Ok you old Ba__ards check this old guy out

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OH MY GOD!!!
I used to climb telephone poles when I was an installer for Pacific Bell. But NEVER did I climb anything near that 100 ft pole!!!!
And he went up fast.
 
Eh, I could do that in my sleep...



then scream like a little girl when I hit the ground after falling out of my bed and waking up.
 
Cuda416 said:
Eh, I could do that in my sleep...



then scream like a little girl when I hit the ground after falling out of my bed and waking up.
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LOLOL now THAT is FUNNY!!
 
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I climbed poles for 28 years. Tallest one was a 90 in my mid to late 20's. I hitch hiked, and I wasn't in no hurry....lol. I'm trying to figure out what kind of climbers he had on? Sounds like they were maybe in Scotland, and they use all kinds of crazy looking junk to climb with! :realcrazy:
 
JDMopar said:
I'm trying to figure out what kind of climbers he had on?
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Yeah - the one time I did it, the irons had spikes on the inside of the ankle area - looked like his were in front of his toes, braced by a bar up to a below-the-knee band?
 
JDMopar said:
I climbed poles for 28 years. Tallest one was a 90 in my mid to late 20's. I hitch hiked, and I wasn't in no hurry....lol. I'm trying to figure out what kind of climbers he had on? Sounds like they were maybe in Scotland, and they use all kinds of crazy looking junk to climb with! :realcrazy:
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Climbed a few towers, no poles.
 
28ft ladders or call the guys with the bucket. Rarely have any attachments that high. Most guys around here don’t climb with gaffs/hooks anymore. I do know out west it’s a have to situation. I saw a story about a cable tech 70 plus still climbing. I think it was Colorado.
 
I climbed 30 foot poles with pole spikes. But, I never had a safety line and winch to let me down - WTH!? Anyway, good on him for his age!
 
I'm sure I could do that. With a pure oxygen mask, and a rocket up my ***. Oh, and a defibrillator on stand by...
 
I free climbed my whole career as a lineman, but shortly after I moved to what I do now....OSHA mandated full fall arrest for tree and pole climbing. Most everybody uses a device called a "Bucksqueeze" which is made by Buckingham Industries. It's a pain in the *** to climb with, but will keep you from falling if used correctly. I never worried about falling.....it was that damn sudden stop that bothered me! :eek: 28 years....cut out one time, fell 10' and didn't get hurt!
 
JDMopar said:
I free climbed my whole career as a lineman, but shortly after I moved to what I do now....OSHA mandated full fall arrest for tree and pole climbing. Most everybody uses a device called a "Bucksqueeze" which is made by Buckingham Industries. It's a pain in the *** to climb with, but will keep you from falling if used correctly. I never worried about falling.....it was that damn sudden stop that bothered me! :eek: 28 years....cut out one time, fell 10' and didn't get hurt!
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I hated some of the tower equipment. For example are the big Rohn free standing towers, "cheap" owners invaribly opt for the climbing pegs up one leg instead of a central "real" ladder. The pegs are a PITA, your harness catches on them and there is no good perches for the fall arrest straps. And the pegs are offset so if you need to stop you are not "standing" level, one leg always above the other.

Then there's the safety "yo-yo" cables. There is no damn way to insure that they are actually safe, IE they can be loose / corroded/ damaged up at the top anchor, or missing hardware.

And it turns out there was a fatal accident relating to a BROKEN peg. Either someone over-tightened it or it was defective initially.

tower-20climber-20fatality1-jpg.jpg


Guy was climbing "free" likely for reasons I mentioned above, and somehow fell

Annoying Rohn climbing pegs

img_0701-jpg.jpg


And worse, though I've never had to deal with them are the God Damned monopoles

Damn things are at a terrible angle, and not a damn thing to hook to if you need to rest a bit

cell-tower-climber-stock-images_csp7572975.jpg
 
So far as I know the safety cable on these is just like the towers--anchored only at the top

 
I've window washed repelling from 23 story's with ropes if that counts... My best friend worked downtown was about 6 blocks away coming to meet me for lunch and seen me repelling.. I called him when I got down and said where are you let's get some chow!??.. He said I was getting close and seen you up there and it made my stomach sick... LOL.. he took a hard pass on lunch that day..lol..
 
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I was taking the light rail into town and it was loaded with office people and I was loaded down with some of my window washing equipment... A lady loudly said I see you guys coming down past our windows from time to time and I was wondering what kind of training is required for that kind of work??...
I said training!??.. YOU NEED A SCREW LOOSE!!... The whole train erupted in laughter.....
 
Wow. That old guy just squirreled right up that thing.

Way back in the day, like college days, I bought a pair of lineman's spikes. I have no idea why. They were the kind with a gaff on the inside of the arch and you stood on a crossbar with a bent arm that went up and secured to your calf. I think I still have them somewhere. Anyway, I got the bright idea to try them out on a telephone pole. I wasn't smart enough to use a waist belt or any kind of safety gear. I just hugged the pole and started climbing. I got about 2/3 of the way up when I noticed how much sway there is in a pole that from the ground looks like it's immobile. As the pucker factor set in I had to have a steady conversation with myself to shimmy back down before I completely lost it.

Clearly, I made it but that was the one-and-only time I tried that stuff. I'm not exactly a coward but never again for me. I have nothing but the utmost respect for folks that can do this.
 
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