- 14 hours ago
Mike takes a turn at repairing a tram in a tricky location: suspended 2600 metres above the city. He also learns about the routine maintenance of these vehicles...
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TVTranscript
00:00My name's Mike Rowe, and this is my job.
00:05I explore the country looking for people who aren't afraid to get dirty.
00:10I'm slippery with lube and boogers.
00:12Hard-working men and women who earn an honest living.
00:15Looking good, Mike, looking good.
00:17We need to see if we can't get that alpha male up out of the water.
00:21Doing the kinds of jobs that make civilized life possible for the rest of us.
00:25This is pure poo. This is poo you could eat off of.
00:27Now, get ready to get dirty.
00:33Coming up on Dirty Jobs, we venture into the great outdoors.
00:37First up, I help hold back the potential onslaught of mother nature.
00:42Those back wheels are turning very rapidly.
00:44These are all indications that I may be stuck.
00:46By providing erosion control for some barren, rain-soaked hillsides outside of San Francisco.
00:54And later, at 10,000 feet above sea level...
00:57I don't think I can fit in there. I don't think I can get out either.
00:59I lend a hand lubing the gears and replacing the wheels of a tram car high above the California desert.
01:04Well, I've never felt safer.
01:06And you better not have a problem with heights.
01:08Oh my God!
01:08Because this is one serious high-wire act.
01:11I'm all right with heights. It's width.
01:14Dirty Jobs!
01:16Getting down to it!
01:18Dirty Jobs!
01:20Ain't nothing to it!
01:22Dirty Jobs!
01:23Someone's gotta do it!
01:25Someone's gotta do them dirty jobs!
01:29Today, we're at a new home development construction site just outside of San Francisco, where we'll be providing erosion control
01:35for some of the more barren, rain-soaked hillsides.
01:38But before we get into all that, we have our own erosion issues to contend with.
01:43Chris is obsessed with perfect audio. We're trying to break him without a habit.
01:47Troy, of course, is obsessed with perfect video, which is why he came down here early to get a beautiful
01:51shot of the hill.
01:53Of course, while he was doing that, he managed to get our van stuck, it would seem.
01:57I think we're gonna be all right.
01:59Yeah, I've never felt more confident about the day.
02:03Yeah, there goes Troy.
02:04See what happens when you grow up in snowy climates?
02:09We're gonna have to let him go anyway, of course.
02:12Well, what Troy's done here is, uh, let's have a look.
02:15I'm fairly confident this was not in the, uh, in the master plan.
02:19What have you done, Troy?
02:20Oh, yeah, you're not getting out of here.
02:22All right, we need a, uh, yeah, we need that guy.
02:26This is a pretty straightforward process, right?
02:28Yeah.
02:28Toe hook?
02:29Yeah, you got one on there.
02:30Can you reach it or should I send, uh, the guy that got the van stuck?
02:35Yeah, that's probably the thing to do.
02:38You're going in, man.
02:39Is there a bar underneath there?
02:40Yeah.
02:41Did you get it?
02:42That should do it.
02:43While Troy was crawling in the mud, paying for his mistakes, I quickly snapped up the glory job in the
02:49dozer.
02:49Oh, yeah.
02:50Probably should have double-checked that Troy was out from under the van before I stepped on the gas.
02:55Fortunately, that was indeed the case.
02:58It would be a lot of extra work for the other camera guys to finish our piece today if Troy
03:01had met with an untimely accident.
03:04That would not be good.
03:08Finally, we were out of the mud and able to start shooting what we actually came here for in the
03:13first place.
03:13Nice.
03:14Thanks, Johan.
03:15You bet.
03:18Never trust a guy with clean shoes, as my grandfather used to say.
03:22If he was right, he and Dustin would have gotten along.
03:24Just great.
03:25How are you?
03:25Excellent. Yourself?
03:26I'm great, thanks.
03:27Dustin is with Selby Soil?
03:29Erosion control, yes.
03:31And obviously, the erosion that needs to be controlled is up there.
03:34That's correct.
03:35What is going on here from a project standpoint?
03:38They're eventually going to put in several multi-million dollar homes.
03:43So, what are you going to do to these hills to help make them stable?
03:46First, what we're going to do today, we're going to install waddles.
03:49And then, after we install the waddles, we're going to put straw over the top of it to stabilize the
03:54soil for the rainy season.
03:56Now, would a waddle, by any chance, be those things that you're guys about to move up the hill?
04:00They look like giant snakes, yes.
04:03So, a waddle is this casing, essentially, full of straw?
04:06Yes.
04:07How is it that they work in an effective way?
04:09Well, you put them level to the contour of the slope, and when the rain comes down, it comes down
04:15and sheets.
04:16And the rain sheets off the slopes, and that helps filter out sediments and other things that we don't want
04:22in our stormwater.
04:23Sounds very scientific. Now, the straw in question is on the back of this truck, obviously.
04:27Yes. Our job is to take that straw, put it in that straw blower, and blow the straw out at
04:32an even rate.
04:33All right. So, we take the straw truck, the straw blower, the waddles, we go up this hill, and are
04:38we going to be working where those guys are standing?
