Harness and tool pouch

[JBarker]

A helper knocked me off a ladder leaning against a Pine Tree I was trying to saw a limb off. I fell about 14 ft holding a running chain saw. I was thinking as I went down how bad it was going to hurt when I landed. Seemed like a eternity. Landed in Pine straw so it soften the impact. No damage done just knocked me out for a period. Landed on my back with my arms thrown out to the side still holding the chainsaw in my left hand. Probably used one of my nine lives.

wow!!! You were blessed that day

[windybob]

I think that qualified as 3 lives.

[Ron Stauffer]

In case anybody wants to know:

Highest fall and surviving is 33,333'
Takes 1880' fall to reach average human terminal velocity of approx 120 mph
You can reach higher terminal velocity of 185 mph by going head first

Holy S&@t!

For reference https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/wo ... -parachute

Ron Stauffer
Montrose CO

[Ron Stauffer]

jbarker asked

Looking at the pic you posted reminds me to ask how everyone handles installing the pump rod on the head once on the tower???

This is reason #12 for raising a mill and tower together and installing the pump rod horizontal on the ground. Even non pumpers get pump rods, when a mast pipe fails and a pump rod just bends. Thus keeping the head from hitting the ground. Aermotor specific advice.

Ron Stauffer
Montrose CO

[windybob]

Ron, not only that, but the rod keeps the oil deflector on the crosshead straight so it doesn't leak oil down the middle.

[Minnemiller]

I bought my safety belt from Jud. lol still have it. HAHA still fits too.

Wow I forgot about that! Glad its still being used and keeping you safe.

[Minnemiller]

Even a 10 foot fall could be fatal if you hit your head.

I use a Falltech Harness with Klein pouches and a open bucket like Kevin mentioned. I try to do most working from my scissor lift though. Way more tool storage with that!

[LoTec]

For years I got by with an old Klein lineman's belt. I mostly used a lanyard made of a lightweight chain with snap clips on each end.

Ten or twelve years ago I got a professional fall arrest climbing harness. I think it's made by Safewaze. That was one of the better investments I've made. It has padding in the shoulder straps, back pad and leg straps. The leg straps mean that if you can attach the positioning lanyard to the tower a bit higher than your waist, you can kinda sit back into the harness and put more of the weight on your butt, instead of on the small of your back. I find this helps reduce fatigue and back pain.

I have a "Y" shaped fall arrest lanyard: one end that clips to the harness back ring, and two ends that can clip to the tower. I used to just free climb a tower and clip on once I got to the top. Now I am trying to be clipped on at all times once I get above twelve feet. I "leapfrog" my way up and down the ladder, clipping one lanyard then un-clipping the other. I especially appreciate this feature when I get to the top of the ladder and clip on above the platform before climbing up on it... especially if the platform is wide and I have to crawl around it. And, of course, a lot of those old platforms are not to be trusted, another reason to be safely fastened to something before getting up there.

I usually have two positioning lanyards which are made of rope, with the kind of hook you have to squeeze to open, so they can't snap on something by accident. When I get to the place I need to work, I have the fall arrest lanyard hooked, plus the positioning lanyard, hopefully situated so I can lean back into it.

My harness has a waist belt and I have an electrician's pouch on one side and a carpenter's pouch on the other. I have considered getting a deeper pouch like the pictured in Jerry's post; occasionally I have trouble with stuff falling out. I do put a homemade lanyard on tools like my cordless drill and impact wrench that might not survive a fall.

I use a five gallon plastic bucket with Bucket Boss pouches on it. But I removed the wimpy wire bail and made a much heavier duty bail secured by double nutted bolts through the bucket. The bucket has a lanyard to clip it to the tower. I try to keep tools in the bucket to reduce the weight hanging on me, but often by the end of the job there are a lot of tools and hardware that have mysteriously found their way into my tool pouches, and I am very grateful to get on the ground and take the damn harness off.