wire supports for 700 feet of aerial wire?

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bullheimer

bullheimer

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WA
i got a proposal to run aerial wire 700 ft. (three insulated #4 one uninsulated). i think i have to have the poles 150ft apart. i will be using my truck to pull it tight. Would the pole HAVE to have a cross piece up there to attach the wire to, like a foot of unistrut with a strike, with a 'chicken catcher' going each direction? i have never done this before. there are strike plates that have four lag holes in them. would it be better to use that bolted directly to the pole? also should i throw in any loops in case they want to cut into them at some later date? i haven't been able to get much help in spacing the poles. the power company gave me some thoughts: that's where i got the 150' from. he gave me the name of some calculation for wire sag, but i inadvertently tossed it out. thanks.
 
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bullheimer said:
i got a proposal to run aerial wire 700 ft. (three insulated #4 one uninsulated). i think i have to have the poles 150ft apart. i will be using my truck to pull it tight. Would the pole HAVE to have a cross piece up there to attach the wire to, like a foot of unistrut with a strike, with a 'chicken catcher' going each direction? i have never done this before. there are strike plates that have four lag holes in them. would it be better to use that bolted directly to the pole? also should i throw in any loops in case they want to cut into them at some later date? i haven't been able to get much help in spacing the poles. the power company gave me some thoughts: that's where i got the 150' from. he gave me the name of some calculation for wire sag, but i inadvertently tossed it out. thanks.
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You are overthinking it. Look around at overhead services as you drive around. Many long services use a "lift" pole. This is what you want to copy. The simplest way is to make a double dead end using a single upset bolt with an insulator and two wedge grips, or maybe two dead end shoes. All the poles are for is to hold the wire up so you have clearance, The takeoff and the deadend pole will have to hold the tension. You putting guys down for these?
 
i think your right

i think your right

i did look at a few today and yeah, just an insulator mounted on the pole, with a couple a chicken catchers as the PSE guys call them. planning on a 25ft pole. i was told no need for guy wires in a straight line, just if a ninety. what ya think?

didnt there used to be a forum for contracting on this site too? seems like it went bye bye
 
bullheimer said:
i haven't been able to get much help in spacing the poles. the power company gave me some thoughts: that's where i got the 150' from. he gave me the name of some calculation for wire sag, but i inadvertently tossed it out. thanks.
Click to expand...

You can inadvertently get those calculations here. Are chicken catchers the same a kellum grips?
 
bullheimer said:
i did look at a few today and yeah, just an insulator mounted on the pole, with a couple a chicken catchers as the PSE guys call them. planning on a 25ft pole. i was told no need for guy wires in a straight line, just if a ninety. what ya think?

didnt there used to be a forum for contracting on this site too? seems like it went bye bye
Click to expand...

The take off pole and the last pole needs to be guyed or braced in some way. Cribbing won't work.
 
bullheimer said:
i did look at a few today and yeah, just an insulator mounted on the pole, with a couple a chicken catchers as the PSE guys call them. planning on a 25ft pole. i was told no need for guy wires in a straight line, just if a ninety. what ya think?

didnt there used to be a forum for contracting on this site too? seems like it went bye bye
Click to expand...

25 ft may not do it. After calculating the sag, the type of area you are crossing will determine how high the poles need to be for ground clearance..
 
bullheimer said:
he gave me the name of some calculation for wire sag, but i inadvertently tossed it out.
Click to expand...


For that wire, think about ice and wind loading and use good common sense. You aren't going to use a tension meter anyway. We don't. For a #4 quad, I would be able to pull some slack in a 150' span by hand. Without seeing what you have I would guess about a 2-3' sag. Any tighter and you risk tearing the wire up IMO.

If you are interested, here is a calculator.
http://www.spaceagecontrol.com/calccabl.htm
 
god, i'v erased my reply twice now.

lemmie just say thanks for all the very helpful replies. HV&LV, how much harder to pull out the slack in a 200ft span by hand? (sag just became a non issue (catinary curve no less) because my pole supplier only has 30 ft poles and that was what he quoted me.

btw chicken catcher: the wire that goes around the strike insulator and grips the wire's uninsulated ground wire/neutral wire.
 
bullheimer said:
god, i'v erased my reply twice now.

lemmie just say thanks for all the very helpful replies. HV&LV, how much harder to pull out the slack in a 200ft span by hand? (sag just became a non issue (catinary curve no less) because my pole supplier only has 30 ft poles and that was what he quoted me.

btw chicken catcher: the wire that goes around the strike insulator and grips the wire's uninsulated ground wire/neutral wire.
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Easy. Actually, I would lay the wire up over the insulators on the pole with a long stick and pull the entire span with a handline. Leave it fairly loose. Then double dead end each pole pulling the excess slack as you go. Here you can release the handline to give slack as needed when working the poles. This way the middle poles stay plumb. If you try to sag it one pole at a time, the poles get out of plumb and the first span ends up too tight compared to the rest. Also you are on each pole one time, no need to visit each one more than that...
 
bob said:
25 ft may not do it. After calculating the sag, the type of area you are crossing will determine how high the poles need to be for ground clearance..
Click to expand...

25ft poles 150' apart would have some low hanging wire between them. The kids would be doing chin ups on them, if they weren't already low enough to use for jump rope.
 
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