Electrical - SAFETY!

While doing some electrical work on my M35A2, I remember an incident that happened in VietNam.
One of our mechanics was working under the dash on a Deuce. I think he was replacing the 3-lever light switch.
He didn't think it necessary to disconnect the batteries on such a simple job.
He got his wedding band caught across some contacts. The 24 volts through the band quickly burned his finger to the bone! They had to amputate.
WHEN DOING ELECTRICAL WORK, DISCONNECT THE BATTERIES!

Surely other members have experiences that could help keep us all safer.
Eric Wendt

He's right. I've seen an 8D tractor battery turn a box-end wrench into a light-bulb filament.

i to am guilty. theres a 5/8" combonation wrench in the bottom of one of my boxes that became the path to ground on a quick loose wire job. of course once it started arching i couldnt leave it there so i received a darn nice set of blisters over that moment of poor judgment. hee hee

when hooking up the starter disconnect the batt or the wrench and the frame will make a circuit.

Be sure to remove the ground first when disconnecting the battery, too!

Basically, whenever doing ANY electrical related work, dissconnect the batts... Cause the ONE time you dont, something bad will happen........

two very good points. no matter how small or quick of a repair if its electrical or could become electrical take the time to heed the two previous points. it is well worth the time.

The batterys in a deuce are as powerfull as a good arc welder. Dont under estimate them. I made an emergency patch job with a pair of jumper cables, an "air-arc" carbon rod and some filler metal once. Kids.... DON'T try this at home unless you fully understand how it works!!!!!
Its not recomended. hard on the batterys and not for the faint harted. Your arc welder runs about 48 volts..... 24 isnt far away! Its the Amps that will get you.

an electrical world saying...... Its volts that jolts and Mills that Kills.

Voltage makes your arm jump but it only takes milliamps to kill you.

Don't wear rings and/or jewelry when doing ANY work, electrical included.

I once met a guy on a MV-meeting who had a very badly burned left-hand wrist. On asking what happend he told me that he worked on his Pinzgauer considerable time ago, wearing a stainless-steel watch and bracelet. He had something to work on in the battery-case and got stuck with his watch/bracelet between the pos. battery-terminal and the top of the case, frying his wrist....
When I was in the army they told us always to remove all rings, ear-rings etc when working on our trucks or in the field. So one guy left his wedding-ring on and jumped from one of our MANs. Doing so he got cought with it in a nut protruding from the side-mirror frame and lost his finger (temporarily, they seemed to have managed to attach it again, but I never saw the guy again during my TOD ).


Mark

Worked in the emergency room in the hospital at Ft Sill, OK a very long time ago (medic OJT) and we had a man come in who had jumped off a deuce and got his wedding band caught on the door handle, you know how pointed it is. We weren't permitted to work on those kind of injuries (hands and face) so a "real ' doctor had to put him back together. Nasty injury to his finger, though...

Then you have the clutz (me) who burns a perfectly good open end wrench putting the battery terminals back on after some electrical work.

I have some 48 volt power systems at work. 4 100 amp hour batteries in series and power supplies to boot. The whole system has 2 pairs of 50 amp power supples. Its all telco DC power gear. Very neat. Part of my demonstration to coworkers about how it works is to show that you can touch hot (negative) and return (positive) and not feel anything, or if your hands are slightly sweaty, a tingle. 50-60 volts being the cusp of enough voltage to overcome the resistance of our bodies to start flowing current. The next step is to demonstrate that it's essentially a 100 amp welder, by taking two lengths of 6 gauge wire, connecting them up and then having everyone look at the floor as I strike an arc with the wires. I want them to either respect or fear that cabinet so they don't go in there blindly and muck around.

12-24-48 volts will not electrocute you. They will burn you with enough amps and an arc/flash. The metal can also burn you or blind you (as can the UV light). Then there's the heated metal as you guys point out.

The tools that I use one this gear were wrapped in electrical tape to minimize the chances of getting making a connection while working in that rack.

Also remember that if you create an arc close to the battery,in our case big non-maintenence free batteries,you run the risk of exploding the case! Also remember the other metal objects i've seen get people in trouble with batterys,big belt buckles,large ring of keys hanging from the side of your belt ect. Remember when we work on stuff this big you really do have to crawl all over it sometimes.

A really good investment in this case is like what i put on my truck a keyed battery disconect. it hooks between the battery and the ground.It is the same switch used on heavy equipment,key off and out no circut,key in and on key stays in the switch....can only remove it when in the off position. also helps in keeping kids or teenagers from starting the truck.

These Battery Main Switches and its keys ("the bone") are common in every vehicle of the German Army (Bundeswehr).

Frank

Does the "Master Disconnect Switch" on the shifter selector consol completely disconnet the battery power from all electrical componets (In a Unimog SEE)?

Bad-Karma said:

Also remember that if you create an arc close to the battery,in our case big non-maintenence free batteries,you run the risk of exploding the case! Also remember the other metal objects i've seen get people in trouble with batterys,big belt buckles,large ring of keys hanging from the side of your belt ect. Remember when we work on stuff this big you really do have to crawl all over it sometimes.

Click to expand...

My dad got a really nasty acid bath, while jumpstarting the farm tractor. Sparks and hydrogen are a really mean thing.

And yes, in moments of stupidity, I have preformed unintended Arc Welding, and ruined several favorite wrenches. I keep thinking that I might get smarter, as I get older...... I just have to manage to live that long!

Ant that the truth watches or rings Had to help one are SPEC tn Iraq he Gloved his Ring Finger he lost it after we took him to the CASH. He went home early due to infection.
PPE Safety #1 in my book.