Spikes.

[BigClive]

I've heard that switching from one brand of climbing spikes to another can be a bit of an experience at first, with cutting out being a distinct possibility when choosing a brand with a different spike "feel".

I also guess that a particular body type might prefer a particular style of climbing iron, so which brand is the most popular here (and which the least popular)? And have any of you had particularly bad experiences when switching from one brand to another in terms of pole-rash. :)

[Pootnaigle]

Bashlins were the brand I used ,Aluminum left and rights, Tried some Klines once didnt car fer em at all( Gaffs were substansially shorter).As for pads I hear the new velcro jobs are the Cadillacs of the industry But They wernt around back in the day and I used steel angled pads.still use em to this day.

[mainline]

Bashlin aluminum hooks, with the big steel reinforced velcro pads are the cats ass. I agree about Kliens. They have a straight short gaff, though I have known older guys who could climb like monkeys in them.

[Edge]

my family's been doing line work since they were stinging telegraph in the trees... each generation a construction hand including my self... I being the first to transition into the utility side.... still got my great grandpaps hooks ... homemade... granddaddy climbed in the same then later Bashlin ... my daddy climbed in Bashlin, I climb in Bashlin, and my middle son... yeah you get the picture by now....

and spikes??? I don't know what those are.... sounds like tree climber talk BC... most Lineman call 'em gaffs or hooks or climbers :)

Edge

untill the day they put the whole grid underground... make mine BASHLIN

[Orgnizdlbr]

Ive primarily climbed in Buckinghams, switched to Bashlins with no problem and then back to the Bucks. My Bucks are over 30 years old, not replacable gaffs, the short straight type. If the safety man ever saw em he'd take em away.......I'm not fond of the new style gaffs, but you know the old saying about teaching an old dog new tricks......

[BigClive]

and spikes??? I don't know what those are.... sounds like tree climber talk BC... most Lineman call 'em gaffs or hooks or climbers :)



There seem to be so many names for the things. Every time I use a different one I get told it's the wrong name. Maybe I'll just refer to them as leg irons for badness. :)

So if the Kleins are so unpopular for their short spike, then what about fitting the tree climbing spike to them instead? It's longer for cutting through bark into wood.

[Edge]

There seem to be so many names for the things. Every time I use a different one I get told it's the wrong name. Maybe I'll just refer to them as leg irons for badness. :)

So if the Kleins are so unpopular for their short spike, then what about fitting the tree climbing spike to them instead? It's longer for cutting through bark into wood.

ever hook a CCA Clive? after they've been in the elements about 10 years they're like trying to hook concrete a tree gaff would break off and you'd end up eatin dirt... and actually some guys at work all climb in Klien and were bitching about my bashlin gaffs being to long.... turns out the gaff is the same length but oriented on the climber differently.....

Edge

ain't ready to see God yet... but when I am... let it be in the 3 phase...
lineworks funeral pyre...

[Hemingray Insulators]

i learned to climb in bashlin aluminums and love them, i just use the regular L pads, and they don't bother me any. i tried climbing in kleins and buckinghams before. didn't like the kleins, the buckinghams were ok but i like bashlin the best. been climbin just a month and a half short of 2 years now lol.:cool:

[Festus]

Do you guys prefer contoured or staight irons? I climb with straights but have tried the contoured and seems like they keep your feet a little farther away from the pole.

[PA BEN]

Steel Bashlin offsets w/angled cpads.:cool:

[BigClive]

ever hook a CCA Clive? after they've been in the elements about 10 years they're like trying to hook concrete a tree gaff would break off and you'd end up eatin dirt.

ain't ready to see God yet... but when I am... let it be in the 3 phase...
lineworks funeral pyre...

I've never hooked nuffin'. Only poles I work on are steel. One day maybe.

As for your chosen means of departure... That sounds like CenterPointEx talk. :rolleyes:

[Orgnizdlbr]

Steel Bashlins, L&R curved.
Never liked the thickness of ANY of the shanks on the Aluminum hooks. Steel shanks are a "tad" wider in the shank.

I dont care for the aluminum shanks either, mine are steel offsets. I dont care for the L pads, I use the the "Telephone" style small pads.

[Edge]

I climbed in aluminums for years broke my left foot twice... so now I climb in twisted offset steels... thought them to be a bit heavy at first but now.... hell I think they are awesome... real stable and give you great mobility... best thing is the mutha's don't spin around to the back of your calf or ride your shin bone... got them dressed with puss pads and stock ankle straps...

Edge...

and BC I sure miss steel poles I used to love jumping stepbolts or swinging from chicken ladders... but lattice I think is the most fun to climb...

and yes I said fun... I love my job and have a blast doing it

Edge...

burn it down... we'll put it up again

[JAKE]

ive got the twisted offset titanium bucks with the velcro pads. ive got the cca gaffs on them now, i had to replace one so i replaced them both and got the cca's there a bit differnt shaped and are fluted i actually like them better on cresote poles better than the other ones.

[Swollen Tongue]

The steel twist shank Bashlins are the way to go the way I see it. They are very forgiving. You can get your knees right up against the pole and still not cut out if sharpened right.

