Man Dies in Wood Chipper

[Stimw]

Man dies after falling into wood chipper | News - Home

The Self feeder chippers will keep eating!
You can see something a different color in the back of the truck.

 

[TCJatko]

Yikes. Usually those heavy-duty units have a rail around the opening that will disconnect the feed rollers if tripped. I wonder if this feature was operational?

 

[NS Gearhead]

When I was in high school I worked at the local lumber mill. My first job was chipper "watcher". The mill was on the main level, and the conveyors and chipper were in the basement. I'd unplug it when it got bound up. One place I had to walk over a moving conveyor (heading towards the chipper). To get to a hopper that would plug up. Man... what a dangerous place. If I'd fallen, no one would have heard or seen me. The mill's closes since then.

For people who've never seen or worked around one... once one blade grabs something it pretty well gets sucked in. It's like the next blade is there pulling before the first one ends. I don't think you could pull a board out once it's started getting chipped.

 

[dave1949]

Dangerous machines for sure.

Those large chippers have opposing splined drums to pull the trees in. Usually one is fixed, the other is spring loaded and climbs up onto the tree trunk or limb as it is pulled in by the spline teeth. The ones I have seen, the drums are powered by hydraulic motors. Unless someone disengages the drive motor, human body parts have no chance.

Maybe the guy blacked-out or something and fell into the machine.

 

[Stimw]

If the guy got tangled up in the brush/vines/limbs and could not get free it would just keep pulling it/him in.
The large diesel chippers have up to 24" drums that grab and feed the chipper blades.
I had a couple old 12" gas chippers without feed rollers but even they would keep pulling limbs and vines in. I sold them!
I now have a 6" chipper that would be impossible to get pulled in.

 

[TCJatko]

Dangerous machines for sure.

Those large chippers have opposing splined drums to pull the trees in. Usually one is fixed, the other is spring loaded and climbs up onto the tree trunk or limb as it is pulled in by the spline teeth. The ones I have seen, the drums are powered by hydraulic motors. Unless someone disengages the drive motor, human body parts have no chance.

Maybe the guy blacked-out or something and fell into the machine.

I'm familiar with most machines; usually there is a tubular handle around the perimeter of the feed chute that, if touched, will diesengage the hydraulic power to the feed rollers.

 

[ericher69]

My thoughts and prayers for the family of the deceased.

A few years back I helped a friend clear a lot.

12" chipper with hydraulic feed.

Long story short I fed a y limb into the chipper and guess what happened; got stuck between the limb and chipper pulling me in. Eek! Panic/safety bar saved me! Took a break after that one! Incredibly dangerous machines when not respected.

Sent from my iPhone 5s 64Gb using TractorByNet

 

[dave1949]

I'm familiar with most machines; usually there is a tubular handle around the perimeter of the feed chute that, if touched, will diesengage the hydraulic power to the feed rollers.

It sounds like something wasn't working correctly. I wonder if we'll ever know how that happened, or if it will be possible to do much in the way of post-mortem testing of the body.

 

[Mace Canute]

When I was in high school I worked at the local lumber mill. My first job was chipper "watcher". The mill was on the main level, and the conveyors and chipper were in the basement. I'd unplug it when it got bound up. One place I had to walk over a moving conveyor (heading towards the chipper). To get to a hopper that would plug up. Man... what a dangerous place. If I'd fallen, no one would have heard or seen me. The mill's closes since then.

For people who've never seen or worked around one... once one blade grabs something it pretty well gets sucked in. It's like the next blade is there pulling before the first one ends. I don't think you could pull a board out once it's started getting chipped.

Back in 1973 I worked at a cellulose mill at Port Alice, BC. They had two wood chippers, the opening on the big one would handle stuff about two and a half feet across and the feed chute was at about a 45 degree downward angle. It was said that a worker had committed suicide by jumping feet first into the chute. That might have been just a story they told to the new hires but from the way they told it and total lack of any "Got ya!" afterwards, I believe it to be true.

 

[PeterK]

On the big chipper that I used, that perimeter bar reverses the feed rollers. But if his arm was caught, he might not had reach to hit the bar with the other hand. The rollers are just the feeder, the blades are behind them.