- Sep 14, 2015
- 1,194
- 3,971
Power Pole Transformer Installation
- Thread starter lulu5kamz
- Start date
bigredfish
Known around here
Only one guy in gaffs.
Short story, I climbed poles for old ATT back in '79-80 in Kansas (long boring story) and even though I had no seniority, was able to transfer after just 1 year back to Dallas. As a newbie, union rules wouldnt have typically allowed that, but when i got to Dallas I discovered why: I was one of the few that could climb! All bucket trucks in the city
Short story, I climbed poles for old ATT back in '79-80 in Kansas (long boring story) and even though I had no seniority, was able to transfer after just 1 year back to Dallas. As a newbie, union rules wouldnt have typically allowed that, but when i got to Dallas I discovered why: I was one of the few that could climb! All bucket trucks in the city
Mike A.
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- May 6, 2017
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Worked for C&P here for a while around that same time. I hated climbing poles. I did it but I was never happy about it.
Plus they had to bring a single phase of primary and ground to connect to the transformer.
And I recall back before pressure treating, the wood poles were treated with creosote. The new ones were sticky in the summer and played Hell on your forearms. Of course it was decided creosote was bad for the aquifers, etc. like copper sulfate, Chlordane and other stuff that worked well....but I guess we didn't need it in our drinking water.
The place where I grew up in central GA had a wood preserving plant nearby (Southern Wood Preserving?) and I could smell the creosote daily.
And I recall back before pressure treating, the wood poles were treated with creosote. The new ones were sticky in the summer and played Hell on your forearms. Of course it was decided creosote was bad for the aquifers, etc. like copper sulfate, Chlordane and other stuff that worked well....but I guess we didn't need it in our drinking water.
The place where I grew up in central GA had a wood preserving plant nearby (Southern Wood Preserving?) and I could smell the creosote daily.
bigredfish
Known around here
No never got used to it, I could do it but like you never really liked it. Burnt a couple, one at pole climbing school in Houston and one out in the sticks of Kansas. Neither very high up, maybe 20-25ft but that'll put the pucker in ya!
I hear ya....I got that pucker every time I went up and down 2 different airport beacon towers to change out the beacon lamp, they were about 75 ft. tall.
I swear when the wind blew and the tower swayed ever so slightly my subconscious tried to evolve a third hand out my bung hole to grasp a rail!
I guess I’m a different breed. I did it for fun, and to get some dead branches out of the trees. No spikes, just rope and harness
Mike A.
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- May 6, 2017
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I fell out of one 20+ up. That was no fun at all. I remember laying there for a while after not wanting to move because I knew something wasn't going to work right. lol Fortunately it was high enough that I had time to think about it on the way down and somehow managed to execute a nice roll and was no worse off for it.
bigredfish
Known around here
I was belted in both times. Thankfully I Remembered to turn my head and use my hands to keep my face from becoming shredded lettuce
CanCuba
Known around here
I have a similar video from November. Electrical storm went through and afterwards I was reading 277 volts when measure across the two hot phases!
Guys came out and changed out the transformer. I was going to post the video (looked great in 4K), until they started pulling beers out of the pocket of the lift truck door and taking hauls off of it. Don't want to incriminate anyone unnecessarily.
Guys came out and changed out the transformer. I was going to post the video (looked great in 4K), until they started pulling beers out of the pocket of the lift truck door and taking hauls off of it. Don't want to incriminate anyone unnecessarily.
Mike A.
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- May 6, 2017
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Yeah, most people's first instinct when they get in trouble is to hug the pole. Don't want to do that.
bigredfish
Known around here
Tony and jeep, Nope uh uh. No way.
And how did both of you get your balls up there?, they musty be huge
And how did both of you get your balls up there?, they musty be huge
It took me a good 4 months of watching videos and practicing in the unfinished back room to decide I was competent enough to give it a try. I’m sure I spent more on gear than if I’d just hired someone with a bucket lift. What’s the fun in that? Single rope technique SRT with a foot ascender and rope wrench was the main gear. I know I had to be close to where I was when I hand placed a 100’ rope to leave in the tree for when I wanted to pull a good one back up. It was about two feet off the ground on both sides. Kicking away from the tree and riding it to the ground is one hell of a rush
I hear ya....I got that pucker every time I went up and down 2 different airport beacon towers to change out the beacon lamp, they were about 75 ft. tall.
I swear when the wind blew and the tower swayed ever so slightly my subconscious tried to evolve a third hand out my bung hole to grasp a rail!
View attachment 185752
The big ones like that don't move much, it's more the clouds going by that gives you the feeling of movement.
When you get on some of the small ones like home towers for TV and ham radio, that's when you have to climb to the sway, or it will eat you alive.
I have been 1800' or so up, but had an elevator up the first part of the way. I think the highest I have climbed was around 800'. This was many years
back before you had to be tied off 100% of the time. It was almost worse riding the winch line up and down. You had to make sure you never caught
on anything going up or down, the winch would never stop in time to save you. The fast way down was to put a pully over the top of the lower guy wires,
then use your boots to slow you down on the way. Thank goodness for steal shanks.
I still have my hooks from pole climbing school, thank goodness I didn't have to use them much. I burned an old well splintered pole about 25'
up and ended up with a splinter right through my right nipple. I sure did some screaming once I looked around and made sure no one else was there.
Now that’s working at heights. More than I’d probably be willing to try
I was young and stupid back then.
But then I raced stock cars back then also. I had to have someone looking out for me.
I don't know why my old body is all broken up..
bigredfish
Known around here
Right. We’re talking about a 1/3 of mile in the sky there. I’m pretty sure I’d freeze up and be stuck well before that
I learned early on when in a 35 foot bucket truck to find a fixed object like the street light fixture and stare at it while ascending and looking up for other obstacles, wires, etc., the clouds can give you vertigo and instill a false sense of movement.
But those old short towers did move slightly, not so much from wind but from your own movement when you got to the top, I think it would twist slightly. In that point in my career I knew better than to look at the clouds!
When people ask why men get paid more than women, show them this video...