[Brooks]

I've got 31yrs in Brooks.

The set I have on the truck these days belonged to my dad. Man that guy could climb. Sneak right up on ya...

[MEGA81]

Thats right, not even an ape, sad but true. Going straight to the hall when I graduate. 6 weeks deep into SLTC and I love my hooks, bashlin steel w/ offset. The pads the school gives you are c pads but there HUGE, two straps, and they damn near go all the way around your leg. I will probably try the velcro jobs at some point. while im at it, has ANYONE tried the wolfs claw?
Stay safe fellas and take it easy!

[mrgrowl791]

I've got 31yrs in Brooks.

The set I have on the truck these days belonged to my dad. Man that guy could climb. Sneak right up on ya...

That's what I started and ended my climbing career in. Brooks.

[graybeard]

Steel offset Bashlens with steel insert velcro

[graybeard]

My app was in climbing school a year ago and the company man in charge of the program had a pair of WOLF climbers. He sais that you can't cutout using them and when I tried them I couldn't cut out but the app didn't have much trouble cutting out. They are light weight and seem to work pretty good.

[Hemingray Insulators]

S'cuse me fore askin, but what are WOLF climbers??

[graybeard]

Its just a brand like brooks and klien but I have no idea were he got them

[Edge]

Get a set of Bashilin's, and learn to Climb.
http://www.wolfclaw.com/


Well fu(4in' said...

Edge

hooks in toes up... gettin' high is easy...

[wtdoor67]

go on and on about different brands of hooks etc. but the crux of the matter is the overwhelming use of bucket truck has contributed to the lack of climbing skills.

I used to change jobs and the question of climbing was never mentioned. The fact that you were a lineman meant that you could climb, right? I have actually witnessed people that applied for Journeyman jobs and could not climb. Unbelievable!

I worked with a guy once who had worked for S.Cal. Ed. He related that early in the job he was tooling up to climb a pole when a bunch of the brass showed up. Why are they here, he asked? To see if you can climb, was the reply. Unbelievable.

I have seen many so called Journeyman who's first question was. Can we get a bucket to it?

It used to be just a phone call and you showed up and maybe took a physical and went to work. Now it's climbing tests, written and probably a long interview with a power co. What a farce. They still get some ding dongs that slip through the cracks.

Everybody seems to think that a certain brand of hooks are the answer. I've seen guys who could take anybodies hooks, strap them on and do a creditable job. Ah, today's lineman. The wave of the future.

I know this is a little off the thread, but a lengthy discussion of the brands of hooks etc. just seems a little trivial to me. I know everbody usually settles on their favorite brand etc. but I guess my point is that everybody needs to learn to climb well and they don't anymore. I have witnessed many "Journeyman" who were embarassing to watch as they climbed a pole.

Working off the pole is going to hell in a handbasket I guess.

Worked with a guy once, that if he heard there was some heavy duty pole work coming up, would call in sick. True. Maybe it'll all be underground someday.

[graybeard]

I know this is alittle off the tread too but things are changing on the utility side of line work. These companies are now being run by lawyers and accountants who are ONLY looking at bottom lines are SAFTY GOALS. They don't even want you to climb any more than absolutly nessasary. Used you would put your apps in thier hooks all the time untill they became hot and then they could they could get in the bucket. Now if you do it and they get hurt you better have a good reason why they were climbing instead of in the bucket. I know of a guy that bid an app job thats 56 with bad knees and is convinced he can be a lineman. The industry is not headed in a good direction.

[LINETRASH]

Brooks hooks. no sustitute.

Gettin' rare though.....

I was wearing them for a poletop rescue demo a while back and nobody had heard of them.

[thrasher]

A while back I hired an eight year journeyman away from the contractors. I had seen this man work and climb, while he was no speed demon he was good, safe and neat. Anyway came time for our annual pole-top rescue practice/test and he had NEVER done it or SEEN it done. We taught him and he does it now but I couldn't believe a journeyman that had never seen or practiced pole top rescue. By the way he had never practiced bucket rescue either. I have since added a couple of more questions to my interview.
As you said greybeard the times are changing.

[scammy]

once again I have nothing against contractors,,they are paid to do a job ,,(like me ) ,,they get alot of shit jobs ,,,,most fatalitys are contractors ,,because of the enviornment that they have to work in ,,,,its cost motivated,,so as a result you have accidents ,,like a second day ape on a transmission tower,,training is minamal,,,,mostly hands on ,,by the grace of god ,,these boys are hard workers,,,,and willing ,,,I just wish there was a better industry standard,,and it is also almost criminal for these companys to use ( and I mean use) these men ,,,,by hireing them and washing thier hands of all responsibility,,,(because ,,they should know)how to do the work,,,,,no test given,,,to see what they know,,,,,I gotta go now ,Im getting too worked up,,scammy

[mainline]

The NJATC and its fellow programs teach lineman how to do stuff through classes both hands on and book work. I wish I had finished. That said I now for a union utility, training is a joke. If you don't work in an area that does a lot of gloving you get just about zero exposure. What you do get is all OJT. Transmission you might as well forget about. The company talks about what a good work force they have but it is in spite of not because of the training. We don't even give a skills test upon hiring, so we have no idea if the new employees can perform poletop rescue or bucket rescue, or even climb. As far as the union non-union issue we have small non-union contractors in state who are very good, and a large one who is scary. Its a crap shoot, all you can do is watch your back, and the backs of your fellow lineman.

