Friday, while out playing in the woods I did a stupid move. I had loaded a cord or so of big oak on my antique Iron Mule forwarder and then stupidly tied another tree on the back. I was on a side hill, not to bad but noticeable for sure. I had loaded from the downhill side with no issues so I should have been OK. But the tree I chained to the back was slightly downhill from the machine and when I crawled ahead turning to the right the high side of the machine came right up and over it went, faster that you could say "crap". I knew better, laying in the hospital bed in the neuro unit with a broken neck at three in the morning it dawned on me what I done. I was real lucky, I broke the C2 vertabre into 4 pieces on the left side. Fortunately the pieces are all in place and no surgery is required. I have to keep a neck brace on for 24/7 for 8 weeks but I am not complaining. I spent the night in the hospital and after 3 CT scans and 2 MRIs I got released by noon Saturday. I was truly blessed. Here's some pictures we took today when we went ot look at it to figure out the extraction plan.
Wow, I am glad you are ok (relatively speaking). Had a cousin who rolled a skidder over on Sunday afternoon bringing logs to the loader deck to get ahead for Monday morning. He broke his back and lay there overnight before someone missed him, when the crew found him the next morning, he had crawled about 100 yards to the road and was conscious but died on route to the hospital.
Glad you are still around to tell about it
It's amazing how something can go very bad in a blink of an eye. Doesn't matter how old we get, we are always learning and sometimes the hard way. With your C2 in four pieces I'm surprised they didn't put you in a "halo". Our Father in heave has definitely kept you from a more serious injury. If you haven't thought about a relationship with our Savior perhaps now is the time. God bless you old-iron-habit! I will continue to pray for you. Blue
Glad that thing had a ROPS, or we would have never known what happened to you. Take care and follow Doc's orders. I"m sure you have friends who can get that mule back on it's feet for you. If I was closer I'd lend a hand.
Happy that you are able to be vertical and we can still enjoy your posts. Sad to see the iron that you put so much into on its side like a tired elephant. Move slow and try not to sneeze or laugh real hard for awhile.
Glad it was no worse than it was, take it easy for a bit now and let it heal. Cat Toy, I don't know what to say, our thoughts are with you though. I lost a friend a number of years ago who was skidding logs in the winter in Northern Idaho with a D5 or D4, can't remember which. He got to sliding sideways and hit a stump and over it went - on him.
Take care old -iron and let time and the healing process work . Hauling fire wood with the Mule ? On the bright side you could send these guy's a job resume to have on file for after you heal up . http://stuntsunlimited.com/contact/
Blue Boy, I am grateful that this is all that happened. My wife, a retired Navy coresman, is also a Chaplain and volunteers to work with hospice and also goes with the police when they have to inform loved ones of a death. It lets the police move on while she unattached to the details, stays with the family until others arrive, or as long as they want her. Its not something I could do. When I was in the emergency room she had already talked to 3 of our local pastors whom are also friends. With power like that praying for me it had to come out good.
People underestimate the power of prayer. I'm glad to hear you and your wife have friends like that. And your wife sounds like an awesome woman. Like kshansen said I would be there to help out if it wasn't for the distance. BTW, I ordered a .070 fitting. So take it easy and get better. Blue P.S. What kind of Ranger is that?
It is a Clark Ranger 666D grapple skidder that I rebuilt about ten years ago. Another Detroit 453. I will put some pictures up when my Mule recovery team is on the job. My wife is awesome. I had to take my wedding ring off in the hospital. It had not been off my finger since we got married. The next day when she stuck it back on she said, I remarry you, but no more putting me thru through this crap.
That sounds like a wise and wonderful woman, methinks you may want to say "Yes dear" and mean it!
I'm glad to hear that you got out of it more or less in one piece and are on the mend.
Sorry to hear of your misfortune and I want you to know like you don't already that my lord runs my life and has for many years and just about all I do every night is thank him for what he has done as he knows what I need much better than I do.It seems as though everything happens for a reason. One would not think that I could come back from hospice with three months to live five years ago to where I am today.I did not do it by myself. I am fortunate that I have not had more serious injuries over the years considering what I have done but it makes us thing that we are "good" I guess until time runs out and we end up injured and find ourselves looking back as you are if we are lucky.The best to you,we will be thinking of you and looking forward to future posts and pics from you.Ron G
I looked up that machine on the innerweb. Looks like a good machine, I just don’t care for the number they gave it. But I suppose with God on your side (Romans 8:31), a number like that is just a number. I hope when your Mule recovery team is on the job all you will be doing is taking pictures.
