Did you see those manly forearms? LOL
Bet he gets more than snow days off, windy days, rainy days, threat of T-storm days...
Bet he gets more than snow days off, windy days, rainy days, threat of T-storm days...
Anyone Want This Job??
- Thread starter redhen
- Start date
I did that job. 
In 1996, I got a call from a guy with whom I had done roofing. He liked that no matter how scared I was, I still got those awful jobs done. You'd be surprised how often roofers are afraid of heights and won't go near the edge of a flat apartment building roof.
For our first job together, I was the guy who had to climb the 60' ladder, to tie it off, at the beginning of every day. If you leave the ladder up, kids will climb onto the roof, overnight. In the morning, it is not tied to anything, up top. The ladder was, as I said, 60 feet tall. The roof, however was about 62 feet high. So two guys would hold the ladder, from the back, so it would be less likely to fall away from the building. Then I'd get as close as I could to the ladder and start climbing. About halfway up, the ladder would flex and would begin to bounce, very slowly, away from the building, then settle back, flex and bounce away again. I felt like I was always *right* on the edge of falling over backward. It seemed like if I even had a thought at the back of my mind...
I'd look back when it bounced away to try to pick a balcony, on the other building, to land on, if the ladder went all the way over. With my luck it would line up with a window.
By the time I was partway up, the morning crowd of people would be outside, with their coffee, in their bathrobes, watching me amuse them with my girlish cries and ladder bouncing.
When I reached the top, the wind was stronger and the ladder would occasionally give me the enjoyable sensation of slipping suddenly to one side. At the top, I had to tie the ladder to a rail for "safety" so everyone else could come up. As soon as I had the ladder tied, I'd feel it begin shaking like mad, as my boss would come flying up it, like he was running.
Well, he got the contract, years later, to replace bulbs at the top of towers and chimneys. One day we spent the morning climbing a brick smokestack, in a mining town, to replace the bulbs at the top. When we got back to the bottom (there was a spiral staircase inside!), the crews were arriving to tear it down. It seems the bulbs have to be replaced and if they are not, the fine is way bigger than replacement cost, which is pretty steep.
Radio towers are the worst. The way they sway is not extreme, just... odd. If the wind blows, the tower can flex for hours and when it blows just right, the thing vibrates until your hands are numb and tingly, but only at the harmonic points. At other spots, the wind is still blowing but the tower has no discernible vibration... right where you happen to be. If there was an earthquake, the ground moves back and forth, after the initial "P-wave" shock. If you take a long phone cord (bear with me kids, those things existed, at one time) and suspend it off the ground, then give it a wiggle, you see the wave that moves back and forth. Let me tell you, even a little earthquake will make the tower move like that. A sudden wiggle to the left, then pause.... wiggle to the right. Repeat. If you look up or down, you can see it coming/going and it moves fast.
It'd take all day to climb those towers and if it started raining, guess where you were going to wait until it stopped? Wanna climb a wet, vibrating, 800 foot tower, in the wind? Me neither. You avoid climbing on days when there is even a risk of rain. We'd carry spare gloves because if you grab a handhold, and it had a fresh present from a bird, on it, it would get slick and then every use of that hand would be risky.
You will notice, as he climbs, in the video, that he seems to be pausing. You always keep "three things for yourself". Two hands and a foot, on the holds, or two feet and a hand. Move, look, pause. Boring, yes. You want boring. I'll take all the boring I can get. If your kids whine about being bored, show them this and tell them to go up on the roof to move the TV antenna. Hmmm. "bored" is looking pretty good right about now.
In 1996, I got a call from a guy with whom I had done roofing. He liked that no matter how scared I was, I still got those awful jobs done. You'd be surprised how often roofers are afraid of heights and won't go near the edge of a flat apartment building roof.
For our first job together, I was the guy who had to climb the 60' ladder, to tie it off, at the beginning of every day. If you leave the ladder up, kids will climb onto the roof, overnight. In the morning, it is not tied to anything, up top. The ladder was, as I said, 60 feet tall. The roof, however was about 62 feet high. So two guys would hold the ladder, from the back, so it would be less likely to fall away from the building. Then I'd get as close as I could to the ladder and start climbing. About halfway up, the ladder would flex and would begin to bounce, very slowly, away from the building, then settle back, flex and bounce away again. I felt like I was always *right* on the edge of falling over backward. It seemed like if I even had a thought at the back of my mind...
