# Greenlee 854



## ponyboy (Nov 18, 2012)

TRurak said:


> Hey all. We own a Greenlee 555 SB and we use it a few times a year. I found a used 854 for 2000$. I don't know anything about the 854 other than it weighs 500 lbs and isn't as portable as the 555. Is it worth looking at it do I stick with the 555 SB.




I use an 854 quad and it's awesome. It's not the lightest but either is a 555. Usually it goes to a job and stays there for a while. 


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## MechanicalDVR (Dec 29, 2007)

What is the problem with the 555?


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## TRurak (Apr 10, 2016)

No problem with it just a little old. Thought 2k for an 854 was a good dral


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## MechanicalDVR (Dec 29, 2007)

TRurak said:


> No problem with it just a little old. Thought 2k for an 854 was a good dral


Oh I was just curious. Ever go to a business auction?


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## sbrn33 (Mar 15, 2007)

Buy it right now if it is good shape.


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## Southeast Power (Jan 18, 2009)

TRurak said:


> No problem with it just a little old. Thought 2k for an 854 was a good dral


We all know a good dral is hard to find and much sweeter than a good deal.

If you can use it on a job in the near future, and it will pay for itself, why not.
If it's going to sit in your warehouse, what's the point?
It's going to cost you a few hundred bucks to move it.


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## ponyboy (Nov 18, 2012)

Suncoast Power said:


> We all know a good dral is hard to find and much sweeter than a good deal.
> 
> 
> 
> ...




A few hundred bucks to move it? What do you mean exactly?


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## TRurak (Apr 10, 2016)

It will be sitting for a while but I would sell the 555. I paid 1800 for the 555SB. The 854 weighs 500lbs. I could move it myself.


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## Southeast Power (Jan 18, 2009)

TRurak said:


> It will be sitting for a while but I would sell the 555. I paid 1800 for the 555SB. The 854 weighs 500lbs. I could move it myself.


I was moving some equipment around with another electrician.
I lost billable hours and had to pay us.

It cost me money.
A few hundred bucks for sure.


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## Jhellwig (Jun 18, 2014)

Is the 854 the one with all the electronics on them?


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## sbrn33 (Mar 15, 2007)

sbrn33 said:


> Buy it right now if it is good shape.


Although if your only doing one or two bends on a job you may want to look for a 1818 manual one as I can load that by myself. The 854 not so much unless you have a lift trailer.


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## cabletie (Feb 12, 2011)

Jhellwig said:


> Is the 854 the one with all the electronics on them?


That's the one. The one you are not sure how it is going to work today or tommorow. The one that gets sent in for calibration every so often because it stoped working altogether. 

The company has a couple of pendants with the bender. They get switched back and forth on some mornings. It's bizarre how different ones work on different days. 

It is a nice bender (quad shoe) if you find yourself switching shoes a lot during the day with the 555. If that's not why you are interested in it, I would think it's a hard sell. Weighs a ton.


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## ponyboy (Nov 18, 2012)

sbrn33 said:


> Although if your only doing one or two bends on a job you may want to look for a 1818 manual one as I can load that by myself. The 854 not so much unless you have a lift trailer.




You beast! I had to load an 1818 into a van by myself once and I about killed myself. But I'm only about a buck fifty


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## TGGT (Oct 28, 2012)

Screw that. My digital level has been more accurate from foot bender to hydraulic and everything in between. Way cheaper and easier to operate.


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## sbrn33 (Mar 15, 2007)

Biscuits said:


> You beast! I had to load an 1818 into a van by myself once and I about killed myself. But I'm only about a buck fifty
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Oh, don't kid yourself, I strip it down then put the handle on the tailgate then just lift and push. 
Kinda like nailing one of Mac's old girlfriends.


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## macmikeman (Jan 23, 2007)

sbrn33 said:


> Oh, don't kid yourself, I strip it down then put the handle on the tailgate then just lift and push.
> Kinda like nailing one of Mac's old girlfriends.



You watch that buster, my old girlfriends were all a bunch of sweet petutities.


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## TRurak (Apr 10, 2016)

We are going to look at it and bend a few pieces of 2" tomorrow. If it's in good shape we are going to buy it. Its a he'll of a deal for an 854. The owner says it's 10 years old.


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## macmikeman (Jan 23, 2007)

Order spare motherboards from Greenlee before they become ''obsolete''.


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## TRurak (Apr 10, 2016)

When we got there it wouldn't run. Mice got into it. The guy said take it for 500. We bought it.


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## TGGT (Oct 28, 2012)

If you don't have one already, pick this up. It was about $45 when I got it last year. Makes bending way more efficient, and especially good for making duplicate bends. I think your bender is supposed to have some kind of memory, but I've wasted enough time with finicky smart benders to not want to bother with them.