04:40Yes, we are. We're going to install waddles on that slope. Once we do that, we're going to somehow get
04:45a truck up there and blow straw over the area.
04:48This is something else I've learned. When the guy in charge says, somehow, going to accomplish blankety-blank, he's hedging
04:56his bets.
04:56Is there going to be anyone besides Mike and Dustin?
05:01Yes.
05:01We've got to show. Can we walk up there?
05:04Yes, we can.
05:04All right. Let's walk off into the mud and say something profound as we leave the shop.
05:08How long have you been doing this?
05:10About five years.
05:11Cool.
05:12So, these are waddles?
05:13These are waddles.
05:14And these are waddle wranglers?
05:16Yes, they are. They're waddle carriers.
05:19So, you've got to carry these things all the way up the hill?
05:23Well, the terrain's really slippery right now, so we're unable to get our four-wheel-drive vehicles up here without
05:28tractor assistance.
05:29Tell me what, again, we're looking at. This is just basic straw?
05:34This is a straw stuffed into a biodegradable plastic.
05:37They're installed on the slopes, and then after a year or two, it'll just become a part of the slope.
05:42How many do you want to take up there, these guys each have?
05:44They each have one or two.
05:46So, he's rolling.
05:47Yeah, I say we roll three of them.
05:49You ready to do this?
05:50I'm ready.
05:51Pushing a waddle up a hill.
05:54Very Sisyphean.
05:55You familiar with Sisyphus?
05:57I am not. What is that?
05:59Sisyphus was a guy in Greek mythology here.
06:02He was doomed for an eternity to push a round boulder up a hill, only to have it fall down
06:07when he got to the top and then go back and get it again.
06:10It's a real pain in the ass.
06:12We can make that happen.
06:21Hang on a second there.
06:22It occurs to me that your banding's sliding off.
06:27Yeah, that's a problem.
06:28So, we'll probably have to go individuals with those ones now.
06:33It's harder than it seems.
06:35It is.
06:39I'm going to strip a layer with you.
06:43All right.
06:44So, we have one at a time?
06:46One at a time, or we can take two.
06:48Yes.
06:48It'll be right here.
06:49Yeah.
06:50That's the way to go.
06:52Very good.
06:54Is this just regular run-of-the-mill straw?
06:58This is rice straw.
07:00Rice?
07:00Like the San Francisco treat rice?
07:02That's correct.
07:03I've never heard of that.
07:04How do you make straw out of rice?
07:05Well, rice straw is grown in rice fields, and it's harvested at the end of the summer.
07:11And normally, it's baled up and sold to farmers or erosion control companies like us.
07:16I'm going to hazard a guess and say that you just made all that up.
07:19No, not all of it.
07:21Just the nouns.
07:23Yes.
07:28Wattles.
07:29We made it.
07:31Yeah.
07:34Does it get harder than this?
07:37Not too bad through here.
07:39Wait until we get to the straw blowing.
07:40You must be Justin.
07:41I'm Justin.
07:42Mike.
07:42Nice to meet you.
07:43You too.
07:44What's this?
07:44This is transit.
07:45We're shooting a level line.
07:46So these guys right here, this is the actual wattle installation?
07:50Basically, that's what they're doing.
07:51And this looks like there's a laser or something.
07:53All this is is a laser and basically you set it up and it automatically levels.
07:57And basically, we'll make a level line and then we'll come back and dig a trench and lay
08:01that wattle right in there.
08:01Is that something a guy like me can do?
08:06Pretty simple.
08:07You know what I've learned, Justin?
08:08Whenever somebody tells me that, they're lying.
08:11Coming up, I learn the ups and downs and ins and outs of how to lay a wattle.
08:19Who knew a compressed straw could be so resilient?
08:24And later, I go to dizzying heights to help keep the wheels moving on the Palm Springs Aerial
08:31Tram.
08:32You boys are used to this.
08:33I'm not.
08:44Let's do that together.
08:45All right.
08:46You know, basically, you want to come to the top of the hill where it's flat.
08:49Right.
08:50Down about five feet.
08:51Mark your first wattle.
08:52We'll go all the way down.
08:53Well, that's a measuring thing, right?
08:55Yeah, this is a measuring wheel.
08:57Let's go join them.
09:02Basically, about right here from the top, we're about 50 foot.
09:05You know, we'll come up five feet off the bottom.
09:07Right, five feet from this.
09:08From that first wattle, we'll come down 15 feet.
09:1115 plus 15 is 30.
09:13Another 30 is 45.
09:14That wouldn't work.
09:15That'd be only five feet.
09:1720 times four is 80.
09:18So, if we got four waddles to put in between here and there, it seems to me that if we
09:21put
09:21one every 12 feet, it's 50 feet from here to there.
09:23So, what's 50 divided by two is 25.
09:26So, you're going to have three sections of 15, 15, 15, and 15.
09:29That's 45.
09:30And that's why they give you 20.
09:31You know what I mean?
09:32No, but I'll tell you what.
09:33You have five feet to work with.
09:34Okay.
