PHOTO QUIZ: Anyone know what this is? And how it is used?

[polkadon]

Anyone know what this tool is named?
And how it is used?

[Pootnaigle]

Ummmm That ainta tool ittza deadend insulator and a dead end shoe its porceline insulators n nowadays they been replaced with polymers

[reppy007]

Yea they are bells....no more pretty glass bells to look at anymore....Im surprised they havent installed polymer insulators on all the poles around here .

[lewy]

We have almost completely gotten away from glass on our poles, but you will still see some at our stations on the real big insulators.

[reppy007]

We have almost completely gotten away from glass on our poles, but you will still see some at our stations on the real big insulators.

I knew that I was going to be proved wrong.....so are you saying you have polymer insulators on your dist.circuits?

[bones]

Polkadon don't listen to these guys. What you have there is an prepping tool used for splicing underground wire back in the 50s/60s. Wouldn't asked below $80 for such an item at a flea market. Not too many of these around anymore.

[lewy]

I knew that I was going to be proved wrong.....so are you saying you have polymer insulators on your dist.circuits?

Post insulators, deadened insulator, switches, cut outs, arresters and spool insulators, none of them glass.

[gumbo]

I knew that I was going to be proved wrong.....so are you saying you have polymer insulators on your dist.circuits?

You need to get out more, they have had rubber and plastic distribution insulators for 20 years or so. Hell, they are on the 3rd generation of rubber cutouts. The first bunch, the triangular ones I didn't care for, especially when they opened up on you when the pole shook for whatever reason. The ones we hung in Jersey after Sandy were some pretty slick units though.

[rob8210]

I have been installing polymeric insulators for 25 years, started using poly cutouts maybe 5 years ago, but yeah, Gumbo those old triangular shaped cutouts have been around a very long time. The sun destroyed the compound the rubber and made them brittle, Chance dead end insulators from along way back would simply melt. Have you dealt with fiberglass side mount brackets? They get brittle in the sun too.

[lewy]

I have also been using polymer insulators for over 20 years and still haven't seen 1 better than the K-LINE universal post insulator.