CRAZY MEN PAINTING ELECTRICITY PYLONS

This video is one of many I have filmed showing life on our small family run dairy farm in Gloucestershire, England. Visit my youtube channel to see further videos of life on the farm through the year

[@CCARTER-fe2wi]

Good to see a tolerant farmer. Some farmers get real assy and then complain if a power cut happens and whine why the transmission lines aren't maintained. It's a pain but at least a lot of us know it's needed to be done.

[@jsj297]

He's a pleasant bloke!

[@thefunkyfarmer]

indeed

[@Johnny53kgb-nsa]

I use to paint pylons, or we called the towers, high voltage towers. Now this was years ago when I did this. I served my apprenticeship painting towers. Times have changed, we never used safety belts/ harnesses, no safety ropes, no hard hats and we painted the whole tower/pylon while hot, or energized, including the arms. We also used to rub down exposed skin with Vaseline or baby oil, wore long sleves shirts, helmet liner hats, or a rag hat, which was basically a t-shirt wore over your head and tied back. It was very hard, dirty work, but I enjoyed it back then. I worked with a great bunch of guys that I got close to. We practically lived together, stayed in hotel rooms together, ate together, and became very close.I really enjoy watching the videos of tower painters, or pylon painters. Thanks for posting. JohnG

[@thefunkyfarmer]

cheers John

[@Landie_Man]

john g are you on the 1997 documentary “silvering up”?

[@Johnny53kgb-nsa]

@@Landie_Man oh no, but I've watched it numerous times. My favorite documentary. I'm retired for year's now. I painted high voltage back in 1976- maybe 1980, then transferred my book to a local union. I got tired of the traveling, eating in restaurants, staying in hotels. But I really liked my co-workers. Painting, or cooning, tower's is hard work. My hat's off to these guy's, and I hope they stay safe. Thanks, John

[@Landie_Man]

@@Johnny53kgb-nsa you must have many stories to tell

[@Johnny53kgb-nsa]

​@Landie_Man I guess, it was my much younger day's. I never seen anyone seriously hurt though. One of the guy's I painted tower's with, a really good guy, and damn good painter. He went to work in the winter down south, for a company that pushed safety too far. I worked for them one winter. He got into a energized line in a substation. It was really bad. Disfigured him badly. Although it didn't kill him. He never worked again. It was sad. But I also had many very good times. A good experience.

[@tomstickland]

There's a video on KZbin called "silvering up" which shows a team painting them.

[@67hutch]

Awesome stuff!

[@tomstickland]

They're actually using harnesses in this one. In the 90s they didn't seem to bother with them.

[@thefunkyfarmer]

+tomstickland i bet health and safety made them do it. I wouldn't do it!

[@sandwich2473]

They paint them yellow ten purple then grey I think. It's to prevent erosion. THe pylon outside my old school got painted back in 2005.

[@vinecomps2650]

yelloe primar and grey paint after (guy at the end (jellyman) my dad

[@grandtheftgameryt]

Up here in the north, the pylons are pretty much just left. They never paint them sadly.

[@shaunmaguire6912]

yeah iv never seen ones round ours painted never even thought of it like that

[@thefunkyfarmer]

yes, usually as round bales. this field was cut a few weeks before i made this video

[@soundseeker63]

I wonder, How many of those paint cans do they need for each tower?

[@loganj448]

soundseeker63 depends on the size, if your talking about 700 square metres of steel it would be about 200 litres maybe

[@princegerald2320]

I recall walking under pylons on a misty winter morning bringing the cows in, and there where sparks/flames bouncing off the cables, not nice lol.

[@ajs2120]

That will be Corona discharge, which can be quite visible in the dark when it's damp or misty. Fascinating but scary at the same time.

[@markhughes8314]

Got a mate that does this. Well paid as would expect.

[@rosskidd7243]

Got a rough idea how much mate?