I will not be dragging rigging, etc, when we right it. My friends would probably damage me worse than I would myself if I tried. They want me to owe them. LOL
OIH, best wishes for a fast recovery.
Tell the truth, it wasn't the wood it was all the leftovers that flipped her. Good to read it wasn't worse.
What would be the best way to recover the mule? Pull the logs out the back with a wire rope to reduce the weight. Use two skidders to pull up right?
I'm praying for you Now Iron. ...i hadn't read your post when i posted that quip about pain.
What modifications would improve the iron mule ? Tyres/ rims with smaller diameter and wider to reduce the height of the centre of gravity, modify the bunk? Changing machines - are there any good skidder conversions to forwarders around or purpose built forwarders around? https://youtu.be/5NoD76uTVvo - this mule runs a fairly wide tyre.
I'll go with that, too... BTW... I fractured the same bone, C2, back in the early '70s... from a "face flop" into a hill side off a motorcycle. I didn't even know I had broken it until about 30 years later, when I got an x-ray... my neck, and both shoulders were hurting. I ended up getting an epidural steroid injection ... that more or less took care of the shoulder pain, my neck is still somewhat troublesome, though... old-iron-habit, you heal up now, OK... OCR
It is a purpose built forwarder. The machine was not at fault for the rollover. I was on a bit of a sidehill but loaded about a cord of oak on the bunk picking the wood up on the downhill side of the machine. There was one 18" or so oak tree with the butt directly behind the downhill back wheel on the Iron Mule. To save me a trip back in there I threw a log chain around it and anchored it to the boom cradle at the back of the machine. As it turned out the easy spot to hook to the machine was on the uphll side of the forwarder and about center of axle height. When I pulled ahead and started turning downhill the chain tightned and instead of the tree moving the traction lifted the high side of the machine rolled it over faster than I could push the clutch in. Setting on the hillside, the machine was lighter on the side I hooked to and pulling at an angle I never had a chance. Pure and simple bad or no judgement by the operator.(me)
Today I stopped by my old employeer and borrowed a set of 20 foot 3/4" cable spreaders and a couple of 8' 3/4 chokers and a handful of shackles and assorted rigging. I am going to park my D2 equipped with a D2N winch uphill with the back against a big stump. We will connect one end of the spreaders to each end of the articulation. The boom will be chained so it stays low in the bunk. It has lift and swing detents so it can float about a bit. We will install a sheave at the ring on the spreaders and two part the winch line. We should be able to winck it back to its feet nice and slow. The machine only ways 6,500 lbs. We will drag what wood we can off first. We will get some video for sure.
No problem, and I deserve some crap for doing something when I should have known better than to hook the way I did.
Been there, done that. About 15 years ago I was doing the front brakes on my Jeep, 83 CJ7. It was up in the air with the tires off on a floor jack with no jack stands. I noticed the breather tube fitting came out of the axle and the more I struggled to get it back in the more I positioned myself in the middle of the Jeep. Fighting with the fitting I didn't realize the frame was sliding off the jack and when it fell the cross member bounced off my chest and knocked the wind out of me. It was a little bit of a squeeze getting out. If the steering arm didn't land on the jack I would be dead. But I'm sure we all did something we should have stopped and used better judgment.
Old-iron my thoughts and prayers are with you. As far as my "day job" I am the local guy that is called to apply a HALO in circumstances as yours. You are very fortunate as some of my patients never walk or feed themselves again. Have a speedy recovery!
Wow,I wondered where those Dodges went Legdoc.Have fun and take care of them.Ron G
Heya Old-Iron, heal up and come up with a battle plan! Looks like you'd need to unload the wood and find yourself a friendly winch cat. Quiring towing has some great videos but they're in BC, you have plenty of healthy trees nearby so maybe just a pulley on your machine and skidder cable through that to a solid tree to double up the line pull, prolly have to anchor the skidder too.
