Potential Darwin Award? - Hydraulic Line failure

[MAArcher]

I want to use my B8200 with a BF300 loader and clamp on forks with a section of staging to power wash and stain my house, kind of like this guy:

But I got to thinking what happens if a hose gives out? How likely is that to happen? I don't want to win a Darwin Award.

 

[DustyRusty]

How old is your tractor, and how far are you from a hospital trauma center? Do you have a living will and one in the event of death? Can you afford the hospital bill deductibles? I wouldn't do it, but it depends on your risk level.
I knew someone who owned a 3-story wooden apartment building, and when he got the cost for scraping and painting the building he decided to do it himself. I advised him against doing it, but he felt he could save the money by doing it himself. He fell from the ladder, hit his head, and was DOA at the hospital. Another friend was using a ladder to cut some tree limbs to save some money instead of having the tree company that had just taken a few trees down for him. The limb he was cutting, fell on the ladder and he spent the next 6 months in the hospital recovering. Now he is barely able to get around on his own. I have become old by not being stupid, but we all have our risk tolerance. Mine is quite low and I don't take risks. I rather pay someone who knows what they are doing than try to learn on my own, when taking risks that can end my life.

 

[CiscoRanger]

Yes, it is dangerous. Yes, a hose can go at any time for any reason. And even though I have seen countless people do things like this, the only appropriate answer should be, "Use equipment that is intended for this kind of work." Such as additional scaffolding, or a scissor lift. Anything else and you are just rolling the dice.

 

[D2Cat]

Build or buy a man basket to use with your loader. If you have pallet forks you could easily make one out of those 300 gallon fluid totes. Just cut an opening one one side and a few modifications.

 

[Tarmy]

Or you could rent a proper lift and get the job done. I am sure you could “rig” up something that works…but the older I get the more inclined I am to have the high work done by others or rent the correct tool. I have a very high garage that gets oiled every few years. I rent a local contractors lift on the weekend when he is not using it for a really good price.

 

[Russell King]

Somewhere on this site someone resolved the issue by building a framework that was built completely around the tractor and a couple of levels high. The tractor was driven around and on level ground to use the scaffolding to do the work.

The way you show is not really very safe but if you can get taller scaffolding and use the tractor to move it around instead of holding it up that should be much safer - as long as it is level.

But look at rental places for something like this

https://www.badgerladder.com/titanr-aluminum-pump-jack-package-5-diy-renovation-painting-siding/

 

[MAArcher]

I want one of these:

 

[dirtydeed]

Or you could rent a proper lift and get the job done. I am sure you could “rig” up something that works…but the older I get the more inclined I am to have the high work done by others or rent the correct tool. I have a very high garage that gets oiled every few years. I rent a local contractors lift on the weekend when he is not using it for a really good price. View attachment 130764

Tarmy, that looks great. PM sent about what stain you used...

 

[MAArcher]

Tarmy, that looks great. PM sent about what stain you used...

If you're staining a log home, for the first time, let me give you some advice if you do it yourself.
That is to use this product, which is more of an "oil" than a "stain": https://blairstowndistributors.com/product/woodguard_exterior/
In clear or very light tint.

All the other stains I've seen used require too much maintenance and too much work to recoat. With the Woodguard oil, all you have to do is spray the house down, if you even bother doing that, before recoating. We used the Woodguard in the log home I grew up in. For the first half of the last 20 years I've lived in my own home with board and batten siding I used the Woodguard, and then it was discontinued for a time and I had to recoat with something else, and went with some semi-transparent latex based stain, and now I've spent the last two weeks trying to strip and power wash the stuff off so I can put the Woodguard back on.

If you don't mind paying someone else to do the work, then I could see going with a dark solid color stain if you like that look. But for long lasting protection with easy DIY recoating (just spray or roll it on, drips and sags don't matter, a little overspray on the roof doesn't matter, etc) then I don't think you can beat the Woodguard.

 

[dirtydeed]

If you're staining a log home, for the first time, let me give you some advice if you do it yourself.
That is to use this product, which is more of an "oil" than a "stain": https://blairstowndistributors.com/product/woodguard_exterior/
In clear or very light tint.