09:35There you go.
09:35That makes sense.
09:36We got a five foot margin for error.
09:37Pretty much.
09:38All right.
09:38So, let's mark the first one.
09:39You got to go back up to the top.
09:41Okay.
09:41I really wanted to ask Justin why we came all the way down the hill just to turn around
09:46and go back up the hill, but I felt too stupid after the whole figuring out how many waddles
09:50on the hill thing.
09:51So, basically, we'll come from here and come 15 feet down.
09:55Right.
09:5714, 15.
09:58Right here.
10:01Now, we'll come over here and start at the beginning.
10:04Well, we got right back to the top.
10:06We started in the middle just to turn around and start at the beginning down at the end.
10:11Okay.
10:12Lane waddles is all very complicated.
10:14It's really better if you don't ask questions.
10:21All right.
10:22So, now we will fully install a waddle 15 feet down slope from our first one.
10:27Yep.
10:31Oh, see, you can bring the waddles up with the machine.
10:34That's good.
10:40Barski had a family emergency.
10:44He had to run.
10:45So, Eddie Barbini, as you may know, is the executive producer of the show.
10:47He's come out to, you know, oversee things, make sure nobody gets hurt, make sure everything
10:53runs smoothly.
10:53So far, you've spent, what, 30%, 40% of the time in this basic position.
11:00My next step was to go all the way back across the hill once again to the beginning to meet
11:05Troy, the trench digger.
11:07How are you?
11:08Good, good.
11:09Good.
11:10I'm told that your expertise at waddle trench making is unsurpassed.
11:16Yeah, unfortunately.
11:18What is the technique?
11:20If the ground's too hard, you've got to pick and you usually have someone behind you with
11:25a shovel and they just clear out the trench so that the waddle can stay in the trench and
11:28not fall down the hill and have to bring it back up because it's not fun.
11:31That's annoying, of course.
11:32All right.
11:33Oh, I like the...
11:34The trenching shovel?
11:36Yeah, that's adorable.
11:36Yeah, the half a shovel.
11:38You want to have, like, kind of a hump on this side when you dig it out so the waddle
11:42stays
11:42there and doesn't roll off.
11:43A hump here?
11:44Yeah, on the outside.
11:45Okay.
11:45So what you take out, you put there.
11:47Yeah, just tamp it down with your foot.
11:48All right.
11:49And I'll just loosen it up for you and then you just shape it.
11:51That sounds like a plan.
11:56You want to give it a go with the pick for a little bit?
11:58Yeah, sure.
12:04Rock.
12:06Feeling nimble, Eddie?
12:13Moves well for an old guy.
12:17Rock.
12:22You don't want to go too deep because then, you know, it'll just flow over the top.
12:25Just fall in on top of it.
12:26Yeah, it has to filter all the water, so...
12:29Well, is this enough to...
12:30Yeah, we'll stop with this one because we have this one already dug.
12:34All right, so now we drag one of these sausages out there and stick it in, right?
12:38Yep.
12:40So basically, you want me to stay in the trench as we go?
12:43And try not to walk on the edges, try to walk on the inside so you don't bust that berm
12:46off that we made.
12:47Right.
12:48All right, so as we're putting the waddle in, and what a waddle it is, the men below us
12:53are digging new trenches, and the work on the whole hillside is beginning to unfold.
12:59Okay, I'm going to swing it up, so go ahead and get a good stand.
13:03All right.
13:03And just let it drop down the trench.
13:05It's nice in your eyes.
13:07All right, so the waddle's in the trench.
13:09Now we're going to go back in the other one.
13:10We'll line it all up, and then we'll bring the stakes back and stake it.
13:13And then we stake.
13:14Okay.
13:17You ready?
13:18Yeah.
13:28Okay, so Troy's got the stakes.
13:30Why don't you do the first couple?
13:32Just place it right in there.
13:35Then you just hammered it in.
13:37And then when it leave, about an inch exposed.
13:48What the heck is in these things?
13:50Man.
13:53Oh, for crying out.
14:01Unbelievable.
14:02Yeah, it's tough.
14:03Who knew compressed straw could be so resilient?
14:11Who's your daddy?
14:16He kicked its ass.
14:20When you work with the waddle, you have to be gentle but firm.
14:24You have to show the waddle who's the boss.
14:27Sometimes you have to be violent with the waddle to make it do what you want it to do.
14:33You've got to show it.
14:37The meaning of respect.
14:39Dirty waddle.
14:45Waddle secured.
14:46Perfect.
14:48Job well done.
14:49Coming up.
14:50Buck, cut, blow.
14:51Do you ever buck and blow without cutting?
14:53Uh, no.
14:54I take a roll in the hay.
14:55I'm gonna now assume the bucking position.
14:58And blow away my crew.
15:00All in the name of erosion protection.
15:04And later.
15:04I don't think I can fit in there.
15:05I squeeze out more than grease.
15:07But I don't think I can get out either.
15:08As we keep the wheels turning on a high-flying aerial tram.
15:11Nothing about this job is easy.
15:22With the hill fully waddled, we're ready for phase two.
