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 :D , 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. :cool:

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

[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/powertest/catalog_sections/PDF_hotline/2300_Jumpers_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.:D

[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.:D

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.:)

[climbsomemore]

every place I've ever worked expected a mechanical ("real" voltage- rated rubber coated jumpers that is) to be treated like any other gloving rubber... incedental or brush contact only.

Swampy... i worked a ton of concrete at FPL... and lots of all steel distribution in a few other places. It's all "SAFE" if you follow the rules and understand the limits your work enviroment places on the equipment and how we work it.

Sounds like you spend too much time at Koehler, buddy.....

[Lineman North Florida]

My thing with the concrete poles is it is nothing but a dead ground, a giant series of steel re-bar with concrete surrounding it, hence why I treat the mechanical jumper just like I would any other bare conductor, a dry wood pole does offer some insulation value which I believe is considerably more forgiving, don't get me wrong I am not advocating not using rubber to cover mac's on wood poles I just don't believe you have to go to the extreme's that you should with concrete. As far as mac's being taken down every night that was not always practical for me as on re-conductor jobs I have left them on for a month or more, I agree the sun and elements do a number on them and I just make me up some more, also I would tighten them periodically if leaving them on the line for a while or you will be putting on some armor rods or sleaving the wire.

[Special ED]

Standing on the head of a mac while making up the other end is safe? Tell the to Pikes saftey man in the Central region. Similar incident only he was burnt and now walks with a cane. Be safe and if an extra step means extra protection why knock it? We all wanna go home at night so it would seem like everyone would be willing to go the extra mile with saftey

[mainline]

Ben we glove 12, but stick 19. We cover the arm, pole, or jumper where it contacts a ground. We do not however, cover the entire length of the jumper. It is already insulated. At some point you need to trust your tools especially if they are tested, clean, and inspected before use.

[lineman1010]

i treat a mac like you would treat a phase or a jumper. i will put a blanket down on the arm and lay the mac on that or even take a hot top and put the mac in one of those. we do not leave macs up over night. we use those parriot stands so you can mac a phase out by your self on single phase, on two or three phases u work with some one else so we mac things out together. stepping on a mac in the bottom of your bucket sounds like your just asking for trouble to me. no surprise swamp RAT would post something like that


we had a contractor working with for us, i dont know if he was an ap or a lineman but was putting a mac on by him self, put the hot end in his bucket bag. well he had a hole in his bag with a bolt sticking out of the whole and the bolt got into the ground. i guess he was ok no burns on him or anything. he walked away with out a mark on him. the bucket was all black and burnt up. he got really luck

[PSE Lineman]

"so you can mac a phase out by your self on single phase,"


One man jumpering a phase out with a mac? Why on earth would you do that? I'm staying right here where it's against state law to be in the primary zone alone!! No one man grounding! No gloving above 5KV!
The macs can stay the night if they want to. Stringing jobs, even longer. Lay them on the arm for an hour or 2, but not over night. NEVER stand on them like bucket trash. The bottom of the bucket is for stuff you don't want to toss out and hit anybody with.

[Meat]

"so you can mac a phase out by your self on single phase,"


One man jumpering a phase out with a mac? Why on earth would you do that? I'm staying right here where it's against state law to be in the primary zone alone!! No one man grounding! No gloving above 5KV!
The macs can stay the night if they want to. Stringing jobs, even longer. Lay them on the arm for an hour or 2, but not over night. NEVER stand on them like bucket trash. The bottom of the bucket is for stuff you don't want to toss out and hit anybody with. Agreed with one exception, we dont lay them on anything without a blanket. Here's another handy tool.http://www.hfgp.com/ProductDetail.asp?ProductNumber=12577. Meat!

[Fiberglass Cowboy]

To mac (jumper) out phases ALONE where I work. I personally prefer to use my HASTINGS JUMPER/MAC HOLDER, or what some linemen refer to as a "third hand." It is specifically designed for holding "jumpers", (a.k.a. "patent" or "made up jumpers", or "stingers" or "risers" or whatever you want to call them) and macs (official "mechanical jumpers"). We do not have the "2 men in zone" rule yet where I work. Nor do I think it is necessary on many things, single phase work especially. Yes it is usually a good idea on 3 phase hot work to have 2 men in the "zone". Therefore, if I ever feel I need the help; I ask for it, & 9 out of 10 times I get it. When we do get the extra help that means 2 bucket trucks, not 1. At least 1 man in each bucket, instead of 2 men side-by-side in the same bucket. Personally, I think 2 men in separate buckets is a hell of alot better and more efficient versus 2 men crammed in 1 bucket. Therefore, the "2 men in the zone" rule isn't always the better way. I don't ALWAYS want to be STANDING NUT-TO-BUTT with some other prick-lineman in a bucket to go up and perform a simple task, like putting on a "basket" (stirrup), or something similar. I'm a god-damned JOURNEYMAN LINEMAN, & quite capable of performing MANY different tasks - out of a bucket / or off the pole in my hooks; on my own !!! :cool:

And the last 3 letters of OUR job title is MAN !!! :cool:

Proud to be UNION.... IBEW Local # 1464 :)

[Edge]

I've done plenty of gloving (where I work now we glove up to 19.9/34.5)...and plenty of sticking (everything from 5kv 'bustion to 765 'mission...would love to try out some of the same stuff/tricks on the million that they build over in China and Japan but I'm to old for that shit and it's prolly all barehand work nowadays) when your gloving makes guys sloppy... theres to many layers of protection... insulated macks...gloves and sleeves...insulated bucket... we start thinking we're super man... if your gloving a mack treat the sob just like ya would a bare phase with a snake/hose/gut what ever the fug ya wanna call it on it... it's hot...buckets fail gloves fail... hoses fail... have you seen the failure rate on these shitty assed sailsbury gloves and sleeves?

Sticking? I always treated a Mac like it was a phase... Mad's applied... we used to run a piece of clean dry rope through our stick tester and tie a 8 inch eye bowline in it/// you could lift that bitch up over the x arm flip a stick through the loop grap the tali and "suck the mack up to the arm making a quick bowline on a bite... then you'd use your other sitck (both being finger sticks/grip alls/shot guns what ever your lingo is) to tye a qucik clove hitch that was pretty easy to untie when it cam time to transfer to the new pole or undo your jacks/hoists (it all depended ont the job ya know) bottom line is treat the sob like it's hot...cuz it fuggin is...

I dunno maybe I'm just to old to deal with this shit anymore... guess I'll start getting presidential... 4 more years!!! lmao

for what it's worth

Edge