[Edge]

well this thread sorta got turned around then just fizzled out so in the interest of getting back on track....

Anyone ever climb in a pair of CA French or W Cadieux? or know where I could get a set of those or some other type of bastard hooks?

Edge

Blazing sun :check
rain :check
sleet :check
snow :check
hail :check
floods, tornadoes, hurricanes... check, check, check

been there done that... what else ya got?

[BigClive]

Blazing sun :check
rain :check
sleet :check
snow :check
hail :check
floods, tornadoes, hurricanes... check, check, check

been there done that... what else ya got?

Been there done ALL of those on Thursday and Friday of last week! I was changing out 3/4" diameter steel catenary ropes at the top of 60' steel poles and mother nature just let rip and gave us everything. It was actually close to the point the access machine was threatening us with wind speed warnings every time there was a peak gust. (It has it's own anemometer built in.)

And to add insult to injury I had to do all the heavy work myself because my co-worker simply wasn't strong enough to pull the new ropes sag high enough to get the shackles in. (We could have done with a chain ratchet to drag them into position.)

Ah well, things have quietened down a bit now in term of weather and work too. Nice. Time to chill out for a few days.

[lineman26]

ever hook a CCA Clive? after they've been in the elements about 10 years they're like trying to hook concrete a tree gaff would break off and you'd end up eatin dirt... and actually some guys at work all climb in Klien and were bitching about my bashlin gaffs being to long.... turns out the gaff is the same length but oriented on the climber differently.....

Edge

ain't ready to see God yet... but when I am... let it be in the 3 phase...
lineworks funeral pyre...

Edge, it sounds like you have some experience with cca poles. I climb in bashlin aluminum offsets and have never had an issue with them. My utility has been placing cca recently and I have had to climb a few with my standard gaffs. Haven't cut out yet but i find them to be much harder! Bashlin offers a polished gaff for cca! any experience with them? Thanks

[freshjive]

buckingham titaniums....Padded Velcro upper strap...Great all around hook and super comfortable if you gotta be up on em all day...I've used the ones with the leather upper starp and they chaffed my calfs pretty bad, but to each his own obviously..

[Edge]

Edge, it sounds like you have some experience with cca poles. I climb in bashlin aluminum offsets and have never had an issue with them. My utility has been placing cca recently and I have had to climb a few with my standard gaffs. Haven't cut out yet but i find them to be much harder! Bashlin offers a polished gaff for cca! any experience with them? Thanks


Yeah polished gaff is all I use... it'll fuggin murder a penta pole or a blackjack but I don't give a fu(k ... a lot of lineman hate to see the pole tore up and a polished gaff will sink ya to your foot in a brownie... but when your kicking into a cca thats been out in a field or on a hilltop for 10-20 years you'll sure like 'em... seen a lot of guys grabbing wood in the regular gaff... but never with the polished...

something else you can do that I've oldtimers do...
emery cloth on your gaffs...

for what it's worth

Edge

lookin' down is easier from the top...

[mainline]

Back to the wolf claws. When I was an apprentice I bought a pair, you can stand in them all day, but boy were they spooky to move around in. You only stood on the points of the gaff. Your boot wouldn't touch the pole so it felt like you were hanging out there in space. Even better, the ones I bought had a quick release buckle. One day I swung a Sherman & Reilly between my feet and it unbuckled both my hooks top and bottom. Not a good feeling. On that note if anyone would like a lightly used set of wolfclaw hooks I have a ten year old set that look like new. Bashlin all the way.

[neil macgregor]

my family's been doing line work since they were stinging telegraph in the trees... each generation a construction hand including my self... I being the first to transition into the utility side.... still got my great grandpaps hooks ... homemade... granddaddy climbed in the same then later Bashlin ... my daddy climbed in Bashlin, I climb in Bashlin, and my middle son... yeah you get the picture by now....

and spikes??? I don't know what those are.... sounds like tree climber talk BC... most Lineman call 'em gaffs or hooks or climbers :)

Edge

untill the day they put the whole grid underground... make mine BASHLIN

in the uk thier called spikes meaning the whole lot pads gaff,s and irons

[neil macgregor]

Been there done ALL of those on Thursday and Friday of last week! I was changing out 3/4" diameter steel catenary ropes at the top of 60' steel poles and mother nature just let rip and gave us everything. It was actually close to the point the access machine was threatening us with wind speed warnings every time there was a peak gust. (It has it's own anemometer built in.)

And to add insult to injury I had to do all the heavy work myself because my co-worker simply wasn't strong enough to pull the new ropes sag high enough to get the shackles in. (We could have done with a chain ratchet to drag them into position.)

Ah well, things have quietened down a bit now in term of weather and work too. Nice. Time to chill out for a few days.

hey clive if you want one of those could sort you out p.s we call them pull lifts