What's the worst damage you have seen to a drivetrain?

The worst damage I've seen to a drive train didn't really hurt it all that much but it was replaced anyway.
An empty logging truck was backing down to get under the loader. It was first thing in the morning, raining hard, and still dark.
One of the landing crew...as nearly as we could figure later...walked behind the truck. We always had a rule that nobody ever walked behind a truck backing up in the dark. He forgot or didn't care.
He either slipped in the mud or the truck hit him, knocked him down, and ran over him. From what it looked like he made a grab for the driveline and got wrapped up in it. I don't know how many turns it made before it jammed him against the underside of the wrapper box. There was enough of him that wasn't torn off that finally caused the truck to stall out when his body wedged tight . The driver thought he'd just mud stalled and started it up again but somebody saw an arm and part of a head laying in the mud ahead of the truck and stopped him.
We looked under the truck and the guy was obviously dead. It took the sheriff and the coroner about an hour to get there. Two of the dead guy's co-workers pulled the pieces of him from under the truck and we used the water truck to wash off what was left. The truck went to town on the low bed.
The driver hitched a ride to town. As far as I know he never drove again. The shop steam cleaned the underside of the truck, changed the drive line, air tank, some wiring, and some hoses.
They wound up taking the truck to an auction. Nobody would drive it.

 

I have actually had nightmares about getting twisted up in a shaft like that after long days or nights of working around them or with them. Lol!

 

Trucking is a dangerous job to say the least. I serviced my truck and trailer this afternoon. The trailer had 2 brakes frozen on, I have a quick method for releasing my brakes in the cold. I use a can of ether, spray it on my brake drum, soak it good then I flick my bic lighter. Works good but I'm always nervous when I have to do it. I also have thawed out my valves when they are frozen using the same method.
So my question is! Will a can of ether explode when your using it like a torch? I have been doing it for a long time that way but I really don't want to die under a truck if i can avoid it. I would appreciate your input

 

Rotating equipment always gets me nervous. I once had a coworker get pissed off at me because I refused to climb over a spinning PTO shaft and lay on top of the transmission next to said rotating shaft to check pressures on a rock truck. I said get longer test lines and more gauges and set it up beforehand. Pretty much told me I was being a little #####. I walked away. I'd much rather spend an hour to do the job vs do it recklessly in 10 minutes.

 

Use a mini torch. Much safer.

 

Spinning stuff has my respect. When I was 17 I lost part of a tie to a fan blade . My choke didn’t work on my car so I had girlfriend turn it over while I held it shut when it started I dang near got pulled into fan . Darwin gave me a lot of breaks when I was young and dumb lol

 

Holy craptastic!

That would freak me out something terrible.

 

That had not once been a thought I had.

Until now that is.

Gee thanks guys.

Got anymore nightmare inducing stories.

Brrr

 

Done that at least 200 times, and still have all my fingers. But it would probably be wise of us both to stop.
It just takes that once for something to go wrong.
I knew a guy, nice man, older, bet he had chained up 10,000 in his life.
One day about 5 years ago he stopped to chain up, didn't set the parking brake, truck began to roll while he was laying between the tandems. I attended his funeral sad to say.

 

I've known a couple farmers that either were killed or maimed for life, because of a "momentary lapse in reason". One guy, tried to jump start the tractor with it in gear, started and killed him. Another friend, unhooked the hitch, the loaded wagon began to roll, he jammed the tongue into the dirt, a common practice, the hitch bar broke, and he'll never use his right arm again, serious stuff for a farmer that needs both arms. Another crucial lapse at a friends company, they got a new shiny milk tanker and they gave it to their oldest, and therefore, theoretically their best driver, a guy with like 40 years experience hauling thermos bottles, on the maiden voyage, he hooked up the hose, and talking to a plant worker, forgot the cover, and it sucked in, in a matter of moments. He was devastated and quit shortly after.