Being a Lineman - Episode 16

[@McChungus1234]

I’m in the midst of lineman school, and your channel helps me so much. Thank you for the dedication to demonstrate what you do.

[@Bobsdecline]

**edit** **I'm adding this comment a month later as I'm changing this exact same pole again! 😔 Another drunk driver ** Totally forgot to mention a very important step, once the scene is secure of course... Locates! Before we dig, or anyone for that matter, you must call the other utilities in your area for any buried gas/water/sewer or communication lines. Have a great week everyone! 👊🍻

[@lonahlen8655]

As a homeowner, the “locates” take 3 days minimum. I suspect locates you call in are prioritized. Do they actually come to the site or just a virtual “locate”?

[@sricerice9731]

Would you get locates to replace the pole like you did, same hole?

[@ziggybammurphy1645]

@@lonahlen8655 They have “emergency” ones if there’s a danger to the public...im a lineman and they get out there pretty quick (usually within an hr or 2) where i am anyway

[@Bobsdecline]

Even for a pole in the same hole, we call in locates. There's been a few incidents with directionally drilled gas being within inches of our poles. We do also have an emergency line, usually takes less then an hour

[@mikel9567]

@@lonahlen8655 Emergency locates are required to be acknowledged within an hour of receiving them (here in the US anyway). Doesn't mean they will show up then but the locating company has to acknowledge it. Unfortunately the emergency system gets abused. Here in the US they have 3 business days to respond from the time you call 811. Sometimes a contractor will be impatient or will forget so they will call it in as an emergency. Unfortunately there is no punishment for them when they do that. Don't hit a fiber cable. Fiber is extremely expensive to fix. Potentially in the hundreds of thousands of dollars depending on the size.

[@nelsbackstrom4493]

Watching from N Illinois. Great point bringing up sun glare. I am always driving the work zone once we are set up. Keeping an eye on the clock for school going start or finishing/factory shift change when we are working in those areas. If You bunch of cars with the sun Visors flipped down it may be a good time to re evaluate or keep an even closer eye on your brothers and sisters in the work zone. I am not a lineman, but have been trying to get on as a apprentice at the city where I work as an Arborist. I think I have watched every one of your videos thank you for them.

[@Imjustb3tter-p6e]

I’m a dso in northeast Ohio ….love your videos, we have a very similar distribution system and termanolgy here. Be safe brother!

[@davidd1395]

Those battery tools are a lineman’s salvation, not to mention the boom mounted winches on the bucket trucks. When I started we had neither, when I retired we had both. Work safe my friend. The most dangerous part of our job was always the idiots on the road never slowing down. Minnesota

[@wilfhook2955]

Watching from the UK. I find these videos really interesting as it’s very different from how we do things here. Most of our distribution is 11kV delta primary and 230/400V secondary with a single phase and neutral 100A supply to individual houses. Also most of our distribution is underground with overhead only used in rural locations feeding farms etc.

[@kevinmaclean4808]

I am a mechanic by trade I really enjoy watching you and your explanation of what you do and the reasons behind it . And your diagnostic troubleshooting of your problem. I know there is way more than what you show to your process Like you said in a couple of videos ago it looks like you are driving up and down the road. Now I know somewhat what you are looking for. Thanks for the videos. Cheers. Capebretoner working and living in Ontario.

[@jefferycherrysr6568]

I'm a telephone lineman out of Washington DC with 22 years experience, I love your videos they are very interesting and informative.

[@danielvolz606]

I love to see how differently every company works when it comes to putting in new poles!

[@jgilb2002]

I love your channel , I'm from Houston Texas

[@hokeweise]

Really good videos. Watching from Pickens, SC USA

[@geeman6938]

I watch from Texas USA. I love your channel. Keep up the great work.

[@davemackinnon6487]

Having a dashcam running anytime you are out would be a great idea! Never know what nonsense is going to happen. Glad you and your co-workers weren't injured. Thanks for the content.

