What Is a Drilly Goat?

Sangre de Cristo line crews recently worked near Twin Lakes to replace a dead-end insulator on a pole that is set in very steep terrain. Rather than having crews de-energize the line and climb the pole to fix the issue, the crew relied on work from the bucket of a Drilly Goat machine, which can reach spots too rugged or narrow for standard equipment.

After careful planning, the team swapped the insulator without cutting service to any customers. In these photos, a crew member tosses a protective blanket on the line. This is 1 of several safety items the crews use, such as rubber gloves and sleeves, which help protect linemen while working on energized lines.

Insulators may look small, but they do a big job: They keep electricity from traveling into the ground, which can trip power lines or even spark fires.