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Darwin Awards
2008 Slush Pile

This item was recently submitted by a reader.
Should I include it in the archive?
Vote to tell me what *you* think!

Auger to Heaven

2008 Reader Submission
Pending Acceptance

(from my archives, 30 years in the ER. You cannot make these up).

Two farm workers, new to this type of work, came up with a faster way to move grain from the farm truck to the grain bin.

Usually, someone has to climb up the 30 foot tall grain bin's built in ladder, crawl across the pitched metal roof, and unlock then throw open the cover at the very top of the grain bin. Then, an a 100 foot long auger is cranked up and positioned over the grain bin. Next, the auger's top is lower until it just rests on the top of the grain bin's opening.

Loaded grain trucks empty their load into a hopper at ground level, and the auger transports the grain to the top of the grain bin.

The farm workers reasoned that one of them would ride the auger's top end while the other cranked the auger up so it would clear the grain bin's 30 foot top. The worker would then position the auger over the grain bin, and the riding worker would swing off the auger onto the grain bin's cover. This would save him the energy needed to climb a ladder 30 feet straight up, and spare him from crawling across the grain bin's pitched roof.

What happened is that the extra weight of the farm worker made the auger unstable once it was cranked up enough to clear the 30 foot grain bin. The auger wobbled badly, then fell over.

The unfortunate farm worker lived through the fall, but met his demise when he impacted the ground.

Augers now carry a warning label to prevent similar events.

Submitted on 01/24/2008

Submitted by: Anonymous
Reference:

Copyright © 2008 DarwinAwards.com

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Bruce said:
Definitely Keep: Personal Account
Yet another prime example of why you only use a machine for its intended purpose. Alas, without any references this only qualifies for a PA, but we do appreciate the submission!


James said:
Definitely Keep: Personal Account
I concur with Bruce! In the quest for a better mousetrap, there are certainly dead ends!


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