camping, hunting, etc. Sometimes they fall without a bump, I caught one much like you. Glad you're ok.
I am certainly cautious now. Learned a valuable lesson. Glad you are ok too!
I'm glad you are ok. That had to be painfull. I've been thinking about getting one of these types of excavators. I would probably get a Groundhog since I live near Pittsburgh Pa and they are closer. None of the Kymron and Grounhog models are exactly the same but one or two are very very close.
Thanks. Yes. It was terrible!
I looked at both as well. I think that any of them would work ok. I like that the upgrades, on these two brands, are already done. You can also choose the options by model, and levels of upgrades you want. Plus the added benefit of a support network. They look very similar though. I live about 2 hours from where Kymron is sold, so it was a no brainer to me.
Are the Groundhogs sold in Pittsburgh?
@mikeingeorgia1 closest dealer is in Middleburg pa. About 4hrs from Pittsburgh
@@chrisreibold1634 oh, ok. Thanks!
@mikeingeorgia1 there is a groundhog with a trailer for sale on pittsburgh Craigslist under heavy equipment but I think the price is too high. Unless the trailer is worth a ton of money....
Great video. You are so lucky to be alive and not permanently broken in some way. We all get a little too confident in our worlds and do things that are just a little risky. It only takes a second to change your life forever and I have to constantly remind myself that maybe reaching too far when on a ladder or like yourself understanding the risks of any machinery can be fatal or painful.
Glad you are able to share this and hopefully the message will reach someone who otherwise might take a chance and not take it now.
Thanks. You are spot on. Scary to think what could have happened.
Good video. Life lessons are often painful, expensive, and sometimes both.
Yes. Agreed. Thank you.
Death showed up that day, took a look at you, checked his list.... _"Nope, not on my list for today."_ Then he just glided away.
Seems that way, doesn’t it?
I had a ht10b same one like yours. These little machine can do alot. But are dangerous if you don't pay attention what you are doing. It's good that you were not hurt.
Agreed. I don’t want to do that again. I thought I was really in trouble when I saw the blood and then my hand.
I turned over my little mini ex and that roll cage you took off crushed my foot almost off. Lost alot of blood and had to be flow to a trauma center. My foot is all messed up now. They are dangerous and too small to be stable..sold mine and bought a backhoe!!!
Wow! Sorry to hear, that sounds horrible. A backhoe sounds nice as well.
The machine is just a machine, just like a gun. The operator is responsible. Not to be a dick, but, the machine is not to blame. I'm sorry you got injured, but it's a learning/teachable moment about operator safety.
And to teach what happened so others can be safer, it would be admirable if you explained the actions that caused the rollover and what safety precautions could be implemented in the future to prevent this from happening. Just like our guy did in this video: he explained what happened, learned, taught us, and got back on the horse. I applaud him for that
I boke my arm Jan 2 and took 2 months in a hard cast and 1 month with a brace 24/7 and after 3 months can get therepry for at least 2 more months so can use my hand. You are a lucky guy you did not break any bones or you would been not able to work for a very long time.
Dang! That stinks. Sorry to hear. Yes!!! I am so lucky!
Every time I see a tractor without ROPs I shudder ...
I do now as well.
Most people that take a widow maker without a hard hat of some kind never fully recover, messing with dead trees, with a saw or equipment, is VERY dangerous... glad your still walking and talking man.
I know that now. Thank you. I am certainly lucky!!!
I'd be building a decent roll over bar for that.
It's small but still crush you if it slips into a trench or something. They roll easier than you think.
A belt helps if you do.
Not a bad idea. Yes, they are very tippy.
Thanks for sharing I'm glad you are not smooshedededed. I run a ec220 and have knocked down many large trees the key is never bump trees use a smooth ez pushing only. I pucker up in my 20 ton machine pushing trees. I would never go after a tree with that thing. Use a chain saw than play with the trees on the ground. Second always take some time looking at the tree look for heavy dead branches or dead tops, remember the trees want revenge they will kill you. I guess we all have to learn the hard way.>>>>>>>>>> P.S that roof is not a substitute for R.O.P.S. It will not save you from large trees if you have to do a lot of tree work It might be worth investing in a bigger machine. How much is your life worth?