Z I have plenty of antique recovery equipment. I am hauling down my D2 with D2N winch and anchoring it to an large stump that is located in the right spot. I will two part the winch line so we can take it slow and easy. I'm sure we will have plenty of grunt. If not I will have to haul a skidder down also. The Iron Mule is not a heavy machine at all and the weight is low in comparison to our connection points so should roll up quite easily.
Great!! I have a JD350, 5T dozer with a 24T winch, I'd love to see a video or some pics of your recovery when you make it happen, don't hurry too fast but the snow is coming and the cheeze will run out.
There will be video.
Hey old-iron-habit, how does your neck feel after a week now? Is the recovery team working this weekend?
Actually feeling real good. Headache went away mostly after 5 days. Only a mild one on occasion now and my face is healing nicely. Still probably not going to end up handsome though. LOL. Got the D2 out of the barn and ready to go today. The team is coming over tomorrow and we are going on the recovery mission in mid morning. Hope to have good pictures and maybe some video tomorrow evening. Sasquatch from the ACMOC board is filming. He does a great job with videos.
We went and got the Mule back on her feet today. We did not try to drag her out of the woods. We will let her set a couple days and then the plan is to start her up and drive her out. Hope that works out. No damage to it that we can see. Did not seem to lose fluids except for a quart or so of hyd oil that came out the l shaped tank into the cab when it layed on it side. The plan using spreaders and the D2 winch went well. The winch which we 2 parted to the spreaders pulled it at a bit over idle as nice as could be and nice and slow. We rolled it until it was horizontal at 90 degrees and then using a chain come-along we pulled the boom into the cradle to keep in in place and avoid damage. The wood fell out nicely as we winched it up. After securing the boom we winched it further until it flopped back onto its tires. One of the guys took some video on his go-pro. I will put the link up when he gets it sorted out and posted.
Nice job! I don't see the guy with the collar in any pics.
Good to see it standing on its own feet again with no real damage!
The guy with the collar took the pictures. All he did was sit on the seat and pull the winch lever after the boys had it all connected. The guys walked it in and out of the woods. I was safer there then at home. No snow there where it is all glare ice in my driveway at home from the last wet snow. Should be melted out by the end of today as it stayed above freezing overnight.
Heres the video. I thought I just sat in the seat but the video shows a bit otherwise. After a lifetime of working its hard to do nothing. Did not do much though. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HLef3O9b1ys
You guys make it look easy. Job well done!
Real nice work. Professional looking recovery.
Gracious,I haven't seen a peavey for years,of course I have not been around anyone who would be using one either but it was fun watching the recovery,well thought out and executed.Back in Maine before I left one of the contractors had an old Mack flatbed,about a 1947 maybe and a D2 like yours and that was just about all the equipment he had and he was always busy.This would have been in the '50s,I just loved to see that old D2 working.A D2 was a big dozer in those days,we were used to the OC3 Olivers and the Cletracs doing the work a team of horses used to do but old Oscar Jordan and his D2 was my hero in those days. When I quit school I worked for a dollar a day and my dinner helping load a truck with pulpwood and unloading it at the mill.Those were the days.Ron G
S I hear what you are saying Ron. When I was 14, my oldest brother 16, and my next younger brother 12, would take the 1947 Ford 2 ton truck and go out to the woods after school each day and hand load 3.5 cords of green aspen(popple) on it so dad could take it to work with him the next morning. We installed a 100 HP flathead V8 in the 47 instead of the 87 HP it came with. WE thought it was one powerful beast. LOL. On the weekend we would cut and skid enough wood to the landing to be able to haul the next week. It was a great day when Dad bought a JD 50 with a Johnson Workhorse loader to take over the lifting duties when loading the truck. Thats where it all started. I have always logged since, always cutting a few hundred cords a year on weekends while when I worked construction for +44 years. There is nothing better than being out in the timber and smell the forrest. Once it is in the blood it stays I guess.
Yup,that 100 hp was the 8BA block,seen a bunch of 'em over the years.LOL.Ron G
Hate to be anal but don't think that was a peavey! I believe it was a cant hook. Or at least that is what my dad called it and he spent his teenage years cutting pulp wood in Minn. with his dad back in the 30's and early 40's. I was told a peavey had a spike on the end where the cant hook had a blunt end. I still use my cant hook to position logs when cutting firewood in the back yard, very handy tool! Anywho! That was a slick job by some guys who probably had some previous experience doing that kind of work! And RonG, have a package ready for the post office this morning for you!
