Gaffs,Spikes??

[BillyMac]

Well I recieved a call this morning from a recruitment agency in Canada in reguards to working for BC Hydro. I was honest and up front when in saying I have no experience in climbing with spikes or gaffs (hope this is the right terms)
Is there any tips on using these, my experience is limited to seeing tree loppers use them.

[Trampbag]

You're kidding, right???

If not you're a fatlity waiting to happen!!

[Mike-E]

I learned when I was 25 and it was and still is sometimes hard on the body(28 now). You'd be lucky if you are still young and your body can take a bit of a beating. Although, there were some 40 yr. olds that made it through climbing school with me.

For advice, always keep one leg locked when climbing or working. Look up so you don't climb off the top of the pole or up into some hot shit. Don't climb the poles with the red markers/ribbons on them.

[BillyMac]

I'm in Australia Swampy we don't got no soft wood poles!! All hardwood mate flat out flogging a nail in ( ok over exaggerated a bit) let alone hooks. We have pole steps, platforms and elevated platform vehicle's (bucket trucks). Guess you could say we are a little spoilt.

[BigClive]

I'm in Australia Swampy we don't got no soft wood poles!! All hardwood mate flat out flogging a nail in ( ok over exaggerated a bit) let alone hooks. We have pole steps, platforms and elevated platform vehicle's (bucket trucks). Guess you could say we are a little spoilt.

While over in Oz Squizzy showed me a chunk of a typical pole and it was as hard as rock. It actually rang when hit with a hammer. I guess that's why the tend to use ladders over there for the less accessible poles.

[Mike-E]

You "new" "Linemen" scare the shit out of me.

28, and "Hard on your body" huh? I ain't believin I heard that.....

......touche

But I still suck it up and climb all day long when it needs to be done. I ain't braggin though, just admitting that when it hurts, it hurts and you gotta just play through the pain.

[grillman]

One of our so called "Journeyman" likes to pull the trick of leaving his tools in the shop, so when we have to climb, I have to do it. I always give the douchebag a load of crap, saying things like," Its ok Ill do it. I know how to climb." or "You know I should climb, this isnt a job for a ninth step apprentice."

In case you wondered we have an 8 step apprenticeship.

I would rather climb than use a bucket most of the time. I have gotten to where I am getting really interested in hot sticking to.

[PA BEN]

I learned when I was 25 and it was and still is sometimes hard on the body(28 now). You'd be lucky if you are still young and your body can take a bit of a beating. Although, there were some 40 yr. olds that made it through climbing school with me.

For advice, always keep one leg locked when climbing or working. Look up so you don't climb off the top of the pole or up into some hot shit. Don't climb the poles with the red markers/ribbons on them.

Hell, I'm 47 and a bucket baby, but I still can put the hooks on and show you young bucks a thing or two. When I was 28 nothing would stop me from climbing.

[Trampbag]

Hell, I'm 47 and a bucket baby, but I still can put the hooks on and show you young bucks a thing or two. When I was 28 nothing would stop me from climbing.

Ya, pal, but when you were 28 there weren't quite as many bucket trucks and a whole lot more demand for the mortgage lifters.




And what's all this shit about hard poles I hear the youngsters whining about?

Not all the poles in North America were nice soft Western Red Cedar. You get into treated Larch poles and you’re looking for knots to put your gaff on because it stuck out 1/8” more than the rest of the pole. No matter how sharp your gaff it would hardly scratch the wood. You still had to get up the damn things because there was no other way to get the work done.

Up the pole or down the road.


Started at 25 and now an old hand at 28!!!! Give me a F**king brake, jeese.

[LostArt]

.....and usually I stay out of this kind of.... (piss*ng contest) but I just couldn't resist!!!!! Therefore, I have made a poll

http://www.powerlineman.com/lforum/s...ead.php?t=2739

Yeah, yeah, yeah...........but HUMOR me MORE!

Of course I am grinning. I had to grin at PA BEN's post about how he is a bucket baby. In this day in time, most linemen are bucket babies...unless you are with a secluded contractor or in the dag gum boonies somewhere.

No, I'm not trying to start more crap. I'm not even trying to knock those that are starting in the trade...or the OP (original poster) in this thread (for I've read enough to KNOW that Australia doesn't have poles/trees that the USA has), I'm just responding in a way (from an outsider looking in) and trying to understand what all the dag gum hoopla is all about.

I asked the Boss, my husband, when was the last time he climbed. I knew the answer, but not WHEN he climbed. His response was this, "Dear, we are in the 21st century. How many climb these days?"

Then he wanted to know why I asked! Heh.

Let's just answer BillyMac's question guys, okay? I personally think he asked a honest answer to a simple question. Yes, that is only my humble opinion.