Great advice and I fully agree. I’m not very cautious around trees.
I have had three trees fall on me using a 1025r while cleaning up our estate. All three where dead pines, all three where within a group of pines that were interlocked , just never know what’s going to happen with those… broken sunglasses, broken tool box and dirty underwear
Hahah dirty underwear! Glad you are ok. I’m honestly rather timid around trees now.
They call them branches widow makers. Glad you made it out ok.
Yeah, I learned that the hard way. Sigh…. Thanks!
Thanks for telling us your story.
I just hope it’s my last story like this! lol
Thanks for an excellent educational video with a cautionary note! We are all sinners here. Carry on passing the word. You are fortunate.
Thank you. I know I am! Could have been so much worse.
The mouse traps proper name is a ROPS..Roll Over Protection Structures...The most important thing on any piece of equipment is that seat belt as it will keep you in place on a roll over. Old tractors never used to have them...I knew someone who was killed because the tractor didn't have a ROPS and he was pinned under the machine and crushed to death.....get in the habit of throwing on the seat belt every time. Your one lucky guy!
This one doesn’t have a ROPS. Just a flimsy “cage”. I would feel a lot better if it had an actual ROPS. Sorry to hear about the fellow who was killed on one. That’s terrible. I’m certainly more careful these days on it.
We’ve all been guilty of cutting corners and every once in a while it bites us in the a*s…. Thank God you’re okay!
Agreed! Thank you.
I've got a story for you about always using seatbelts in mini excavators. I apologize in advance for how long it is.
I used to own a Bobcat X-320 mini excavator until the engine caught on fire from a wiring short. Anyway... I used to dig big pits so people can either bury trash or burn it then I would come back and cover it up. When I covered it I always had the cab off to the side so I can see the blade better. I did a few pushes just fine. Then on one push as the backhoe crested the top of the dirt mound. It lurched forward and threw me out of the front of the cab. Because I kept the cab off-set the backhoe twisted as it fell and the roll cage pinned my left leg with my knee bent under the roll cage. I suspect that it probably broke something in my hip because it was laying on the ground as flat as it can be. My left foot wasn't in better shape being stuck under the other bar of the cage.
After digging myself out from under the roll cage with hydraulic fluid and diesel pouring on me. I thought I would try to use the boom while standing in the cab to try and get it back upright. The hydraulics were being very sensitive at that point and every move I made with the levers would bounce me around in the roll cage like a pinball. This caused me to break 4 ribs. I got to my dad before the adrenaline wore off and told him what happened, then I went to my room and passed out from the pain and remained that way for about a day and a half.
When I woke up... Me and my dad went about setting the backhoe back upright. I used a 1 ton comealong to pull the boom in and we used a 15 ton chain hoist anchored to a tree to get it back upright. We then called a mechanic to bleed the air from the engine which we didn't know how to do. We checked it over for any further damage and found none. I topped off the fluids I got back to work on burying that hole and had no further problems.
I've heard it said that you're never an expert until you have an accident. Guess that makes me an expert. I've also heard it said that any crash you can walk away from is a good one.
I hope you enjoy the story and don't have to learn the painful lesson that I did. There are many accident reports from people who did what I did and aren't alive to tell the story. Keep all safety warnings in mind.. they are written in the blood of the ones who either didn't survive, are permanently disfigured, permanently handicapped, or almost died. as I write this I am listening to a story on PublicResourceOrg of a loader operator that lost both of his legs in a rollover accident.
That’s crazy! Glad you are ok. It’s wild how quickly everything can go wrong. I certainly learned my lesson. lol.
@@OurLifeInTrees
I'm glad that you're ok as well. I think everyone can learn a lesson. Never Work Alone always have someone you can get ahold of if something goes wrong.
