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Thread: Pole Changeout

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  1. #1
    dbrown20 Guest

    Default Pole Changeout

    Anybody want to give me their version of a pole changeout on energized 138 KV without using a bucket and just having a digger and a pickup with a hotstick trailer? Tell me yours and I'll tell you mine. dbrown20

  2. #2

    Talking Pole Changeout

    I am assuming your talking H-Structures possibly Spars but I'll go with the first..........setup digger to setup "gin pole" or pole that is around 8-10' shorter than pole being replaced or same depending on what you have, set wood reel end around where pole is to land where arm and brace meet,place butt of pole on reel end ,have man climb up "gin pole" or original depending on condition of old pole, rig up steel sling and hoist with other steel sling around arm and "gin pole",take up hoist to bear load,float static or overhead ground wire to arm, drift bolts from top arm down to bottom brace,if double braced maybe rig another hoist from brace to brace, anyway if not work your way down drifting bolts, after last bolt is drifted,start at top, chainsawing out pole until stub if left,once your gin pole is in digger is cleared up to pull old pole,pull old pole,set new pole,install static or overhead groundwire, line up arm with new pole drill and install hardware working way down with braces also until all hardware is in (tightened too setup digger to take down gin pole which is more hairy coming down than going up being circuit is hot,(safest way is for another truck to winch butt in while pole is coming down) but all we have is 1 truck so rig up pole to take down while lineman on pole comes off hoist and sling transfering load to new pole,lineman climbs down fixing to rest them dogs,then we come down nice and slow riding static as a guide nice and slow until "gin pole "is on the ground, done this also with a flextrack and A-frame also in the Florida Swamps with a few "gators" as spectators.Now a days crews take a crane and just rig the arm and start drifting away.By the way the first hotstick was'nt used
    Last edited by OLE' SORE KNEES; 06-10-2005 at 05:23 PM.

  3. #3
    just say no Guest

    Default 138?

    give it to the contractors....

  4. #4
    dbrown20 Guest

    Default H Fixture pole changeout

    It intrigues me to see the different methods that folks come up with. I have participated in 3 methods and the following is the best I think.

    Most of the poles I helped change in this manner were eaten up by Pecker woods but were still climbable.

    The new pole was laid out with the top pointing in the direction selected as the most practical to bring it up. Since there is a lot of wiggle in these types of structures we just set some pieces of cutup arms "butt boards" in the direction we intended to move the butt. The offending pole was chain sawed high enough, level with the butt boards, and lifted with the digger and set on the boards.

    Then the old butt was pulled with the digger and the old hole reamed to the proper depth. Hot line tag ropes were attached to the top of the new pole about 15 " down. One man was placed on the end of each tag rope. A tag rope was placed on the butt with 2 ends present and a man on each end there also. Also might mention that the new pole was spotted of course with the balance right at the hole position. The foreman took position past the top of the new pole and down the line where he could observe the pole going up between phases. As the pole was raised between the phases and the top reached the static the man on the outside tagged the pole top against the static and the other man dropped his tag rope and assisted the people on the butt.

    After the pole was down in the hole it was backfilled about half way up. To actually transfer it took one man on the off pole and two on the new pole side. The two men on the new pole, sometimes one climbed the sawed off pole and one the new pole, detached the x braces on the way up and tied them up with short rope slings. Upon reaching the phase level the outside phase was put on a lift stick and link stick and undinged. The middle phase was put on 2 link sticks and undinged usually with the assistance of the man on the off pole. The man on the off pole the went on up to the arm position and loosened the thu bolt. He then tied a bull rope to the end of the arm. The 2 men on the new pole side then called for the pickup to pull down on the bull rope and when the proper tension was reached the thru bolt was drifted out. A small hydrolic jack was place between the double arms and they were spread. Might mention that at some point the new pole was tied securely to the old pole. Anyway after removing the bolt the arm was pulled down on until it reached the static. When the proper tension was reached the pickup was stopped until the static was undinged. Static was tied to the arm and continued on up until free of the old pole. Then the arm was just sissored down on the old pole, leveled and drilled etc. Usually had to take a block and a set of grips to pull the new pole level via the static.

    Here's the part I liked best of the whole thing. Everything is back in place except old pole remains tied to the new pole and setting on the butt boards. Remember the top tag ropes? They are transferred to the old pole. Then the two tag men take up their ropes and walk a little ways down the line. A man on the pole unties the old pole from the new pole and moving it back toward the tag men gets the feel of which way the pole wants to go. He adjusts the tag men and then lets the old pole go. It falls like a tree down between the phases. Only saw a guy make a poor judgement once doing this. Came very close to the phase. Fun!

    Later had a crew with a boom truck that had enough reach that they didn't even put a stick on the wire. Just caught the end of the arm and lifted it up and over. dbrown20

  5. #5

    Wink pole change out

    Yep, I did 'em very similar to your method, 'cept we used reel ends to set the old poles down on.

    Lotsa tricks can be used on transmission. The smarter you work it, the easier it is on your sore back.

    Now here's my question to you:

    Change out a dead grounded "H" structure , assuming the poles are already set. You have a steel arm and a steel static arm. 2 linemen, no boom truck. Just a tracked machine.

  6. #6
    dbrown20 Guest

    Default arm change out

    I'm gonna assume 138 with 14.6 centers. One man on each pole. Unding it with a hoist or handline, bull line or something and tie each phase to the poles or just let them float. After everything is taken loose just chain saw the arms off or what ever and let them fall. New arm is pulled up via winch to the top of the pole where it is end doed and swung over to the other guy. It is stabbed and a level is put on one side and that side is drilled and stabbed. Static bar is then sent up and leveled and stabbed. There is some ground help? dbrown20

  7. #7

    Default pole changeout

    Right, float phases, marking them against the new pole so the grunts can move the armor rods.

    Move the statics up to the top of the new poles.

    Hang the static bar, clip in the statics. Drill for the x-arm, using a line level.

    1 man hangs his handline by the static bar, then splits it, throwing the end to his pole buddy, who ties it off at the static bar.

    The 1st lineman feeds a bite of the rope down to the ground, where the grunts put a small snatch block on it, attaching the hook to the half arm with a strap.They tape the snap open and attach a tag rope to the hook.

    They then put the fall line through a snatch block at the base of the pole, snub it off to the machine.

    The operator backs up, lifting the arm, the static bar keeps the poles separated.

    The linemen stab the arm. The grunts pull the block back down as the machine comes forward, then attach it to the other arm half and repeat the process.

    The rest is pretty much the same. I came up with this after wrestling with 2 handlines, twisting the dozer to raise one side, etc.

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