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Posted: 8/23/2015 11:10:28 PM EDT
[#1]
I worked for a communications company out of high school and the two tower climbers I met that did work for us could hardly walk. They both had fallen several times over the years and were all gimped up. The towers they climbed for us weren't shit compaired to that video.
Had a friend who's dad maintained one local television stations transmitter. He told us to come out several times over the years to watch them climb the tower for service, antenna replacement ect. but I never did. That tower was pretty stout. The bonus was when they did guide wire replacements we had those huge wooden spools left over for hanging targets on. |
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Posted: 8/23/2015 11:11:22 PM EDT
[#2]
Application process is very simple.
You drop your pants and if they see a huge set of nuts you get the job. |
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Posted: 8/23/2015 11:11:49 PM EDT
[#3]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Really? Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
The pay isn't as great as you would think, and it's a really unstable industry right now. Most tower guys that have been doing it a long time wouldn't fit in anywhere else. It's a high stress, physically demanding job, and I personally know of 4 fatal accidents and one guy committing suicide. I would eat ramen every day the rest of my life before doing it. Really? Everyone's different. Some guys love it, I never would consider it. The only way you'll make decent money is if you learn technical skills/how to troubleshoot and become a lead. I can make way more without ever climbing higher than a 6 ft ladder, so I do. |
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Posted: 8/23/2015 11:12:09 PM EDT
[#4]
my balls literally pull up inside when I view that type of thing.
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Posted: 8/23/2015 11:13:13 PM EDT
[#5]
I spent a couple days hanging out with an owner whose company does that stuff. Sounds like his business had been cyclical, had been down but was back on the upswing. I think the main qualification is decent mechanical skills, and not being afraid of heights. Obviously you've got to be at least reasonably fit also. The actual work part was supposed to be pretty simple. You don't really work on much, just replace stuff. |
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Posted: 8/23/2015 11:17:25 PM EDT
[#6]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I felt like puking watching that Quote HistoryQuoted:
Stairway to Heaven? Yeah that guy freeclimbed it, only using his tether to take breaks. 
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Posted: 8/23/2015 11:17:27 PM EDT
[#7]
When I was a little kid my dad used to torment me by telling me I would have to get a job changing the light bulbs in those towers.
Yea, there ain’t no way. |
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Posted: 8/23/2015 11:18:28 PM EDT
[#8]
That would be majorly cool.
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Posted: 8/23/2015 11:19:33 PM EDT
[#9]
I'm only speaking from experience.
I know a handful of decent, well adjusted guys who are good at what they do and make decent money. I have met scores of drug addled burnouts with personality disorders and addictive personalities that have come and gone, IE: cannon fodder. I've watched company after company rise, lead, fail, and fall. There will always be work, but I wouldn't consider it a career. Most of the guys that were smart ended up starting their own crews/companies and selling out to the bigger ones for a profit. Unfortunately that often means laying off all the employees. |
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Posted: 8/23/2015 11:19:39 PM EDT
[#10]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
That would be majorly cool. Yea, until a thunderstorm rolls through. |
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Posted: 8/23/2015 11:20:11 PM EDT
[#11]
why is that tower so high? I know a little about radio and I know LOS, higher is better but the area looks flat, I would think a roof mount on a jeep would work there.
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Posted: 8/23/2015 11:21:24 PM EDT
[#12]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Meh, I'd have no problem BEING that high. IMH anything over around 120-150' isn't anything to sweat about, it the interim distance where if you fall you count to potatoe if you live that concerns me, and I've worked at that height climbing with no safety gear a lot. That fucking CLIMB looks like a screaming bitch though. IMHO only way I'd do that job is if i get a dope harness that I can lock in and sit in and take a break for awhile. I'm a fat old man now. Anything after the first 100 vertical feet is too much any more. It's amazing how much your thighs can burn climbing with a harness and a bag full of tools and bolts.  |
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Posted: 8/23/2015 11:22:39 PM EDT
[#13]
And I get dizzy, standing on my tippie toes.
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Posted: 8/23/2015 11:23:20 PM EDT
[#14]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
My ex's husband owns a window washing company. The guys that do tall buildings with the scaffolding and electric winches. He told me before that his best guy keeps an igloo drink cooler full of kool-aid and vodka in his truck. Says he is never drunk but he won't go up without slamming a glass or three of the stuff.