15:25Covering the hillside with straw to provide a blanket of extra protection from erosion.
15:30What kind of truck is it?
15:32International 6x6.
15:34Those sticks are gonna have to switch.
15:36One goes forward, one goes back.
15:37Alright.
15:39Let the clutch out real slow.
15:43So the idea is to go all the way to the top?
15:45All the way to the top.
15:45The goal is not to get stuck.
15:46The goal is definitely do not get stuck.
15:49Can do.
15:51Alright, I'll let you drive here, okay?
15:53Alright, I'll see you up there.
15:58Would I get stuck?
16:08We'll keep it in first gear.
16:11In an effort to make up for lost time, which I'm sure I caused, I spotted what looked like a
16:16shortcut.
16:17Feels as though we're sliding.
16:19As those back wheels are turning very rapidly.
16:22I seem to be going in a direction that I'm not pointed in.
16:27These are all indications that I may be stuck.
16:33Well.
16:38My keen instincts for shaving time off of the day, it seems, have once again bit me in the butt.
16:48Stuck.
16:49You gotta suck.
16:51Yeah.
16:59Now try not to get her stuck.
17:00Now it's more about pointing than driving.
17:03Yeah.
17:06Stop, stop, stop.
17:08What's that?
17:08You're a burst, that's why.
17:10Burst it down here.
17:12Is that right?
17:12Yeah.
17:14Once we've been dragged up the hill, we'll be putting the straw on the truck into the blower and spreading
17:19it out over the waddle we just laid on the hillside.
17:23Could start raining on us before the end.
17:25I'm thinking it'd probably be good to step this up a bit.
17:28Well that's the tip of the blower, I suppose, you call it.
17:31You can come down a little further and you'll see the blower operator.
17:33His name is Gordo.
17:35Gordo.
17:35Which is short for Gordon.
17:36Gordon.
17:36Of course, I'm Mike.
17:37How are you doing?
17:38Pleasure.
17:38And this is a Slim?
17:40I prefer Troy, but my nickname at work is Slim, so.
17:43Alright, you look like this is not your first day on the blower, Gordo.
17:46No, I've been doing this, I've worked here almost six years.
17:50You'll be shooting the hay from the truck that's fed onto the hill.
17:56Yep.
17:56Alright, what will you be doing Slim?
17:58Feeding that straw in this chute here.
18:00Okay.
18:00So he can blow it out.
18:01What will I be doing?
18:02You're going to be cutting the strings.
18:04Alright, so my job is that of a cutter?
18:06Correct, yeah.
18:07And what do they call you?
18:08The buckers, the straw buckers.
18:09While you're bucking, I'm cutting, and you're blowing?
18:12I'm blowing.
18:12Buck, cut, blow.
18:14Do you ever buck and blow without cutting?
18:15No.
18:16Good, because that's just weird.
18:18Alright.
18:19Be careful with that.
18:20You get on here, I'll meet you up top.
18:23While everyone mans their stations, Dustin preps me on the relatively dangerous blower.
18:27Very important to keep all body parts in.
18:30Good.
18:30Alright.
18:31So we'll set this here.
18:32Alright.
18:33And then you flip this down right onto the chute like that.
18:36Got you.
18:36Grab the strings over on this side.
18:38Cut here.
18:39Take your left hand on this side.
18:41I wrap it around my hand.
18:42Uh-huh.
18:43Yank the strings out.
18:44You keep the next bale tight up against this bale.
18:46A steady stream.
18:47Okay.
18:47No straw, no blow.
18:49Gotcha.
18:50Okay.
18:50Ready, Gordo?
18:50Fire it up, Gordo.
18:53Alright.
18:55He's got the job.
19:11Got it.
19:12If it rains, the hail will get too wet to blow out of the machine and we'll have to spread
19:16it by hand.
19:18That's a great motivator to work fast.
19:26No far beating.
19:28I don't think you'll be coming out with us anymore.
19:34You and I will switch.
19:35Sure.
19:36I will now assume the bucking position.
19:46Cutting was a pretty good workout, but it doesn't come close to bucking.
19:54Blowing is the primo job of the whole operation, and I think I've paid my bucking dues.
19:59Hey, Gordo!
20:05Alright.
20:06How's this thing work?
20:07So you got your throttle here.
20:08Yeah.
20:08The buck.
20:08The rpms are here.
20:09Yeah.
20:10You're gonna go up to about, I'd say 2300.
20:13Yeah.
20:14Pretty much it.
20:14Then you just wave it back and forth, and you'll watch the wind turn in your straw.
20:18Yeah.
20:18So you go out until it hits the edge, and then you float it across.
20:22Control while you're turning with your feet?
20:24Yep.
20:25That's what all these little cogs are.
20:27Corn?
20:27Yep.
20:28This is your clutch.
20:29Do I need a clutch?
20:30The clutch is what engages the propeller.
20:32Oh.
20:39Oh, yeah.
20:39This is more like it.
20:40Like shooting an anti-aircraft gun filled with hay.
20:43Oh, ho, ho.
20:45Unfortunately, without any real aircraft to shoot down, I have to imagine the enemy was approaching
20:50on foot.