[@mk-os8gl]

@@rosskidd7243 £35,000

[@rosskidd7243]

@@mk-os8gl decent going

[@thefunkyfarmer]

yes. the chap talking at the end of the video loved the job though

[@n77oc]

Do you do second cut silage ?

[@vodkabacardi3236]

When I was a child I was scared to death of pylons.

[@JoshuaXuereb910]

I was obsessed with them my parents took me to a zoo and I was just looking at the pylons

[@Landie_Man]

VODKA & BACARDI so was I. I found them terrifying.

[@hollowaychris77]

I saw a gif of pylons jumping.... The video showed an eye and a brain so it scared me

[@hollowaychris77]

@@JoshuaXuereb910 I like spotting pylons

[@Beornwulf525]

Can't believe I climbed to the top of one of these very towers and sat on the earth wire when I was younger..stupid I know. Great view though. 😮

[@Agric8]

Fair play! That's a tough job!

[@n77oc]

Thanx ... Love Ur vids

[@waynesharp1690]

Among giants is a good film.

[@davidmcclinton6801]

Had a go at that, did not last long. It is a very tough job.

[@bigears4426]

In australia they are galvanised or the steel had copper added, which made them form a skin which doesn't rust deep

[@thefunkyfarmer]

These are galvanised but they still paint them

[@bigears4426]

thefunkyfarmer i took some apart which were put up in 1930 and still no rust . You would have to be fit to do that painting he would be flexible

[@thefunkyfarmer]

Yes I wouldn't want to do it

[@Marvinhagler87]

does anyone know if you need full colour vision for this role?

[@dashcamdude6690]

Does the power company give you anything for having towers on your land

[@thefunkyfarmer]

Yes a small rent

[@sinista6536]

random video guy Yeah it’s called a Wayleaves payment. It’s not a lot

[@henaislahubble3928]

It's only a matter of time before the pylons come alive & take over the earth

[@ronaldlucas5360]

Nice

[@kithealth]

I was looking for the meme YOU MUST CONSTRUCT ADDITIONAL PYLONS and this is what i got

[@Etxe_Alai_86]

Watching closer this video there's a moment (2:45) where some red flags are shown indicating the areas not to be trespassed by the workers. So that means that the HV wires are live and the painters are under extreme danger of beein flashed. Wow, what a brave people are they!!! Also the most dangerous parts of the pilon beyond the red flags seem likely stay unpainted?

[@thefunkyfarmer]

+javier de lasala yes you are right.I don't know the details of how they do this.Maybe they turn the power off the paint the bits past the flags.I'm sure there must be lots of safety regs for this

[@thefunkyfarmer]

+martin joseph nasty job that

[@loganj448]

There’s a certain time of each year where the power gets switched off and we go right to the very tip past the indicators to do the ends

[@n77oc]

So u have done Ur second cut

[@koniec6]

Hello. in which this country. may know the name of the company?

[@thefunkyfarmer]

England

[@ralphh85]

climbed one of these the other day, my mate said i was dum, i told him it will be fine as long as you dont go down the arm near the cable, i was right :D

[@thefunkyfarmer]

er i wouldn't do that if i was you

[@ralphh85]

no it wouldnt, but it wasnt going to was it, like it doesnt for them,

[@ralphh85]

yeah if you touch them or reach out real close ya toast but watch the documentaries on painting pylons on here, they are all live until they do the arms, you say it can jump and arc etc, but lets face it you dont randomly see power arcing to the pylons do you, electricity is perfectly predictable, it takes the easiest route,

[@brucecoggan199]

I climb and paint these for a living ,first off to the dumb ass that said electrical current always takes path of least resistance wrong it can take all paths ,2 we ground all lines before we go on them and even with the power off there's a thing call induction which basically means a dead line can pick up power from the environmental conditions other lines ect an it can kill you 3 I have the up most respect for you gentlemen but if this is how your company is allowed to operate shame on them ,I don't see rescue plan ,I don't see any arc rated harness and not to mention dangerous as fuck harnesses I call them backbreakers 😔I don't know what kinda policy you have in Britain but here in Canada that shit would not fly they would shut down the whole outfit,shacking my head ,but props to the climbing men be safe my friends

