Anchoring to a Telephone Pole

[Jazilla]

I work for a utility company as a field engineer and have been dealing with poles for 10 years. I can tell you most utility companies don't care. I would even venture to say put an eye bolt if you want. One bolt won't hurt the the pole.

I would not recommend keeping something permanently hung from the pole for two reason. First like OG said, lightning rod. Second, if work is ever done on the pole it is much easier to cut whatever you have attached than it is to untie. Make no mistake about it, utility workers will cut off a strap to a hammock if they have to work on the pole.

Word of advice, like most have said about the creosote. If the pole is a dark pole it will have creosote and I recommend a dedicated tree strap. You don't want to keep that stuff with your hammock. Creosote will react with the skin and cause an itchy rash. If the pole is greenish it is treated differently and contains no creosote. Green poles are cleaner on straps but are extremely hard and you may have trouble getting an eye bolt into it.

Hope this helps and happy hanging.

PS. If the pole looks really old I would recommend not hanging from it. What does an old pole look like you ask? look for deep grooved in the wood, lots of climb marks, or look at the top of the pole. If you can see gaps in the wood at the top of the pole it normally means the pole is rotting from the inside out. Use caution.

[L.D. Cakes]

After the one at my house got hit by lightning last year I wont even consider it now!

[overunder]

Make sure you wrap something around the telephone pole so you don't get creosote in your webbing.

Creosote is some nasty stuff. The green poles may be better but I would still wrap it or use dedicated webbing.

[LandoCommando]

I work for a utility company as a field engineer and have been dealing with poles for 10 years. I can tell you most utility companies don't care. I would even venture to say put an eye bolt if you want. One bolt won't hurt the the pole.

I would not recommend keeping something permanently hung from the pole for two reason. First like OG said, lightning rod. Second, if work is ever done on the pole it is much easier to cut whatever you have attached than it is to untie. Make no mistake about it, utility workers will cut off a strap to a hammock if they have to work on the pole.

Word of advice, like most have said about the creosote. If the pole is a dark pole it will have creosote and I recommend a dedicated tree strap. You don't want to keep that stuff with your hammock. Creosote will react with the skin and cause an itchy rash. If the pole is greenish it is treated differently and contains no creosote. Green poles are cleaner on straps but are extremely hard and you may have trouble getting an eye bolt into it.

Hope this helps and happy hanging.

PS. If the pole looks really old I would recommend not hanging from it. What does an old pole look like you ask? look for deep grooved in the wood, lots of climb marks, or look at the top of the pole. If you can see gaps in the wood at the top of the pole it normally means the pole is rotting from the inside out. Use caution.

Thank you sir. You are a gentleman and a scholar.

[gmcttr]

[LandoCommando]

That was outrageously relevant.

[XTrekker]

Well unless you plan to lick it or rub your hands all over it, I think you're safe from the Creosote or whatever pesticides they treat it with. As for electrical shock, electricity takes the path of least resistance, a grounding rod would be that path. Not so much poly straps with a nylon hammock. Not to say that it isn't possible for you to get lesser voltage-drop across your body from a strike but a direct one would be quite rare. I'll ask my professor next class, willing to bet i'll get a strange look from him.

Still think the power company will never care what you do to that pole as long as you don't block access to it or damage it structurally. I agree that I wouldn't leave a hammock strung up on it permanently.

[Junebugdawn]

That was great!!!!

[dro]

Great video! I had the guys in my office cracking up with that one!

[Tim_Z]

It's too bad that "engineers" don't have a working knowledge, for the most part, and this does not encompass all of them. As the worker that must try and put "engineered" orders to actual use I can say that those of us who might have to climb a pole with hard attachments would appreciate them NOT BEING DRIVEN INTO THE POLE. If something goes wrong and someone "burns" the pole it will most assuredly cause life threatening damage if snagged on the way down.

NOT an engineer.

Tim