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Throughout the work day a lineman will often use multiple guy grips to accomplish their work. However what one lineman calls a guy grip another calls a preformed dead end, or what I like to call it, preform. Whatever you call the guy grip it serves the same purpose- to securely attach to the strand. The preform twist so tight and grips so hard there is no chance for the strand to slip through, if installed correctly. However the preformed guy grips do wear out over time.
Guy grips are most often used on dead end poles, but there are many uses for guy grips depending on the scenario at hand for a lineman. Let’s cover the different situations that arise and call for a preformed guy grip.
To attach to a dead end pole
Like we mentioned above, one of the major uses for a preform is to properly secure the strand when the line dead ends to an anchor. Instead of using a 3 bolt guy clamp you will use a dead end frame with a couple preforms- one for the slip eye or screw eye and the other for your guy hook/ pig ear.
When framing a double dead end or mickey mouse pole
Another time a lineman will use guy grips/ preforms is when they need to join strand coming from opposite directions. In order to do this the lineman will either use a double dead end frame or a mickey mouse (i forget the technical name). With these frames the lineman will actually use at least 2 preforms, possibly even 3 if a down guy anchor is called for. These frames are used less seldom than the previous section we talked about, dead end poles.
Getting strand tight
The strand rolls off the spool and is loose on the ground until it is ready to be sucked up (tightened). We often use a guy grip, a strap and a truck or 4 wheeler to tighten and bring the strand to the desired height in the air. The guy grip plays a pivotal role in this process because it grips the strand, making it stay in place, while the truck goes the opposite direction, which is what tightens the guy wire line in place.
It’s important to know that when doing this method to tighten strand the guy grip will get worn out. When it gets worn out like this the strand will start to slowly slip through the guy grip, which will result in you never being able to get the strand is tight as you’d like. Simply just replace the guy wire with a new one or in a pinch you can twist more of the preform, almost completely and it should give it a bit more grip.
Pulling down guys
When installing down guys for anchoring you’ll always need a guy grip that either goes into the anchor head or the auxillary eye you installed. This preformed guy grip will once again attach to the strand counter balancing the pole line. Ideally you’d only need 1 preform when installing the down guy, however if you do not have a cable wire grip you can use another preform that will attach to your hoist.
I will also note that when installing the preform near the anchor you’ll often be in tight spaces with the power guy cramping your work space. If you do not twist the first wrap of the preform just right it can warp the preset grooves of the preform making it nearly useless. So it’s important to pay attention when you first twist your preform together.
Easy handling of the strand
Sometimes you need to take the end of the strand up the pole to run over or under other lines or you need the end for a straight splice. Holding the small strand can easily slip out of your hand, falling back to the ground. This could be dangerous for people or objects below, but mostly it wastes time and is aggravating. Not to mention it doesn’t allow you to have both hands.
A good solution is to wrap the strand a few time on one side of the guy grip and then put that guy grip on your bucket, hands free. This way it is attached and you have both hands available
4 wheeler and trees
Pulling strand off a full spool (ball) is heavy and hard work. You have to get it spinning to have the momentum on your side, all the while the strand lies on the ground behind you as you pull it over your shoulder to your desired spot. This is fine for short distances, and I mean real short. The more you have lieing on the ground the harder it becomes to pull from the reel.
Having a 4 wheeler makes this task simple. The 4 wheeler is a crucial machine NEEDED for fiber optic lineman work. You will often find yourself in areas where you cannot get a truck through the terrain, but a 4 wheeler can. You’ll want your 4 wheeler to have a small length of rope or mule tape with a quick snap so you can quickly attach the guy grip. Then you will simply attach the strand to a guy grip and the guy grip to a snap and start driving the 4 wheeler. The 4 wheeler does the work many men could not accomplish. You can pull out thousands of feet of strand and fiber both with the 4 wheeler whereas us humans struggle with hundreds by hand.
Another use for guy grips comes when you need to get your strand through trees or over wide creeks. Like discussed earlier, attach the strand to the guy grip and then a throw rope to the preform and you can then throw your rope through the trees so the strand will get pulled through the trees in your desired path. Make sure you twist your preform mostly complete so the ends of the preform don’t snag on branches, which will get you caught up and frustrated.
Why Guy Grips are important
As you can see guy grips are useful in many different ways for a fiber optic lineman and ground hand. Lineman use them on the pole to secure end of line and ground hands use them for all kinds of reasons- sucking up strand, pulling down guys, even throwing ropes through trees and pulling out strand. Preformed guy grips make the job possible. Just remember to change replace them if they start to slip or become damaged.
Also check out our article about our favorite lineman bucket organizers.