I know this is a old thread, but it's Earl's fault cause he taught me to use search. I'm setting here thinking about safety this morning with a ice pack on my shin, just cooling off my new goose egg. I kinda chuckled to myself when I saw Earl's frame horns all wraped up. I remember thinking, thats a good idea, then I did'nt really have time to do it cause I'd have to go find something to wrap it with then I'd have to go find the tape, blah blah blah. I,m just getting started good and already I'm hurting, for the rest of this build, it's safety first for me. This truck will be here long after I'm gone. Be careful guy's.
____________________
Xfordman
1953 F100
if it was easy everybody would have one!

 

I thought George did that just to keep from scratching the frame . . .

until I tripped over the exposed end of my frame walking past it at night. Ouch!

George is either a pretty smart guy - or ol Earl reached out and touched him already!

 

I thought George did that just to keep from scratching the frame . . .

until I tripped over the exposed end of my frame walking past it at night. Ouch!

George is either a pretty smart guy - or ol Earl reached out and touched him already!

 

One bloody shin and a dog with a bruise on her back. No, I only wish I were that smart.

 

"Clearly" you guys have the right idea. I'm a safety professional (whatever that is) for a power company and we deal with the safety glasses et al on a daily basis. In fact it's a pet peve of mine as I have some friends who've nearly lost eyes because their glasses were left in the truck and not on their heads - a pity. The glasses (with side shields please) are to protect your eyes and the face shield is to protect your face - depending on what you're doing you may need them both.

There are times when glasses just aren't enough (under the truck working on rusted exhaust stuff etc - sad to say but ask me how I know) and for those times you go to goggles. Fortunately the safety gear today is about 10 thousand times better than the stuff I remember when I first got into industry and it really works quite well if you give it a chance - please wear it. They even make glasses that go over your regular prescription glasses and a couple of companies are making safety glasses that will take a prescription set of lenses inside the plastic safety glass lense which is cheap and replaceable. There are lots of people making safety glasses and some are much better than others - be sure to get a pair that are comfortable and fit well...makes em much easier to wear!

Regards stuff in your eye - the eye is the fastest healing organ in the body but when you get something in it (especially metal) that you can't easily flush out the time to see the doc is right away. If you get it out before it rusts you're way ahead of the game and always have a better result - if you wait till rust occurs then they have to do more invasive (and longer healing and more damaging) procedures to get the rust out.

While I'm at it - I lost a dear friend and professional (there's that term again) heavy truck mechanic because he crawled under a car that wasn't properly supported and it fell off and caused him to suffocate when the gas tank set down on his chest. He was working alone in his private shop late at night - how many of us fit that description - and I believe he was going to be under the car "just for a moment" to get a part number or something. His wife found him. He left his wife and two girls. He was one of the most careful mechanics I know and would never have let any of his guys do the same thing. I miss him and I can't get under a vehicle without thinking of him.

I guess this stuff is pretty close to home for me. Be sure and always take the time to wear the right stuff. I'm speaking to me as much as anyone and I'm sorry for the rant. Lets be careful out there!

Leaks

 

Hey OilLeaks.. I hear ever word you say there.. I run a shop in town and work alone 99.9999% of the time.. All my engine lift have a double chain safety.. IE one lift chain a one safety.. The worse thing I run into at lest one a week is the hitches on the trucks( OUCH!! ) I gets wierd looks from lots of customers see me walking around with shin guards on me.. But one never knows what type or size hitch on a truck.. And man they hurts went one forgets to look down .....

 

Occasionally I'm out on the tractor doing something inherently dangerous (grading on a slope next to irrigation ditchs) or something like that - and I always ask one of the daughters to check on me every thirty minutes or so just to make sure I'm not trying to wear a tractor on my back.

Working alone at night (in my detached garage) under a vehicle etc. is pretty similar - would make a lot of sense to have a couple of those minature walkie talkies - one in the home and one on my belt - so if something bad happens, least somebody would know. - That pretty much destroys the whole purpose of being on the tractor though - a way to escape where, for at least a little while, nobody can get me....

 

My frame is covered by body and fenders, but I can't count how many times I've hit my head on the windshield dogleg while working on the dash and doors! It may have been a cool look in the 50's but I can apreciate why the manufacturers have abandoned wrap around windshields...
The trailer hitch ball on the truck and our cars is my wife's pain in the shins, but we can remove the ones on the cars. The fixed mount one on the truck will soon join the ever growing pile of removed parts and a receiver style hitch will soon take it's place.

 

My problem with hitches are the ones that are on Customers trucks.. I have them om my trucks and when not it use.. there off and in the tool box...

 

The one's on the cars are usually off too, but sometimes we get home from a race late and by the time we put the trailer away neither of us feels much like getting down on the ground to pull the pin out. Almost without fail Donna will go out the next AM to put something in the back of the car and get a painful reminder that the ball is still there.