Handling hot primary (12kv) in a jib wire head

[kpfl78]

I work for a contractor in Florida. Our safety department has recently started busting our balls about putting a line hose on a hot phase before putting it into the wire head. Everyone knows a class 3 hose on 795 aaac is a tight fit in a wire head. The hose doesn't roll through the head as its designed to do. The hoses get pinched and chewed up. Its rediculous. We handle hot primary in a bare wire head every day with no problem. We put a hose on either side of the jib and move the wire. If we need to get close to the pole we throw a blanket over the jib head. I cant find anything on the internet to fight back with. Any suggestions?

[OLE' SORE KNEES]

I'm assuming you're talking a head with rollers and a door that'll open and close to lock the wire in. At FPL they are hung up on using a "Shepard's Hook". Using a Shepard Hook it is no problem to use a gut moving wire. Some companies are hung up an Open Hook policy.Maybe you can talk them into that method. Just an alternative procedure you can recomend.You have to be more careful on your intial setup though as the hook is more fixed as the head you are describing ,even more so on angles.

[Lineman North Florida]

Seems to me that letting them look at a few of those chewed up guts would be all the argument you would need, those are your life and they dont need to be abused like that. Put a little silicone switch lubricant on those guts they will jump on that 795 been doing it for years.:D

[topgroove]

are you using an insulated link stick on the end of your jib line? with the link stick I see no need for the line hose

[snatch1]

We have been using the shepherd hook for years and works great. The hook is fixed to the end of the jib or we can use a rollerhead as well on hard angles or long transfers. We also use it on 19.9kv with the jib out enough for clearance to stick with it. We lay bare wire right in it.

[freshjive]

we have a little block with a door that opens and we just throw it in that, or we use a link stick, The block is really good for moving the messanger on hendrix cable, not that this is the issue here, but it works great for it....

[wtdoor67]

That safety man wouldn't be the boss's nephew or such would he? Doesn't sound like an ex lineman.

[lewy]

We work up to 44 kv & we have it in our jib all the time . You can only use hard cover up & that will not fit in the jib head. We have to have 4' min of jib out when working it. I do not see the problem with 12 kv in the jib un covered as long as you have the jib pinned out properly.

[mainline]

We have both roller heads and jib hooks. We use them on voltages up to 35kv. I've actually been chewed out for putting hose in a jib hook, because it will chew it up. I can't think of any incidents that we have had using this method. I think your safety guy is all wet.

[graybeard]

kpfl
Sounds to me like you are already doing it right. Your safety guy work at wal mart for his last job!

[west coast hand]

been putting wire in the jib head for along time never used hoses in the jib head. over here we have a sayin for safety people there the sick,and lazy could make it on the crews usually???:cool:

[Fiberglass Cowboy]

Figure out the manufacturer of the wire handling jib head. It's probably A.B. Chance (now owned by Hastings) or Hastings themselves. Or if it came with the truck, then either Altec or Telelect or Hi-Ranger or whoever probably got it from Hastings. So contact a Hastings rep. and ask them to explain to your safety dummies how it's ment to work. Not with a rubber hose in there. Otherwise it would not have dual rollers on every side of it for the conductors to move freely with. Ask your safety department to stop and think about it for a minute, and give them a "hands-on" demonstration using the jib attachment and a piece of scrap 795. Use it with the hose and without the hose. I think they'll get the picture once you show them first-hand. But you should still find it in the Hastings catalog or online and then contact Hastings, just to REALLY prove the safety department wrong. :cool:

[markwho]

We have been behind the times and have just been getting trucks with this jib configuration allowing us to use a roller head. I tried getting the crew to use and they would not take the time. They preferred to cover it up and use the bucket to lift for transferring. I got to use it myself just this past friday when I went up to do a pole transfer. We were moving 795 on the top deck and I used it bare in the roller, it worked well. On the lower deck we had 4/0 cu. that was already covered so i put it in with the eel on the conductor, it was o.k. but I could see where you could tear up some rubber if you were not careful. I think it should be used directly on the wire, being sure your jib is extended properly. I know it was nice on my back, though my fingers were a little sore from operating the jib controls. LOL!