Wanted pros thoughts on PPE? firewood hacks want to know

[KenJax Tree]

Kask plasma helmet
Mechanix gloves
Wesco or Danner non steel toe boots
Oakley sunglasses
Ear plugs (not when falling, i like to hear it cracking and popping so i know what its doing).

22 years of tree work and never owned a pair of chaps

 

[Lootbug]

I've never needed a seat belt...but I still put it on every time I get in a vehicle. I feel the same way about chainsaw safety gear. It may seem silly and annoying, but if it only saves your ass one time in your life it was worth all the hassle. The average chainsaw injury requires 110 stitches. As of the year 2000, the average hospital bill for treating a chainsaw injury is $12,000. That does not include follow up visits, lost work, change in lifestyle, ect.

 

[CoreyB]

I've never needed a seat belt...but I still put it on every time I get in a vehicle. I feel the same way about chainsaw safety gear. It may seem silly and annoying, but if it only saves your ass one time in your life it was worth all the hassle. The average chainsaw injury requires 110 stitches. As of the year 2000, the average hospital bill for treating a chainsaw injury is $12,000. That does not include follow up visits, lost work, change in lifestyle, ect.

That is why I wanted feedback. To see what is the easiest to wear and better investment.
I am only on week three of chainsaw pants over chaps and it will be easy for me to pony up the extra money for pants over chaps next time I buy a pair. I really want to be able to help my customers make the right choices and having feedback and input from so many experienced people really does help.

 

[Nitehawk55]

Echo has a few different types of gloves , I like them . My chaps are Stihl , helmet and muff system as well . The Viking boots for when it's mucky out .

 

[KenJax Tree]

I just can't work in a suit of armor

 

[Magnumitis]

From a firewood hacks perspective.

1. Glasses
2. Labonville wraps

I have a hard hat with muffs I wear when falling. Don't use the muffs much so I can hear. Trashed the face screen, it's a hindrance as are gloves IMO.

 

[KenJax Tree]

From a firewood hacks perspective.

1. Glasses
2. Labonville wraps

I have a hard hat with muffs I wear when falling. Don't use the muffs much so I can hear. Trashed the face screen, it's a hindrance as are gloves IMO.

When you aren't wearing the hard hat are you wearing the floppy hat?

 

[Magnumitis]

When you aren't wearing the hard hat are you wearing the floppy hat?

Of course

 

[Definitive Dave]

I only cut for fun, but we used to do professional tree work (fully insured, licensed line clearance climber, etc.).
Climber would only wear bugz glasses.
all of us below wore helmets, safety vests, safety glasses
anyone running a saw on the ground wore chaps, most of the time
Since I started just goofing off with fast saws I have had a lot more thrown chains, and from high powered, big rpm saws.
The Forester chaps i had from doing tree work protected me but were ruined in one hit from the chain.
The Husqvarna Technical chaps took no damage from a thrown chain at all.
The tech chaps have a lot of straps to make them stay in place if you get hit by a running saw.
That means the saw chews the chaps and stalls (that's how they work) instead of pulling the chaps away from your soft tender manflesh and chewing that up.
They are comfortable to wear and wear all day.
They also unbuckle in a way to make watering a tree easy without total removal.

 

[CoreyB]

I only cut for fun, but we used to do professional tree work (fully insured, licensed line clearance climber, etc.).
Climber would only wear bugz glasses.
all of us below wore helmets, safety vests, safety glasses
anyone running a saw on the ground wore chaps, most of the time
Since I started just goofing off with fast saws I have had a lot more thrown chains, and from high powered, big rpm saws.
The Forester chaps i had from doing tree work protected me but were ruined in one hit from the chain.
The Husqvarna Technical chaps took no damage from a thrown chain at all.
The tech chaps have a lot of straps to make them stay in place if you get hit by a running saw.
That means the saw chews the chaps and stalls (that's how they work) instead of pulling the chaps away from your soft tender manflesh and chewing that up.
They are comfortable to wear and wear all day.
They also unbuckle in a way to make watering a tree easy without total removal.

I think I will order a pair of the tech chaps to stock at the shop. Looks like they wrap around your calf well. Do they snag much in the brush?

 

[Cigmaker]

I posted earlier about my logger buddy and the crew not wear anything. I do however wear chaps, helmet with screen and muffs plus steel toe boots. Including a little motivational picture as to why. I was clear my woods and went to kick something out of the way.

