I have this rule . . . If I'm not familiar with the machine, if I don't know how it works, if I've never seen it run, if it is big, ugly, rusty, has lots of horsepower and makes lots of noise, has lots of sharp edges, has exposed rotating gears, chains and shafts, and has dirt and blood on it, if I have to climb up or down into it, and I have never RTFM - I ain't touching it. Not only that, I will stand back at a safe distance from it even when it is parked and not running.
Call me a live coward if you wish, but the buzz word here is "live". On my next birthday I'll be 80 years old (how did THAT happen?) and I still have pretty much all the appendages I was born with, undamaged.
This guy was really, really lucky. He should go buy a Powerball ticket.
Best Regards,
Mike/Florida