# Standing up a 20' steel pole



## user4818 (Jan 15, 2009)

Is it safe to stand up a pole, with 3 heads attached, off a scissor lift? I've used a bucket truck in the past, but I only have one pole to install, and was wondering if a scissor lift would work, mainly I don't want to exceed the weight capacity. 

Otherwise I'm going to have to rent Marc's bucket truck. :jester:


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## JTMEYER (May 2, 2009)

Doesn't sound very appealling to me, and I've done some pretty stupid things off a manlift.


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## william1978 (Sep 21, 2008)

I don't think the scissor is rated to be lifting weights like that.


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## B4T (Feb 10, 2009)

Why mount the heads on the pole now? Even a hack likes to work smart :laughing:


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## JTMEYER (May 2, 2009)

It's the latteral load that bothers me. Ours will lift tons, but if it swings out to the side your screwed.


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## 480sparky (Sep 20, 2007)

You _might_ beat the weight limit of the lift if you don't mount the light on it until it's stood up. 

Granted, that rubs me the wrong way, bit if you've got a lift that will stand the pole up, you can install the light after the nuts are tight on the base.
Start sucking helium!


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## william1978 (Sep 21, 2008)

Try one of these slow but pretty neat.


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## Bob Badger (Apr 19, 2009)

Safe is such a relative term. :laughing:



Peter D said:


> Is it safe to stand up a pole, with 3 heads attached, off a scissor lift? I've used a bucket truck in the past, but I only have one pole to install, and was wondering if a scissor lift would work, mainly I don't want to exceed the weight capacity.
> 
> Otherwise I'm going to have to rent Marc's bucket truck. :jester:


I will say I have done 20' two head poles with a 20' scissor lift, this was like 23 years ago ........ it was scary and I would not do it again.

Now if I had an all terrain 30' to 55' (the 50's have outriggers) scissor lift with it's large capacity and great stability at 20' .......


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## JTMEYER (May 2, 2009)

I'll rent ya my bucket, where ya at?


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## 480sparky (Sep 20, 2007)

JTMEYER said:


> I'll rent ya my bucket, where ya at?


He works and lives in Hackville. :jester:


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## JTMEYER (May 2, 2009)

480sparky said:


> He works and lives in Hackville. :jester:


Hell, in that case I can probably see him from my house.:laughing:


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

I've stood 30 footers up with a scissors lift before. Have someone foot the pole to keep it from tipping to the side and lift it with the front of the scissors lift. It you lift it with the side, or somehow it gets worked over to the side, you will die. Nice knowing you. :laughing:

Another method I've used it to wrap the pole with a carpet scrap about 4 feet from the bottom and ratchet strap it onto a backhoe bucket really well and let the backhoe place it. Works slicker than snot. Same idea as that Maxis pole setting rig they sell lately.


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## tkb (Jan 21, 2009)

Call the news crew.
I haven't seen a good industrial accident in a while.


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## user4818 (Jan 15, 2009)

tkb said:


> Call the news crew.
> I haven't seen a good industrial accident in a while.


Well, thankfully I carried some $$ for an EC who does bucket truck service or a crane service, but I had to ask about the feasibility of a scissor lift anyway. 

I don't think I'll be using the lift after all.


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## knowshorts (Jan 9, 2009)

Just hire a crane. A small 5 ton should cost you less than $300. Small crane shops need work too. It's not like your paying for it!

Then again this is how a professional electrician would do it, not sure about a hack.


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## user4818 (Jan 15, 2009)

JTMEYER said:


> I'll rent ya my bucket, where ya at?





480sparky said:


> He works and lives in Hackville. :jester:


It's about a 3 day drive in a bucket truck from the Hackville in Illinois to the Hackville in New England.


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## JTMEYER (May 2, 2009)

Peter D said:


> It's about a 3 day drive in a bucket truck from the Hackville in Illinois to the Hackville in New England.


Better tack on about three more days for wrenchin. My bucket is a real peice.


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## william1978 (Sep 21, 2008)

Here is a link that shows that pole jack.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ty0jXZxR0bY&feature=related


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## william1978 (Sep 21, 2008)

This thing works great on top of a parking deck where you can't get a lull or a bucket truck.


