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Thread: Spiking Tool

  1. #1
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    Default Spiking Tool

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    What are you currently using as a spiking tool? Do you like it is there a tool you used in the past that you did like?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
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    Virginia, USA
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    Post No Spiking

    We stopped using a spiking tool over 15 years ago. We spiked a cable once then cut out a portion to take back to the lab for analysis of the fault. The spike hole happened to be in the piece cutoff. In the lab we could see where the spike went right past the conductor and never touched it. This was 220 mil TR-XLP over 1/0 solid aluminum. The spike actually missed to the side of the conductor.
    Since then we use a grounded hot cutter. The cutter head is eight feet away from your hands and there is a 2/0 copper ground to the jaws. With this set-up I KNOW the cable is dead when I cut it.

  3. #3

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    Duck, I believe (haven't used it) we use a long handled set of hot cutters (hydraulic) that have a grounding attachment that you attach a mechanical to a driven or screw ground. We used to use a spike but after spiking, and cutting into cable, we found the spike had deflected and missed the conductor.

    I also heard tell of an intensifier type cutter with a ground attachment and hoses allowing you to get further away from the cable being cut/spiked.

    I see I type too slow Thrasher
    Last edited by grizzlybuck; 06-03-2008 at 02:02 PM. Reason: give Thrasher props

  4. #4

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    We have a few different ways.
    One is to spike our primary urd cables or hot stick cut with ground attatched.
    Another way we use a hydraulic spiker with a pretty long hose on our main stem which alot of is 750 aluminum, it is kind of hard but not impossible to cut with the above mentioned cutters and not a wise move considering main stem is coming from the station with a circuit breaker ,no fuses.
    The other method involves lead covered cable which is usually 3 conductors sometimes 4 inside one lead sheath.
    What you do is identify the cable, peal a chunk of lead off, peal the first few layers of semi conductive papers off, use what we call a statiscope which has a small element inside it which will glow if cable is hot, if dead proceed to grab yourself a hack saw and start cutting. That method there never made me to happy but so far no boom.
    We are not allowed to cut any cable until we have put our phase identifier on it and used the AB Chance cable sensor, then we can start hacking.

  5. #5

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    Scary. We used to use a spiking tool on UG when I was doing distro in steelworks and chemical refineries. We pretty much took it for granted that it was doing it's job. You still always get that slight aprehension when you get down that hole and start hacksawing through the cable.

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  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by thrasher View Post
    We stopped using a spiking tool over 15 years ago. We spiked a cable once then cut out a portion to take back to the lab for analysis of the fault. The spike hole happened to be in the piece cutoff. In the lab we could see where the spike went right past the conductor and never touched it. This was 220 mil TR-XLP over 1/0 solid aluminum. The spike actually missed to the side of the conductor.
    Since then we use a grounded hot cutter. The cutter head is eight feet away from your hands and there is a 2/0 copper ground to the jaws. With this set-up I KNOW the cable is dead when I cut it.
    Only time in my experience Ive seen the spike miss the conductor was when the wrong tool was used I.E. too large a cable spear for the cable size.....
    "It is not the critic who counts:The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena" Teddy Roosevelt

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by CHICAGO HAND. View Post
    We have a few different ways.
    One is to spike our primary urd cables or hot stick cut with ground attatched.
    Another way we use a hydraulic spiker with a pretty long hose on our main stem which alot of is 750 aluminum, it is kind of hard but not impossible to cut with the above mentioned cutters and not a wise move considering main stem is coming from the station with a circuit breaker ,no fuses.
    The other method involves lead covered cable which is usually 3 conductors sometimes 4 inside one lead sheath.
    What you do is identify the cable, peal a chunk of lead off, peal the first few layers of semi conductive papers off, use what we call a statiscope which has a small element inside it which will glow if cable is hot, if dead proceed to grab yourself a hack saw and start cutting. That method there never made me to happy but so far no boom.
    We are not allowed to cut any cable until we have put our phase identifier on it and used the AB Chance cable sensor, then we can start hacking.
    Chitown, aint no way I'm cutting 3 conductor VCL the way you described. There is a specific cable spear for 3c VCL, it has a knife blade or guiotine if you will, when the round goes off the blade cuts through the lead and into the first conductor it hits, never seen it fail.......
    "It is not the critic who counts:The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena" Teddy Roosevelt

  8. #8
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    Nov 2002
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    There are two types, one is a true spike, a pointed spike. The other is a blade, about 1/2" wide. Our spikes went the way of the wooden hot sticks years ago, we now have the blade, I have seen it work three times. Never failed. It literally cuts the conductor in two. And that is on 35kv kerite!

  9. #9
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    Jul 2003
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    Talking Reply to Orgnizlbr

    Hey what can I say, the tool we were using was the company supplied tool for standard distribution cable. It had a small sharp spike about the size of a 4 penny nail in it. I don't remember the brand of the tool as we stoped using it 15-16 years ago. We believe the spike actually bent going thru the cable and missed the conductor. I've heard the new spike tools actually use a small blade so that can't happen anymore. Personally I stick with the "grounded hot cutters".

  10. Default

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    We have always used a chisel type spiking tool that is powered by a explosive charge.
    The device is clamped around the cable the chisel is fitted and the top is screwed down ,three different charges are availible changing in power depending on the type of cable and serving if any being penetrated.

    The charge is installed and the device is remotely fired by a string .

    We dont ground the device as its solidly grounded to the cable serving and our safety rules require us to prove not alive prior to handling the cable.

    The device is excellent though abit time consuming to set up and if a excessively strong charge is used it can be difficult to disassemble .

    We have used the same device for the 28 years I have been at the company ,its made to last so we are reluctant to use any of the newer spiking devices that are availible these days.

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