Removing unused utility pole -safely

Bowhunter · Mar 16, 2005

If you have a long enough chain and a heavy enough tractor, use geometry/physics/whatever you want to call it to your advantage. When I pull posts out I don't have a FEL, so I look a chain to the post at the ground. I place a block of some sort next to the post angled slightly toward it on top, run the chain over the block and to the drawbar of the tractor. When you pull away with the tractor the block creates an up-force. With a utility pole it would take a very large block (pivot point) but might work. Use a long enough chain so you're out of harm's way.

arkydog · Mar 16, 2005

If you know someone that is a deer hunter, see if you can borrow their climbing tree stand and take the light off yourself and then lower it down to the ground. Be sure to use a safety rope. Thats the way its done in Arkansas!!!! Necessity is the mother of invention!!!

arkydog

wroughtn_harv · Mar 17, 2005

A couple of things about utility poles.

1. They're usually at least five feet deep and if they're of any height at all they can be eight feet down.

2. When the crane operator pulled my hinge post for "the gate" it weighed seven thousand pounds because of the two foot in diameter by eleven feet deep footing. He casually mentioned he'd had more trouble pulling utility poles when they hadn't drilled holes beside them like I had for the hinge post.

3. When I use the old farmer's wheel or post and chain lifting up and out I do two things. One, tie a safety chain to the object being pulled to the chain doesn't come back and eat me. Two, lay something very heavy across the chain for the same reason.

If that chain snaps or comes loose it comes at the towing person in a rage. It will cripple you if it doesn't kill you, just because it can.

I've never seen a hollowed out utility pole. But I have had to knock off shell rot before climbing them many times. (I was a lineman, then a splicer, back in my youth)

Dargo · Mar 17, 2005

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( it weighed seven thousand pounds because of the two foot in diameter by eleven feet deep footing. )</font>

Some of mine are pretty darn big. I have one that is down and I can't pick it up with my tractor. Even with 1500 pounds rear ballast, it stands my 5030HSTC on it's nose. While on my nose with it, I can drag it around some though. My chainsaw fixed that weight issue some. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif Even half of this pole still stood me on my nose, but I could fairly easily drag it around. I sort of figured that since I've picked up over 2500 pounds with my loader before, that these poles must have been 5000 pounds or more. Plenty heavy that I wouldn't want to chain my loader to them to lower them down. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif I don't have near enough tractor for that.

CTyler · Mar 17, 2005

Sounds to me like you need a lot of stout rope a couple pick trucks and/or tractor so you can lower it in a controlled fashion.

Of course this means you need to climb the pole with the proper saftey equipment to attach the rope high up the pole.

While your up there...why not connect the rope to the light, unbolt it and lower it down. Then wack the pole with the chainsaw.

HomeBrew2 · Mar 17, 2005

Harv: I always seem to learn something on this forum. I was intrigued to hear your comments about a breaking chain. I was always under the impression, apparently falsley, that when a chain broke under tension that the links would absorb the released energy resulting in the chain dropping harmlessly to the ground. Kindof the reverse action of a locomotive being able to pull dozens of cars because of the gap in the couplers. I have even witnessed this with a paddlewheel scraper trying to pull a motorgrader out of the mud with a large chain, that failed. On the other hand, the reason I don't use cables much for pulling is, as I understand it, the energy released after a break has no where to go but back towards the anchors ... and of course there's added energy from the streaching of the cable. After your comments, though, I'm going to be pretty leary of yanking stuff with my chains from now on. Thanks for the caution.

milkman · Mar 17, 2005

I just can't imagine the power company taking down just over a mile of them for me without it costing me a small fortune.

The power company rerouted the lines and replaced some of the poles last year, and when the phone co. got their lines moved off the old poles, I called the electric co. and they came out and pulled the poles up and stacked them in one place for me, and gave me the poles that were on my property. all free.

notamustang · Mar 17, 2005

Just some more safety info and using things to pull/tug/yank. No matter what you are using make sure of a secure anchorage, (those bolt on tow hooks especially) and always use a parchute. (As eluded to by wrought n harv) This is a tarp, towel, jacket the shirt off your back what ever draipped accross the strap, chain, cable or rope. If you have two items conected one on each one. If you only put it on the middle it will almost always be useless. Never step over the pulling line and try and avoid being in-line with the pull if at all possible. Having been lucky over the years and not so lucky sometimes /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

HomeBrew2 · Mar 18, 2005

Just trying to accumulate knowledge here ... you have actually seen a CHAIN recoil back past it's anchor and do real damage to something? ... It's not that I haven't been around the block ... there's just some stuff I don't remember ... or do I?
Cheers!

RonR · Mar 18, 2005

Homebrew, as a young pup (maybe 6), I somewhat recall riding in the back of Dad's 56 Willis 4WD (like a panel van) when he was trying to pull a stuck car out of some mud. Our vehicle had a flip up rear hatch and I was standing/sitting there watching the action.

Dad probably was using 1/4 inch chain as he'd probably say "hey, its easier to carry......."

Anyway, as he tugged, the light chain broke and next thing I knew I had a knot on my forehead where the chain had clunked me. It definitely traveled past the anchor point!

I recall all involved being concerned that they'd killed me.

Shortly the pain went away and it to this day has not affected me affected me affected me affected me affected me /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Things are a little safer now with nylon toe straps and such....
Ron