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## vinster888 (May 3, 2009)

knowshorts said:


> Just hire a crane. A small 5 ton should cost you less than $300. Small crane shops need work too. It's not like your paying for it!
> 
> Then again this is how a professional electrician would do it, not sure about a hack.


just another tip from Captain Overkill :laughing:


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## TxElectrician (May 19, 2008)

william1978 said:


> Here is a link that shows that pole jack.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ty0jXZxR0bY&feature=related


 
That lift looks pretty sweet. Bet it would be nerve racking the first time you used it though.


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## electricalperson (Jan 11, 2008)

i usually set poles with a bucket truck i wouldnt try it off of a scissor lift. a boom lift might work it might be a little safer than a scissor lift but just dont excceed the weight. most boom lifts i seen are rated for 500 lbs. 1 guy and 1 20 foot pole shouldnt overload it just check first


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## user4818 (Jan 15, 2009)

The location of the court has changed so a pole is not needed anymore. I can mount the lights right on the building. And they're talking about buying the backboards that have the light built into it as well. Either way the job is in a very fluid state right now but I won't be needing to mount a pole.


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## electricalperson (Jan 11, 2008)

Peter D said:


> The location of the court has changed so a pole is not needed anymore. I can mount the lights right on the building. And they're talking about buying the backboards that have the light built into it as well. Either way the job is in a very fluid state right now but I won't be needing to mount a pole.


 what kind of lights are you installing. i installed 1000w MH fixtures beffore and they work wonderful at lighting up large areas. ive also seen 1500w quartz 208v fixtures lighting up a tennis court.


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## 480sparky (Sep 20, 2007)

Peter D said:


> ........but I won't be needing to mount a pole.


 
That's good. Those 'Hollywood' relationships never last anyway.









BTW........congrats on 1k posts!


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## electricalperson (Jan 11, 2008)

how did peter d get 1000 posts already ive been here longer. he must be some sort of hacker or something :laughing:


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## 480sparky (Sep 20, 2007)

electricalperson said:


> how did peter d get 1000 posts already ive been here longer. he must be some sort of hacker or something :laughing:


He's not a hacker. He's just a hack.


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## electricalperson (Jan 11, 2008)

i wonder if peter can beat my record of installing wallpacks. i installed and fully wired 12 400w MH wallpacks about 20 feet in the air in a day at a building i was wiring. i even had a completly green helper on the inside turning the nuts. the building had a metal skin and i used unistrut on the inside to secure them too using 3 inch 1/4-20 screws :thumbsup:

best thing to do is build a template of the screw holes out of cardboard, mark the building with a template and drill it with a unibit or holesaw and slap the light in


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## user4818 (Jan 15, 2009)

electricalperson said:


> what kind of lights are you installing.



Ones that run on electricity.


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## user4818 (Jan 15, 2009)

480sparky said:


> BTW........congrats on 1k posts!


Thanks...I think.


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## user4818 (Jan 15, 2009)

electricalperson said:


> how did peter d get 1000 posts already ive been here longer. he must be some sort of hacker or something


I just have too much free time on my hands. :blink: :001_huh:


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## user4818 (Jan 15, 2009)

480sparky said:


> He's not a hacker. He's just a hack.


I can actually do good work....1% of the time. :thumbsup:


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## vinster888 (May 3, 2009)

electricalperson said:


> how did peter d get 1000 posts already ive been here longer. he must be some sort of hacker or something :laughing:


now you know how he got 1000 posts


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## user4818 (Jan 15, 2009)

vinster888 said:


> now you know how he got 1000 posts


Right.


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## william1978 (Sep 21, 2008)

TxElectrician said:


> That lift looks pretty sweet. Bet it would be nerve racking the first time you used it though.


 It's not that bad. it works pretty good if you have no other means to mount the poles. I used this on top of a parking deck. Most of the time I would set them with a lull or a skytrac or some sort of forklift.


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## electricalperson (Jan 11, 2008)

im so good and strong i dont even need a bucket truck or lift. i just pick the pole up and set it with my bare hands :laughing::laughing:


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

electricalperson said:


> im so good and strong i dont even need a bucket truck or lift. i just pick the pole up and set it with my bare hands :laughing::laughing:


For a 20 footer, you can do that once you're in the air. Put a rope on the head and heave it up. I'm not especially strong, but I can do that for 20 foot steel poles with no more than 2 heads. Still need someone controlling the base, though. Drag the nice finished pole across the concrete pole base and you're screwed.


