How lineman can safely remove vegetation

Generally speaking live vines can conduct electricity and be a real pain for transmission crews on the job.

Fast-growing, hard-to-kill vines often wrap up and around utility poles and then get tangled up in primary and secondary conductors. When they go to ground, they often blow a fuse, knocking out power for customers.

Overall, vegetation is one of the most common causes for accidental disruptions to electrical service. Trees may be the most frequent cause, but the most covert and elusive of plants are the vines. Vines crawl along the ground, or snake through the canopy of a tree to steal and capture available light and space.

The growth rates of vines can be variable and unpredictable. To complicate matters, the conductive tissue of a vine’s vascular system can transfer electrical current – and be the primary cause for an outage, service interruptions, or serious injury.

Linemen on the job have to deal with vines.

Our industry is looking for a solution that can clear vegetation at a pole base as well as on transmission towers. We need to be doing this safely while leveraging the hotstick technology currently in our trucks.

MADI has introduced the DEVINER, a vine removal utility tool that offers a quick and efficient way to safely remove vines and other vegetation away from power lines. Vines and other vegetation can cause serious power outages and service interruptions.

The DEVINER is constructed of fiberglass reinforced nylon for maximum strength and safety and has an aluminum base for a strong secure fit. This tool is lightweight, non-conductive, corrosion resistant, and works with ALL universal tool fittings found on hot sticks.

Check out Madi Innovative Lineman Tools

Ralph Stinson, a lineman with a 45 year career, was tired of workers climbing to rip down vines with tools not designed to do so. So in 2011 he founded MADI and released the Deviner product.

As a lineman and ultimately a crew supervisor, he was able to observe what worked and what needed improvement.

The company has continued to innovate and released products like the OneFlip Safety Knife, the Slot Socket, and the Milled Hammer.

Madi Lineman tools