powerlines

[Bermie]

LOL!! FACT.

The stuff I've come across from the prior trimming cycles can really be aggrivating, but in their defense, the power companies do push for quantity more than quality.

.

Doing this job gave me an insight into how the bad cutting comes about...we had this very wealthy estate shut down for four hours, we had to move four times for construction vehicles...IRRITATING, so here am I trying to do proper cuts, throwing all the branches out to be cleared, all the time thinking, only got four hours, time ticking away every time we have to move...just CUT it...and that's me with proper tree knowledge, no wonder the hack landscapers who have the main contract just trash everything and dump the branches in the bushes...
Definitely got a new perspective on things this week!

 

[ropensaddle]

Doing this job gave me an insight into how the bad cutting comes about...we had this very wealthy estate shut down for four hours, we had to move four times for construction vehicles...IRRITATING, so here am I trying to do proper cuts, throwing all the branches out to be cleared, all the time thinking, only got four hours, time ticking away every time we have to move...just CUT it...and that's me with proper tree knowledge, no wonder the hack landscapers who have the main contract just trash everything and dump the branches in the bushes...
Definitely got a new perspective on things this week!

Lmao yup and when your looking at miles and miles of line to be trimmed, a stub don't look too bad lol. A sky trim looks even better

 

[pdqdl]

Another induction story

I used to do the grounds maintenance at a local TV station, and I had occasion to talk to their maintenance man about going up the tower. I like heights, you see. I tried to get a ride up the tower, but that never happened.

They have two different antenna at different heights on the tower for each TV broadcast. The power going up these massive cables is both high voltage and high frequency. Furthermore, it doesn't get shut off for maintenance!

When the maintenance people go up the tiny little elevator, they are in close proximity to the massive transmit-power cables. They actually have to be grounded to the cage, and the tools on their belt begin to emit sparks, like a piece of aluminum in the microwave. HO! I don't think I would like that!

When they get close to the lower antenna, they must be transmitting from the top antenna. In order to service the upper antenna, they must pass the lower, then the engineers switch from the upper to the lower antenna.

Doing it wrong will be fatal! Induced currents are part of the problem, but apparently the people will be somewhat microwaved just from the inductive field caused by the huge EMF field.

Rope: ever work near high voltage and get any sparking from induced current in your tools?

 

[ropensaddle]

I used to do the grounds maintenance at a local TV station, and I had occasion to talk to their maintenance man about going up the tower. I like heights, you see. I tried to get a ride up the tower, but that never happened.

They have two different antenna at different heights on the tower for each TV broadcast. The power going up these massive cables is both high voltage and high frequency. Furthermore, it doesn't get shut off for maintenance!

When the maintenance people go up the tiny little elevator, they are in close proximity to the power cables. They actually have to be grounded to the cage, and the tools on their belt begin to emit sparks, like a piece of aluminum in the microwave. HO! I don't think I would like that!

When they get close to the lower antenna, they must be transmitting from the top antenna. In order to service the upper antenna, they must pass the lower, then the engineers switch from the upper to the lower antenna.

Doing it wrong will be fatal! Induced currents are part of the problem, but apparently the people will be somewhat microwaved just from the inductive field caused by the huge EMF field.

Rope: ever work near high voltage and get any sparking from induced current in your tools?

Yes I have especially when I was on 500 kv lines experienced my d rings shocking me and I was on the ground. Wild voltage static near those structures!

 

[pdqdl]

Grounding won't help you there: every climbing belt I ever saw was non-conductive, so those d-rings were just a little capacitor waiting to discharge into your belly.

Fun, was it? D-rings biting you in the belly every time you bent over!

 

[Bermie]

Lmao yup and when your looking at miles and miles of line to be trimmed, a stub don't look too bad lol. A sky trim looks even better

Ha ha...yeah, looking at life from the other side...oh, my principles are being tested!!! I...must...stay...strong...:help:

 

[Bigus Termitius]

Lmao yup and when your looking at miles and miles of line to be trimmed, a stub don't look too bad lol. A sky trim looks even better

You know how the old saw goes: "Can't see it from my house."

 

[Bigus Termitius]

Doing this job gave me an insight into how the bad cutting comes about...we had this very wealthy estate shut down for four hours, we had to move four times for construction vehicles...IRRITATING, so here am I trying to do proper cuts, throwing all the branches out to be cleared, all the time thinking, only got four hours, time ticking away every time we have to move...just CUT it...and that's me with proper tree knowledge, no wonder the hack landscapers who have the main contract just trash everything and dump the branches in the bushes...
Definitely got a new perspective on things this week!

It's no picnic for sure.

Which is why when I get side work, I like taking that extra time to relax and enjoy my work.

I like trimming for clearance at a good pace. I make good cuts, but like you said, I just CUT IT, and go.

Sometimes during the week I downshift for yard trees and surprise homeowners with the results. It's not what they saw last time the clearance crew came through. That feels good and the word gets out that we aren't hacks and we do care about their trees' health and aesthetics. We communicate that in every way we can, and the power company mails out letters to members that are supportive of us in that regard.

People see our work and all the efforts help in the long run.

I like it, but honestly, I'm looking forward to getting into a position to where I can spend more time looking at things from your primary perspective.

