Linecat, it's like a Swiss Army Knife on Tracks!!

Featuring:
Linecat, Pacific Power & Gas, Outback Construction
Nathan Bunting-Linecat, Inc.

The Story:
Nathan Bunting had already worked with Pacific Gas & Electric Company through his construction company, Outback Construction for several years. The family business has been instrumental in helping the power company get their equipment into obscure areas in the state of CA. Many times they would have to use their track units to pull line trucks in/out of muddy or snow filled locations. During one of these trips Nathan realized that "it would be nice to have a crane" mounted on the back. The Linecat was then born. In a recent interview, Nathan said that his most memorable experience was 3 years ago when he received a call on New Year's Eve that would have been "Mission Impossible" for other companies. A ski resort on Diamond Peak in the Sierra Nevada, was affected by a power outage. The resort was losing $500,000 per day without power. There was little hope that it would be restored before spring due to the altitude, wind, and snowy conditions that prevented even heavy duty helicopters from transporting poles to the location. Nathan and his crew were able to navigate through the hostile environment and set eight poles to restore power to the area in a matter of days. If that in itself wasn't remarkable, add in the fact that the terrain was steep and snow covered at an elevation over 9,000 feet with wind speeds up to 80mph. The Linecat once again proved its worth during an instance in which conditions in the hills of California were so steep, wet, and muddy that neither man nor machine could avoid being incapacitated. There were 26 poles that had been snapped due to wind shear. Of those 26, the Linecat only replaced about 12 of them. It spent the rest of the time recovering vehicles that were entrenched in the mud. Nathan said that he retrieved about 48 units from the muck. The Cat and crane along with its many extensions and variety of attachments such as a hook, winch, man basket, pole grapple, and auger, turn it into a Swiss Army Knife on tracks!

Submitted by: Kristie Pohlman, Palfinger North America

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