Hit by flying diesel engine.

[bear67]

Long and short is on Saturday was helping son grandson swap 5.9 Cummins from one 2wd truck to a like 4wd truck. Had pulled the first and had the second on the engine hoist and out. Needed to move it out of the way where we could get the first (engineless) truck back in for implant. We went to roll the hoist and it tilted the engine down, back where I stand comes up (simple physics), bonks me in the side of the knee and throws me up and down on shoulder a couple yards away.

Now I sit in the house in a knee brace, leg propped up, with instructions to do nothing on it for at least a week. Got projects in the cabinet shop, machine shop, bullets to cast and a bumper to finish welding on and my wheels have been grounded. Life just an't fair.

When grandson gets home I am going to have him set up a pellet trap on the front porch and play when the boss is not looking. I could read a new book or read more post on CB, but need to do something physical.
Great Texas weather to be smelting, casting, building something and here I sit. You guys have a great day without me.

[waksupi]

Well, as long as you're having fun....~!!!!!:(

[Garyshome]

Ouch! You know that will feel better when it stops hurting!

[country gent]

Smelting would be out but you could sit in front of pot on porch with a supply of ingots and cast boolits with out being on the wheels. The pellet trap is a good idea also. But above all follow the Drs orders a bum knee can become a issue for life if not healed and cared for

[starmac]

Very easy to do if you don't lower the boom and get the engine close to the floor before rolling it. I have seen engines damaged several times this very way.

[nagantguy]

Get well soon brother, a few years ago I had a ladder kick out at work and broke my foot in late April, so through my money making season in was on crutches. Me and my dad had hit a double header on turkeys that morning. Anyhow this to will pass. Enjoy some down time and I think the pellet trap on the poarch is a great idea.

[mozeppa]

whats your problem? i cast sitting down!

get off your duff and get to casting!....that's an order!!

[HangFireW8]

A good time to go over your casting, reloading and shooting notes, gun logs, and old targets. If you don't keep any of these, well it's a good time to get started.

[Bullshop Junior]

Those big cummins engines are heavy.

I wouldn't recommend what I did when I had my foot casted with orders to stay off it for 6 weeks. Three days in, i took to the brace with a hacksaw and got back up and headed back to work.

Now, 9 months later it still hurts every time I step on ground that isn't perfectly flat with that foot.

[DougGuy]

^^^^ THIS... Do what the doc says do! Casting can wait..

I was pulling a 340 out of my '69 Dart when one of the bolts bent then broke. I was standing in the place that the radiator would normally be, and if it wasn't for me pulling the chain together under the hook and putting a bolt through it to make a loop, it would have jumped squarely in my lap, crushing me where I stood. As it was, I was able to push back against it and the loop held. Lesson learned? Grade 8 hardware throughout, cut bolts to short length when necessary, don't leave them long because they will get turned into leverage, ALWAYS have an escape route!

Glad it didn't hurt you any worse than it did, Like Dan said, those engines are really heavy.

[wgr]

well sounds like to were doing good for awile there.

[wallenba]

Reminds me of when I got a 302 Ford short block in the face. My brother and I were loading it into the bed of my truck for a trip to the shop for a soda bath. He had one end, I the other. As we lifted, my end slipped from my hand due to grease. He gave a mighty heave at the same time. Took it in the face. It looked like later I had gotten a good pummeling.

Hope your knees are OK. More important than my ugly mug.

[geargnasher]

No more circus tricks for you! I take it the "human catapult" thing didn't work out so well? Some of the yo-yos around here have bashed quite a few oil pans over the years. It gets really dicey with 3K+lb engines swinging around. Even an 1100-lb 6-BT Cummins will squish you or parts of you very flat faster than you can blink if something goes wrong.

Gear

[bear67]

Thanks for your concerns guys. Spent part of the day at Dr's doing ultrasounds. I already had some previous damage ('69) in this knee. Then went to out of town volleyball game and my knee was hurtin' by bedtime. Going to try to finish a project on the lathe today and maybe cast some .35 cal boolits. Evidently resting will not help recovery, so just grin, bear it, and drive on.

We already had pulled one 5.9 out that day and I knew it was tip prone, but could not extend the legs under the hoist any further. Would have used the gantry crane in the tractor shop, but it had a final drive under it already. Good thing is that the grandson and his friends completed the engine swap and backed it out of the shop. I would have just driven the 2wd drive truck, but he wanted his engine in a 4wd he had traded for. He wrenches for a living (airplane A&P), but I don't get as much "fun" out of it anymore like a 19 year old. I remember putting a NH 220 Cummins in a one ton 40 years ago and it was a project. Put a 350 V8 in an M Farmall, but I was younger then. Most accidents like this one are a momentary lapse in judgement. Never too old to make a fool out of ourselves.