Could You Do This Job..
- I'm On Fire
- Member
- Posts: 3918
- Joined: Thu. Jun. 10, 2010 9:34 am
- Location: Vernon, New Jersey
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: DS Machines DS-1600 Hot Air Circulator
No, I like living too much.
That is LIVING! I have topped 40 or 50 foot trees with a hand saw, then logged it coming down with the chain saw using boot spikes and a harness. That was enough of a thrill for me. (Yes I was scared. Fear makes you focus.) I think the type of climbing in the video you build yourself up for both physically and mentally. The crazyist thing I did was repel from the maintenance catwalk under a bridge to the ground. Going over the edge is the awkward part. I have repelled Aussie style off a 90 foot cliff. Do it over and over the thrill diminishes. I always wanted to skydive but every time I brought it up my wife flipped out. I guess she doesn't want to be a widow.I'm On Fire wrote:No, I like living too much.
- whistlenut
- Member
- Posts: 3548
- Joined: Sat. Mar. 17, 2007 6:29 pm
- Location: Central NH, Concord area
- Stoker Coal Boiler: AA130's,260's, AHS130&260's,EFM900,GJ & V-Wert
- Hand Fed Coal Boiler: Franks,Itasca 415,Jensen, NYer 130,Van Wert
- Hot Air Coal Stoker Furnace: Alaska, EFM, Keystoker, Yellow Flame
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- Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Ford, Jensen, NYer, Van Wert,
- Baseburners & Antiques: Glenwoods
- Coal Size/Type: Barley, Buck, Rice ,Nut, Stove
- Other Heating: Oil HWBB
Somehow I don't think 'compensation' is a big deal with theses guys (or gals) Sucks on a lightning day...... Hey Cokehead, when the wife says "Enjoy your day skydiving, honey', I'm thinking you may need to think about why she wants you to become Evil Knievel's clone.
I met a young man from Jackman, Maine a few years ago, who was fearless in the forest products arena, and a Cell Tower Company from Chicago came to recruit HIM. Right out of high school.....85K; handful of credit cards; took him to the local truck dealer and said: pick out what you want and meet us in Minnesota in 7 days if you want the job. Yes, he's still at it; works all over the country, and doesn't EVER say "Huh, r u for real?". His 401K would make all of us happy today!
BTW, helicopters are now a big part of this work......short ride to the top......more tools onboard, too.
I met a young man from Jackman, Maine a few years ago, who was fearless in the forest products arena, and a Cell Tower Company from Chicago came to recruit HIM. Right out of high school.....85K; handful of credit cards; took him to the local truck dealer and said: pick out what you want and meet us in Minnesota in 7 days if you want the job. Yes, he's still at it; works all over the country, and doesn't EVER say "Huh, r u for real?". His 401K would make all of us happy today!
BTW, helicopters are now a big part of this work......short ride to the top......more tools onboard, too.
- Richard S.
- Mayor
- Posts: 15184
- Joined: Fri. Oct. 01, 2004 8:35 pm
- Location: NEPA
- Stoker Coal Boiler: Van Wert VA1200
- Coal Size/Type: Buckwheat/Anthracite
Pack a lunch AND dinner!
- freetown fred
- Member
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- Joined: Thu. Dec. 31, 2009 12:33 pm
- Location: Freetown,NY 13803
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: HITZER 50-93
- Coal Size/Type: BLASCHAK Nut
When I got back from the Nam, I got a job with "Skyhook Inc" out of Birch River, Manitoba, Canada--we were all Native Americans, & worked on any towers that needed any kind of maintenance, painting, scraping or changing light-bulbs--some of you Pa guys might be familiar with the WFIL ??? towers in Roxbury--boro??? anyway, they were one of our contracts, along with many others all up & down the east coast--remember, this was back in the late 60's--hey WN, what 401K??? $30.00 an hour back then was like dieing & going to heaven--yep, no bennies. Single waist type safety belt. We would strap any tools we needed to us & you damn sure didn't want to drop anything. We would climb up the corner which had extended stove bolts in it. It would take, probably 30-45 minutes to get to the top of a 175--200 foot tower--HEAD in the HOLE-- It has come a long way since. We lost 3 guys in the 2 yrs I stayed doing it-- I Think it took me that long to totally sober up
- Ed.A
- Member
- Posts: 1635
- Joined: Thu. Aug. 30, 2007 7:27 pm
- Location: Canterbury Ct.