Time to do some sketchy shit do da do da i did not get away with it I am not ok
You have a great point. I’m glad my girlfriend was home and outside when that happened to me. I was out of it.
bro so glad yer alive!
Thank you. Me too!!!
Out here on the west coast we call redwood limbs widowmakers cause during high winds, or during logging operations, sometimes they will fall, and they can kill.
Yeah I see that now. The redwoods would really pack a punch! Stay safe.
Glad your ok .we all do stuff we regret. Hence why I'm watching your video so I don't do anymore damage to my head Great video brother from another mother ..Tim from Australia 🇦🇺 ...oh I put a mesh on the front of my mouse trap as I pulled a branch that snaped and went through and almost impaled my body to the seat .....
Holy crap! That’s scary! The mesh is a good idea if you are out messing with trees. Glad you are ok and thank you.
amazing how a platform like UA-cam can bring so many of us similar people together.
It's interesting how lucky we can be some times...
It may have been just a canopy to you but i consider it to be ROPs - roll over protection, for debris and would never remove it. Count your blessings you were not injured more severely, always carry your phone or let someone know when your out working with it.
That’s a great point. If something happens, it could be very important to make a call.
@@OurLifeInTrees it happened to my neighbor pinned to his tractor by a tree if not for his wife going to check on him ..he was passed out and tractor in gear tires spinning the outcome would of been much different. He survived after being air lifted....stay safe!!
@@jmar5787wow!!! That’s terrifying! I couldn’t imagine. Glad he pulled through.
I’m thinking he said canopy instead of ROPs because I believe that brand has model that has a canopy version that is not as strong as a ROP rated one. Never the less.you would think the canopy would be better than nothing. Unless the frame gets crushed because of the thinner material and that tinny tin tin Sun shade decides to do a decap
@@georgea6403yeah it’s definitely not a ROPS, just some metal tubes holding on a sheet metal roof.
Hey, don't feel bad! If you were to join my monthly lunch bunch, you would fit fight in. In fact, you might just be the smartest guy in the whole group! Thanks for the video. You may have saved some lives by making this.
That’s the plan. Hopefully some people learn from my mistake.
What’s the lunch bunch?
@@OurLifeInTrees The lunch bunch is just a group of us retired guys who used to work together, and we meet once a month for lunch, or sometimes breakfast.
@@bengoolie5197that sounds awesome. Wry cool you guys all stay in touch.
Those dead limbs are called widow makers for a reason.
Yup. I learned the hard way and am lucky I’m here to tell the tale.
@OurLifeInTrees very lucky! I have a Yanmar SV-08 and it only has a ROPS rollover bar with no top. I dig ditches though. Lol! Stay safe out there!
The Melroe Company (Owner of Bobcat skid steer manufacturing at the time ) installed a shut off switch in the seats of all skid steer loaders after an accident that killed a man. The man climbed out of the Bobcat with the loader arms and bucketful of gravel raised 6ft high. The machine tipped over , and crushed the man to death.
Holy crap! No fun. That’s horrible.
Uh... the machine isn't dangerous, the operator is! You should be reinforcing that roof not removing it.
Agreed!
In my trade a 8 to 12k reach lift is a comen tool. Every so ofter someone dies from a roll over not wearing a seat belt thinking they could jump off. Most accidents are over befor you knew it happend . Safty stuff is such a easy thing. Thank ypu for sharing your experience. Im glad wernt seriously injured.
I hope your poor choice helps others to work safe.
Sharing this was a very very good choice.
Wow that scary!
I hope some others think twice before doing something similar with a worse result.
Thanks!
I always thought most everyone over the age of 12 knew that the tops of dead trees were extremely dangerous and subject to snap off, especially when the base of tree is bumped into.
Nope. City folk don’t know these things. Country folk seem to know these things at birth. It seems more common knowledge to people who live around trees.
Thats why there called widow makers
Yup. Agreed
deadfall,,,,,yikes,, glad ya ok and thanks for sharing
Yeah, hard lesson learned. A lesson learned the hard way unfortunately. lol.
