How do you treat an energized MACK?

[PA BEN]

Do you make contact with it no problem?
Accidental contact only?
Treat it as part of MAD?

[NoPotential]

as an energized conductor. i dont care about the insulation on it i treat it as bare. if you have to move it hot it stays out side the bucket hold on to the head and coil with gloves and sleeves.

[Fiberglass Cowboy]

Even though you sound like a Damned Dirty REPUBLICAN , I'll still reply. Used to be; we could lay that dude right on a crossarm or against the pole. Keep in mind we would take care of our mac's. Keep them dudes cleaned and tested regularly. Different safety rules now. We are part of a different company now, as we were merged (bought -out). Now the safety rules say we lay it on a rubber blanket or put it in a rubber line hose, or on a temp./perm. insulator but don't let it make permanent contact against an arm or pole. This is b.s. because it works just fine & doesn't burn anything down or present a hazard. Works just the same as URD PRIMARY CABLE. NO DIFFERENT. TOO MANY WORRY WARTS OUT THERE AFRAID OF THEIR OWN SHADOW, OR JUST TRYING TO JUSTIFY THEIR JOB. The mac's are insulated with primary voltage insulation; enough for protection of phase-to-phase system voltage contact, or you're using the wrong ones. So go figure, or interpret it your own way.

Live life, love your wife; & don't let your kids drink too much !!!

Later Broseph, - Eric "Ed" Elder , Journeyman Lineman; Kansas City Power & Light Company, IBEW Local #1464. -/- U.S. Army Lineman; 249th Engineering Battalion (Prime Power), Delta-Co.; U.S. Army Reserves.

P.S. Quit baggin' on My President & Commander-In-Chief. He's The Man !!!
Hoooaaahhh Army Linemen !!!

[Special ED]

Ya beat me too it NoPotential.. How mant times ya see your ape just throw a 4/0 mac (mechanical jumper) on the back of the truck or in the belly or even worse lay it on the ground and walk off? Yes the jumpers are advertised as "insulated jumpers" (atleast mine are) but like all things man made there is potential for failure.

Dont take a chance. Cover it up and use your gloves. Hell I've worked in places where mechanical jumpers are just laid on top of cross arms or drapped below them and they didnt even cover em! Then I've worked in places where they went so far as to make you cover the jumpers with rubber goods as well as tie it in.. Follow your companies rules and dont take no chances.

[CPOPE]

Here is a catalog link:
http://www.hubbellpowersystems.com/p...mpers_Load.pdf

EPR (ethylene-propylene) insulated jacket.
Insulation and conductor screen meet and exceed ICEA NEMA standard S-68-516.

Insulated Cable Engineers Associations say it is insulated and you can look at the spec but suggest I'd go with "Treat it as part of MAD"

Insulate and Isolate practice don't usually call for covering with addittional rubber snakes ot hose but using somthing addittional laying over the arm is a good reccomendation

[Mike-E]

Always inspect it before you use it. If it looks like shit then it is shit. Covering them up is a good idea if they are close to arms/pole or laid right on them. Don't get intimate with them, that is just good habits while in the hot. Treat the non-connected side as hot until both sides are off. Mostly though, just take care of it and inspect it and use the right mac for the right voltage/current.

[Lineman North Florida]

Always treated them just like the rest of my rubber goods( like my life depended on them), always put a short piece of gut on mac's where they rubbed the pole or was laying on the crossarms on wood poles, concrete poles I rubbered them up just like it was conductor, make sure you spin the heads off every month ( if using them every day ) and check the crimp and ferrule for signs of failure, had one break down on me one time, started smelling something and saw the head starting to melt, got that jumper back on that switch in record time, and remember always put the mac on first before the hoist and you won't cut a phase that aint macked out, don't laugh I saw it happen one time by a jam up lineman. Good luck and be safe.

[Edge]

Interesting.

What "safety" in linework has evolved to.

I've trusted Mac's all my life, and I believe, rightfully so.

Put em in my bucket, stepped on the back of the handle, hooked up the other end, then reached down and picked up the other end and put it on. Always took care of my Mac's, and they were always tested every 6 months.

It's really hard to do Glove work, without bumpin into a Mac. Never had a problem with just layin em on an arm either. Sometimes, dependin on the pole, I'd tie em under the arm.
I've put guts on a Mac, when I had to leave it overnight or somethin. Other than that, Naw....I trust em completely.

Make contact with it Energized? Yup. No problem.

Stepped on it but always took care of it? WTF man...

and never trusted concrete poles? maybe the one you gotta climb with sucide bolts or "swing steps" but the ones with chicken ladders I always thought were pretty cool....
ohhh sorry were taking 'bustion... yeah I guess your right treat them speical... rubber them up cuz they are different than wood... wind blowin a mac in to a splinter is the same as wind rubbin the insulation off on 'crete... and ya shouldn't let a mac set over night any way...

I dunno maybe I'm outa rants....

Edge

[Edge]

Always treated them just like the rest of my rubber goods( like my life depended on them), always put a short piece of gut on mac's where they rubbed the pole or was laying on the crossarms on wood poles, concrete poles I rubbered them up just like it was conductor, make sure you spin the heads off every month ( if using them every day ) and check the crimp and ferrule for signs of failure, had one break down on me one time, started smelling something and saw the head starting to melt, got that jumper back on that switch in record time, and remember always put the mac on first before the hoist and you won't cut a phase that aint macked out, don't laugh I saw it happen one time by a jam up lineman. Good luck and be safe.

Good stuff man especially about checking the heads on those bastards... I try to only use the clear plastic ones now adays had a similar experience once...
solid stuff...

[PA BEN]

Here we treat a mac as accidental contact only, just like URD primary cable. We have our mac's tested and keep them clean. Yes, inspect before each use, even clean the jaws. We are a hotstick State so we apply them with hotsticks. Never lay them on the arm without cover, hang them under the arm with bucket hooks. Now we have to treat them as part of MAD, so now if my hands break the the MAD rule 2' 3" from a MAC while I'm sticking I have to cover it. So, I was just wondering how the rest of the world worked with them. Sounds like most of you are rubber glovers. It would be nice to hear from some hotstickers.