Look Up Before...

[Son of Butch]

53 yr old Minnesota farmer and his son were killed when a portable 8" grain auger came in contact with overhead power wire on their own farm.
Sad... whether it's being in a hurry, carelessness or lack of situational awareness, but preventable by just looking up first.

 

[Aaron]

Never understood why farmers allow overhead lines in their farm yard. Bury them and remove the issue.

 

[Brute 23]

Never understood why farmers allow overhead lines in their farm yard. Bury them and remove the issue.

It's very expensive to go under ground instead over head.

 

[ga.prime]

Never understood why farmers allow overhead lines in their farm yard. Bury them and remove the issue.

It's very expensive to go under ground instead over head.

I had a line run underground last year 1700 ft, cost $8000. Overhead I think would've cost around $2500. The extra cost was worth it to me for several reasons.

 

[callmefence]

You gotta look down to
Underground is neater, and probably safer. But being out of site out of mind. It's easily forgotten. Digtess locates underground utilities but only to the meter. I've had many a customer get mad about a post driven through a line they didn't tell me about. You can believe they'll get it right back. You tell me were it is I wont cut it..You put me and my men in danger.

 

[backhoeboogie]

You gotta look down to
Underground is neater, and probably safer. But being out of site out of mind. It's easily forgotten. Digtess locates underground utilities but only to the meter. I've had many a customer get mad about a post driven through a line they didn't tell me about. You can believe they'll get it right back. You tell me were it is I wont cut it..You put me and my men in danger.

I was going to dig a trench 8 foot deep. But they wouldn't let me do my own. I had to use a contractor. They come out with a ditch witch.

 

[Aaron]

Never understood why farmers allow overhead lines in their farm yard. Bury them and remove the issue.

It's very expensive to go under ground instead over head.

I had a line run underground last year 1700 ft, cost $8000. Overhead I think would've cost around $2500. The extra cost was worth it to me for several reasons.

That is beyond insane. Far cheaper to go underground here. In fact, the province of Saskatchewan buries nearly all of its electrical grid. Cheaper than putting poles everywhere. When we redid our lines, we did overhead from the transformer to the meter and buried everything from there. Wish we had buried everything right from the transformer, but didn't want to rip up the front yard at the time and farm equipment is never around the overhead lines.

 

[Brute 23]

Never understood why farmers allow overhead lines in their farm yard. Bury them and remove the issue.

It's very expensive to go under ground instead over head.

I had a line run underground last year 1700 ft, cost $8000. Overhead I think would've cost around $2500. The extra cost was worth it to me for several reasons.

Ya. Its unreal how much more expensive it is to go under ground especially when you go to the higher voltage.

 

[City Guy]

Why is it cheaper in Canada? Regulations? Taxes? Rip off? Just wondering.

 

[Aaron]

Why is it cheaper in Canada? Regulations? Taxes? Rip off? Just wondering.

I am thinking you guys have more regulation. Here it would be the cost of the cable and the trenching. Poles are expensive here. I haven't priced out lately, but would guess they are about 1k a piece installed, maybe more.

 

[Cross-7]

Never understood why farmers allow overhead lines in their farm yard. Bury them and remove the issue.

It's very expensive to go under ground instead over head.

Yes it is by a lot

 

[Cross-7]

Never understood why farmers allow overhead lines in their farm yard. Bury them and remove the issue.

It's very expensive to go under ground instead over head.

I had a line run underground last year 1700 ft, cost $8000. Overhead I think would've cost around $2500. The extra cost was worth it to me for several reasons.

I just put in 1700'
7.00 a foot underground
4.00 above ground with poles
Guess it varies from place to place

 

[ga.prime]

I had a line run underground last year 1700 ft, cost $8000. Overhead I think would've cost around $2500. The extra cost was worth it to me for several reasons.

I just put in 1700'
7.00 a foot underground
4.00 above ground with poles
Guess it varies from place to place

That's not a whole lot different than here. On mine the first 600' was free. The catch is the 600' free part is at the cost of overhead wire whether you have it done above ground or under ground.

 

[TexasBred]

53 yr old Minnesota farmer and his son were killed when a portable 8" grain auger came in contact with overhead power wire on their own farm.
Sad... whether it's being in a hurry, carelessness or lack of situational awareness, but preventable by just looking up first.

A few years ago a bulk feed truck driver was killed on a dairy. They said he had unloaded feed at this particular dairy hundreds of time but that day he backed up to the bulk feed truck. Walked to the back of the trailer and was swinging the big boom around to put it over the opening in the top of the tank and stuck it into some power lines.....blew all 8 tires out on the trailer and cooked him.

 

[D2Cat]

Sometimes power companies have rules/codes that are ridiculous.

I have an older house in town that is 65 years old and had an old style meter. When I re-roofed it I had KCP&L come out to disconnect the power. I was going to update with new meter can.

When they came out they disconnected the wire from the meter (still hot) and wrapped black tape around the end and tied it to a tree about 8' from the house.

When I asked them about burying the line I couldn't believe the answer. The pole the transformer was on was 28' from the meter. They were going to charge me $750 to hook the wire to the transformer. They were going to replace the wire anyway, and they would have to climb the pole and connect that wire also.

I had to dig the trench, bury the 2" conduit I had to buy, pull the string through it and have the sweep on both ends.

None of my trenchers would fit back there, so it was going to be a hand dig project. But they convinced me to just let it be!

I put the weatherhead up and let them fix it if the limb fall on it!