Honestly I was hesitant to upload this video. I bit embarrassing, yet it seems to be helpful to some people. So it worked out ok. Ha
Hvala za izkušnjo😮 Srečno.
Thank you
They don't call dead trees widow makers for nothing. Do not bump them. Look in the tops and see if there is anything hanging or vines attached. They are not safe . Thanks for the Pep Talk. I listened.
Haha yeah lesson learned the hardest way. Yes! Vines! So many interesting things to know about that can kill you. lol.
Dead trees are dangerous and limbs like that are called widowmakers for a reason. I'll often avoid cutting a dead tree down with a chainsaw for that very reason. Glad the injury was no worse.
I now know that. Sigh…. I am now kinda scared of dead trees honestly.
Pay attention to your surroundings
I didn’t even think about how dangerous dead trees are. Widow makers.
@OurLifeInTrees yep . Good thing you weren't hurt any worse than that. Mistakes are made, and I hope you don't forget this one any time soon.that could've went way worse for you, that limb had some gravity packed into it I bet. Stay safe 👍
Ya know, it never would've even occurred to me to pluck the roof off of a piece of equipment like that. Still, that's a good thing to keep in mind. Thanks for having the gumption to bring that story to us.
Yeah, I just wanted to fit it in the garage. It took me a while to decide if I really wanted to make this video and upload it. lol.
Lucky you were there otherwise that branch might have done more damage to your excavator. 😉
Hahahaha that’s true!
We call that a tree whooping 😂 glad your ok man
It sure was a tree whoopin! lol thanks.
Lately we see a lot of video of people pushing trees with the tractor bucket or the min or even with skidsteer. I dont know where that came from, those machine are not big excavator, is itso time comsuming to get the chian saw to do the job.. U have been lucky thanks god. take care with your toy and enjoy.
I don’t know either, but pushing over dead trees is not a good idea I learned! lol the little excavator does a great job holding up logs to cut with a chainsaw though.
You're very lucky you didn't take the full impact of that branch with your neck or head. The outcome would have been much worse. I still wouldn't rely completely on the canopy for protection. I've seen dead trees break in half when disturbed. That much weight would probably crush the canopy. I hate cutting down dead trees for just that reason. Whenever it's possible I use a long cable tied to my tractor to give the tree a good jerk before I do any cutting. This will cause any weak spots on the tree to fail before I get under it with my chainsaw. I still wear a hard hat just in case. Thanks for posting the video. It's a good reminder of the danger of these trees.
I am now very cautious of free and am kinda scared to walk under dead trees. Never really thought about it before but wow, they are dangerous!!
No matter how bad it is, it could always be worse! Lesson learned.😁
Agreed!! Could have been so much worse!
Noted! Do NOT remove roof. Ok. Thank you sir!
Hahah. It’s a fact.
Any tree should be approached with caution, especially a dead tree.
Always look up, always wear a hard hat with face shield. Even a small branch falling out of a tree can have you on the ground holding your head. It's not worth it, be safe. Glad you're okay.
Agreed. Actually was just shopping for a hard hat with a face shield.
@@OurLifeInTrees I got one from Fleet Farm or Home Depot. Oregon chainsaw safety helmet. It does what it is supposed to do, It has saved my face and head a few times already.
ROPS - Roll Over Protection System
Yeah mine doesn’t have a ROPS. It has a roof and roof holder. ROPS has a certification which mine will not pass I’m sure as it wobbles about.
It's also a roll cage, so when you crash "wearing your seat belt" it does roll over. Hints to why you ever jump off them.
I don’t know if it trust this to hold up if it rolled over. It’s not quite like a ROPS. Hmmm maybe. 🤔
Glad you're ok. You've sold me on a mini excavator tho!
Thanks and I’m sorry. Haha. Great little toy.
They are small enough to look cute, but big enough to kill you. I'm a crane operator, so maybe that helped a bit when i learned how to run my Kubota U 25, making a mountain bike trail on steep terrain, with rocks.
