Bending 2.5" Emt with Greenlee 555

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tortuga

tortuga

Code Historian
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Oregon
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Electrical Design
A Greenlee 555 is for 1/2" through 2" Conduit and Pipe. I herd somewhere a long time ago that you can modify another shoe group to make it bend 2.5" pipe?
Has any one tried this?
 
Before you EVEN think about it, perhaps a trip to chapter 9, table 2 might be an idea. Sounds like a good way to get hurt.
110.3(B) comes to mind also.
 
Rockyd said:
Before you EVEN think about it, perhaps a trip to chapter 9, table 2 might be an idea.
Click to expand...
Bending a smaller pipe in a larger shoe will breat a larger radius ...usually, like in the case a of 1/2" RGC / 3/4" EMT bender...but not always, sometimes the result is another bone for the pile.

Rockyd said:
Sounds like a good way to get hurt.
Click to expand...
It does.
It also sounds like a good way to ruin a tool.
You "might" try a 2" RGC shoe for the 2 1/2" EMT...although doing it may destroy the pipe - especially on the sides of of the 90 or kink/"smush" it.


Rockyd said:
110.3(B) comes to mind also.
Click to expand...
How so?
Haven't you ever drilled a hole to small and used that same bit to ream it out?
110 applies to materials, not tools.
 
The 110.3(B) Seems to me that if I wanted to be anal, a bender, would need to come with a factory shoe to bend pipe (the material) per specification of the manufacturer. Having said that, I've been guilty of using a 966 bucket on a front end loader to bend rigid (used a chaim to form the "hook" and used the hydralics on the curl, to develop a nice "kick".

The 2 1/2" nuts around bases of tanks work really nice as a bender for fast, concentrics, on smaller GRC, when going around tanks too.

Back to the OP ...EMT is pretty fiesty at 2" in a chicago with a follow bar, can't imagine hogging out the whole shoe of a triple nickel, the shoe has to be over $400 alone to start with.

Think I'd just go chicken, and buy factory bends for a small job. Can't justify the cost for a one shot deal.
 
I can't see any way this would happen. You have to have 2" EMT just right in the wheel or it will kink it. EMT conduit is pretty finicky when you start bending it into a 90.
 
I had a job years ago where the emt would kink or split if you did not place it in a certain orientation in the bender, seam sideways I think up or down would split or kink.
 
Rockyd said:
Think I'd just go chicken, and buy factory bends for a small job. Can't justify the cost for a one shot deal.
Click to expand...

I agree...I also with the other 2 opinions.

2" EMT can be a PITA to bend...kinks, splitting, "smushed", etc. It doesn't happen all the time - sometimes there is some QC problems that slip through the factory. Obviously it can be be bent - the factory bends and "good" field bends prove it.:roll:
 
Good replys

Good replys

Thanks for the feed back
I thought I herd someone made a 2 1/2" EMT shoe and roller that happen to fit the 555. So you would be using the correct shoe etc. Current tools shoes fit the 555 Wich may be what I was thinking of.
I guess the 881 or the 777 is the way to go for larger pipe.

I am pretty used to 2" on the 555 so I will talk them into using CU wire as we always have in the past. Then I will have 4 3/0 CU (full size neut req'd on Y).

Cheers
 
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