[@alan.macrae]

Nice work, Aaron. Thanks for sharing. My dad started as a lineman for New England Telephone. I used to get to see him work with a corner mount when I was a kid, thought it was the coolest thing ever. Stay safe my friend. Hope you’re settling in to your new home. 👊

[@Bobsdecline]

Slowly getting there Alan! That's cool to hear your father was in the trade, I think this is the first time you've mentioned that. Hope all is well!

[@mitcholobe]

Hello from Dutchess county New York, this topic is great I always wondered what the process was to changing poles. Usually when I see a broken pole I am on my way somewhere and don't get to see the process. Thanks for another cool vid.

[@Dravira]

Watching from canton ohio. Love the vids thanks for what you do.

[@treats9081]

Cheers from Pennsylvania 👊

[@bclineman5250]

I was at a call out on Friday night for a wreck too. We placed a new pole, transferred a few strands and hydro came out to do their primary head and down guy. Telecom lineman in BC here 👊

[@Mediocre1987]

Who are you working for out there? Maintenance Tech out of Toronto here

[@bclineman5250]

@@Mediocre1987 I’m working for a smaller company

[@BzzykidKayden]

Cheers from southeast Tennessee! Thanks for the video.

[@James_Bowie]

Going by that cross on the side of the road, I guess that's a lethal stretch of road.

[@Ascended6966]

Watching from Onterrible, lovin the vids. The one thing that amazes me is thinking of the force that suv would've had to tear that pole through frozen ground.... damn dude

[@gwesco]

Tucson AZ USA here. We had a monsoon storm a couple of weeks ago that took out at least a dozen poles near our neighborhood. Power company spent two days getting new poles in and lines remounted. The phone and cable company are still rehanging their lines. Interestingly enough, we never lost power and our Tesla Powerwall never even saw a spike as it would have kicked in for at least five minutes if there had been even the slightest bump.

[@ismaelabregana1493]

👊watching here from Philippines..i'm a lineman at DASURECO(DAVAO DEL SUR ELECTRIC COOP) ...i love watching your videos..😊

[@039raymond]

love the intro music, makes me happy.....

[@Bobsdecline]

😃

[@VOTEREPUBLICANS594]

Great job your doing

[@JQ_Vegan]

Another great video, glad to have found your channel. Watching from Toronto, Ontario. Electricity has always been a passion. High voltage distribution is something that always amazes and intrigues me.

[@Fireship1]

Nice video and explanation. I always enjoy watching your videos because you do such a good job explaining the whole process.

[@REWYRED]

This reminds me of when I worked for a small contractor here in Hamilton Ontario, we did temporary power poles for one builder and that's all I usually did was set poles and string triplex. If you have a good co worker you can set them pretty quick.

[@tsheejkoo]

Thanks for the video. I estimate/design pole replacements for PGE and it always helps to have video installation of pole replacements to see what/how is done in the field.

[@harrygilbert4593]

Milford Connecticut. I’m glad you’re back posting content. I’ve learned so much and this was a great video. Somewhat answered a question about the whole process.

[@ryanlevis7532]

God bless you guys! Much love from Iowa!

[@Bobsdecline]

Thanks Ryan!

[@kgt9535]

Keep'um comin bro...your videos are inspiring. I feel almost like an apprentice when watching...like it's a personal training flick...lol We're under the same CEC electrical system here in the Bahamas being a sister State of the Crown's commonwealth. Keep the fire in the wire....stay safe.

[@mark52111]

Another excellent video! Keep up the great work. Cheers from Houston. 👊

[@Bobsdecline]

Cheers Mark! 👊🍻

[@dclawnmaintenanceandsnowre4099]

Watching for n.s 🇨🇦

[@joedillon159]

Great video! I admire your work ethic and professionalism!

[@thewannabetradesman]

This channel is underrated! Watching from West Virginia, USA [i'm on pc so i have no emotes, fistbump emote here]

[@Bobsdecline]

Right click, emote! Haha Thanks Officer! 👊👊

[@timothysteeves4167]

I'm watching from Weldon, New Brunswick, Canada

[@Bobsdecline]

Nice! 👊🍻

[@skippythepunk67]

Love the vids fro. St. Louis MO USA

[@javyLSU1]

👊 from Connecticut. Love your videos, always learn something new!