All the other stains I've seen used require too much maintenance and too much work to recoat. With the Woodguard oil, all you have to do is spray the house down, if you even bother doing that, before recoating. We used the Woodguard in the log home I grew up in. For the first half of the last 20 years I've lived in my own home with board and batten siding I used the Woodguard, and then it was discontinued for a time and I had to recoat with something else, and went with some semi-transparent latex based stain, and now I've spent the last two weeks trying to strip and power wash the stuff off so I can put the Woodguard back on.

If you don't mind paying someone else to do the work, then I could see going with a dark solid color stain if you like that look. But for long lasting protection with easy DIY recoating (just spray or roll it on, drips and sags don't matter, a little overspray on the roof doesn't matter, etc) then I don't think you can beat the Woodguard.

Thanks. I think I'll start a thread in off-topic section so I don't bugger up someone else's thread.

 

[Soopitup]

Pretty much any lift you rent will also be hydraulic, with hoses.
There may or may not be a safety lockout built into the system.

I think the likelihood of a catastrophic blowout from lifting something like that is close to nil.
Just because something looks scary doesn't mean it's unsafe. Using your brain you can mitigate most of the danger.
For example, using cylinder locks.
I've used a ladder against my loader multiple times. I hate heights and I'm comfortable doing it; I make sure the tractor is level and the ladder is steady. Not really a big deal. Cutting limbs with a ladder is dumb though. No real way to mitigate the fact you have a limb falling next to/at your ladder.

Exactly what they're doing below does look sketchy. I wouldn't use the scaffolding like that, and most definitely not with clamp on forks, there's not even a backing to secure against.

As long as what you're using is secured to the tractor and you're on level ground I don't see a problem with it.
With that said, it may be easier/faster to rent a full section of scaffolding or a lift. Climbing down every time I had to move would drive me nuts.

I want to use my B8200 with a BF300 loader and clamp on forks with a section of staging to power wash and stain my house, kind of like this guy:
View attachment 130758

But I got to thinking what happens if a hose gives out? How likely is that to happen? I don't want to win a Darwin Award.

 

[MAArcher]

Found a deal on a used one of these:

I think I'm going to grab it and rig it to mount to the 3pt hitch.

 

[Ktrim]

4 yrs ago. Rented bucket lift. Hydraulics failed. Bucket locked in up position then dropped suddenly. Caught Branch on the way down, came up through cage and caught me millimeters from ripping my eye out and tore off right side of my head down to the bone.

 

[chriscozi]

4 yrs ago. Rented bucket lift. Hydraulics failed. Bucket locked in up position then dropped suddenly. Caught Branch on the way down, came up through cage and caught me millimeters from ripping my eye out and tore off right side of my head down to the bone.

Wow. Glad you made it!

 

[chriscozi]

Found a deal on a used one of these:
View attachment 130828

I think I'm going to grab it and rig it to mount to the 3pt hitch.

Don't know. Physics says the scissor jack one looks more stable to me.
I would be super careful leaning while up in this.

 

[DustyRusty]

4 yrs ago. Rented bucket lift. Hydraulics failed. Bucket locked in up position then dropped suddenly. Caught Branch on the way down, came up through cage and caught me millimeters from ripping my eye out and tore off right side of my head down to the bone.

Were the stitches done by an ER doctor or a plastic surgeon? Either way, you dodged a bullet to survive that trauma.

 

[Ktrim]

Plastic surgeon. They sent her pictures and she said "I'll be right in" several hundred in and out. Never did get feeling back on that side. Too much nerve damage.

 

[Ktrim]

Shows you even with "proper equipment " it can go south real quick.

 

[Soopitup]

4 yrs ago. Rented bucket lift. Hydraulics failed. Bucket locked in up position then dropped suddenly. Caught Branch on the way down, came up through cage and caught me millimeters from ripping my eye out and tore off right side of my head down to the bone.

Wow
Glad you came out ok.
And glad you posted this AFTER I rented a bucket lift last weekend....

 

[mikester]

I want to use my B8200 with a BF300 loader and clamp on forks with a section of staging to power wash and stain my house, kind of like this guy:
View attachment 130758

But I got to thinking what happens if a hose gives out? How likely is that to happen? I don't want to win a Darwin Award.

We need more Darwin Award winners to keep the lawyers busy and out of politics.