Not saying I agree but I understand. Pretty much. Anyone who wasn't a thrill seaker or down right ice cold would have trouble doing that regularly. Three shots would get me to the top, three more would tempt me to bring a parachute. I guess there is a fine line between sucess and failure.
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Posted: 8/23/2015 11:24:47 PM EDT
[#15]
I wonder if they carry parachutes. So they can just jump off when they are done working. Climbing down anything is harder then up
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Posted: 8/23/2015 11:24:58 PM EDT
[#16]
I got sweaty palms from watching that..... and I've jumped from a plane before
That was hard to watch |
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Posted: 8/23/2015 11:27:53 PM EDT
[#17]
Those carabiners look awfully large, like if he fell and swung they'd easily hop over the flange on the hand/foot pegs.
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Posted: 8/23/2015 11:31:04 PM EDT
[#18]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Yep I have 90+ jumps at 800' with a T-10 and another 30 or so at 1200-1500 on a T-11 Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Stupid question, if you had a reserve chute, would you survive a fall off the top? I have 90+ jumps at 800' with a T-10 and another 30 or so at 1200-1500 on a T-11 It's my understanding that BASE jumpers routinely jump at elevations between 200 and 300 feet. From that tower, with the right rig, it should be very doable. |
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Posted: 8/23/2015 11:31:12 PM EDT
[#19]
Now, I'm not afraid of heights. I was always pretty damn good at climbing things, even out of shape I still am.
However - fuck no. No, no, no, no, no. Nope. |
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Posted: 8/23/2015 11:33:36 PM EDT
[#20]
Anyone who was sane wouldn't be able to do this, their big brass balls would be physically too big to make the climb, so the first qualification is that you must be stone cold crazy!
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Posted: 8/23/2015 11:35:11 PM EDT
[#21]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Yea, until a thunderstorm rolls through. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
That would be majorly cool. Yea, until a thunderstorm rolls through. Yep. Takes a while to climb DOWN from several hundred feet in the air, and few can do it without stopping mid-way. Getting heat exhaustion while several hundred feet in the air and having to exert yourself to climb down, maybe passing out on the way down? Pass. |
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Posted: 8/23/2015 11:37:07 PM EDT
[#22]
also seems they always work in pairs. I wonder why. Not like 2 guys can stand on the top. not even realy room for one. other guy is just there for moral support or if something goes wrong to call a coroner?
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Posted: 8/23/2015 11:37:32 PM EDT
[#23]
Why isn't a reserve chute a standard practice? Seems to me the only real emergency procedure with a tether is "hang on, pray, repeat as necessary."
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Posted: 8/23/2015 11:40:54 PM EDT
[#24]
Meh, most fall fatalities are from 0 feet. If you have a harness, you are fine. If you are walking around the office, you are much more likely to fall and die.
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Posted: 8/23/2015 11:41:52 PM EDT
[#25]
Quote HistoryI'm going to assume that these were the kids who used to get in trouble climbing radio towers for fun when they were little. |
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Posted: 8/23/2015 11:42:36 PM EDT
[#26]
I did tower work off and on after I got out of the .mil. The heights didn't bother me until we had a guy fall. I can't do heights after that.
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Posted: 8/23/2015 11:44:02 PM EDT
[#27]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I just don't understand, why are you all so scared of heights. I assume it's a reflection on the population in general. It's primal, man. The fear of heights goes back to the days of cave men. It's survival. |
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Posted: 8/23/2015 11:44:39 PM EDT
[#28]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Why isn't a reserve chute a standard practice? Seems to me the only real emergency procedure with a tether is "hang on, pray, repeat as necessary." Probably not enough time to fall, react to the fall and pull the chute, and then for chute to open before you hit the ground. |
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Posted: 8/23/2015 11:46:51 PM EDT
[#29]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I just don't understand, why are you all so scared of heights. I assume it's a reflection on the population in general. So, you don't have any fear of heights? |
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Posted: 8/23/2015 11:50:06 PM EDT
[#30]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Probably not enough time to fall, react to the fall and pull the chute, and then for chute to open before you hit the ground. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Why isn't a reserve chute a standard practice? Seems to me the only real emergency procedure with a tether is "hang on, pray, repeat as necessary." Probably not enough time to fall, react to the fall and pull the chute, and then for chute to open before you hit the ground. I could understand that for something under 400-500' but a chute only needs about 300' to open. You could fall from a 600', have a second of HOLY CRAP, and still have the time to get your canopy open. Much better than whistling along at terminal velocity IMHO. But then again I don't know anything about towers apart from those clips... |
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Posted: 8/23/2015 11:51:54 PM EDT
[#31]
Well, if you're actually interested I have a friend that I can put you in touch with. He has a business doing that stuff here in TN.
