Old Fred is definitely one of my personal hero's. Another person I wish I could've met in person and maybe had a spin on the old steam engine hah.
Electrical Mystery
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Old Fred is definitely one of my personal hero's. Another person I wish I could've met in person and maybe had a spin on the old steam engine hah.
BackRoad
Veteran Member
I spent 9 months climbing towers while hanging old school 3m (about 10') microwave dishes back around 1981. As the new guy, and the youngest...I was first man up the tower climbing the outside of the tower, going up one of the legs using cross members for hand and foot holds (think of a monkey climbing a tree). No ladder, no safety rope...just climb...
The reason for climbing the outside was due to a light rope tied to my belt that I would run through a pully once I got to the top, which would then be sent back down and used to winch up the actual lifting cable, for pulling up the microwave dishes, which had to be done from outside the tower.
Once it was rigged for the lift, and an antenna pulled up, we would then finally use climbing belts to hang off the tower and bolt the antenna down, hook up the comm cables, aim the antenna and go on to the next.
I climbed with a small crew out of Louisiana and we had a standard process when hooking up our climbing belts and safety straps for hanging outside the tower while working on equipment. It included passing the safety strap around the leg of the tower, rehooking the end of the safety belt to the climbing belt and leaning back to test it while still holding onto the tower leg. Once tested, you then leaned away from the tower, using the belt for support using both hands to work.
On one occasion, the clown I was climbing with held a loop of the safety belt on the inside of the tower leg without my awareness, holding it tight while I tested the safety belt before leaning out to work on the bolts.
Once I was hanging on the outside of the tower, leaning out working on the mount using the safety belt to hold me...he let go of the 12 inch loop of belt he was holding...
The safety strap was secure, but it was more than enough of a release that I knew I was free falling from 200 feet.
OSHA never visited our tower climbing sites...
The reason for climbing the outside was due to a light rope tied to my belt that I would run through a pully once I got to the top, which would then be sent back down and used to winch up the actual lifting cable, for pulling up the microwave dishes, which had to be done from outside the tower.
Once it was rigged for the lift, and an antenna pulled up, we would then finally use climbing belts to hang off the tower and bolt the antenna down, hook up the comm cables, aim the antenna and go on to the next.
I climbed with a small crew out of Louisiana and we had a standard process when hooking up our climbing belts and safety straps for hanging outside the tower while working on equipment. It included passing the safety strap around the leg of the tower, rehooking the end of the safety belt to the climbing belt and leaning back to test it while still holding onto the tower leg. Once tested, you then leaned away from the tower, using the belt for support using both hands to work.
On one occasion, the clown I was climbing with held a loop of the safety belt on the inside of the tower leg without my awareness, holding it tight while I tested the safety belt before leaning out to work on the bolts.
Once I was hanging on the outside of the tower, leaning out working on the mount using the safety belt to hold me...he let go of the 12 inch loop of belt he was holding...
The safety strap was secure, but it was more than enough of a release that I knew I was free falling from 200 feet.
OSHA never visited our tower climbing sites...
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quicksandfarmer
Elite Member
Cool video. I like the part where he says he charged 7,000 GBP -- about $8500 -- for removing that chimney. He concedes he bid higher than usual because he didn't really want the job.
ponytug
Super Member
It is pretty amusing, isn't it? The hemming and hawing about bidding is stereotypical Yorkshire, if you have ever been there you know. The James Herriot stories are spot on, even if he was Scottish.
All the best,
Peter
caver
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OP
EddieWalker
Epic Contributor
We hit 55 degrees today, so I took apart my little tower. It went faster than I thought it would.
airbiscuit
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I kinda miss it.
