How to pull cables over 1,200 feet when pull ropes aren't available in longer lengths?

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Calrissian45

Calrissian45

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Southern California
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Electrical Engineer
I can only find cable pulling ropes that are up to 1,200 feet long, but I need approximately 1,220 feet for my longest pull. I called Greenlee and they said I can't combine their ropes to make them longer. What can I use to pull two 1/0 MV-105 cables over 1,200 feet?
 
Calrissian45 said:
I can only find cable pulling ropes that are up to 1,200 feet long, but I need approximately 1,220 feet for my longest pull. I called Greenlee and they said I can't combine their ropes to make them longer. What can I use to pull two 1/0 MV-105 cables over 1,200 feet?
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Install a pull box halfway along the run? CAVEAT: I don't know nuthin' 'bout no MV wiring methods.
 
Buy ropes that have eyes spliced on both ends. Just add a short length of rope with an eye splice to the pulling end. Pull out the first 30' or so and then you'll be into the 1200' rope.
 
You could probably push the first 20' in, minimizing the stress on the first short piece.

That reminded me of an underground pull I once had to do. I had to dismantle the fish-tape reel in order to push in enough tape to hook a leader onto the other end.
 
Get an old navy man, should be able to splice most normal rope. I've spliced several peices basically unbraid the ends and back braid the two together. If you got mule tape not much you're going to do if they don't provide longer sections.
 
I've been involved with a few pulls over 2,000 feet, we just bought rope for the length of the pull. "Pulling Ropes" are nothing special, just Greenlee or whoever's product to get your money
 
Here is a quick reference on bends (knots that join two ropes). When pulling cable, you also need to consider how bulky the knot is.
The Double Fishermans Bend looks like a good candidate for this since the free ends of the rope run parallel to the rope instead of sticking out sideways. Once taped, it looks like it would be a "smooth" knot.
 
roger said:
I've been involved with a few pulls over 2,000 feet, we just bought rope for the length of the pull. "Pulling Ropes" are nothing special, just Greenlee or whoever's product to get your money
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But you do need to get a "static" rope and not a "dynamic" rope. The stored energy in a dynamic rope makes using it with power pullers very dangerous.
One of the Greenlee tugger manuals says for a 5,500 pound rated tugger a dynamic rope can store enough energy to launch a standard size car 14 stories. Even the correct rope can store enough energy to send that same car two stories.
 
don_resqcapt19 said:
But you do need to get a "static" rope and not a "dynamic" rope. The stored energy in a dynamic rope makes using it with power pullers very dangerous.
One of the Greenlee tugger manuals says for a 5,500 pound rated tugger a dynamic rope can store enough energy to launch a standard size car 14 stories. Even the correct rope can store enough energy to send that same car two stories.
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Pop yourself with a rubber band and multiply it by about a million. :D
 
GoldDigger said:
Here is a quick reference on bends (knots that join two ropes). When pulling cable, you also need to consider how bulky the knot is.
The Double Fishermans Bend looks like a good candidate for this since the free ends of the rope run parallel to the rope instead of sticking out sideways. Once taped, it looks like it would be a "smooth" knot.
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A knot wouldn't work as added bulk would likely be prohibitive, and a catch point. You would need to actually weave the ends together making then one. Old time sailors all knew how to tie stranded ship ropes together I've seen ropes as big as 4 inch diameter spliced, I know larger have been done too.
When done a 3/4 inch rope only gains a 1/4 to 3/8 inch of diameter over length of splice and only moderately stiffer than the unspliced sections.
 
petersonra said:
You don't want to use a typical knot because it generally makes the connection very weak. There are special knots you can use that are better for this purpose but you have to know how to tie them. Or you can do a splice but that also requires some knowledge that is not especially common.
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Fred B said:
A knot wouldn't work as added bulk would likely be prohibitive, and a catch point. You would need to actually weave the ends together making then one. Old time sailors all knew how to tie stranded ship ropes together I've seen ropes as big as 4 inch diameter spliced, I know larger have been done too.
When done a 3/4 inch rope only gains a 1/4 to 3/8 inch of diameter over length of splice and only moderately stiffer than the unspliced sections.
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How much can we overthink this. I tie ropes together all the time, had zero problems. We did a 700 foot pull two years ago of 250 URD in 2" PVC . Probably had to tie together 6 ropes as we had forgotten our long mule tape.
How come you can tie the rope to the pulling head or grip but can't tie the other end to another rope??? Ridiculous. Yes of course a knot is theoretically the weak point (I like the bowline 99% of the time. A figure 8 is a hair stronger) Yes of course you have to make sure the knot physically fits. Yes there is some common sense involved guys 😉
 
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