He doesn't climb towers any more himself, he hires young guys for that. |
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Posted: 8/23/2015 11:52:19 PM EDT
[#32]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Probably not enough time to fall, react to the fall and pull the chute, and then for chute to open before you hit the ground. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Why isn't a reserve chute a standard practice? Seems to me the only real emergency procedure with a tether is "hang on, pray, repeat as necessary." Probably not enough time to fall, react to the fall and pull the chute, and then for chute to open before you hit the ground. I'd be more worried about the guy wires on the way down. |
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Posted: 8/23/2015 11:52:40 PM EDT
[#33]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I did tower work off and on after I got out of the .mil. The heights didn't bother me until we had a guy fall. I can't do heights after that. What was the work like on an average climb? On average how high did you climb? Did it give you an adrenaline rush every time you did it? |
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Posted: 8/23/2015 11:54:48 PM EDT
[#34]
Has anyone mentioned the French guys doing pull-ups on the crane?
(fast forward to about 2:00 minutes if you haven't seen it): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uarEZ-3HXRU |
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Posted: 8/23/2015 11:55:11 PM EDT
[#35]
You would have time to pray, make a cell call and post on arfcom before hitting the ground
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Posted: 8/23/2015 11:57:00 PM EDT
[#36]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
also seems they always work in pairs. I wonder why. Not like 2 guys can stand on the top. not even realy room for one. other guy is just there for moral support or if something goes wrong to call a coroner? High angle rescue techniques don't work too well if the only man up there is incapacitated. If man #1 has a major issue, man #2 can radio in for a rescue team, provide first aid, get the rescue started, etc. I'd bet a second set of hands always helps on the day to day job, but shit goes very wrong very fast up there. I'd rather not be left alone, miles from the nearest help. One slip could send your chin right into a steel beam. Instant knock out. What do you do then? Hope you wake up before your harness gives you a nasty case of compartment syndrome? No thanks. Hopefully the wing man can help before shit gets any worse. If shit gets real bad, he can call in the cavalry. Climbing in pairs is the accepted method across the board. As dangerous as that is, you have to have a wing man to back you up if things get bad. |
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Posted: 8/23/2015 11:58:55 PM EDT
[#37]
been to 400' on the job.
nice view and all, but a lot of work. I can only imagine these 1200'(+/-) if you're lucky, they'll have an elevator on the bigger ones. tower dog jobs should be easy to get if you have any steel construction job experience and are a hard worker. |
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Posted: 8/23/2015 11:59:53 PM EDT
[#38]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Really? Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: The pay isn't as great as you would think, and it's a really unstable industry right now. Most tower guys that have been doing it a long time wouldn't fit in anywhere else. It's a high stress, physically demanding job, and I personally know of 4 fatal accidents and one guy committing suicide. I would eat ramen every day the rest of my life before doing it. Really? |
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Posted: 8/24/2015 12:01:26 AM EDT
[#39]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
also seems they always work in pairs. I wonder why. Not like 2 guys can stand on the top. not even realy room for one. other guy is just there for moral support or if something goes wrong to call a coroner? As stated, if you get in trouble several hundred feet up you might not make it down without help. If you fall you won't be in any shape to call for help, maybe not even if your gear catches you. The gear keeps you from hitting the ground, not the tower itself, guy wires, antennas, etc. Plus think of how many injuries people in car crashes get from the seatbelts themselves. ETA: Plus, can you imagine getting up to 350' and realizing you left something you need on the ground?