I agree,the peavey had a spike and the cant dog had a claw and a short handle I think.We never discussed a price Ken if you want to email me first.Thanks,Ron G
This one was a cant hook. The cant hook had the blunt end. The peavy had the spike end, and the pike pole was longer, about 10 ft and had both a spike and a hook like a pick-a-roon.
Gotta tell you what I remember about that engine,among other things.It was first used in 1949 and the belt drives,fan,water pumps,generator etc had the wide belts and the 1950 model year had the narrow pullies so if you went to a bone yard for a waterpump you had to know which one you had.Don't ask me how I knew,my first car was a '50 Ford coupe.Ron G
Today we went out to the woods where the Iron Mule is resting quitely on her feet. We continued checking things out in preparation of starting the engine. The water, fuel, hydaulic oil and battery were all adequate and nothing had leaked other than about 1/2 cup of hydro oil from the tank vent into the cab. The engine oil was down near the add mark. I tried to hand turn the engine over but after moving a bit it would get hard and roll back upon my letting off from my torque. We pulled the injectors and then was able to turn the engine with a 12 inch cresent wrench via the front shaft. Oil blew out of all the injector holes. After turning the engine numerous times by hand I cranked it a bunch by the starter. As the return rubber lines from the injectors were brittle and one broke when removing them we decided to reinstall the injectors to keep things clean and called it a day, returning home to make new fuel return lines. Will go back tomorrow and see if we can start it and drive it out of the woods.
Glad you thought to hand crank that engine over! I'm sure you saved it from major damage. Sometime people get in a big hurry and cause themselves way more money and headaches. I bet it does smoke a bit when fist started!
Today we returned to the Iron Mule. I pulled the injectors and again hand cranked the engine. Turned easily and no oil blew out the injector holes. I used a air nozzle to blow into each of the injector holes and got no oil out. We installed the injectors and the new injector return lines. With the air intake open and a board ready in case it ran away I bumped the starter with the manual shutoff engaged. It cranked like normal. After a few revolutions it started to show a wisp of smoke. I pushed in the shutoff. It fired on one, then two cylinders then started to purr. Light smoke for about a minute or less and that was that. After I added a bit more oil and checking things over I loaded up my spilled load of logs and crept out of the woods nice as could be. I am a happy camper tonight. YAHOO.
:drinkup
Get back on that horse and ride baby ride!:usa I'm out of commission for a few weeks, had my shoulder surgery today. It was worse than he thought. Glad you got your machine home, and with the load of wood you had before this mishap.
glad to hear its a live and well. now take of your neck so you can enjoy running it again.
I need to clear the air a little bit here,my family were always involved in harvesting and processing wood,one of my uncles had three sawmills in New Hampshire and another had two at least in Maine where I grew up and one of them was on our farm (325 acres) for several years so I had the opportunity to see first hand how things were done.There was also another mill in town where I worked occasionally.I was too young to work in uncle Stans mill in our pasture.So,when we talk about peaveys and cant dogs etc I can only relate my experiences as they applied to me.Ron G
It's all good Ron. I had to think a bit myself of which was which. Jeepers, That was the first one I seen used in 30 years. Working in a mill or the woods was a good way to grow up. When we wanted money for something we worked to earn it. Holding out our hand was never even thought of. I'm betting it was the same with you and with most of our generation.
:notworthy
Just seeing this today. Glad you make it out with your life. The same exact thing happened to my brother and he was not as fortunate. Things can and fo go wrong and it happens so quickly ......prays to you and yours on a speedy recovery.
Probably should update this. I have always been lucky enough to heal fast. After 8 weeks my C1 vertabre was healed. Yes C1. For some reason I thought it was C2 but it was C1. I used the neck brace for a couple more weeks when I was working on something that could possible cause me to slip or bump my head. Today 10 weeks later my head turns 90 degrees each way side ways and getting better and goes up and down as good as it every did when my Debby gives orders. Life is back to normal.
Praise the Lord!!! Glad to hear your back on the saddle! And a little wiser I'm sure. Good man!
Prays your way on your good fortune And you're good health.You are very lucky, it's not often you walk away with your life when the ordeal you went through happens....