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## electricalperson (Jan 11, 2008)

MDShunk said:


> For a 20 footer, you can do that once you're in the air. Put a rope on the head and heave it up. I'm not especially strong, but I can do that for 20 foot steel poles with no more than 2 heads. Still need someone controlling the base, though. Drag the nice finished pole across the concrete pole base and you're screwed.


 that would make me a little nervous


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

electricalperson said:


> that would make me a little nervous


If you run out of umph!, you can hold the rope tight over the edge of the bucket or basket and stand on the tail for a little rest. Seriously, though, I'm not exactly a model of health and fitness, and I've done up to 10 that way.


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## user4818 (Jan 15, 2009)

MDShunk said:


> If you run out of umph!, you can hold the rope tight over the edge of the bucket or basket and stand on the tail for a little rest. Seriously, though, I'm not exactly a model of health and fitness, and I've done up to 10 that way.



I'm having trouble picturing this. You're using a bucket truck to set poles, yet you're doing the work by hand? :001_huh:


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## erics37 (May 7, 2009)

I would absolutely discourage you from doing any sort of pole work with a scissor lift.

A couple guys that worked at my shop had a reaaaaaaaally bad accident doing that exact thing. Journeyman and apprentice, outside in an outdoor-type scissor lift, fairly flat parking lot. I wasn't there so I don't know what exactly they were doing, but they were 25 - 30' up and somehow the lift tipped over sideways. One of them bailed out and broke both his legs - two years later he's still undergoing surgeries and physical therapy. The other guy hung on but he broke his arm pretty bad and worse, suffered a severe concussion and sustained a bit of brain damage. He has minimal motor control in one of his hands. 

Neither of them are expected to make a 100% recovery or return to electrical work (or any other physical career).


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## william1978 (Sep 21, 2008)

william1978 said:


> This thing works great on top of a parking deck where you can't get a lull or a bucket truck.


 Here a some pictures that I took when setting some poles on top of a parking deck.


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## 480sparky (Sep 20, 2007)

william1978 said:


> Here a some pictures that I took when setting some poles on top of a parking deck.


 
I thought PoleJaks could only be used on _round_ piers. :001_huh:


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## B4T (Feb 10, 2009)

480sparky said:


> I thought PoleJaks could only be used on _round_ piers. :001_huh:


Those pics are almost (3) years old, maybe the specs changed to "round only" :blink:

2.7 years for those nit- pickers


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## 480sparky (Sep 20, 2007)

Black4Truck said:


> Those pics are almost (3) years old, maybe the specs changed to "round only" .....


Could be as they determined the straps tended to fail on corners?



Black4Truck said:


> .............2.7 years for those nit- pickers


I come up with 2.584538219. Did you divide by 350?


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## william1978 (Sep 21, 2008)

480sparky said:


> I thought PoleJaks could only be used on _round_ piers. :001_huh:





Black4Truck said:


> Those pics are almost (3) years old, maybe the specs changed to "round only" :blink:
> 
> 2.7 years for those nit- pickers


 I just was looking for the directions for that lift on the internet, but couldn't find them.


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## william1978 (Sep 21, 2008)

480sparky said:


> Could be as they determined the straps tended to fail on corners?


 We did have some movement with those poles, but not that much we just tightened the straps a little more.


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## william1978 (Sep 21, 2008)

480sparky said:


> I come up with 2.584538219. Did you divide by 350?


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## B4T (Feb 10, 2009)

480sparky said:


> Could be as they determined the straps tended to fail on corners?
> 
> 
> 
> I come up with 2.584538219. Did you divide by 350?


No... I just counted my fingers


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## 480sparky (Sep 20, 2007)

william1978 said:


>


 
There's 944 days between 3/5/2007 and today. Divide that by 365.249 (sidereal days).



Black4Truck said:


> No... I just counted my fingers


You must have a lot of fingers. Naked, I can only count to 20½.


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## Bob Badger (Apr 19, 2009)

480sparky said:


> Naked, I can only count to 20½.