[@loganj448]

Bruce Coggan tell me about it 😂 our site would be shut down here in NZ too if our site looked like that haha

[@art-tb3um]

I painted high voltage towers in united states with car wash mitts

[@thefunkyfarmer]

yes fair play to them, I wouldn't do it

[@borntoclimb7116]

interesting.

[@Balenza345]

12 guys went up one of these near my locality. They did one coat in 90 minutes.

[@thefunkyfarmer]

yes there really do work hard on this job, I wouldn't want to do it

[@Balenza345]

thefunkyfarmer I work at farm building construction here in Northern Ireland. And whilst I have quite a good head for heights I don't think I could paint pylons for a living. A lot of these guys don't use safety harnesses. Your land looks nice and flat. Milk prices have fallen over here and this year in farm construction looks like it will be a quiet one for us.

[@thefunkyfarmer]

Balenza345 we've got low milk prices here too, its certainly put the brakes on any farm spending. Just hope it picks up soon

[@TalkAlot7000]

Not your average job. Most people would be terrified to be working at that height.

[@thefunkyfarmer]

yes

[@ericbrown6390]

I actually do this type of work

[@Etxe_Alai_86]

How can those guys make sure that HV wires are current free before climbing up there? I can't appreciate any line connecting the HV wires down to the earth as a safety measure such I've seen at my country.

[@thefunkyfarmer]

+javier de lasala I don't know.Maybe they turn the lines off?

[@sinista6536]

Biff LeGrosBoeuf Not when they have to paint past the arms it’s not. They’ll open the circuit breakers at each end of the tower circuit and then open the isolators at each end and lock them off and earth them. Then portable earths (wires attached from the conductors to the steelwork) will be attached as additional safety and a visual way of seeing you’re safe.

[@shaddow1867]

There after lunch 20 years cause they carry four the ones which has one wire each bolt is 21 years

[@blairtimusprime8770]

Interesting how these guys seem to be brushing the paint on these pylons and not spray painting them

[@BastianSteele]

They never paint my pylons

[@zorangligoric7574]

I'm doing painting the power transmission line for 14 years, it would be nice to get a job out of my country, I live in serbia

[@chahal7464]

Hey you still interested?

[@KanalSe7e]

and to earn good money with it?

[@thefunkyfarmer]

i would hope so

[@connorhaswell7889]

thefunkyfarmer around $800 a week.

[@koniec6]

I paint in Belgium. I was thinking of painting in England.

[@loganj448]

Connor Haswell $800 a week ? More than that nowadays haha

[@koniec6]

hello. I paint pylons 6 years :) is the possibility of working with you? in your company?

[@thefunkyfarmer]

sorry i don't employ these people. The pylon is just on our land

[@Matowix]

+thefunkyfarmer do they compensate you for having them on your land ?

[@ramirin1978]

50 dollar hour or more

[@AverageAlien]

My dumbass thought you were painting them on a canvas.

[@thefunkyfarmer]

I'm not that artistic

[@kithealth]

YOU MUST CONSTRUCT ADDITIONAL PYLONS

[@kithealth]

YOU MUST CONSTRUCT ADDITIONAL PYLONS

[@kithealth]

[e-mail] YOU MUST CONSTRUCT ADDITIONAL PYLONS

[@kithealth]

[e-mail] YOU MUST CONSTRUCT ADDITIONAL PYLONS

[@kithealth]

[e-mail] NOT ENOUGH MINERALS

[@AdamHayward-vj4tv]

Pylons

[@jamesreidford6530]

L2 pylon 275kV

[@sonnyodonnell8441]

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