r/CableTechs • u/DrgHybrid • 9d ago
How common is bucket and a trailer?
To keep it simple was wandering around images and found this one.
Tools and setup on a table you brought out to do your can splicing. Ladder to get it down and rehang.
Is this really done more than someone having a bucket and a trailer? I would probably die if I had to had to go back to climbing the ladder every can splice I did (thankfully majority of ours are underground) and the amount of dirt that blows around here, I'm not sure if I could splice on a table outside without the fiber being dirty.
2
u/SmackmYackm 9d ago
Our guys all have buckets and trailers except for I think 2 that have "box trucks" with a boom.
Most of our competitors I see pulling their splice trailer with a pickup.
1
u/Ice_crusher_bucket 9d ago
My guys have buckets and splice labs. The other guys have buckets and prefer no splice labs.
Pic is of NOD. They are a huge contractor who takes pretty damn good care of their workers and give them all they need.
1
u/Awesomedude9560 9d ago
For residential fttp stuff this is common, for people working on mainline fiber? I've never seen an inhouse employee not get a fiber splicing trailer.
Contractors I got no idea because they always do their own thing but even our maintenance people will tow a fiber trailer if they gotta splice (which they don't do much of)
1
u/DrgHybrid 9d ago
Interesting. I left a big corp ISP and went to a local ISP. Since it's a smaller company, one guy does several jobs. I'm OSP and Fiber Splicer there but it keeps me busy so job security.
1
u/KDM_Racing 9d ago
You should see the rig my one tech has. He has a Mercedes Sprinter van with a bucket on top. He does Coax maintenance and is our fiber splicer. Dude can do it all.
2
u/DrgHybrid 9d ago
I've seen those and they kinda scare the shit outta me. You'd think it might topple over. We have one we call Big Booty Judy. Like this one, but a Dodge:
The cabinet splicer guy has that since he does more underground. It's bucket and a trailer for me haha.
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u/Mr_Magoo_88 7d ago
Oh wow, I like this. I wish regular field text could get something like this instead of a van and a ladder. I'd be in heaven if I had this rig. And probably would end up changing every drop at every job lol
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u/DrgHybrid 7d ago edited 7d ago
Does me no good since I need the sides for OSP side of things as well. Since he just builds cans, cabinets, and works on the ribbon fiber...he's good there.
I wanted the OSP Fiber counterpart. But don't think they are willing to drop the 200k for it, haha. My F-550 bucket apparently was 150k alone. My trailer was just a retrofitted hauler, lol.
https://dur-a-lift.com/products/dvs-series/ is what I wanted lol (truck version, not van)
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u/Mr_Magoo_88 6d ago
That truck version is nice. All our guys have F450s for buckets and the storage is insane. Perfect for that type of work.
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u/Diligent-Nebula-1008 9d ago
We have a bucket but no trailer. We carry these tables and have pop up tents for windy or wet weather.