Attaching mule tape to wires?

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rszimm

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Here's the situation: 3 #1/0 plus 1 #6. Going through a 2" underground PVC conduit with more bend than it should. 162' from end to end. I've got a mule tape threaded through there now and a gallon of lube. I've got 3 people plus myself to help in the pull. Any advice? What's the proper technique for attaching the end of the mule tape to the wires?
 
“More bend than it should”

what exactly does that mean??

450 degrees of bend?? More?
 
I don't have much experience pulling wire with mule tape but I have loads with 1/4 inch rope. I would recommend that
 
It was inspected. It got missed. We dropped the majority of the length 2 years ago in anticipation of building a structure, but at that point it just dead ended underground. It was 360 degrees at that point, but no one thought "hey, this thing still needs to sweep up out of the ground! Now we're building it and we finished the sweep, but we've got 90 degrees too many. I had a chat about it with the inspector. (I told him, "hey, you should have failed me 2 years ago"). He offered to come help pull as consolation.
 
This sounds very suspicious. Attaching wire to pull ropes was one of the first things I learned as an electrician. I also learned not to put more than 360 degrees into a run especially if it's buried.
 
Make a head like this:
Wrap the tape around the head a few times so there are several loops to absorb the force of the pull
Use superslick wire (with a nylon jacket), most already have this
Use the lube

It shouldn't be too bad despite the extra bends, though it also depends on how good a position you can get in to pull on the tape. Glad to hear the inspector is on your side.
 
rszimm said:
It was inspected. It got missed. We dropped the majority of the length 2 years ago in anticipation of building a structure, but at that point it just dead ended underground. It was 360 degrees at that point, but no one thought "hey, this thing still needs to sweep up out of the ground! Now we're building it and we finished the sweep, but we've got 90 degrees too many. I had a chat about it with the inspector. (I told him, "hey, you should have failed me 2 years ago"). He offered to come help pull as consolation.
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You want to help it go without tearing the insulation from the sidewall pressure, have the inspector push the wire in from the feed end.
seriously, push like crazy and pull easy. It should go pretty good with those sizes.
 
Lots of lube, and keep the wires straight going in.

I usually tape the wires together tightly for the whole run then cut the tape off the first 10 feet pull that in cut the tape off the next 10' and so on
 
You could use a basket. tape the open end really well to the wires so it will pull and grip.
Or tape the mule tape (love that product) about 3 ft from the end and then a series of half hitches to the end of the wires, tape the end well so its smooth, as you pull it will tighten along the length of the half hitches
Or get some of the pulling heads with set screw lugsl one for each wire.
 
Is the conduit Empty? Be generous with the lube! Use a chunk of Unistrut at the far end so you can wrap the mule tape around it to pull, with 1 guy on each side and 1 of them managing the tape. And walkie talkies if ya have them.
 
Thanks everyone. The conduit is empty. I mounted a pulley about 10 feet above one of the sweeps so a couple guys could theoretically use their body weight to pull the tape. I’ll give the “strip the wires back, cutout half the strands and thread through a loop in the mule tape” approach for attaching that was detailed in the video above. I’ll let you know how it goes later this weekend.
 
Hv&Lv said:
I guess 352.26 doesn’t apply here..

I guess hope it goes and hope the inspector doesn’t find out??
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Sorry rszimm, aside from being illegal , that's going to be a real tough pull. If possible put in a vault or pull box. 4-90's is it, 360 degree's and I try not to do that many, some specs only allow 270 degrees.
 
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