Beware of load handler hazard
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Posted by Harry on August 25, 1998 at 04:59:59:
Posted by Harry on Monday, 24 August 1998, at 11:08 p.m. Today I decided to try out our new manure management program. We decided it is time to stop composting or at least to get
something for our composting. I take about 500 pounds of manure out of our barn daily and have been composting it for the
past five years on a monument we call Mt. Manure. Well there is this place here in the county called Good Earth, a place
where they compost all kinds of stuff and then sell it to nurserys. They have a rather large sawmill operation as well. They
have a program where they trade a load of manure for a load of sawdust. It is good bedding, oak and other hardwood, and
the price seemed to be right. I have been paying $40 to $50 per month for sawdust bedding and thought I would like to kill
two birds with one stone, get rid of manure and get bedding at that cost. Well here it comes, I bought a Load Handler, (as seen on TV) and loaded up three days of manure in the bed of the old
Chevy truck. I then drove the 30 minutes to Good Earth to unload and swap for some bedding. I got there and they told me the
loader was going to be down for twenty minutes, could I wait. Yes I said I'll wait. I drove to the drop off point to unload the
manure, dropped the tailgate and backed up to the manure pile. I got the handle connected to the Load handler and began
cranking it out the back of the truck. I had made only a few turns and the load had just started moving back when I decided I
was too close to the pile I was dumping on and should move the truck forward. I looked up and released pressure on the
crank handle and it slipped out of my grip. The damn thing was wound up like a spring and I didn't know it. The handle
whipped out of my hands and the crank whacked me in the head just above my right eye making me see stars. I reeled
backwards and said "shit!". I put my hand to my head and it was warm and sticky and then the blood ran into my eye and I
couldn't see. I figured I would probably drop dead if I didn't stop the flow. I found a towel in the front seat of the truck and
folded it and applied direct pressure to the wound to stop the bleeding. After about 5 minutes it stopped and I looked in the
rear view mirrow to see what the damage was. There was a gash about one and a half inches long on my forehead over my
right eye and it looked like it needed a few stitches. I was nowhere near a doctor but always carry a few bandaids in my
wallet for just such emergencies. I had three today. I used them to bridge the gash and pull it together till I could get home, a
30 minute drive. I never did get my bedding. I got home and washed it with Betadine and put a fresh dressing on my head. I
had some cold beer and now I'm all better except for the hole in my head. The moral of this story is "If you decide to give someone a load of shit, be ready to get hit up side the head". But seriously
folks, be careful with load handlers, I could just as easily have lost an eye in the wink of an eye. You would think they would
put a ratchet on that thing so you couldn't get hurt like I did. I think I'll sue really really bigtime.
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