Light poles

Where do you get light poles?

When I was a kid Dad didn't ever have any trouble getting them from the local electric coop, all he had to do was ask after they replaced a pole and left the old one in the ditch. Free for the asking.

Last few times I've called and asked about that, though, I got informed that they now shred the old poles and don't resell or give them away. The other ones take my number and don't return my calls.

But a guy in town just put up a machine shed and they used light poles, I watched the construction as it happened. So I know they are available from somewhere.

But where?

i just got 15 of them from a sign company that does those big bill bourds you see on the high way

dan, i watch for the utility company when they are replacing old poles. stop and ask the lineman if you can have the old poles. tell em you need em to shore up your corn crib. i got about 30 of em. most times they will leave them in a stack for you and you come by and load em and haul em away. always helpful if you bring the line crew coffee, doughnuts or some subway sammiches.

They replaced the poles on a road near me. I dragged them home on the three point hitch in the middle of the night. Wore the ends off in the shape of a toothpick.

They grind them up probably because they're full of creosote, which is pretty much "not good" for living plants and well water.

I try to get them, but I haven't found any lately, so I had to buy some at 3 bucks a foot. That's too much money.

Light company here in town sells the old ones for a quarter a foot. Only to their customers though. I'd ask the guy in town where he got his. He probably has a daddy in law who works for the coop.

Most of ones they have are 9" to 12" thick and even more at the base. Almost too big for a garage sized building.

I feel sorry for any farm store selling wood fence post round here these days. None were very long but the ice storm made alot of fence post!! Many are still lay'n in the ditch.

My wife works for local electric company. Due to the leagal folks and light poles have'n creosote on'm they can't give'm away any more. She had alot of folks come in and ask about fence post after the ice storm. She had to tell them "we can't give them away they have creosote on them and we have to have them disposed of". Then if there were was no brass around she would tell them that they don't press charges if some one cleans up the ones on the side of the road.

Buddy of mine has a barn and old homested about a mile off the main road and when they are comeing through the county replace'n poles they always ask if they can park the trucks there over the night cause it is pretty safe. He lets them park and use about an acre as long as the guys forget to come back for the old poles. When I see some of the crews replace'n a pole close to the house I will stop and ask the guys if they are going to leave the post and come back for it later, and most always they will grin and say "we can come back for it if you want us to, if it's gone when we get back we ain't gonna look too hard."

Do you have any old school buddies that work for the co-op or a contractor?

Good luck.

Dave

You have to be at the right place at the right time...I was home when they replaced a pole on the end of my driveway. They had 4 old longer than normal yard poles on their trucks. I walked out and asked what they did with the old ones. I could have them BUT had to sign some paper. Went hunting and came home and found all the poles in my yard. They didn't want to haul them back. I know people are always calling and asking the REA for their old poles and complaining about not getting any. ..mnjoe

OGE,and Coop both will give you poles here if they leave them,if they haul them to their yards they have to document them as hazardous waste and cant legally give them to you..BUT..oddly enough at least one of them will sell you new poles!but very expensive.ive used them all my life,but with the price of treated square poles at the lumber yard now I think I'll use them since their easier to work with when building.

From what I've heard they can't give them to you. If you want a few they will tell you to come out late when their gone and "steal" them. They can't be held responsible after that.