[@peterpowalisz9211]

Pretty awesome that your company allows you to film at work!

[@johnwojtsvideos3616]

I think he's doing a great public service show us these things they 5hey do and educating us at the same time.

[@baconmcbacon62]

Fist bump from Dallas, TX! Looks like that blade worked a treat and you got yourself some nice birch kindling!

[@paulstubbs7678]

Greetings from Australia

[@joshuafoster8479]

Try dropping your line on the field side then hook up the pole just past balance. It allows the pole to stand vertical, easy for one person to maneuver.

[@bertcollicutt8121]

Enjoy your videos , shout out from Grand Barachois,N.B.

[@wolphin732]

2:25: they do make an actual pruning blade for the Sawzall (cuts both in push and pull) and works even faster!

[@rupe53]

watching from Ct USA and we do have a rule on call B4 but even they can be off by a bit. I recently watched a scheduled pole change and the auger went right through a 6" sewer line that was less than a foot from the original pole. I could still see the CBYD paint saying it was ok!

[@flowtownfrowman]

Your going to love those ax blades on the m18 fuel hackzall! It will cut 4 inch rounds no problem!

[@twilllinemanforhire6266]

Gotta love setting poles on the cold snowy evenings. Should of called me, I would of taken care of those comm lines...Good Job. 👊🏾

[@Bobsdecline]

Man that would have been awesome if you stopped by! 😀👊🍻

[@redsquirrelftw]

I work for a big blue company and sometimes we need to wait for hydro to put a pole before we can go fix our stuff, I only work in the NOC and not in the field, so it's always cool to see what goes on in the field.

[@danielnigra1922]

Hey Arron. Whats up brother. dan from NJ here again. That sawzall blade looks nasty and legit! I got that same saw free when milwaukee had there 199. two 5.0 battery with free tool promotion. I went mad spending $$$

[@mikeznel6048]

Yes new video!

[@SeekingTheLoveThatGodMeans7648]

It's nice the phone co contracts this out to the main linemen.

[@candiannorth2011]

Great videos :). I am watching From Inuvik NWT Canada

[@Bobsdecline]

Nice! I've never been there!

[@zagnit]

Awesome from Gresham Oregon 👊

[@nickdyachenko9581]

Also use sawzall for cutting branches and even poles sometimes. If it has the right blade it’s perfect.

[@pnwRC.]

Neat video!

[@jameswoods7276]

Did TCP for a while here in NS, when I think a vehicle won't stop I lean my paddle towards their hood ... They tend to stop at that point 😂 1 didn't brand new Mercedes yeah quite the gouge in his paint and hood ... Had a RCMP cruiser 2 cars behind him. He got a ticket, and a bodywork bill lmao.

[@tonytango6676]

Fist bump from Steinbach Manitoba. I really enjoy watching your description of life as a lineman. I sure hope they catch the assholes in the Mercedes.

[@hyperbyte2]

Hello, I'm watching form the other side of the pond. Portugal (europe)

[@OU-bo9gb]

I love your videos ! Nice job ..keep up the good work

[@johnwojtsvideos3616]

Watching from Fishers, Indiana.

[@Bobsdecline]

Gonna have to look that one up! 👊👊

[@odog951]

🤙🏽 Watching in SoCal 👊🏽

[@Bobsdecline]

👊👊 Cheers! 🍻

[@bigjohn2520]

Milwbaukee Wisconsin 👊🏻👊🏻👊🏻

[@bertblankenstein3738]

The only challenge with putting the new pole between the comms lines is that (in this case) the top line is now on the property side as opposed to the street side. Next time a new cable needs to get lashed up to that strand it is trickier to get the new cable (perhaps on a reel) behind the pole. I don't place cable myself, so am not sure how much of a challenge that is. There would be ways, but probably a bit more work. Class 3 40 footer? A lot of what I see around here is 3/40 or 3/45. Some of the big ones are 1/65 for going over big streets or for transmission lines.. WCSK is quite common. I'm quite impressed with how strong the woods pole are. Pole vs car, the pole does not lose often.