20:56So you want to be a dirty jobs cameraman?
21:06I bagged a producer, a couple cameramen, and a sound guy.
21:09Not bad for a rookie.
21:11Alas, the joy that comes from causing others to suffer was short-lived when the wind shifted.
21:18It was time to hand the job back to Gordo.
21:26So ends my day as an erosion control technician.
21:30We made some waddles, we staked them into a hill, and we covered about half of it with straw.
21:36There are about 400 more to go.
21:39In the immortal words of the scarecrow, I would have left a little earlier if I only had a brain.
21:50Coming up.
21:50What are you, about 60 feet up?
21:52Yeah.
21:52You pick up to there, you'll never make it.
21:53I get into the swing of things.
21:55Yeah.
21:58Just that first step is such a son of a gun, man.
22:00And later...
22:02I don't like D.C.
22:03I ain't like D.C.
22:03Dave gets weak in the knees.
22:05Dave has issues with the high places.
22:07As we reach new heights of inefficiency.
22:09Did we grab our wrenches for the bolts?
22:12I didn't grab them.
22:13When you say, not here, you mean down there?
22:15Down there.
22:16Because you're rapidly going south.
22:28Most jobs I do take place in a field or a factory, on a farm or on the water.
22:33Sometimes even underground.
22:35Today, though, I'm leaving the relative safety of the Coachella Valley floor outside of Palm Springs, California.
22:43We'll be helping the maintenance crew of the Palm Springs Aerial Team, the world's largest rotating tram.
22:50What makes this job a dirty one is that for the guys who do it, all the work takes place
22:54hundreds of feet in the air.
22:55And the temperature at 8,500 feet on a winter morning like today is a nice, balmy 21 degrees.
23:02Which is why I'm shoveling snow.
23:05Welcome to beautiful, sunny Palm Springs.
23:09This is Chris.
23:09Chris works on the tram here.
23:12He's one of a crew of, what, you guys got maybe half a dozen?
23:14Yeah.
23:15Mechanics, yes.
23:16Two trams.
23:17Correct.
23:17When one's up, the other's down.
23:19Correct.
23:20This one, obviously, was up there last night.
23:22Yes.
23:23And that, again, is what, over 8,000 feet?
23:25Correct.
23:258,516 feet.
23:27And right here is about what?
23:282,643.
23:30And what are we going to do with the tram today?
23:32Today, we're going to grease the carriage, which is the traveling wheels on the tram car.
23:37That thing right there.
23:38That thing right up above us that lets the tram roll up and down on the tracks.
23:41Uh-huh.
23:41We're going to grease the tower.
23:43Yeah.
23:43Which keeps the track ropes greased so they don't wear.
23:46Right.
23:47One of the wind socks is a little faded.
23:49We'll change that out with a fresh one.
23:51And then change a shiv at the mountain station.
23:53So we're going to change a shiv, change a sock, and lube up everything else.
23:59Correct.
23:59Got what?
24:00About an inch of snow or so?
24:01Yeah, somewhere around that.
24:02It's going to be a good day.
24:06Each carriage has a maximum weight limit.
24:08The snow adds weight, so the tram couldn't carry as many people.
24:12So I'm shoveling the snow to lighten the load.
24:15Oh, crap.
24:17Did you get somebody?
24:18No.
24:19Somebody's pursed in some donuts.
24:24We're good for now.
24:25All right.
24:26So then we unhook and go up there and grease the carriage.
24:29Sounds good.
24:30On a weekday like today, the tram operates from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
24:34So we're here bright and early because we've got to get this thing up and running before 10,
24:38which gives us less than three hours to get all the work done.
24:44Each tram car sits on two track cables for support.
24:50The hull rope is one long, continuous, braided steel rope that connects the two cabins together.
24:57Each tram car is reliant on the other.
25:01So when one goes up, the other is coming down.
25:06Nine-foot wheels pull the tram up and down the face.
25:14The shivs, or the wheels, which attach the carriage to the track, keep things running smoothly.
25:21Which leads us to our next job.
25:24Lubing the carriage.
25:27This would be the carriage, I'm fairly sure.
25:30And, uh, this is where the work will be happening.
25:34Correct.
25:34Who's this?
25:35This is Pat.
25:35Hey, Pat.
25:36Hey, how am I here?
25:37How are you?
25:38Good.
25:38Nice to meet you.
25:39What's this called?
25:40The shiv.
25:41That's the shiv.
25:42The wheel, basically.
25:43Yeah, two, four, six, eight, ten, like a dozen.
25:45Twenty-six total with the two up in front here.
25:47You've got two up there, too.
25:48The shiv's everywhere.
25:50Ken, I assume the work must take place in there.
25:52What you're going to do is set a hydraulic ram on that...
25:55Support beam.
25:56Support beam.
25:56Pump up the ram, it'll lift up on the carriage to get the weight off of it so we can
25:59grease the pivot.
26:00What are you, about 60 feet up?
26:01Yeah.
26:02Yes.
26:03You know, I probably should get a very quick tutorial.