 

[decableguy2000]

I've never needed a seat belt...but I still put it on every time I get in a vehicle. I feel the same way about chainsaw safety gear. It may seem silly and annoying, but if it only saves your ass one time in your life it was worth all the hassle.

I like the seat belt analogy, I may have to borrow it. I wear chaps and wear a fallers hard hat when dropping trees, when bucking logs usually chaps and ear muffs. Leather driver gloves most of the time. It is a pain getting on and off the tractor with chaps on, but you get use to them after awhile. Same with gloves. Our in house safety police at work will sneek up and take pictures of us on the job site, so I'm use to having all kinds of PPE on. All it takes is one thing to happen to trigger a whole chain of events.

 

[Magnumitis]

I posted earlier about my logger buddy and the crew not wear anything. I do however wear chaps, helmet with screen and muffs plus steel toe boots. Including a little motivational picture as to why. I was clear my woods and went to kick something out of the way. View attachment 55412

I cut through Carhartt unlined bibs and a pair of denim jeans one time..Two cutters got the side of my knee. I bought the labonville wraps and am good about wearing them working. Cutting cookies, not so much

 

[SOS Ridgerider]

I have an Oregon suit kinda like yours @CoreyB Chainsaw pants and a jacket. The pants are nice, but when it gets to be above 60 degrees or so they're real warm. The jacket doesn't do anything really, other than being a jacket and having pockets for stuff. In the warmer weather I use a pair of Oregon chaps. It's the soft style, so a thrown chain would probably eff them up, but I'm cool with that.
For felling I use a hard hat with muffs and a screen. For bucking it's safety glasses and earbuds or muffs. I have a pair of Oregon chainsaw gloves, but I honestly like Mechanix gloves better. Steel toe boots, unless it's real cold.
I concur with the seatbelt analogy. I've got too much other stuff to do than being laid up somewhere, or even worse.

 

[Definitive Dave]

Looks like they wrap around your calf well. Do they snag much in the brush?

Not much thorny brush next to the cant stand
I do occasionally encounter unruly turf, but I just stick the tip of the saw in it

 

[Cigmaker]

It really just comes down to we know what we should do and go from there. I drink way to many beers a week than is recommended I also dip another strike but when it's your time brother you're going. My grandma is almost 80 she smoked forever and still will from time to time but she keeps the weight in check and keeps rolling. I really believe the day you're born you get the time you will spend on earth so I try and do good but hell I also do bad lol.

 

[CoreyB]

I have been using these tech pants for a few weekends so not a ton of time but probably 60 working hours. The more I use them the more I don't even notice them which I really like. Very comfortable and easy to move in even squat down. Only downside so far is a touch warm but I have not used them much over 70 degree. A 95 degree day may be real hot. Lol. I think I may order a second pair. .l

 

[StandInTheFire]

On 95 degree days, I tend to leave the saws AND ppe in the shed. Did way too many work days in my life fighting dehydration and suffering heat stroke a few times. In my mind, accident frequency tends to increase as operator comfort decreases. I have less than nothing to prove, and there is seldom any job important enough for me to start saws on days with inclement weather of any kind. It always blows my mind when I see tree guys doing crane removals on days with 50 mph wind gusts. In my world, that removal pays EXACTLY the same money whether the work is performed during a hurricane or on a nice sunny day.

 

[CoreyB]

On 95 degree days, I tend to leave the saws AND ppe in the shed. Did way too many work days in my life fighting dehydration and suffering heat stroke a few times. In my mind, accident frequency tends to increase as operator comfort decreases. I have less than nothing to prove, and there is seldom any job important enough for me to start saws on days with inclement weather of any kind. It always blows my mind when I see tree guys doing crane removals on days with 50 mph wind gusts. In my world, that removal pays EXACTLY the same money whether the work is performed during a hurricane or on a nice sunny day.

Very good point!

 

[Scotty Overkill]

If you're felling trees, you should at least be wearing a hard had (helmet), steel toes and chaps.....

If your just bucking firewood, you should have chaps and steel toes. Now as for safety glasses? I can't stand wearing them. When I'm climbing and topping trees the sweat and humidity make it impossible to see out of them, and I still get sawdust in my eyes anyway. So, I rarely wear them in the tree. But I'll wear them on the ground.