[@somethingelsehere8089]

Thanks for the video. Curious to hear you thoughts on aged poles if you come across an opportunity in an upcoming video. How long do they last, oldest you have seen, pressure treated vs concrete vs creosote, etc.

[@Bobsdecline]

Hmmm that's an interesting topic 🤔 I've never considered covering that, but I like it! Could definitely be a great conversation video as well

[@stephenberry4077]

Steve from North Carolina

[@assassinlexx1993]

Those Milwaukee carbide blades are great, even hitting a nail they just keep going. Thick cross timber no problem. Be safe on the lines but also on the road. 5 year apprenticeship. 4years learn the trade One to learn to do the paper work 🤦

[@stanleyshostak2737]

I find your channel interesting. I wanted to be an electrician but my folks talked me out of it. Here in Connecticut I see the power company (eversource) will put up a new pole, change over the power and the cable and phone take forever (sometimes years) to switch over their lines. Meanwhile the broken pole is there. How does the communication happen between the power company and the cable and phone company, and vice versa?

[@davemessenger4764]

Awesome video

[@bertblankenstein3738]

Scary with that traffic situation. I slow down a lot when there are safety vests on the job, as sometimes I am wearing the vest.

[@shayamoonstone6733]

👊 watching from michigan

[@kd5byb]

I hope they catch that Mercedes! That's absolutely crazy. Glad y'all were okay!

[@Bobsdecline]

That's a good point 🤔

[@cobrastrike5793]

👊 Wallingford Connecticut USA

[@alanbean8222]

About 30 years ago we had a ice storm and I cut branches with a saw zall

[@bobfarnum199]

👊 Dewitt, Michigan

[@jefferycherrysr6568]

👊👊👊👊Washington DC

[@Rliang7070]

hello from Wisconsin, USA

[@Phred_Phlintstoner]

Also from Wisconsin, USA. I'm on the northeastern part of the state. How bout you?

[@Rliang7070]

@@Phred_Phlintstoner southeast part (Wauwatosa) (heart) of Milwaukee

[@Phred_Phlintstoner]

@@Rliang7070 ahh 250 miles south of here. Lol funny enough I have family in that area. My uncle works at froedtert hospital. Not sure what he does there anymore though. I'm from florence, which is a small town that butts up next to Iron mountain Michigan. Ohhh now I want Firehouse subs... damn... lol

[@CarlGolden]

Fist Bump From Ball Ground, Ga

[@RGVSeven]

Vehicles always find a way to hit a pole in the middle of nowhere, It's unreal. Lol

[@shaunferdinand7960]

Facts

[@bertblankenstein3738]

Tru dat. They will hit everything. Not a matter of "if" , but "when."

[@tompiper3]

Usually at 2:30 in the morning

[@SeekingTheLoveThatGodMeans7648]

Or else drive into a ditch... a pole would have stopped them if there.

[@danielnigra1922]

One thing im intrigued by is the depth of the pole. the weight and tension isnt too much top heavy weight. i imagine the guy wire helps. and how does that dirt stuff you fill in form a solid and hard?

[@kylebuehlman4207]

The power company in Michigan will put the telephone cables and whatever else on the pole but sometimes the telephone company has to come out and put there stuff back on the pole but not all the time

[@theguardingdark1183]

With spring officially here and tornado and hurricane season coming what do you do to prepare for these? I know here in Shreveport La. when a storm approachs I see large convoys of line trucks at the ready at the state fair grounds and at some hotels. Do you get sent out of state at times to help?

[@kevini001]

In Quebec, the pole is installed by a subcontractor. And Hydro workers can't touch the Communication lines. That is up to them to transfer them over, or the pole is cut into a small piece with the wires still attached and attached to the new pole. Minimum 40 foot class 4 for poles with any power lines on them, and 35 class 5 just for communication lines.

[@PLTFishing]

Good video my friend

[@sricerice9731]

I like how you can work with the phone/cable company, we cannot touch their stuff.

[@syruin]

Same here in NE US. Gotta get ahold of other utilities.