26:05What is the difference between this one?
26:07Okay, this one is tied to your rear d-ring on the back of your...
26:09Not my rear, per se.
26:11Shock absorber right here.
26:13Slows your fall down so you don't snap hard it into the harness.
26:15The other one...
26:16This is the parachute?
26:17Yeah, yeah, yeah.
26:18Safety is in our top one when the job requires stepping off a 60-foot platform.
26:25All right.
26:26Swinging your body up in there, yeah.
26:29It's just that first step is such a son of a gun, man.
26:32All right.
26:35Just this...
26:35Hold on just a second.
26:39Just take a moment.
26:50Yeah.
26:52Ow.
26:53Once again, concussion by safety.
27:04Okay.
27:05Oh, this is not bad.
27:07I mean, I didn't see this in the vacation brochure, but it's not bad.
27:11Okay, I'm going to hand you this hydraulic ram setup.
27:14All right.
27:14And you're going to place it on the U-shaped cross member in there.
27:18Okay.
27:19There you go.
27:20Now you just want to hold that in place until we get some tension against it.
27:24All right.
27:25Start pumping up the ram.
27:27Ram's moving.
27:30No, what we're trying to do is take the tension off of these and this pivot point.
27:36Right.
27:36So the grease will be able to flow underneath.
27:40Okay.
27:41The pivot point.
27:42I thought I was going to be doing the greasing.
27:43Instead I'm just dangling 60 feet up in the air.
27:46I'm going to go ahead and start here with the shivs and put some grease in each one of those.
27:57And wouldn't you know, we ran out of grease.
28:02Well, this is one of those awkward moments in television that most other shows won't share with you.
28:07The boys have gone off to get some more lube and I've been left dangling from my cable by my
28:12lanyard.
28:13Just to ponder it all, wait for the lube.
28:19Snow makes it especially interesting.
28:21All the slickness.
28:23It's good.
28:23It's exciting.
28:24Well, I've never felt safer.
28:29It's definitely a two-man job, isn't it?
28:31Oh, yes.
28:32Partly it makes it more efficient.
28:34Secondly, it's kind of nice to have an extra guy up here spotting and putting your feet through your hands
28:38or whatever you're not supposed to.
28:39Here we go.
28:40We're coming down.
28:42Okay.
28:45One hydraulic ramp.
28:53Of course everything on your safety belt gets hung up.
28:56Of course.
29:01Hey.
29:02That's all wrong, Pat.
29:03It's all part of the job.
29:05Coming up.
29:06Give me something to do.
29:06It makes me feel vital and all.
29:08Uh-oh.
29:08Can't fit a square peg into a round hole.
29:11Something else is stuck.
29:12Or a cold TV host into a tight space.
29:14Ah.
29:15Crap.
29:16Too much man.
29:26We're heading up to 8,500 feet to change a worn out shiv at the mountain station.
29:30We have one hour to do it in before the tram opens to the public.
29:36So I've slipped into my heavy duty coveralls because it's a little cooler where we're headed.
29:43And how much cooler is it up there?
29:45It's 21 degrees on top right now.
29:4721 degrees.
29:47This is Greg and you've already met the other guys.
29:50You're Melissa?
29:51Yes.
29:51All right.
29:52How many can this thing hold?
29:5380.
29:55Really?
29:55Max is 80.
29:56No.
29:56You can't see out the windows.
29:58I guess it doesn't matter, really, does it?
29:59No.
30:00I don't need to see where I'm going.
30:01Cool.
30:01Let's go.
30:02How long will it take us?
30:03All the way to the top.
30:0410 minutes.
30:06The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway is the largest rotating tram in the world.
30:12Open to travelers back in 1963, it's carried over 12 million passengers a mile high into
30:18the sky.
30:20How high are we now?
30:21What am I, 6,000?
30:22No, just over 4,000.
30:24Just over 4,000?
30:24Yeah.
30:25We're going to 8?
30:25Yeah.
30:26Yeah, we're going to 85.
30:27You always know when you're halfway when you pass the other car.
30:32360-degree views of the scenic San Jacinto Mountains.
30:37Times like these, you just got to enjoy the ride.
30:41Cool.
30:43Unless, of course, you're Dave.
30:45I don't like these things.
30:46I ain't lucky.
30:48Dave has issues with the high places, because he's used to being so close to the ground,
30:55you see.
30:56So we come up to a tower.
30:58When we hit the tower then.
30:59Right.
31:00We did.
31:00We transfer from the weight of the car being on the track ropes.
31:03Right.
31:03And as it goes back onto the track rope.
31:05Oh my god!
31:07Then, you get that swing.
31:09That's a good one.
31:11And that one's a little bigger than the rest of them.
31:13That's why we have these handrails here for passengers like Dave.
31:16Yeah.
31:17That's good.
31:18Good, good, good.
31:19Come on, man.
31:21When you throw up, will it be in your hands or are you going to go...
31:23I don't throw up.
31:24I'll just...
31:25I don't know what I'll do.
31:26Will your little lip...
31:27Do this.
31:27Take it to us.
31:30You're doing great.
