Buckingham Palace fig tree dropped a limb on my new chipper

I was clearing a job in Arlington last Tuesday. Huge fig tree, probably 60 years old. Got lazy and didn't check the interior rot on the main crotch. A limb snapped off right onto my Bandit chipper's feed wheel. Bent the housing. Cost me $400 to get a mobile welder out there to straighten it. Anyone else had a tree drop something expensive on their gear?

2 comments

2 Comments

bettym897d ago

That fig limb had it out for your Bandit for sure. 60 years old and dropping a bomb right on the feed wheel is rough. $400 for a mobile welder is actually not terrible though could have been way worse if it cracked the housing.

eva2437d ago

Betty's right, $400 for a mobile welder is actually fair. I've had a similar situation with a commercial job in Medford. A dead oak limb took out the side panel on my Vermeer. That was a $750 hit and a week of downtime. My advice is to always check the crotch and the backside of any limb overhanging your drop zone. Rot hides real well on old trees. Also, if you're running a Bandit, keep a spare feed wheel gasket in your truck. Saved me more than once. Hope that fig tree didn't mess up your whole day.