Spencer

I just thought this might interst some of you.

Last week I did the steepest roof of my life. I thought a 12/12 was bad. This roof was literally strait up and down in for about a 20 foot stretch. It was one of those old barns that has a curved roof.

Anyway at the peak it starts out at about a 2/12 and gradually gets steeper. By the time you are about 10 foot out it starts gaining a pitch on every shingle until it is litteraly a wall and then at the bottom it curves back out again. The whole roof was about 40 square.

Well we had our roof jacks at the top of the "wall" section and needed to get them off. (We had been using an aluminum plank on two 38 foot extension ladders but we had moved the plank so now there was nothing underneath to allow us to knock the jacks off.)

You know how it is saving time is the name of the game so my two brilliant amish co workers, who are brothers decided to use a rubber air hose to rappel down the side just fare enough to knock the jacks off. One brother with the hose around his waste the other holding the hose at the peak.

It was the stupidest thing I had ever seen. If he would have fell it would have been an easy 40 if not 50 foot drop basically straight down. I don't know if its a good thing or a bad thing osha doesn't exist around here.

Anyway, the boss figured 4 days for the job and we got it done in 2 and a half and no one died so its all good. Just thought some of you who sometimes feel like you've seen it all would enjoy that.

O yeah the same guy who was at the end of the rope was also using only 2 jacks with a 12 foot 2x6. (Mainly because he had to work with this slow 40 year old guy who he likes to watch squirm)

Warren

Not smart. If you guys had 4 days to get it done, whats the hurry. Use a ladder long enough to reach the jacks and remove them safely. An air hose??!! C'mon now. Did you guys get a bonus for getting done early?

WarnerConstInc.

It's just the Amish, I saw them do the same stuff on my parents barn when I was growing up.

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davitk

Like this.

Don't work with those guys, they'll get you hurt. Or killed.

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cbfx3

haha my old boss once tied an extension cord around my waist and lowered me down on a really high 12/12 that had been shingled to pull off a little piece of plastic that was sticking out from under a shingle... it was visible from the ground and bothered the homeowner! Ahh the younger days

jkfox624

Lol for some reason i feel this thread should be merged with the OSHA thread, let things battle out. Be a cold day in hell id let anyone lower me down anything.

Spencer

In this part of indiana the amish are cutting each others throats and no one is making any money. The boss definitely pockets the cash on jobs like that, mainly because he has been bidding jobs so tight that he loses a little if things don't go smoothly. I already took a $2/hour pay cut this year. Doubt i'll see it back anytime soon.

For us it doesn't matter if he had 15 days figured. We have our pace (balls to the wall) and thats what we do all the time without fail.