Setting a pole

[MBIvey]

I got into an argument today that I get into once in a while with a few of the guys I work with on how to set a pole, specifically how to plumb it.

The way I do it is that one person stands in line with the boom of the digger and the other person stands at a 90 to the boom. Between the two people one controls boom in and out or up and down and the other person controls boom left and right.

A lot of the guys I work with have it stuck in their head that you stand in line with and at a 90 to the line to plumb a pole regardless of the truck. So you might be at 45s to the boom. What this does is each of the two people has an effect on what the other person is seeing.

I know I'm not the only one that does it the way I do, but I even had to explain it to my father who was a lineman for 40 years. I don't understand why this is such a difficult concept for people. Just forget the line for a minute - I'm not moving that; I'm moving the boom on the truck. I needed the line for WHERE to set the pole, not to plumb the pole straight up and down.

My questions are, 1) How many people use each method? and 2) How can I convince people of the correct way to plumb a pole?

[T-Man]

We always did it with one man, the foreman using a plumb bob. We'd see where to set the pole in the line, drilling the hole close to plumb to start with, then setting the pole, the foreman would check for plumb in a couple different directions and then we'd tamp her in. No big deal. I see the way you do it will work but we just didn't have extra guys to stand around and check plumb while one guy operated the boom. We set a bunch of sticks and they all look pretty good to me! Back when we used pike poles it took more guys to get r done, but progress cut that gang down to two or three guys now a days.

[bluestreak]

Set quite a few poles when in the transmission dept using the same process MBlvey it saved movement of the crane typically you didn't screw up the first "plumb" when you made it plumb from the other way, and as mentioned didn't have the extra help when settin distribution poles so the guy in charge usually had to move around a few times because the second move invariably messed up the first plumb plus it always gave the person plumbing the pole the chance to lean it out of plumb to help to keep the pole straight on a angle that might not have a guy on it.

[lewy]

I like to have 1 guy inline with the pole(on a tangent pole) and the other guy at 90 degrees. This way it makes sure the but is inline, either way with 2 guys at 90 degrees to each other the pole will be straight. When I give directions it is the direction I want the pole moved not on how to move the boom, I don't care wether he stings out or booms down.

[rob8210]

Plumb bob. In line and 90 degrees to. I want the dang line to look straight when its done.

[TRAMPLINEMAN]

I don't feel there is only one way to plumb a pole and I certainly do not always plumb it in line with the boom. Where I work, moving the butt so its in line where you think it should be is not an option. The butt goes on the hub that the surveyor placed and gets measured off four offset stakes. You are allowed 6" up or down and 12" horizontally. If you deviate from that, you will be digging it back out and setting it where it was staked. Now, back to plumbing. Say you're setting a bisect pole and you can't set the truck up perfectly in the bisect or in line with the line. How are you going to plumb it with rake lining up with the boom and 90* out? Even on some tangent poles we can't plumb in line with the boom due to obstacles in the way and terrain. And, I can't remember the last time we had enough guys on our crew for one guy to run the boom and two guys to plumb.

[bren guzzi]

It ain't rocket surgery.. I put one man in charge of plumbing rather than let several get involved during the course of a new build. ( quite often its me). Two reasons..HE IS THEN RESPONSIBLE" and accountable so makes sure he gets it right
( it is on the paper work " pole plumbed by " )
they have used plumb bobs to build the pyramids...

The ancient Greeks had a method to cope with plumbing when very windy. What do you guys do when it's windy. ?????

[Rob]

It ain't rocket surgery.. I put one man in charge of plumbing rather than let several get involved during the course of a new build. ( quite often its me). Two reasons..HE IS THEN RESPONSIBLE" and accountable so makes sure he gets it right
( it is on the paper work " pole plumbed by " )
they have used plumb bobs to build the pyramids...

The ancient Greeks had a method to cope with plumbing when very windy. What do you guys do when it's windy. ?????

Wait for another day?

[bren guzzi]

Wait for another day?

They used an extra long plumb bob and the weight at the bottom was dropped into a barrel of water so it hung vertically and was less effected by the wind.

[bones]

They used an extra long plumb bob and the weight at the bottom was dropped into a barrel of water so it hung vertically and was less effected by the wind.

That's how we do it every day. I don't go anywhere without my barrel of water.