[@rhydianedwards3457]

Same in the UK, which caused my workplace a lot of issues when the phone company claimed they couldn't replace a pole for 2.5 weeks

[@jfbeam]

You can if they ok it. (but I've seen a lot of comm lines left dangling from a stump after the pole is replaced. sometimes for months.)

[@johnk6324]

We have alot of zombie poles here in New York.

[@candiannorth2011]

My utility company normal gets called out the there The Foreman Lineman of the Crew will call my telecom out as there crews are heading to the side

[@JacobCouch-v5m]

👊👍

[@countyboys7477]

Watching from Ontario Could you do a video on the gear you use and a truck tour

[@victorlong4677]

Garner, North Carolina

[@william5694]

Here in Hawaii we use our sawzalls to cut trees all the time. It’s much easier to carry a pack of pruning blades for a saw we always have with us than it is to carry a chainsaw.

[@Bobsdecline]

I'm definitely gonna start using it more!

[@imark7777777]

a sawz works great for small stuff that's unless of course there's no outlet and you're trying to discreetly take the tree out of the middle of the road at 5 in the morning. I was working with hand saws with dull blades after my dad woke me up to say that there was a tree across the road as he was trying to get out to work an hour away. Then I remembered the sawzs is in the garage and the inverter in the car however it was a 750w modified sine wave and I barely got one of them to work even though both were under the wattage. it was more like playing the fiddle with an acoustic guitar as I was literally assisted slightly hand sawing it. I want to say it was a 10 inch tree. Well I couldn't run one saw and the other one just barely functioned, consequently I got new sawblades and I upgraded my inverter and I was able to run the one that wouldn't run well running a fan at the same time. don't bother with a modified sign wave get a true sign wave. Then again all these other fancy folks with battery operated tools, I don't have to recharge or have a heavy battery; I'll keep those in my drills. This happened just next to our driveway in a blind spot as the road slopes down again and we have people who like to race through our dead end road. WV

[@billmurray8739]

👊

[@carter83419]

👊🏻👊🏻

[@TheAustrianLineman]

👊🏻 🇦🇹 another good video !

[@jlh2011able]

From St Calixte QC

[@m1stertim]

you ever get to drive the pole trailer truck? how much of a pain is the tailswing on that?

[@Bobsdecline]

Sometimes I'll run over to the office and grab it. If you make a turn while a car is beside you, the pole will swing out and hit it. Usually we'll have another truck follow and block the swing side if we're hauling a 45+ foot pole or take up two lanes at an intersection

[@richkh]

When replacing poles like that, do you have to maintain the exact same spacing between the existing poles, or can you move left/right as needed? (Ground condition, new underground lines placed too close, etc.)

[@bertblankenstein3738]

I'm going to say that if there is one straight line, a bit (few feet) one way or another, in that line is fine (in cities that location may need to be approved, and you also can't encroach/hit other utilities). You don't want to get out of line because the tension (there is a lot) in the cables will in time pull the pole over. In this case, I think it was a T intersection (not 100 percent sure) and there was an anchor/overhead guy as part of that so the pole would have to get placed pretty much in the exact same spot.

[@tucobenedicto109]

Like the saw must be an older model but worked great, would love one. Wonder how well it cross cuts a creosote rail road tie! We are getting rocket lights but the big batteries they did not spring for. It's an older one but still costs $400 from a catalog company (let's just say).

[@shaunferdinand7960]

👊 Trinidad 🇹🇹

[@Bobsdecline]

👊👊

[@2dfx]

I'm surprised that Bell uses you guys to change out their poles! In our province, it's always subcontracted out!

[@grabasandwich]

Interesting. Pretty sure I still see in-house BellMTS FSTs changing poles here in MB.

[@culbyj3665]

Havent heard aaron Mention ownership of poles yet. Just that they will xfer. cables if they are there. I wish he would do a video on the relationship with whatever Comm Companies are in his area..???

[@Bobsdecline]

I've seen quite a few questions around this topic! I'll be sure to cover it in a video soon!

[@navasmnavasmnavasmnavasm8823]

I am indian Line Man LMS very good