Anyone know of a way or tool that will help one person pull wire in conduit by themself? I'am talking about #14 or #12 not the big stuff.I've done jobs of underground pulls of 120' and only need help for a few minutes to pull wires in conduit and then I can finish the rest.Its hard to hire someone just for a few hours. I'am not a big shop,and don't really need anyone fulltime.Any tricks,tips or tools would make life alot easier.Thank you in advance.
one man wire pull
- Thread starter kbrandt
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tallgirl
Senior Member
- Location
- Glendale, WI
- Occupation
- Controls Systems firmware engineer
I used something to guide the wire into the end of the conduit (like, by hanging the wires from above the box if I was pulling into the bottom of a box, or off to whatever side if I was pulling into that side), then slather liberally with lube, pull 8 or 10 feet, run back, make sure the cable is still pointed in the right direction, slather another 8 or 10 feet with lube, run back, pull, repeat. I was able to pull at the fill limit with #12 in 3/4" EMT with no help. I got a nice workout running back and forth, but in the end I git 'er done 
How many conductors at a time are you pulling, what size conduit and how many feet for each pull?
How many conductors at a time are you pulling, what size conduit and how many feet for each pull?
tallgirl
Senior Member
- Location
- Glendale, WI
- Occupation
- Controls Systems firmware engineer
emahler said:
Wow -- very pretty. Have you ever used them, or do you just have photos, or ... ?
Next time someone asks me to rewire a flooded church I'll have to throw some of them into my car along with my tool bag, cot, sleeping bag and cat
mdshunk
Senior Member
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- Right here.
I have several devices called the "Vornado" that go onto 4 squares. They're the cat's meeow. I see them a lot on eBay lately.
Other than that, I have several dozen small Sherman-Reiley side opening pullies to set up a nice one-man pull. If you use your head and the proper equipment, there's no such thing as a two man job in the electrical trade. [flame on]
Other than that, I have several dozen small Sherman-Reiley side opening pullies to set up a nice one-man pull. If you use your head and the proper equipment, there's no such thing as a two man job in the electrical trade. [flame on]
- Location
- New Jersey
- Occupation
- Journeyman Electrician
Are you using stranded wire? That stuff practically feeds itself.
tallgirl said:Wow -- very pretty. Have you ever used them, or do you just have photos, or ... ?
Next time someone asks me to rewire a flooded church I'll have to throw some of them into my car along with my tool bag, cot, sleeping bag and cat
nah, never used them. like infinity says, when I used to do pulls, 1 man, stranded THHN, no problems.
I used a combination of the reel stands shown and my maxis 1000 puller for a while back in the beginning. Best 400 dollars I ever spent.
Tom
It's good for 2/0 Cu pulls, I even pulled in some 750kcmil AL (55' w 2 90's) with some creative bracing!
But I just picked up a Raytools puller it seems like the thing to have for the bigger stuff.
Tom
It's good for 2/0 Cu pulls, I even pulled in some 750kcmil AL (55' w 2 90's) with some creative bracing!
But I just picked up a Raytools puller it seems like the thing to have for the bigger stuff.
mdshunk
Senior Member
- Location
- Right here.
Word !infinity said:
Screw a plastic insulating bushing on the feed end pipe and give 'er a rip.
hardworkingstiff
Senior Member
- Location
- Wilmington, NC
I had a 150' pull from the building to a tank farm once and couldn't find anyone to help. I got my rope in the conduit, ran it through a pully that I suspended from a step ladder over the conduit at one end, stretched the rope above ground to the other end of the conduit. I had my wires set up on a ladder at the 2nd end. Then (I bet it looked comical) I pulled the rope with one arm and fed the wires with the other. Worked pretty well.
JohnJ0906
Senior Member
- Location
- Baltimore, MD
Man, you guys got all the toys! I got to get the boss to loosen up and pick up some of these thing, but its hard to convince him "It will pay for itself in the long run"
JohnJ0906 said:
John,
we stopped buying these toys for our men years ago. while 1 set per truck isn't bad, seemed we were repurchasing lost items over and over. Finally we stopped purchasing them.
many of the larger tools (cable tuggers, hydraulic benders, etc.) we still will buy, but they tend not to get lost.
But the little $10 items start to add up real quick as often as they got lost...
JohnJ0906
Senior Member
- Location
- Baltimore, MD
Why do company tools get lost? I treat the bosses tools like it was mine, or better.:-?
mdshunk
Senior Member
- Location
- Right here.
Then you're the exception. I make it a point to audit truck stock and truck assigned tools as often as I remember (maybe twice a year). They guys are signed for this stuff... if it ain't reported stolen, they've done bought the missing stuff (or at least they've got some serious 'splaining to do). I find that they guys like to buy these nickel-dime gadgets themselves anyhow. That wire vortex thing I linked to earlier is maybe 5 bucks.JohnJ0906 said:
I agree with Lou's solution, having discovered it mysellf.
On a lot of runs, I have been sucessful pushing the wires in. It is important that the conduit system be properly designed. By that I mean, using the minimum number of bends and, when you do have a bend, try to use a super bend [large radius]. I use an Ericksen bender for those. Or you could bend it in small increments like with a hickey.
Solid wire pushes easier than stranded. On a straight run, it should be possible to push 120'. Even a box offet will trip you up, so remember the 36" rule and fake it if above a suspended ceiling. [I have a Starrett "shrink rule" for these situations. It will read 36" whereas inferior tapes will read 36 3/8".]
But the pulley is good for almost any situation and I use jet line for that. The pulley is an Ace hardware model, about 3" dia. with a swivel. A ViseGrip can serve as a clamp.
~Peter
On a lot of runs, I have been sucessful pushing the wires in. It is important that the conduit system be properly designed. By that I mean, using the minimum number of bends and, when you do have a bend, try to use a super bend [large radius]. I use an Ericksen bender for those. Or you could bend it in small increments like with a hickey.
Solid wire pushes easier than stranded. On a straight run, it should be possible to push 120'. Even a box offet will trip you up, so remember the 36" rule and fake it if above a suspended ceiling. [I have a Starrett "shrink rule" for these situations. It will read 36" whereas inferior tapes will read 36 3/8".]
But the pulley is good for almost any situation and I use jet line for that. The pulley is an Ace hardware model, about 3" dia. with a swivel. A ViseGrip can serve as a clamp.
~Peter
mdshunk
Senior Member
- Location
- Right here.
Somebody's gonna have to explain that one. It went right over my head.peter said:
e57
Senior Member
- Location
- San Francisco, CA
hardworkingstiff said:
I do something simular ALL THE TIME..... As often I too am solo, and even when I was with a big shop I could never get anyone to help. All too busy. Most often I can plan my runs for being alone, and pull it from one end, but sometimes you need someone on both.
So what I do is install a jet line, or nylon pull string and get my wires on that and keep tension on the line as I push them in. Also if I can not pull a line back to where I need to push from, I use a ladder and a roll of wire as wieght and get a few feet at a time, once actually dropped a roll out a 4th floor window as wieght to keep tension... (Empty alley below)
And now I am going to give away free money!
Just a few words...Remote controled fishing reel!
Build it and they will come..............
Something like this... But for wire pulling and cheaper than the $2K think beast goes for.
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