Sounds like an awesome project. Yeah, I thought it looked fun to push over trees. I was wrong! Haha
Thanks for sharing, glad was relatively minor
Thanks. Me too!!
First rule of messing with trees. Always look up before you start and keep checking as you go. Lot of professional loggers and arborists have lost their lives this way.
Oh yeah. I learned the hard way. Too bad I didn’t know that before. I’m a little fearful to be around dead trees these days honestly. Sigh…
@@OurLifeInTrees You also shouldnt beat yourself up to bad about taking the metal roof off. "Something" told you to do it, and you survived. If it had been on, the end of that branch coulda got hung on the metal and the rest of the branch would swing in and hit you right in the face.
@@outdoors-fun oh crap! Never thought about that. So true. Now that I’m thinking about it, that really could have happened. My worst bruise was on the side/back of my leg, an inch or two over and that branch would have hit my knee and I would have been in bad shape for sure. I don’t want to think about if the branch was deflected slightly by the roof. Wow. lol.
That's why dead trees are called widow makers.
Yup. Now I know.
No duh!!! I bet you won't do that again!! Tractoring 101 my dude!
Now I know. Where were you when I first got the machine? lol.
Definitely blessed, as well as your wife.
Take it from a widower
So true. Very lucky.
You were not lucky. God was watching you.
Those limbs are called widow makes
I have learned that lesson the hard way.
Thanks for sharing! A lot of "new" operators using those small excavators since they are ridiculously cheap now.
Yes agreed. It always the safest machine if you don’t know what you are doing.
A lot of people with tractors have learned that same lesson.
Unfortunately, you are correct.
I have a massey Ferguson 20 industrial front loader I wish I had a cage I pushed a tree over it broke above the bucket the tree top broke off and it hit me in the head bounced off the left side of my head I was lucky.
Dang! That’s scary. Good thing you are ok!!
Biggest problem I see with these is the tracks are directly under it. Thing is extremely top heavy and off balance.
That’s for sure. Very tippy.
Good video they will get you I know
Thank you. Yup. Sure will.
Here's your sign!!!😊
Hahahah Very much so.
We all get caught at sometime
Unfortunately, that’s true.
Dead trees are called widow makers. I'll let you figure out why. Also think you are correct in your self description.
Not everyone grew up in the woods around trees. Some of us learn as we go. Thank you so much for your positivity. lol.
They're called widowmakers for a reason
That they are.
They don't call them "widomakers" for nothing.
Nope. They don’t. Never knew they were called widow makers until I read all these comments in this video.
I remember watching a video of a man that did the exact same thing, only he was not nearly as lucky as you. He bumped his tree and the entire top half snapped backwards and landed on his head. Instantly killed him in front of his wife while she was recording.
Holy crap!! That could have been me! Never again, I have learned my lesson.
You are seriously LUCKY. that larger part of the branch would have killed you. YOU NEVER push on a dead tree... The top will break and fall back on you... You are playing with death.
I certainly learned a valuable lesson that might have saved my life and who knows if this experience helped save others…
It's not a sunshade or "umbrella," it is called ROPS, Roll Over Protection System.
When you have a ROPS on any machine, you need to use the seat belt to keep from failing under tr ROPS, in case you roll and get tossed, the ROPS can land on you.
READ THE OPERATOR"S MANUAL!
Mine isn’t a ROPS. Just a cheesy metal roof with some Mickey Mouse supports. My Chinese owners manual isn’t the greatest. 🤷♂️
Not sure if the mouse trap would have handled the impact and not squashed down an trapping you.
Dead trees are like feral pests unpredictable always look up and access the potential dangers. DOING THIS YOU MAY LIVE LONGER 😂😂😂😂😂😂.
Man with a Tonka BEWARE 😢😢😢😢
Hahahah. You speak the truth! Valuable lesson learned for me. Honestly, I’m kinda scared to be around/under dead trees now.
Buckle up
Not a bad idea
First problem was you didn't fear the machine and how powerful it actually is. Second was of course you running into trees instead of using your boom. Its not a bulldozer with full ROPS lol. Always use ppe in any situation. I'm a fellow okie and glad you're ok.
