Tips for Replacing drops quickly?

[Log In to View]

So we found out recently that we will be required to run our own drops in most cases rather than getting the sub working and getting a contractor to replace it later. Not a major problem with me, since i used to run them myself in most cases anyway, but im kinda slow at it.

So does anyone have any tips on how to run drops quickly? I seem to average about 45-50 min per drop but our supervisors seem to think an "Average" drop will take 30 min.

[Log In to View]

Take everything with you. Hangers, clamps, zip ties, tags, etc. Be efficient. If you must go back to the truck, take something back with you. Ladder, spool, or garbage. If the drop is running through trees, tie on to the old one and pull the new one through. Just take your time and do it right at first, the speed will come.

[Log In to View]

span clamps?!!? LMAO....round here no one, and i mean no one uses them...we just tie off with the messenger wire......

had a beauty the other day in downtown smyrna (smer-nah)....house has on the courner of a four way intersection, came from side of the subs house, across the street to a midspan...then down that midspan across the street (caddy corner from the house), tied off at that pole, then took a 90 turn going down the street away from the house to the tap.....great engineering on this design!!!


best tip to increase your time, is dont carry the windex with you like some other techs do.....

[Log In to View]

span clamps?!!? LMAO....round here no one, and i mean no one uses them...we just tie off with the messenger wire......

Is it that you aren't issued any, or choose not to use them? The reason I ask is because a 2-2-4 or a 3-3-5 wrap can damage the cable minutely and cause jitter and echo on voip. Plus they make pulling up long spans of cable tons easier. 

[Log In to View]

i agree with wowtech with one amendment.  take pride in your work.  as for speed, i have good days and bad.  some days you're in a groove, and others you're not.  no biggie.

[Log In to View]

oh and if you're hanging .320 by yourself (or with someone) don't rush or you'll most likely screw up your cable or yourself.  i can't seem to hang it and not start bleeding no matter how careful i am.

[Log In to View]

a 2-2-4 or a 3-3-5 wrap can damage the cable minutely and cause jitter and echo on voip.

what kinda span clamps are you guys using?  the ones we get here for drop cable you still have to tie the cable off to it.  and those last 3-5 wraps around the messenger and cable arent tied off like you are tying a tourniquet.

[Log In to View]

Not sure what kind we use, but the messenger does tie around the clamp, but no tension on the cable like with the wraps.

[Log In to View]

this is similar to what we use.

[Log In to View]

We use S-Clips to hold the messenger to the cable. We do not wrap messenger anymore..

[Log In to View]

we have pigtails, but very few people carry span clamps with them.....i make sure to wrap it putting the least amount of tension around the actual cable it self....couple times around the piggy then ill criss cross it, to reverse it so it locks it slef out then, then around the cable, and back over....

[Log In to View]

I try to do everything on the pole side down at the van. I pull the messenger back, make my loop, put the fitting and tag on it, and then I tie it off on the span clamp. I find it easier to do all that on the ground. Then, I pull it up the ladder with me and just clamp the span clamp on and hook it up at the tap. I'd say it probably takes me about 15 - 20 mins. to get a drop up (going from the pole straight to the house). Multiple poles are a little longer.

[Log In to View]

oh and if you're hanging .320 by yourself (or with someone) don't rush or you'll most likely screw up your cable or yourself.  i can't seem to hang it and not start bleeding no matter how careful i am.

Ditto.

[Log In to View]

so you are saying for a midspan you just wrap around the strand? 

[Log In to View]

I'm talking about drop hangers, not span clamps. We all need some sort of hook or clamp to attach the drop to the line. I'd like to see a pic of an S-Clip. I'll try and get a pic of our drop hangers.