working 0000

[Greg1707]

I have little experience working with 0000 conductors. I recently did two service changes and suffered greatly trying to connect the conductors to the lugs in the panel. Are there tools are techniques that I can employ to make this an easier task?

 

[ptonsparky]

There are wire bending tools but the best I’ve found was a healthy apprentice.

 

[LarryFine]

Several things you can try, in no particular order, and/or in combination:

Completely remove set-screw from lug while inserting wire.

Unbolt lug from stud, insert wire, re-attach lug to stud.

Use a piece of reamed pipe to bend wire to desired shape.

Shorten and strip wire to length after bending to desired shape.

Use channel-lock pliers to return wire to round after bending.

Strands tend to stagger when bending, so cut straight afterward.

 

[Little Bill]

If you have a "closed-in"/box wrench large enough to fit the 4/0 in you can use it to train the wires into the lugs.
I like the tool that you use a ratchet to bend the wire.

Like this:

Just use a 1/2" ratchet in the hole. Takes a little practice but works well.

 

[infinity]

#4/0 shouldn't be too much of a problem. The hard part is ensuring that it's cut to the proper length, too long and you'll spit blood trying to get it into the terminal.

 

[Craigv]

After doing over a hundred such connections a few weeks ago for an RV park pedestal installation, I believe that organizing multiple wires in a box (these pedestals had four 4/0, two 2/0 and two #4) is important but cutting to the correct length is key. Don't try to create a loop or put a large S bend in them unless you've got plenty of working space. Even then, it shouldn't be necessary to have a lot of excess length.

My work process was to organize the wires so they weren't crossing one another, and so the box had grounding at the back, grounded in the middle, and phase at the front. I install the 4AWG grounds, then the pair of grounded conductors, then the phase pairs. I bent, cut and stripped each wire at a time...trying to cut everything at once, or even just two wires, can sometimes lead to a surprising mistake of cutting a wire too short if it has to bend around another.

I use a boot knife to strip, sometimes using my small cable cutters to start the circular cut then carefully completing it with the boot knife to avoid nicks. This extra step is something I do after about twenty such wires, when my hands are getting tired.

 

[junkhound]

Shorten and strip wire to length after bending to desired shape.

.

+1, added the bold

Having watched a number of poco guys doing service entrances, they leave about 2 feet of extra 4/0 on the run as a bending 'handle' and then cut.
Of course, these guys do this all day every day so are pretty good at eyeballing where to cut after bending.

 

[kwired]

I have little experience working with 0000 conductors. I recently did two service changes and suffered greatly trying to connect the conductors to the lugs in the panel. Are there tools are techniques that I can employ to make this an easier task?

Older equipment used to give more troubles then what has been made the past 30 years or so, as they didn't always have bending space now required.

One rule is avoid using KO that is directly above main breaker and in back wall of panel - will always be difficult to land those conductors even if proper bending space is there.

One trick when entering from wall opposite your lug - pull conductor tight, then mark where to cut it. Slightly long is better then slightly short you can always cut again if needed. I take my knife and score insulation to mark it. Hopefully it will have enough room in the incoming raceway to push a little back into raceway, usually only need to be able to push it 1/2 inch or so, to make it easier to insert into the lug.