I certainly leaned my lesson. Won’t do that again!
Sorry I made a bad showing for our state! Hahaha. I’m not from Oklahoma originally, I’ve lived in 8 states. I have been here for 10 years and this is the state I choose to stay in. So many positives to Oklahoma life.
@OurLifeInTrees especially eastern Oklahoma. It's beautiful there! I've lived in the barren western part all my life. I bought the h15 and the 23 skid loader. I did some janky stuff myself on the skid. LoL it's all a learning process on these for sure
@@-CHaPPy-ohhh the skid loader would be cool. I’d like one of those. They would make a good pair.
We have a place in SE Oklahoma and just love it there. It’s about 20 minutes east of Talihina. We live outside OKC, it’s not so pretty here. lol.
@@OurLifeInTrees that's where I'd like to move someday
@@-CHaPPy- that’s our plan. I just need to figure out how to make a living out there. Maybe UA-cam money will allow me to quit my job someday! Haha. Well it was a neat dram for a second. Sigh…. lol.
You learn by mistakes
Isn’t that the truth
Or don't mess with dead trees
Agreed. I hope to share that lesson.
Taking time to remove the safety roof compared to driving 3 minutes does 12:24 not seem efficient to do
Nope. In hindsight it doesn’t seem efficient, does it?
Trees are not to be trifled with. 🤕
I now agree with you.
For some reason branches don’t look that heavy when they are up in the tree.
@@nostromo526Actually. They aren’t heavy up in the tree. They sure are when they fall. And stink to pickup as well. lol.
Saint Mathurin
Patron Saint of lost causes and Idiots 😂
Hahahha
Not just mini X, but any power equipment. In the first two hours of having my 35hp tractor with bucket I was cleaning weeds from under a bush. I did not see the grape vine snaking up ant to a large walnut tree about 15 feet away. There was a dead branch about 20 ft long with the grape vine looped through it that broke off and across my open station. Missed my head by less than an inch and ripped my shirt sleeve and scratched my bicep. Was not injured as you were but close enough. Strangest feeling one second I am skimming weeds and suddenly reality changed and I have an 8 inch diameter tree limb across my steering wheel. So dead branches and vines are another thing to watch out for in the woods.
Holy crap! That’s scary! Yeah, vines are strong and can pull down some big branches. Glad you are ok!
Takes a big man to make a video of your mistake. Hope others will learn. I've done some tree work. Dead trees are un-predictable and very dangerous.
Thanks. It took me awhile to decide if I really wanted to upload this video. lol. I’m glad it has helped some people learn, because I sure didn’t know. I do now though! Haha
Not one to make a long story short.
Haha. I sure made a short story long. lol
Be careful about digging around in water beds, I have heard a lot of legal nightmares that have occurred due to this. Where those stories happened, even though the water way was on private land, the homeowner doesn't own the waterway. Check out the laws where you are. This is only a warning, not legal advice.
Good call. Thanks.
I don’t know why you’re saying the tractor is dangerous , it was you that created the problem. Not the tractors fault.
That’s true. Thank you for your insight.
Yes this would have saved you in THIS instance but is not the most robust of protections there can be if one attempted to mess with larger dead trees. In such a case it could be worse. Note to myself: use any shred of commonsense I can find in between my ears. May be leave the bigger ones to the bigger guys with the bigger machines with bigger mouse traps .
Agreed. Didn’t know that at the time, but life in the sticks teaches lessons as we go sometimes. lol.
@@OurLifeInTrees Although I do agree that there is something to be said about having a “go get ‘em non-paranoic” attitude as well. I believe the world would have been a lot more backward had that not been the case. That said, progress & protection can & should go together. Such as seat-belts on fork-lifts which can mostly be ignored & which only rarely but critically be found useful such as when it tips over & the normal instinct is to jump out of it only to become pinned underneath. Has happened. May be 1 in a 1000 instances, but one too many. Thanks for the video.