- Hot Air Coal Stoker Stove: Alaska Channing III/ '94 Stoker II
- Coal Size/Type: Rice
I've a fear of heights and that made me slightly ill. Every year I try overcome my fears by cliff jumping in Jamaica...but no avail, It doesn't really help, I push myself to do it but it never gets any easier.
My late father-law was a steel worker his entire life, worked on some pretty tall buildings (like Fred) a single rope tied around the waist was all he used. Saw a few fall to their deaths in his time, one or two off the GoldStar Bridge in NewLondon Ct. when he was site foreman on that project.
My late father-law was a steel worker his entire life, worked on some pretty tall buildings (like Fred) a single rope tied around the waist was all he used. Saw a few fall to their deaths in his time, one or two off the GoldStar Bridge in NewLondon Ct. when he was site foreman on that project.
- Richard S.
- Mayor
- Posts: 15184
- Joined: Fri. Oct. 01, 2004 8:35 pm
- Location: NEPA
- Stoker Coal Boiler: Van Wert VA1200
- Coal Size/Type: Buckwheat/Anthracite
There is fine line here of being aware of your surroundings and not thinking about it. You don't want to lose focus you're high but you don't want to lose your focus because you're so high either. If you stick a 2*4 flat on the ground you could probably walk back and forth thousands of times.......... now try it 30 feet in the air. Even on the coal truck you were high and I'd be walking around like nothing on top of the coal..... every so often it would dawn on me I'm 20 or 25 feet off the ground and it's a long way down. I was better off oblivious to how high it was.
- freetown fred
- Member
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- Joined: Thu. Dec. 31, 2009 12:33 pm
- Location: Freetown,NY 13803
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- Coal Size/Type: BLASCHAK Nut
Well put Richard. The old Natives used to tell us to keep looking where you're going, not where ya been except on the way down.
- whistlenut
- Member
- Posts: 3548
- Joined: Sat. Mar. 17, 2007 6:29 pm
- Location: Central NH, Concord area
- Stoker Coal Boiler: AA130's,260's, AHS130&260's,EFM900,GJ & V-Wert
- Hand Fed Coal Boiler: Franks,Itasca 415,Jensen, NYer 130,Van Wert
- Hot Air Coal Stoker Furnace: Alaska, EFM, Keystoker, Yellow Flame
- Hot Air Coal Stoker Stove: Alaska, Keystoker-2,Leisure Line
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Alaska, Gibraltar, Keystone,Vc Vigilant 2
- Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Ford, Jensen, NYer, Van Wert,
- Baseburners & Antiques: Glenwoods
- Coal Size/Type: Barley, Buck, Rice ,Nut, Stove
- Other Heating: Oil HWBB
No wonder they call Freetown Fred "Balls" out in Cortland! It's amazing you could sneak up those tiny passageways with such a large 'support package' for Lil' Fred! You are 'THE MAN!!!!' ...the things we do for money...or just the thrill of it.....or because we are toooooo stupid to know better. Parachute? Hell, jump off and 'glide' down. If you are ever up on Mt Washington when the hang glider folks are there, you will get a small sense of what 'NUTS" is all about. They stand on a dinky piece of plywood on the edge of a cliff....and glide off the sheer face to the landing zone 10 miles away. If the air currents aren't nice to you......well, most of you know it isn't beach sand you land on!
At the towers, you could jump.......evaluate the glide ratio of a human being (quickly) and determine you and a rock were equivalent just before the impact...oops.
At the towers, you could jump.......evaluate the glide ratio of a human being (quickly) and determine you and a rock were equivalent just before the impact...oops.
- Richard S.
- Mayor
- Posts: 15184
- Joined: Fri. Oct. 01, 2004 8:35 pm
- Location: NEPA
- Stoker Coal Boiler: Van Wert VA1200
- Coal Size/Type: Buckwheat/Anthracite
You need a wingsuit.whistlenut wrote: At the towers, you could jump.......evaluate the glide ratio of a human being (quickly) and determine you and a rock were equivalent just before the impact...oops.