New December Journal

This is how I run mainline tube. This is probly not recommended anywhere and probly isnt real safe but it works real good for me and I havent had one come down yet. I carry 3 tools, linemans pliars, wratchet handle and a yo-yo. I use a spinning jenny for the wire. Every end point gets a wratchet to eliminate connectors so first stop tractor supply for a 100$ worth of wratchets. Next stop sugarbush. Got a role of mainline on the jenny. I pull the wire out to the end tree. Then I pull off 6' extra wire and cut it off. Then I slip a little tube over the piece of wire to protect tree. Then If its good tree put couple wood blocks under it but try to pick nonvaluable tree. I take the wire and run it around the tree and put the wratchet on it. Then the majic happens. I tie a square knot on the wire. This eliminates two things I hate. crimps and crimping tools, or connectors you need tools for. Tools and I usually dont have a very long relationship together(on my third mainline punch). Then I take the wire and take a wrap starting the knot and take long tails becouse its hard to make the second part if you dont. Then being sure its a square and not a granny Ive got big ugly square knot but not for long. Then I hook my main in the wratchet and take a couple wraps. RUN back to the spinning jenny( this isnt a stroll in the woods weve got BIGSAP to get. I pull the line off the jenny to the start tree. Pull off 6' and do same trick. Now Ive got wratchets on both ends. Now crank her up good. RUN back to the other one making sure nothing hooked becouse working alone, looking good, now the wires nice and tight. Those big ugly square knots are now beautifull little square knots. Get it off the couple trees its on hard with some side ties. Take my tube and hose clamp it to one end. Pull it out to the other. I carry a 20' piece off light rope with me on a coil. Get to the other end I use the rope to pull it up so the slacks out of it. Then I real quick tie a few wire ties every 20' or so. Now its hangin from the wire. Go back to my rope and pull it up real tight and tie it off to the tree. Now you can clamp that end with a clamp too and go ahead and wire tie it in. Done. Anymore thats about all I do with not a lot of side ties. Then when I lateral it in they actually side tie it in just right and looks real good. Now a trunk mainline I will put a lot of side ties till its just so becouse there wont be any laterals on it. Like I said probly not recommended but thats just how I roll. Theron

Great minds think alike Theron!! The only thing that I do different from you is to pull the pipe up tight with a comealong and a Kellum grip. I tie it loosely like you said, then put the brute strength and ignorance to it. I get no accordian effect at all. BIG SAP TO ALL!!!

Mine comes up too Mike. What I do with that rope is I put a grapevine on the end of the tube a little ways in and run the rope around the tree and put a bowline on a bite on the standing part of the rope and pull it back that way. I know you know what that will do. I hook the grapevine on the end past the connection point if I want to get serious with it then If I fold the pipe dont matter. I just dont like lugging the hoist. Some of my taps are on dang cliffs almost and the rope will tie right on my belt loop. Theron

Theron, Maplwrks,
I do pretty much the same thing with mine the only difference is I use electrical tape to attach a strap to my pipe and the hook a come along to it. you would be surprised how much torture that tape will stand.

Nothing beats those kellums though like you say. Another thing ive done back in the woods far from stuff is put a clamp on the tube and put wire under it and bend it back and run it into a wratchet. That will work as a kellum grip on 3/4 or something but not on the big stuff quite as good. Theron

Dave- Dont matter how you grab it like you say as long as it holds long enough to clip it in. I found on the 3/4 it would stay quite nice with the ends clamped or tied real good. Not my 1.25 though. I had to regrab that stuff with kellums becouse it snaked on me. I think that stuff Ill alway put the kellums on and leave them. Besides you dont run a lot of the big pipe anyway. Theron

With my mainlines I will go less than the distance of a coil and stretch it and tie it off the move on . I do not get any accordion effect do in that. I also clamp it to the wire, seems to work.

You electrical workers do it about the same way as us redneck farmers. It doesn't matter as long as it goes on the wire tight and stays there, all ways work good if you come out with the same result, nice and tight and leave the accordian home and the sap in the tank.

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Originally Posted by dano2840

i wasnt feeling to hot this morning, had a pounding head ache and my belly didnt feel to great al though it didtn feel like i was gunna hurl so i stayed home from school, mom said i could so i did, she said try to get some sleep, and left, i had started putting the wool pants on right after i saw her get into her car, started the JD and off i went, finished puting up all the main line wire in the woods, what took 4 1/2 hrs should have only taken 1 ( i was sick remember was moving slower and the 3ft of snow didnt make it any easier) but i got really disy and tired and i remember sitting down at around 1:00 and woke up at 3:00 still sitting in my snow bed, just it was a little deeper now and i was a little wetter, called it a day , hobbled over to the tractor and headed home.
got home about 15 min before my mother pulled in, got lucky......hehehe

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DanO, play sick when you stay home sick. There will be plenty of time for stringing mainline when you get to X-mas vacation. You will get sicker sleeping in the snow and you will lose time.

802,
who are you calling an electrical worker?