 

[ropensaddle]

Ha ha...yeah, looking at life from the other side...oh, my principles are being tested!!! I...must...stay...strong...:help:

Lol awwwwwwww shucks jump on in Bermie the waters fine:yourock:

 

[Labman]

I would not trust the insulation on electric wires for a minute. Only way yould get me near power lines would be if they are switched off by the hydro guys, or maybe with proper training, rubber gloves, sleeves and overshoes.

I once worked for a wire company. That stuff on service entry wire isn't insulation, only a protective coating to protect the wire from tree branches and so forth. We could coat it with any old junk, no UL specifications.

 

[Rftreeman]

Lmao yup and when your looking at miles and miles of line to be trimmed, a stub don't look too bad lol. A sky trim looks even better

the sky trim was probably my favorite toy, especially since it had AC and radio......

 

[Treeman587]

Bermie many times the lines men call it grounded and it is not properly isolated. They will run a jumper from phase to ground neutral or ground pigtail on transformer"can" to neutral.
That is not enough it should be also jumped all the way to ground on both sides of work to properly isolate a work zone but I have yet to see them do it on their own until I make them.

Dominion Virginia Power. Bracket ground the area tree trimmers will be working. IN akward and storm recovery operations it is the policy of DVP to ground all phases of primary to the common neutral using 2/0 copper jumpers for tree trimmers. DVP poles are with primary installed or 40' and greater in length are grounded at installation. This consists of a 4 solid copper wire run from the neutral to either a ground rod or a copper plate at the base of the pole. That is the minimum requirement. If a device (transformer, lightening arrestor, etc.) is installed on the pole, multiple ground rods are driven and then checked for a minimum continuity of 25 ohms to ground. So for DVP, if a ground is placed between the primary and neutral it is bonded to true ground. If Power utilities don't ground their neutral then none of their lightening protection would work, so that neutral is attatched to ground. Once it is grounded you can lick it and you will be okay.

DVP also uses their contractors for line trimming. And in accordance with the HVSA must ground the line or perform the work themselves to give you a safe working environment in the vacinity of the lines, AT NO CHARGE.

ITS NOT WORTH IT, THEY WILL MAKE IT SAFE FOR YOU.

 

[ropensaddle]

Dominion Virginia Power. Bracket ground the area tree trimmers will be working. IN akward and storm recovery operations it is the policy of DVP to ground all phases of primary to the common neutral using 2/0 copper jumpers for tree trimmers. DVP poles are with primary installed or 40' and greater in length are grounded at installation. This consists of a 4 solid copper wire run from the neutral to either a ground rod or a copper plate at the base of the pole. That is the minimum requirement. If a device (transformer, lightening arrestor, etc.) is installed on the pole, multiple ground rods are driven and then checked for a minimum continuity of 25 ohms to ground. So for DVP, if a ground is placed between the primary and neutral it is bonded to true ground. If Power utilities don't ground their neutral then none of their lightening protection would work, so that neutral is attatched to ground. Once it is grounded you can lick it and you will be okay.

DVP also uses their contractors for line trimming. And in accordance with the HVSA must ground the line or perform the work themselves to give you a safe working environment in the vacinity of the lines, AT NO CHARGE.

ITS NOT WORTH IT, THEY WILL MAKE IT SAFE FOR YOU.

Yes it is jumped phase to neutral or 3 phase to neutral but there needs to be a long jumper from neutral to ground rod as well many linemen say no but I saw a display that proved otherwise. A pole ground is not enough to ensure proper isolation. The display was a mini version with a light bulb and it showed that pole ground can prove not to be safe in storm emergency operations. I forget all the particulars but remember the way it is safe.
Of course during routine trimming its hot so you treat is as such.

 

[tree md]

I work all around house drops but stay 10' from primaries.

This is the last one I did close to phase 3. Was right at 10' from the lines. There is kind of an optical illusion in the pics. The sucker growth nearest the lines are actually above the lines. I had to hold every one of them while I cut them with my hand saw and pitch them in the clear. The suckers were long enough to touch the line had I have just tried to cut them and let them drop. I put a tag line in everything I lowered on this one to make sure nothing swung back into the lines.

I also remembered the Guido story and kept my 044 clipped to my saddle when I worked my way down the spar close to the lines.

If I can stay at least 10' from the primary I will work the tree. Anything closer I leave to the line clearance guys

 

[ozzy42]

A nice little demonstration


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xy7MWzctTm0

 

[ropensaddle]

Well went to St Louis

Went up and worked with Stlfirewood and got the tree down to where it can be done with his lift. It was a bugger folks but had a good time here is some picks!

The job 15 foot over hang primary and open secondaries but at least there was some coating.

the start!

 

[ropensaddle]

And more

 

[ropensaddle]

More

The only lead not over hanging

Ok friends; them boyz from the show me state were a makin fun of us Arkansan's
about being rednecks n such but we would like yaáll to know, we almost got in trouble in Missouri on the way home and if Barney was not having relations with the chicken, he would have surely got us:hmm3grin2orange:

 

[mattfr12]

nice job rope but im disapointed in one thing... you look nothing like your avatar did you do all that with natural crotch rigging?

 

[ropensaddle]

Yes natural crotch on the rigging, but almost every trick in the book was used from jump cutting where I could, to tag lines,to snap cuts you name it, it took it all. Yeah I don't look like ole Clint lol.

PS: the power stayed on no outage!