Catching up on old threads I've never seen, glad you are ok after all that @old-iron-habit ! Were you buckled in when it started to go? I rarely wear my seatbelt when I'm in the backhoe and you always hear varying stories from people in cars who are buckled or not buckled in. I'm curious if the seatbelt helped or hindered, or would have?
quite a story I had not read this before glad all worked out. that mule still running?
There was no seat belt in this machine. Later when I looked close, I seen holes under the seat on the part that swivels with the seat. I am certain it had a seat belt when built. It had been removed because it probably caught on everything and kept the seat from turning easily when not being worn. A proper seat belt would have held me in position in the seat fine. Probably would have been injury free except I may have been stuck by the sticks and brush poking thru the rollover structure. I rarely use it anymore except to move firewood around the homestead from time to time. If I were to use it in the woods again in nasty country I would install a good seat belt and also install the doors which I have now recovered from the original owner.
The old mule is still a great workhorse. I broke the boom swivel off at the ears where the boom attaches a couple years ago. I turned a new piece of 4-5/8" solid shaft and rebuilt it with state of the art synthetic bushings and added a high zoot turning plate for it to swivel on. There is a post on here about that project. The head was worn enough before I rebuilt it that it was introducing more stress on the head section. My clutch is now getting close to needing replacement. That might be a next spring job. Looks to be a bit of a challenge in that solid tub. Time will tell.
Glad your doing well! Would like to hear a bit more, like what took place between "oh crap" and "laying in the hospital bed".
After I zig zagged staggered out of the hilly woods about 1/4 miles traveling in spinning, multi colored, psychedelic stars, with my SIL helping me he tossed the chains over our 3/4 filled gooseneck trailer load of wood and secured it. I was cleared up visually by then with a pounding headache. I drove my F-550 the 3 miles out of the woods to the township road and then the 45 miles home to Moose Lake where the nearest hospital is. No cell reception at all where we were. My neck got stiff on the way and my head did not want to turn. Part way home we passed thru the small village of Askov where their yearly town celebration was going on. At the towns stop sign an elderly lady started to cross in front of us. After looking our way part when part way across the street and getting a strange facial expression she turned around and went back to the crowd. I said to the SIL, "wonder what's wrong with her"? He replied that I probably scared her with my looks. I leaned over, best I could, and looked in the mirror. I was a bloody mess. We proceeded home and after washing up my face and at the wife's prompting I went down to the ER. They checked me over, x-rayed my bruised knee and told me to take it easy for a few days. I said what about my head, I want a MRI to make sure I don't have a bleeder. My best friend hit his head hard and had a micro bleeder for months that almost killing him 4 months later. The doc said, "You need a Cat Scan to see a bleeder". "Well, give me a CT then", I replied. He said, "I will have to find out what day the truck comes and get you scheduled." I told him that I built this hospital and that he had both a Cat Scan and a MRI right behind us in the adjoining rooms. In fairness he was a doc from some distance away and was filling in on the day after Thanksgiving. They sent me for the CT and a bit later I was back in the ER room. The doc came in and he was nervous as heck. He said that I had a broken neck and they needed to get me to a trauma center. He put a color on me. He then asked me if I had a neurological surgeon that I preferred. I replied that I had not broke my neck before and did not know any. I then said I want one about 35 to 40 years old. Old enough to have done a bunch of them but young enough to know and embrace the latest and greatest stuff. He came back a few minutes later with three names. One was a doctor from Sacramento that he said comes to Duluth once a month for specialty surgeries. He happened to be in town for a few days. I said, he's the one I want. If they are bringing him in for the tough surgeries he's good enough for me. They rolled me out to the ambulance and the rest is history.
I'd click the like button but I can't say honestly that I ever like hearing stories like that. Congratulations on surviving.
I understand fully, I have the same problem myself sometimes. And, Thank you.
I have been following this thread since it started. Terrible ordeal OIH ! Nice to read you are ok! Good thing you built that hospital. Or there may have been a different outcome.
I always felt good about building hospitals. I figured in some small way, if I did my job proper, my work could help people. Never really thought about it maybe being me.
Holy **** just read the whole story. Life hits us sometimes totally unprepared and then you have to pull and fight to get out with as less damage as possible.. I am happy that you didn't suffer any permanent injuries..