Will the utility lineman still splice rope

[reppy007]

If all these big jobs are going to contractors,and the utilities are only setting a few poles on a certain line ,why do you need all the rope/bull-line that is usually used to pull in new wire,and how are the hands going to remember the splices that may be required?

[bren guzzi]

The apprentices don't even learn basic knots at line school. When I was in New Zealand part of the linesmans test was 21 knots. And 4 splices...... I teach the newbies a few when they turn up... But I still remeber all 21 knots and sices...... ::)

[T-Man]

Before everything had to be done by two people, I was never more thankful about knowing my knots and splices being a troubleshooter. I could use a straight line alone to put up a phase of secondary main temporary and tie it off to the arm, install a jumper and get the customers going. Using a pipe hitch to catch the wire off with. I didn't need comealongs, jacks or, sets of blocks to get it done.

Or Tying a hose and a new fuse cutout on the end of my straight line. Then climbing up to the defective cutout, Haul up the hose, catch the line off, install the hose, pull up the rest of the line and have the cutout handy for replacing the old one.

The more knots one could tie the more creative they could get with one piece of rope.

In our training class we have the trainees learn the basics and send them home one weekend to make a long splice, loop splice and an end splice in a 6 foot piece of 1/2 inch nylon. Then we grade them the following week.

They should be able to tie a Bowline, a square knot, a Half hitch, pipe hitch, a Clove hitch, dang near blind folded. It all pays off later.

Rope is your friend, get to know how to use it.

[reppy007]

The apprentices don't even learn basic knots at line school. When I was in New Zealand part of the linesmans test was 21 knots. And 4 splices...... I teach the newbies a few when they turn up... But I still remeber all 21 knots and sices...... ::)

Thats pretty good Bren,remembering all of them,I forgot how many we had to know,the splices,knots,and tying in wire with tie wire....I believe we had to know something like 16 different transformer drawings,12 & 35kv,and had to know our cap banks. There were times a guy would make an eye splice to pull in wire,,,that didnt fly too well with some lineman.I guess i used the bowline the most and the timber hitch,one thing I found out was that some guys could tie a bowline,but not a double bowline,kind of funny.:D

[bluestreak]

Looks like another skill lost probably due to lawyers I know back in the 70's every truck had a kit for splicing samson braid rope and everyone knew how to splice an eye for the winch line, used to splice the steel bed winch's too. But because of "liability" everything is store bought, throw away good ropes because it needs a new eye, nice that everybody has good pull ropes in their own pick ups but the skills are going going gone.

[T-Man]

Here is a good site for learning knot tying the modern Hi-Tech way


http://www.animatedknots.com/indexscouting.php