Appreciation post: that 500 ft spool is heavier than I ever guessed

I mean, I finally looked up the actual weight on a 500 ft roll of RG6 quad shield the other day, like 38 pounds or something. I've been hauling these up ladders and into attics for years and just assumed it was maybe 20. It's no wonder my lower back complains after two jobs in a row. Has anyone else switched to carrying them on a shoulder strap or a cart after checking the numbers, or am I the only one who never thought about it?

2 comments

2 Comments

ray_sullivan28d ago

Funny thing nobody mentions is the spool itself weighs something even after you pull all the cable off. That cardboard and plastic core is surprisingly dense, so you're basically carrying dead weight on every job, not just the copper. People swap to shoulder straps and carts, but they never weigh the empty spool they're hauling back to the truck. Worse, that weight shifts when you're halfway through a pull, so the balance throws you off on a ladder. Next time you finish a run, toss that empty core on a scale and you'll see what I mean.

cameron_hernandez6927d ago

Man, that's such a good point and it ties into something bigger I keep seeing everywhere. Like, people only ever think about the obvious weight of the thing they're carrying, but they totally ignore the packaging or the handle or the case that's adding to the load the whole time. I notice it with my gym bag, the damn bag itself weighs like five pounds before I even put my shoes in it, and everyone pretends that doesn't count. Same with those big water jugs, the plastic bottle is heavy as hell even when it's empty, so you're hauling that around just to recycle it. We just accept the extra weight as a given and never question it until someone points it out, like you just did. It's like the hidden tax of the stuff we use every day, and once you see it, you can't unsee it.