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Posted: 8/24/2015 12:02:48 AM EDT
[#40]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Well I've been told that plenty of times so. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
You have to be out of your goddamn mind. That's how. Well I've been told that plenty of times so. Ex wives don't count. |
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Posted: 8/24/2015 12:02:53 AM EDT
[#41]
If it's a 1,700' tower, why not just build it with a hinge at 851', so that that way you could just bend it in the middle and have the top come down to ground level? Or, why not have a telescopic core with the LED on top of it, so that you could just press a button and have it come down to some reasonable height? If it saves just one life...
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Posted: 8/24/2015 12:03:06 AM EDT
[#42]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Why isn't a reserve chute a standard practice? Seems to me the only real emergency procedure with a tether is "hang on, pray, repeat as necessary." If you have an ohshit on a tower, you won't have time to deploy a chute unless we're talking a thousand feet up or so. |
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Posted: 8/24/2015 12:05:28 AM EDT
[#43]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
45k around here if I remember right. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
The pay isn't as great as you would think, and it's a really unstable industry right now. Most tower guys that have been doing it a long time wouldn't fit in anywhere else. It's a high stress, physically demanding job, and I personally know of 4 fatal accidents and one guy committing suicide. I would eat ramen every day the rest of my life before doing it. Really? Hourly? |
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Posted: 8/24/2015 12:06:20 AM EDT
[#44]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
If it's a 1,700' tower, why not just build it with a hinge at 851', so that that way you could just bend it in the middle and have the top come down to ground level? Or, why not have a telescopic core with the LED on top of it, so that you could just press a button and have it come down to some reasonable height? If it saves just one life... Do you understand how guy wires work? |
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Posted: 8/24/2015 12:06:20 AM EDT
[#45]
I told my wife the other day that I wanted the job of doing the rap segments for Linkin Park.
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Posted: 8/24/2015 12:06:22 AM EDT
[#46]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
What was the work like on an average climb? On average how high did you climb? Did it give you an adrenaline rush every time you did it? Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
I did tower work off and on after I got out of the .mil. The heights didn't bother me until we had a guy fall. I can't do heights after that. What was the work like on an average climb? On average how high did you climb? Did it give you an adrenaline rush every time you did it? The work itself was pretty basic: change bulbs, repair cables, replace equipment. Did work up to around 1200', but average day was around 400'. Plenty of adrenaline at first, but it gets really monotonous really fast. A tiring climb up, a few hours of work, and a tiring climb down. The super-tall ones have "elevators", but there's still physical climbing involved. After a few weeks it got to be comfortable, after months it got to be too comfortable (I smoked at the time and actually lit a cigarette and took a step back into nothing at about 600'. Harness caught me and I was able to self-rescue, but I needed a new tether...and pants). |
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Posted: 8/24/2015 12:06:45 AM EDT
[#47]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Nope. I get anxiety just watching the video. Yep 
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Posted: 8/24/2015 12:08:47 AM EDT
[#48]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
If you have an ohshit on a tower, you won't have time to deploy a chute unless we're talking a thousand feet up or so. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Why isn't a reserve chute a standard practice? Seems to me the only real emergency procedure with a tether is "hang on, pray, repeat as necessary." If you have an ohshit on a tower, you won't have time to deploy a chute unless we're talking a thousand feet up or so. If you slip, you aren't going to have a proper launch, and are likely going to start bouncing off of stuff early in the fall, so there'd be little chance of deploying a chute, even if you started the fall at a thousand feet. |
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Posted: 8/24/2015 12:10:39 AM EDT
[#49]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
If you slip, you aren't going to have a proper launch, and are likely going to start bouncing off of stuff early in the fall, so there'd be little chance of deploying a chute, even if you started the fall at a thousand feet. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Why isn't a reserve chute a standard practice? Seems to me the only real emergency procedure with a tether is "hang on, pray, repeat as necessary." If you have an ohshit on a tower, you won't have time to deploy a chute unless we're talking a thousand feet up or so. If you slip, you aren't going to have a proper launch, and are likely going to start bouncing off of stuff early in the fall, so there'd be little chance of deploying a chute, even if you started the fall at a thousand feet. Better said than I. Also wouldn't do squat if part of the tower you're tied off to comes down with you. |
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Posted: 8/24/2015 12:12:20 AM EDT
[#50]
nope nope nope nope
My testicles still haven't descended from my body cavity after watching that. |
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