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Dozer rollover

StevenG

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 23, 2022
Messages
108
Location
NC
Could be staged, could be lever puller error. I doubt anyone who gave a crap would intentionally do it
 

Spud_Monkey

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 15, 2018
Messages
6,536
Location
Your six
Occupation
Decommissioned
I think it is quite possibly is real.
Not far from me a 19 year old man was killed while working in a gravel pit.
He backed a D-8 off a verticle drop off and was crushed.
It was a very old dozer with no ROPS.
Even then a ROPS can kill one if they aren't buckled in.
 

Birken Vogt

Charter Member
Joined
Nov 30, 2003
Messages
5,325
Location
Grass Valley, Ca
There have been several fire dozer guys killed falling off high places in Ca, both govt employed and contractors, even belted in. Head against some heavy metal at high speed or something along those lines.
 

skyking1

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 3, 2020
Messages
7,696
Location
washington
I drove through some of that country, right before the roads washed out. It is extreme terrain. If you made one wrong move on a firebreak, you would roll for hundreds of feet down the slope, off cliffs etc.
It is very daunting work that they do, often under extreme circumstances.
 

56wrench

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 4, 2016
Messages
2,127
Location
alberta
I had a good friend killed about 40 years ago when he was unloading a D7G off a low-boy which he had got stuck by turning a corner a little too short. The trailer was tilted a bit and as soon as it twitched into reverse, it slid off the side. The deck was frosty. He was not wearing the seatbelt and he was thrown out the side and edge of the canopy cut him in half. The last time i saw him was in his coffin. I remember him every time i load or unload a tracked machine. If he had not been in such a hurry, and got the truck and trailer pulled out, he would still be alive. He was advised by an old catskinner who was there not to do it but he ignored the advice. His in-laws had large 4WD tractor which could have pulled it out only a half mile away as he was going to do some work for them. I am posting this to maybe show some people how dangerous this could be for somebody inexperienced that has no clue
 

skyking1

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 3, 2020
Messages
7,696
Location
washington
@56wrench, thank you for posting that reminder. Somebody needs to learn from that hard lesson. I've bounced one little dozer off the side of a couple of ramps, I still had some traction so I could back the belly pan down off the ramp I was straddling. No harm no foul, but I learned.
 

DMiller

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2010
Messages
16,599
Location
Hermann, Missouri
Occupation
Cheap "old" Geezer
I had a good friend killed about 40 years ago when he was unloading a D7G off a low-boy which he had got stuck by turning a corner a little too short. The trailer was tilted a bit and as soon as it twitched into reverse, it slid off the side. The deck was frosty. He was not wearing the seatbelt and he was thrown out the side and edge of the canopy cut him in half. The last time i saw him was in his coffin. I remember him every time i load or unload a tracked machine. If he had not been in such a hurry, and got the truck and trailer pulled out, he would still be alive. He was advised by an old catskinner who was there not to do it but he ignored the advice. His in-laws had large 4WD tractor which could have pulled it out only a half mile away as he was going to do some work for them. I am posting this to maybe show some people how dangerous this could be for somebody inexperienced that has no clue

Eerily similar to current boss's brother here, Deere 750 Dozer, just completed some Levee Repairs down by Hermann Airport and had loaded by himself, Driving out low bed got too close to ditch and sucked in, Gerald was a good operator and generally wore a lap belt, his choice this time killed him similarly. Tractor as soon as released the brake slipped sideways off the trailer throwing him out of the Open ROPS(Belts found at scene untouched aside the seat), the still running tractor then slowly rolled onto him crushing his upper torso under that ROPS essentially he could not breath and died of asphyxiation. A Friend/Neighbor/Client that lives in the Rhineland Valley nearby called his brothers until raised someone as to the Headlights being seen for some time unmoving, concerned could be in trouble. My boss was the one that actually came upon the scene first. My boss still had the 750 when cut in my Barn Driveway, I learned of the history of it from the operator using it.
 

56wrench

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 4, 2016
Messages
2,127
Location
alberta
Sorry DM, i can't say i like your post because it brings back memories of a guy i knew since we were kids in the same grade in school. I had also worked for his dad and with him and his older brother a couple different times. I was going back to work for him as mechanic. He hired me and he was killed a few days later, before i was able to start work. I only worked there for a few months- it was very hard to be there, his dad was mad at the whole world and everybody all the time. When i gave my notice, his brother was very understanding and told me at least i was able to quit, he was stuck there.
 

Old Doug

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 16, 2013
Messages
4,552
Location
Mo
I worked for a older guy my last year of school then some after school he drilled me about the trailer and often said that is the most dangerous place a guy will ever be on a Dozer. I had a ramp brake on a trailer that didnt have a dovetail the machine fell strait down it hit hard i dent a brace on the seat bottom. I always watched cars and pickups jump on tv until you have been there you dont know just how hard the landing will be. I am big on seat belts after going out a window.
 

Welder Dave

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 11, 2014
Messages
12,556
Location
Canada
When a major forest fire went through my property an idiot from the county sent 3 dozers into the MX track when the smoke was so thick they couldn't see any obstacles. There were jumps with gouges in them and also a few holes/dug outs they could have easily drove into. They had to abort after the flames went right over them. There were sent into the thickest bush. Talking with one of the operators after the fact, he said the track probably saved them. He said if it was all bush he doesn't think they would have made it out. The track gave them a cleared area to back into and they followed it backwards to get to the parking lot. One of the dozers was an open station and the operators glasses were twisted about 45 degs. on his face. I was watering a 5th wheel trailer to keep from catching fire and they drove past me. It must have been pretty scary with the flames going over top of them, especially with no cab. The fire boss from sustainable resources severely chewed out the county fire chief for letting his employee send the dozers in when it was clearly too late to do so.
 

Birken Vogt

Charter Member
Joined
Nov 30, 2003
Messages
5,325
Location
Grass Valley, Ca
An air conditioned dozer will take a tremendous amount of fire and just keep pushing. They use them very aggressively here in California like that. But why risk it too much. Usually the dozer can do its work hours or days before the fire even gets there. But with a cab, if it is a simple ground fire, they can work right along the fire edge very effectively.
 

John Canfield

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 27, 2009
Messages
431
Location
Texas
Occupation
Ranching
My brother in law bought my Komatsu D39P-1 and sent a truck with a steel deck to pick it up, I think it had a bobtail (forgot.) The driver backed the truck up into a raised area where I could load it. I backed the dozer up on the deck about one inch a minute, scared the crap out of me.

I noticed by the time the dozer was at my BIL's ranch for unloading, it had shifted around on the steel deck. BIL had zero hours in a dozer and wanted to unload it - uh, no. I'll unload it and give you a few lessons.
 

John Canfield

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 27, 2009
Messages
431
Location
Texas
Occupation
Ranching
I still get a grin when I know you are from the other forum, John. How is the motor home and Jeep side of things?
Hey! We're moving on from rock crawling and RVing, I had a new shoulder joint installed two years ago and a new knee joint installed two months ago o_O. Sold the Jeep and trying to sell the coach.
 
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