31:32No, come on.
31:35Nice!
31:38You really should check it out, Dave.
31:39It's a winter wonderland.
31:40I'm telling you.
31:41It's beautiful.
31:47We're now at the Mountain Station, over 8,500 feet above sea level.
31:51It's pretty cold up here, and beneath us is an 85-foot drop to the steep, rocky mountainside.
31:57Safety harnesses not optional.
31:59So, what's he doing?
32:01Picking up our hydraulic lifting device, and that will lift up the weight off of the shiv
32:06that we're going to change.
32:07One, two, three, four, five, six, seven.
32:10Seven shiv.
32:11Is there a difference between that one and this one, how deep this one is compared to
32:14that one?
32:14Why is that?
32:15Just time.
32:16Just time.
32:19We just need to get the hydraulic ram set up on the rails, unfasten a nut, and replace
32:25shiv number seven.
32:28So, that cable hook obviously slips right on the cable.
32:32Here's your...
32:33Yes, it slips around the cable.
32:35Pull that up, take the tension off the shiv, then pull the shiv out?
32:39Yes.
32:40Can we grab our bolts?
32:42Ranches and stuff?
32:43I hope they're up here.
32:44Better ask somebody.
32:46The wrenches for the bolts?
32:48Are you happy to grab those?
32:50I didn't grab them.
32:51When you say, not here, you mean down there?
32:54Down there.
32:55Things are rapidly going south.
33:00I've got this.
33:01This is what we call a setback in the TV business.
33:05Our tools that we need to do the job are down at the bottom of the mountain.
33:10So, now we're bringing up this tram.
33:13We've uncoupled the thing that we had all hooked up, and the other tram is going to come up
33:17with the tools.
33:18Watch your need, Chris.
33:19And then the work will commence.
33:20In the meantime, the tram is open for business at 10 o'clock.
33:23There'll be people waiting down there.
33:25Right now it's like 9.20.
33:26So, a nice, relaxed morning just became urgent.
33:31For the next 10 minutes, I sit here in 21-degree weather and wait for the tools.
33:39It's a frozen salt.
33:40I'm not really applauding myself.
33:41I'm just trying to get some blood going.
33:52Tools are good.
33:57We just can't seem to get the hook under the cable to lift it off the ships.
34:03It just seems like it should go in.
34:10Oh, yeah.
34:11It'll definitely go there.
34:12Okay.
34:13Let's move it quick then.
34:15We're running out of time.
34:22Look at that.
34:22Beautiful.
34:23Yay, then.
34:24Okay.
34:25Give me some up on that hydraulics here, Chris.
34:27There you go.
34:28Okay.
34:29Let's see if we can close that gate.
34:31Hey, give me something to do.
34:32It makes me feel vital.
34:33Okay.
34:34There's only a few of us that can fit through here.
34:36Because the bolts are only accessible underneath here.
34:39Yeah.
34:39Straight down in here.
34:40In order to replace the worn shiv, I'm going underneath to loosen the bolt.
34:46It's just, I don't think I can fit in there.
34:48I don't think so either.
34:50I mean, no, I can't fit in there.
34:51It's not possible.
34:52It's not possible.
34:53It's not possible.
34:53I don't think I can get out either.
34:56Nice.
34:59It's not my lungs.
35:01It's not your lungs.
35:03Something else is stuck.
35:06Uh-oh.
35:06Uh-oh.
35:09Uh-oh.
35:10Uh-oh.
35:10Crap.
35:16I've been in a lot of tight spaces.
35:17This is the first one I, I, I just can't fit through there.
35:20Too much man.
35:22Uh-oh.
35:24Uh-oh.
35:24Watch old John here.
35:25He'll just slide right in.
35:27Hey.
35:28Look at that.
35:31Uh, Mike, if you want to come in position over here, you can pull the shiv out.
35:35All right.
35:36You're keeping track at home.
35:37Good, Johnny?
35:38Yeah, let's get it.
35:38Nothing about this job is easy.
35:40Okay, he's going to kick the ball.
35:43Yeah, there you go.
35:43Can you grab it?
35:44Got it.
35:46I got it.
35:48It'd be tough to lose this.
35:50Yeah.
35:51Uh-oh.
35:52There.
35:52There.
35:52All right.
35:55Okay.
35:59Okay.
36:03Are you following this?
36:04Yeah.
36:04So they're going to lower this down.
36:06I'm going to take this bolt.
36:08I'm going to slide it through that hole down there.
36:11Johnny, who's skinny, will do something down there I can't see.
36:16You can imagine.
36:17Want to start the bolt through?
36:18All right.
36:23Yeah.
36:30Okay.
36:31Are we done?
36:32Yeah.
36:32With the shiv?
36:33Yeah.
36:34We're right on time.
36:35Well, not really, because there are people down there waiting to get in the tram, which we have right down
36:41there by the tower, which you can't see because the weather's moved in and now we're basically in a cloud.
36:45Well, replacing a shiv on a tram car.
36:50Cold job.
36:52Coming up.
36:53How high is that?
36:55227 feet.
36:56I climbed the ladder of success and get to know people in high places.