Apparently your nick name, 'The Tool' is a misnomer. :laughing:


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## B4T (Feb 10, 2009)

*sidereal day* 
_n._ The time required for a complete rotation of the earth in reference to any star or to the vernal equinox at the meridian, equal to 23 hours, 56 minutes, 4.09 seconds in units of mean solar time.

Was this necessary?? :laughing:


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## william1978 (Sep 21, 2008)

I sure am glad we got this sidereal day thing down now.:laughing:


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## 480sparky (Sep 20, 2007)

Black4Truck said:


> *sidereal day*
> _n._ The time required for a complete rotation of the earth in reference to any star or to the vernal equinox at the meridian, equal to 23 hours, 56 minutes, 4.09 seconds in units of mean solar time.
> 
> Was this necessary?? :laughing:


 
Yes, because if a sidereal day was exactly 24 hours, we wouldn't have leap years.:thumbsup:


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## B4T (Feb 10, 2009)

william1978 said:


> I sure am glad we got this sidereal day thing down now.:laughing:


I never knew that word existed.. I didn't want to seem "simple minded' :whistling2:


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## william1978 (Sep 21, 2008)

Black4Truck said:


> I never knew that word existed.. I didn't want to seem "simple minded' :whistling2:


 I never heard it till today myself.:laughing:


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## B4T (Feb 10, 2009)

480sparky said:


> Yes, because if a sidereal day was exactly 24 hours, we wouldn't have leap years.:thumbsup:


Oh yes.. leap year is very important

I have to wait (4) years for an extra day to pay the bills


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## vinny (Aug 26, 2009)

why not just lift the pole with the lift and control it from the ground. All the lifts i have seen have controls from the ground. Rig it up, get it into position, get OFF, lift it from the ground and set it over the bolts and drop it on. Atleast if it looks unstable you dont have to ride it down to disaster. Just a suggestion for next time.


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## william1978 (Sep 21, 2008)

vinny said:


> why not just lift the pole with the lift and control it from the ground. All the lifts i have seen have controls from the ground. Rig it up, get it into position, get OFF, lift it from the ground and set it over the bolts and drop it on. Atleast if it looks unstable you dont have to ride it down to disaster. Just a suggestion for next time.


 What kind of lift are you talking about and can you use that lift as a crane safely?


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## woodchuck2 (Sep 18, 2009)

I have never seen one of those polejacks before, look handy though. I have only set one pole light so far but i chose to use my mini-ex to set it. I ratchet strapped the light to the side of the stick, lift it with the main boom and swing the stick in as it goes up. Works slick. I use the mini-ex for setting the 30'+ utility poles too.


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## william1978 (Sep 21, 2008)

Mini-x is a good idea to set poles with I have never thought of that. Got any picturesof you installing a pole light with a mini-x?


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## woodchuck2 (Sep 18, 2009)

Wish i did, the wife has a stroke when i take the camera anywhere so needless to say i have few photo's of any of the jobs i have worked on. However i did just get one of them cordless phone thingys with a camera so i will have to start using that until i get my own camera for the business. The mini-ex works well as you can lay the boom and stick right out straight and be only a couple feet off the ground. I just wrapped the pole for protection and ratchet strapped it to the stick. My mini-ex also has the knuckle boom feature so when you lift the boom and swing the stick in you can also side shift the stick. The stick can move side to side about 5' so its less you have to move the machine around for alignment. For utility poles this feature is nice as the pole has to go beside and beyond the machine due to its length. I usually strap the lower end of the pole to the stick and then lift the boom letting the top end of the pole stay on the ground until the pole lines up with the stick. Then i climb on the machine and strap the pole to the top of the stick. I have seen guys stand poles up by hand and that is a nightmare, for me i just pick it up, drive to the hole and set it in. No dirt betting knocked in or the hole collapsing from the weight.


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## Mr. Sparkle (Jan 27, 2009)

Last week I watched someone move a live temp service by ratchet strapping it to the bucket of a backhoe, it was a success but man I cringed the whole time......

Oh, and those pole jacks are sweeeeet. Back when I was a wee helper I was on a job where we had to stand up some poles and we did it by leaning the pole up on the back of the van and having a bunch of guys on the ground and on top of the van lift the pole while someone slowly went in reverse, it sucked and was really dangerous.


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