Printable View
Out of control power trowel.
<video controls autoplay loop>
<source src="https://diqn32j8nouaz.cloudfront.net/out_of_control_power_trowel.mp4" type="video/mp4">
Your browser does not support the video tag.
</video>
Previously:
https://www.homemadetools.net/forum/...9457#post89328
https://www.homemadetools.net/forum/...7760#post86196
looks like a midget, demented Dalek from Dr. Who...
Hi Jinx. Funny to watch. That almost happened to me the first time i used a commercial floor polisher but i held on till I could shut it down and stop its escape. My boss laughed and smiled " the first time I used one it put me through a plate glass window of a bank" causing all sorts of dilemna.:bank manager, police, repair folk (who didn't do call-outs in those days) etc. With that note I felt much less impotent.
John Wayne would have sorted it with a las-hoo unlike those pilgrams.
I swear I recognize 2 of those guys the one in the green shirt we called Filipino John and the larger guy in the red shirt is either Femil or Rague
Hold'er down Newt! Don't let'er rare now!
my first thought was riding a floor buffer in the usaf....what a ride...I was a kid.. but the 2nd thought was look for a big water hose...the plastic sheeting was a good idea.
my first big floor polisher was a similar experience luckily the cord was pulled before any damage was done.
Ralph
I was thinking that could have messed up a whole days work in no time and was an episode of Keystone Cops for sure.
First time that happened to me the accursed thing homed in on my....groinal area. I did better maintenance on the clutch release after that.
I imagine either the throttle leaver was wired open or there was no dead man switch on it
Agreed. On mine they either had a centrifugal clutch with a spring return throttle or a belt tightener on the handle with a lock that folded over from the other side to lock it in place. It looks to be running quite fast so I would guess it had the tightener with the lock wired down. Ask me how I know.......Quote:
Originally Posted by Frank S
Never had the inclination to want to own one but have rented far too many through the years. The guy at a place I was going to rent one one time told me now you know this machine takes 2 people to start it.I asked why. Well it will only keep running if it is nearly wide open. so the clutch stays engaged.
No thanks I'll rent from your competitor he may be higher but at least he maintains his equipment.
I'm not sure what defensive method uses plastic sheeting, but first two jousting with 2x4 and PVC pipe didn't stand a chance. Needs a deadman switch for sure; or smaller fuel tank.
Lol, just watched once more. Look for passerby and other workers; hardly attracts any attention. Must happen all the time!
the plastic sheeting works a a few diferent ways, it's tough,it wraps around and smothers the engine with it's own exhaust in addtion to raping around the blades loading the engine harder trying to stall it.
And quicker than waiting for Spiderman to arrive, assess and act accordingly amidst accordion accompaniment.Quote:
Originally Posted by marksbug
perhaps the dead man switch didnt want to switch as he could get killed dead....again...wonder where you get those dead men to switch back and forth on this kinda stuff... something to ponder on..
Another one in the out-of-control-power-trowel genre, and this one smacks a couple of hapless workers.
<video controls autoplay loop>
<source src="https://diqn32j8nouaz.cloudfront.net/power_trowel_gets_away.mp4" type="video/mp4">
Your browser does not support the video tag.
</video>
Another one with the dead man throttle wired wide open.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jon
I used to see workers do this all the time because after hours and hours of running the trowels that control gets hard to hold so they wire it open.
About as smart as wiring the engine stop lever open on a lawn mower then reaching down to clear the grass from the chute
Power trowels can't make friends, it's obvious as he vacillates from one to the next, pleading for attention.
Not stereotyping [one fingering at the moment, lol] but the moppet cut, dark haired workers tells a big part of the story.
Looks like the guy in the red shirt got a broken left ankle out of it too. He just moved his foot into a very tight spot pinned between the form and dirt behind him. After it hits him he tries to walk forward and when he puts his left foot down the second time it folds. If the guy had let go it would have dropped off the far edge with no injury.
so if I ever am in the position of seeing this, WHAT is the method I should use to stop a trowelling machine/ get it under control?
I am thinking broom or lasso to catch handle, then seize handle and control machine to stop it? or is there another better technique?
Yes I understand the "how it should work".. but let's face facts, we are the kind of people who may drive past this type of event, and would probably want to help stop the carnage. - so how ...
Designing a tool to capture it would probably be fairly easy. The more important question is how to stop it with whatever material is to hand.Quote:
Originally Posted by desbromilow
A better question is how to prevent runaways in the first place.
Many places require someone operating an outboard motor powered watercraft to have a wrist lanyard attached to a kill switch on the engine so if he falls overboard the boat can't come around and slice and dice him. Perhaps that would be a good idea for this and similar tools.