Distribution and Transmission

Not off to start wars, but I want to talk about the difference between a distribution lineman and a transmission lineman.

In my opinion you can take a distribution lineman and make him a transmission lineman, but you can't take a transmission lineman and make him a distribution lineman. The reason I say this, if you have a guy that worked transmission his whole career being able to work with a lot of clearance between conductors and pretty good chance never worked anything hot then to be placed in distribution working hot 3Ø primary with little clearance might be a wee bit different.

Then you get into all the technical crap about tying feeders together, banks, etc.

On the flip side of the coin I think a transmission lineman might be better at dealing with extremely heavy conductors and perfecting sagging down to a science. A lot more rigging involved. More extreme heights for sure.

There's a give and take with both, but I do think a distribution lineman has an advantage. All in all it's just wire. What is ya'll takes?

I have to agree with you RC... twentyfive years ago we used to do everything here. We didn't break it up into transmision groups and distribution. I think it made us so much more well rounded. Using rigging is an art in itself. I still use some of the rigging from transmission in distribution work. I find I use a handline more and and get the guys on the ground more involved than the new guys that have only done distribution.
It really shows backlot when you don't have a jib and ya watch some guys really struggle.

I'm fortunate to be at a place where we still do both trans. and dist., urd and oh. Most of our work is distribution, and you can tell when an apprentice has spent most of his time doing dist. We always make an effort to get the ape on the transmission jobs so that he will become more knowledgeable in rigging, sagging, etc. When they have spent a lot of time in dist. they tend to want to take everything up with them in the bucket, and really lack in rigging and sending things up, or down on a handline.

My weakness is lattice work, as I have never worked it! UES only has four lattice srtructures in the whole system. They are at the lake crossings. All of our transmission is on wood, or steel mono-pole type construction.

rcdallas™ wrote:Not off to start wars, but I want to talk about the difference between a distribution lineman and a transmission lineman.

Are transmission lineman and distribution lineman power company classifications? On the Outside Construction a lineman’s title is Journeyman Lineman, where he is expected to know how to do it all. Transmission, distribution, and substation are all well known by outside lineman. RC should your question be can a power company raised lineman adapt to the construction realm? It all depends on the age, usually some one under 30 will adapt so much quicker. I have seen so many late forties to early fifties fired power company lineman try to work in my world and it does not work for them. Could I adapt and go work for an utility? I think I would feel like a bird in a cage, I like my independence and free life style way to much. But someone that is under thirty could come from the outside and adapt to the Power Company mentality.

I gotta agree with HD! I've never had the opportunity yet to work tranny but I've met a lot who've started out there and transitioned just fine? I'll admit it seems to some a bit to get used to the tighter tolerances but they usually adjust after time? Kind of like when ya got a hand who starts out on old Delta looped crap and then goes to 14.4 Y! That would be me btw!

Now utility verses construction......ah shucks I'm not goin there!

No matter what we're all Line trash (of some type?) and expected to do what ever is expected of us as hands so why RC feels the need to bait like this is beyond me???? BAN HIM FOR LIFE!!!!!!!!!

Just kidding folks!

Jokers!!

Now ya'll remember the first sentence of the original post? Maybe that is what I was really asking HD; can a utility lineman adapt and I think you know why. I'd like to see Steve chime in on this one....

or maybe do I need to rebait this???

Sounds like theres a lot of lineman that need to learn how to do linework… Drifter said it best a truly trained IBEW Journeyman Lineman can do it all... yeah some of us got a knack for doing one or the other... and some of us are better at shit like fiber...cable...phone...CATV...substations...switchyards... shit man the list goes on and on..... every one has there thing that the kick ass on... but a true Journeyman Lineman can do all of it...

I'm an old bitch that done transmission most of my life but building a bank is like lacing a tower to me...I will say that every now and then I'll break out a book and brush up on some shit … but I do that on my time... hell I read about what this trade is because it's what I do...

yeah and I like to think that even this old shit can out rig and out think you...

I will say I've seen domb shits on both sides dis and 'mission....

you can't fix stupid

for what it's worth,

Edge