36:59Not quite as exciting on a calm day.
37:02How much excitement do you need, Johnny?
37:15At last, we're open to the public.
37:18But my day is not over yet.
37:24Well, if I were a pirate, this would make a certain amount of sense.
37:29You've walked the plank more than once, Greg?
37:31That's right.
37:31All right.
37:33Our official purpose here is to change a sock?
37:37We're going to change out a wind sock on tower one, and we're also going to do a bit of
37:40greasing on tower one.
37:42And tower one, just so we're clear, is that first tower.
37:46Correct.
37:46How high is that?
37:49227 feet.
37:50Any ideas to ride up on the top of this?
37:52Yeah.
37:53Not a problem.
37:55No, it's no problem.
37:57No problem for anybody here?
37:58Doug, you're going to come along?
37:59Dan, you're going to come along?
38:01Yeah, you're good?
38:02Dave, you're going to come along?
38:03No?
38:04No.
38:05Okay.
38:08What's top speed on this thing?
38:1010 meters per second, which is right around 21 and a half miles per hour.
38:14Ha!
38:16We take a ride on the top of the tram up to the tower, where Troy has already positioned
38:21himself at its highest point.
38:23Good for Troy.
38:25The boy ain't riding.
38:31We're not jumping off here.
38:32We're going up the ladder.
38:35These ladders are inspected pretty good, are they?
38:38Oh, yeah.
38:39Yeah.
38:48Yo, Johnny.
38:50Crap.
38:52Where do you want me?
38:53Okay.
38:54Put here.
38:55And then come across already here.
38:58You got it, bud.
39:00There you have it.
39:03You boys are used to this.
39:05For the record, I'm not.
39:15This thing moves pretty quick.
39:17It really doesn't at all.
39:19Now you can start greasing.
39:21All right.
39:22You see the tracks laying along?
39:23You've got the different grease zerks throughout here.
39:26What are these called?
39:27Put the needle in there.
39:27Grease zerks.
39:28Zerks?
39:29Yes.
39:33There you go.
39:34A couple shots each.
39:34You can move down.
39:35And there's also ones on the outer side, too.
39:40You don't want to skimp on the lube.
39:42That's right.
39:43Lubing the tower is done twice weekly.
39:46Not only are they just greasing, but they're also listening for any liner wear or damage along the shivs that
39:51are in the saddles themselves.
39:53Right.
39:58People just love to wave at a man with a lube gun.
40:01I don't know why.
40:05So the goal now, Johnny, is to replace the old windsock.
40:08Right.
40:09How do we do this?
40:10What we'll do is walk across this walk beam here.
40:15All right.
40:16Then we need to get up on top of the rescue ship assembly, straddle the I-beam up there, and
40:21then undo the quick link.
40:23Now you want me up here.
40:24Yep.
40:25So you can go ahead and just watch any of those electrical wires.
40:28You don't want to...
40:28Is there a car coming or anything?
40:30No.
40:30It's okay.
40:31All right.
40:31We're plenty out of harm's way.
40:34There you go.
40:35Never felt safer.
40:39So this comes out.
40:41So undo that little snap link.
40:48Not quite as exciting on a calm day.
40:52How much excitement do you need, Johnny?
40:54Well, as much as it takes.
40:57What's it take to get your heart pounded anymore?
41:03Excellent.
41:04Okay.
41:05There's one.
41:07You got it?
41:08I got it.
41:16Okay.
41:32Excellent.
41:40Very good.
41:42Obviously, heights don't bother you.
41:43I'm all right with heights.
41:45It's, uh...
41:47It's width.
41:53Riding atop the tram arm.
41:55The wind blowing in your face without the protective shell of the tram to make you feel safe.
42:00It's a lot faster from this vantage point.
42:03A lot.
42:05You really get a good idea just how dangerous.
42:10Hope it holds.
42:13And exhilarating this job can be.
42:20And at the end of the day, you've got your very own express elevator.
42:27Going down.
42:35I run into people all the time who tell me that dirty jobs are all over the world.
42:40And it's not that I don't believe them.
42:42It's just that I've run out of ideas.
42:44So, if you're one of those people who thinks dirty jobs are literally everywhere,
42:48I'd be grateful if you go to discovery.com forward slash dirty jobs and prove it.
42:53You can prove it by suggesting my next dirty job to me.
42:56And I will prove my loyalty to you by showing up and shoveling God knows what into a bucket.
43:04It's what I do.
43:05Discovery.com forward slash dirty jobs.
43:09Much obliged.
43:14It's just the perfect juxtaposition of life.
43:17There goes Troy, and here comes our port-a-potty.
43:19They've really spared no expense.
43:22Doug is now on the scene.
43:23There goes Eddie down the hill again.
43:25Eddie's falling down the hill now.
43:26This is about the fourth or fifth time today, Ed.
43:28My Oprah.
43:29You watch Oprah?
43:31I tape it.
43:33I just find her so inspiring and empowering.
43:36All right, we're going to set this up.
43:37Troy, you good?
43:39We're not young men anymore.
43:41What are we doing?