Wire pull setups....pulling straight up....

[JacksonburgFarmer]

I have a project that is coming up this summer, and I have two grain legs about 170' tall that are going to have three phase 208V 60HP motors on top. gonna have to pull this some how....any ideas??? Most of the legs we do are smaller and I go to the top and horse the wire up and feed down.....dont think that is gonna happen on this one:grin: I mean, I am strong and all but....welll, not hurculese.

 

[CopperTone]

any way to haul a wire tugger up there with temp power and pull the wires up through the conduit? - doesn't sound like you will be able to crane the whole spool to the top and feed it down.

You could mount a reverse direction pulley at the top and if you had a long tugging rope you could feed it up the conduit around the pulley and back down to the ground - attach it to a wire tugger on the ground or try attaching it to a truck and slowly drive away.

 

[don_resqcapt19]

What method are you going to use to comply with 300.19? As far as pulling it, I would use a wheel at the top and a tugger at the bottom.

 

[tkb]

What size conduit and wire?
You have to support the wires at a certain distance.
2008 300.19

 

[benaround]

What method are you going to use to comply with 300.19? As far as pulling it, I would use a wheel at the top and a tugger at the bottom.

I would do it this way also,and make sure the pulley is very, very solid.

 

[infinity]

I would just mount the tugger to the conduit at the top and pull up. We have pulled 750's 20 stories up in the past with a Greenlee Super Tugger. Once you get the wire out of the top work your way up setting your chocks. Here's a photo of a different "up" pull:

 

[dduffee260]

What method are you going to use to comply with 300.19? As far as pulling it, I would use a wheel at the top and a tugger at the bottom.

Don, don't they make a conduit fitting that has an attachement that holds the wire in place? I remember seeing one of these like an LB or something a few years back on a phone building. It was like a wedge rubber piece with holes made to fit the wire.

 

[infinity]

I would do it this way also,and make sure the pulley is very, very solid.

You need to exercise caution when pulling over a pulley. The pulley will see twice the amount of force that the tugger is applying to the rope. Most pulleys are not rated to withstand double the pull force of the tugger especially with something like a Greenlee Super Tugger or Ultra Tugger. I've seen guys snap the pulleys when using them in this fashion. A broken pulley in the middle of a long vertical pull can be very dangerous.

 

[One-eyed Jack]

You need to exercise caution when pulling over a pulley. The pulley will see twice the amount of force that the tugger is applying to the rope. Most pulleys are not rated to withstand double the pull force of the tugger especially with something like a Greenlee Super Tugger or Ultra Tugger. I've seen guys snap the pulleys when using them in this fashion. A broken pulley in the middle of a long vertical pull can be very dangerous.

If that rope comes off the capstan let it go because it is going out the bottom and it will take you with it. Had a man get some very bad burns on both hands pulling on the ground. The rope was stretched out and the cathead came loose in the shaft. Reposessed all the slack instantly.

 

[don_resqcapt19]

Don, don't they make a conduit fitting that has an attachement that holds the wire in place? I remember seeing one of these like an LB or something a few years back on a phone building. It was like a wedge rubber piece with holes made to fit the wire.

There are a number of different ways to do this, but one of the issues here is the requirement to provide a support before you get all the way to the top.

 

[sameguy]

If I recall its ~ every 80' need a support.

 

[JacksonburgFarmer]

This project is still being decided upon, I am just getting started on my drawings, as it is design build. At this point, It will be 2" RMC and 3/0 Cu. I could get a chugger to the top (crane on site, also apprentice)

I have before put back to back 90's in the run for some support, but that also can make for a harder pull.....

For support at the top, we have used hanging kellum grips....worked pretty well.

 

[infinity]

If I recall its ~ every 80' need a support.

It depends on the size of the conductors. Table 300.19(A)
750 kcmil copper is no more than 40 feet.

 

[don_resqcapt19]

...
I have before put back to back 90's in the run for some support, but that also can make for a harder pull.....

I don't think that would meet the requirement in 300.19(C)(4).

 

[benaround]

You need to exercise caution when pulling over a pulley. The pulley will see twice the amount of force that the tugger is applying to the rope. Most pulleys are not rated to withstand double the pull force of the tugger especially with something like a Greenlee Super Tugger or Ultra Tugger. I've seen guys snap the pulleys when using them in this fashion. A broken pulley in the middle of a long vertical pull can be very dangerous.

Good advise Rob !!

 

[ohmhead]

Well we kinda use this for support its a feeder wedge it takes a week or two to order you must give number and size of conductors and they send you a wedgee.

We install a pull box and put a wedge in box at that point we dont release wire off rope untill wedge is in place .


We also use a pigs blanket grip sometimes if its a bad pull and we have a break sheave set up for safety . Ill look in my job pictures if i can ill post it .

Most people dont look at pulleys there rated at say 4000 pounds but then the rope and the tugger maybe more so all sheaves and pulleys and all pulling stuff used most be rated for that pull just a added thought .

 

[SeanKelly]

I was taught to NEVER pull from top to bottom. I have seen a setup let go on a 21 story pull and it was not pretty. Always pull up and take your time setting up. You just can't rush set up.

 

[iwire]

I was taught to NEVER pull from top to bottom. I have seen a setup let go on a 21 story pull and it was not pretty. Always pull up and take your time setting up. You just can't rush set up.

I dropped sets of 350 copper from the 11th floor to the basement.

Figure three guys the better part of a day trying to untangle it all in the basement. :roll:

 

[infinity]

I was taught to NEVER pull from top to bottom. I have seen a setup let go on a 21 story pull and it was not pretty. Always pull up and take your time setting up. You just can't rush set up.

A company at work had an accident about 10 years ago while "dropping" risers. They had some sort of breaking system at the top to keep the wire dropping at a slow, controlled rate of speed. As with most accidents, something went wrong and the braking setup failed. One of the reels that was some distance across the floor from where it entered the conduit flew across the floor at a high rate of speed and struck an electrician crushing him against a wall. He lived but was severely injured.

One of the reasons that I prefer to pull up on straight vertical runs is that you can engineer the pull. You can figure the strength of the rope, the size of the tugger, the weight of the cables and strength of the attachment point to the rope. If you're just dropping the cables you're relying more on guess work than actual calculations.