I'd look back when it bounced away to try to pick a balcony, on the other building, to land on, if the ladder went all the way over. With my luck it would line up with a window.
By the time I was partway up, the morning crowd of people would be outside, with their coffee, in their bathrobes, watching me amuse them with my girlish cries and ladder bouncing.
When I reached the top, the wind was stronger and the ladder would occasionally give me the enjoyable sensation of slipping suddenly to one side. At the top, I had to tie the ladder to a rail for "safety" so everyone else could come up. As soon as I had the ladder tied, I'd feel it begin shaking like mad, as my boss would come flying up it, like he was running.
Well, he got the contract, years later, to replace bulbs at the top of towers and chimneys. One day we spent the morning climbing a brick smokestack, in a mining town, to replace the bulbs at the top. When we got back to the bottom (there was a spiral staircase inside!), the crews were arriving to tear it down. It seems the bulbs have to be replaced and if they are not, the fine is way bigger than replacement cost, which is pretty steep.
Radio towers are the worst. The way they sway is not extreme, just... odd. If the wind blows, the tower can flex for hours and when it blows just right, the thing vibrates until your hands are numb and tingly, but only at the harmonic points. At other spots, the wind is still blowing but the tower has no discernible vibration... right where you happen to be. If there was an earthquake, the ground moves back and forth, after the initial "P-wave" shock. If you take a long phone cord (bear with me kids, those things existed, at one time) and suspend it off the ground, then give it a wiggle, you see the wave that moves back and forth. Let me tell you, even a little earthquake will make the tower move like that. A sudden wiggle to the left, then pause.... wiggle to the right. Repeat. If you look up or down, you can see it coming/going and it moves fast.
It'd take all day to climb those towers and if it started raining, guess where you were going to wait until it stopped? Wanna climb a wet, vibrating, 800 foot tower, in the wind? Me neither. You avoid climbing on days when there is even a risk of rain. We'd carry spare gloves because if you grab a handhold, and it had a fresh present from a bird, on it, it would get slick and then every use of that hand would be risky.
You will notice, as he climbs, in the video, that he seems to be pausing. You always keep "three things for yourself". Two hands and a foot, on the holds, or two feet and a hand. Move, look, pause. Boring, yes. You want boring. I'll take all the boring I can get. If your kids whine about being bored, show them this and tell them to go up on the roof to move the TV antenna. Hmmm. "bored" is looking pretty good right about now.
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Ugggh! I think I am going to be sick.....every move he makes, either my claws on his back or wanted to HUG the pole and not let go! I don't even like the high speed roller coasters!
Man, now I have to loosen my muscles from gripping the chair when I was watching the film........phew!
Man, now I have to loosen my muscles from gripping the chair when I was watching the film........phew!
I hope he doesnt have to use the bathroom "real quick" while he is up there.
Even if he does, I am sure someone down below would think it's raining!
Looks like they used a concave lens on their camera that makes ya dizzy rite there.
I could do it no problem, never been scared of heights at all. used to be my GP's helper when he was repainting water towers.
I wished i lived in a tree house but now my old shoulders and other bones are making it harder for me to climb these days.
Really neat video thanks for sharing
I could do it no problem, never been scared of heights at all. used to be my GP's helper when he was repainting water towers.
I wished i lived in a tree house but now my old shoulders and other bones are making it harder for me to climb these days.
Really neat video thanks for sharing
I just realized I was holding my breath...
That was one of the most horrifying thing I've seen in a while. I have a serious problem with heights, which was FUN (not!) when in Army ROTC I had to rappel off a 100 ft tower. I was terrified witless, but I went down the fast way and nearly passed out as soon as my feet hit the grass. So being petrified at 100 feet means that I could never go higher than that (heck, I only went that high because I had a sergeant screaming at me the entire time!).
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