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## cabletie (Feb 12, 2011)

One day I am going to buy this little guy. 

http://wireman.com/products/igaging-magnetic-anglecube

I would buy the shoppe rocket, but I would expect it to come with a free pair of roller blades. The Holocator is well worth the ten bucks.


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## TGGT (Oct 28, 2012)

cabletie said:


> One day I am going to buy this little guy.
> 
> http://wireman.com/products/igaging-magnetic-anglecube
> 
> I would buy the shoppe rocket, but I would expect it to come with a free pair of roller blades. The Holocator is well worth the ten bucks.


The husky reads "absolute level" when you first turn it on, but I don't think you can refer back to it unless you turn it on and off. It's also backlit. But at $30 and the compact size, I think I would've gone with your cube. I do like the 10" level because I think it's more accurate to the overall angle, but we're talking tenths of a degree. I might buy the angle cube just to add to my arsenal.

I know the old timers would scoff, but I know I put out much better pipe, faster now than I did before without my phone app and digital level.


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## macmikeman (Jan 23, 2007)

TGGT said:


> I know the old timers would scoff, but I know I put out much better pipe, faster now than I did before without my phone app and digital level.



I won't scoff as long as you admit Foghat was the rocknist band to ever hit a stage...........................


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## TGGT (Oct 28, 2012)

macmikeman said:


> I won't scoff as long as you admit Foghat was the rocknist band to ever hit a stage...........................


I don't have the foghattiest idea what you're talking about.


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## macmikeman (Jan 23, 2007)

enjoy.


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## cabletie (Feb 12, 2011)

Now I'll have to add a feather roach clip to my tool list!

One of the guys at work was playing Hot Tuna on his powered speaker the other day. I haven't heard them in years. Fog Hat comes up on my shuffle often. 

On another note, Good luck with the bender. It is a good bender when it's working.


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## drsparky (Nov 13, 2008)

TGGT said:


> Screw that. My digital level has been more accurate from foot bender to hydraulic and everything in between. Way cheaper and easier to operate.


Hand bender is fine for little stuff, think bigger.


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## TGGT (Oct 28, 2012)

drsparky said:


> Hand bender is fine for little stuff, think bigger.


I said hydraulic and everything in between. I've only ever used hydraulic for 2 1/2'' to 4''.


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## drsparky (Nov 13, 2008)

TGGT said:


> I said hydraulic and everything in between. I've only ever used hydraulic for 2 1/2'' to 4''.


My brain was a little lazy, I missed your point, got it now. 
I do like the 854 and 855. Electronics are our friends.


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## TRurak (Apr 10, 2016)

I'm going to pull it apart and see what's going on with it this week. Hopefully it's something simple.


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## sbrn33 (Mar 15, 2007)

You got a ****ing steal!! Was it from another electrician or just some smuck on craigslist?


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## TRurak (Apr 10, 2016)

He is an electrician that closed up shop a while ago. Real nice guy. Bought a bunch of other stuff too.


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## TRurak (Apr 10, 2016)

So we've had a chance to look at it. Mice made a large nest on top of the printed circuit boards. The motor is a 115 volt DC motor. I have 120 going into the rectifier but no DC voltage coming out. Common sense would say it needs a rectifier. Am I thinking correctly? I'm not very familiar with rectifiers. I'm thinking mouse urine and feces may have wiped it out. There is no other sign of burnt resistors or diodes on the board.


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## macmikeman (Jan 23, 2007)

Yes the rectifier puts out the 115 dc volts. Mine was shot for my 555 and it was an off the shelf replacement from a local electronic supply store. But baby the brake resistor, that size is hard to come by.


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## macmikeman (Jan 23, 2007)

You need heat sink paste for the backside of the rectifier. I forgot what the real name of that stuff is, but it transfers heat out of the unit to the frame of the bender.


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## TRurak (Apr 10, 2016)

Brought it to a friend who repairs electronics and circuit boards. He said my rectifier is good but there is a transistor that's bad. Whatever happened to being able to go to Radio Shack and get this stuff?? Had to order it online.


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## Signal1 (Feb 10, 2016)

TRurak said:


> Brought it to a friend who repairs electronics and circuit boards. He said my rectifier is good but there is a transistor that's bad. Whatever happened to being able to go to Radio Shack and get this stuff?? Had to order it online.


I started out in electronics, sadly, Radio Shack has become a nothing but a cell phone store. The few that are left anyways.


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## TRurak (Apr 10, 2016)

They had a bunch of small ones. I need a 300v 40a 85mOhm


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## TRurak (Apr 10, 2016)

New PGU board, sanded some spots down and painted it. Runs like new, looks great, all in about 1400


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