# Tuggers



## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

I don't have, nor have I used, any on wheels or with booms. I suspect that they are of some value, because they sure are expensive. I've only used the bolt down's with whatever combination of sheaves and lead in tubes (extension bushings, I think they call them) my Rube Goldberg imagination can dream up to make an easy pull. I think mine are all the older "Super Tugger". That Greenlee Ultra Tugger seems to be what they're pushing now. That tugger comes in many "poundage" versions. I've seen the 2,000 version at my supply house waiting for someone to pick up. Looked pretty nice and lightweight. I wonder if you could rent an Ultra Tugger kit someplace in your part of the state to evaluate whether all those extra fandangles will be worth it to you? I worry that the wheeled type with booms may not be as versatile in cramped quarters. Don't know if you can get some sort of accessory to use it like a more conventional tugger if need be. I know that there is a company called 'Current Tools' that makes Greenlee and Ridid style tools for a cheaper price. Might be worth looking into also.


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## K&R (Jan 22, 2007)

Yeah they can be purchased with the bolt down base or chain pipe attachment. I'm not too sure of chaining my tugger to the conduit im pulling through though. The next pull we will be making goes from the PC transformer to a CT cabnet. Im not sure how good bolts will hold in dirt:laughing:. That is why I been asking all the questions about attachments and the wheeled base. I know the wheeled base looks kind of dangerous to me. I pitcure the tugger getting snatched up and looking like a backwards wheelie. The whole R2D2 looking machine reminds me of the EOD robots.


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## K&R (Jan 22, 2007)

MDShunk said:


> I wonder if you could rent an Ultra Tugger kit someplace in your part of the state to evaluate whether all those extra fandangles will be worth it to you?


If I could find any tugger for rent around here I would pay the $200 for the day and pocket the other $6,000.:laughing:


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## macmikeman (Jan 23, 2007)

I've had a super tugger for 20 years. I hardly use all the xtra stuff like the boom and so forth. But I also purchased a whole lot of extra sheaves, some of them 24" in diameter. Those were handy to have when pulling long runs of fiber optic cables thru manholes with lots of direction changes. For plain jane wire pulls at electric rooms and so forth, save the money and just buy the tugger and get creative like MD says.


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## Joe Momma (Jan 23, 2007)

K&R said:


> I posted this on another site but it got very little responses. We are in the market for a tugger. I have used just the tugger motors in the past with sheaves. For right now we will be needing it to pull some 350 MCM. My question is are the wheeled carts, booms, and other assorted parts worth the extra $$?


Like I said in the other post, we have three different types from light to heavy duty, the medium duty like the one you've used and are readily available anywhere(I think our two are both 30 years old) are the work horse of the industry. Whenever someone says the word tugger, this is the one they think of.

Also like I said before, the big heavy duty one like you want to buy, we've only used once that I've seen pulling 900's over 500 feet. And also like I said the workhorse tugger could've easily done the pull.

For 350's why would you want something so heavy duty? You most likely could pull those by hand, we wouldn't even pull out the workhorse/bolt down tugger for such a light pull. Go look at the Maxis.com site for an ideal tugger to do what you want and watch their video. It has all the cool boom arms, requires no bolts, and only needs the drill motor you already own.

Remember the key to a good pull is how much time you spend making the head, how much soap you apply and how good the feed is.


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

Joe Momma said:


> Remember the key to a good pull is how much time you spend making the head, how much soap you apply and how good the feed is.


Amen, brother! I wouldn't apologize to anyone for taking 15 minutes to make a nice head on a pull, because it makes the whole operation go that much more smoothly. I've got old books that show heads being made on conductors by making a "bullet" shaped head on the conductors with molten lead and cloth. When completed, it looks just like a bullet nose with an eye bolt sticking out in the old pictures. So cool. That's my goal when I'm attaching and taping up the head of a pull. Another bit of time arranging the feed end reels and reel stands is time well spent.


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## Joe Momma (Jan 23, 2007)

MDShunk said:


> Amen, brother! I wouldn't apologize to anyone for taking 15 minutes to make a nice head on a pull, because it makes the whole operation go that much more smoothly. I've got old books that show heads being made on conductors by making a "bullet" shaped head on the conductors with molten lead and cloth. When completed, it looks just like a bullet nose with an eye bolt sticking out in the old pictures. So cool. That's my goal when I'm attaching and taping up the head of a pull. Another bit of time arranging the feed end reels and reel stands is time well spent.


I may start a new thread on the other points.

But wanted to say; for Christmas the owner also bought two nice tools(for the shop) for us to use.

One was an attachment for our Maxis tugger(though I think it could work with any). It's 2 foot pedals that plug into the wall then the tugger plugs into one. Both pedals need to be down for the tugger to operate, they're connected via RF, pretty slick so nothing gets messed up or anyone hurt.

The other is this setup called "the wire snagger". It's a full set of collars that you just push on to the wires being pulled(one per wire) and the barbs within grab hold of the wire. We used it once pulling 3/0's by hand and I honestly think they made it harder due to the abrupt start of the cable, but don't tell the owner that seeing as the whole setup cost 7500 bucks


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

Joe Momma said:


> The other is this setup called "the wire snagger". It's a full set of collars that you just push on to the wires being pulled(one per wire) and the barbs within grab hold of the wire. We used it once pulling 3/0's by hand and I honestly think they made it harder due to the abrupt start of the cable, but don't tell the owner that seeing as the whole setup cost 7500 bucks


I've seen that kit in magazines. They look like Chinese handcuffs from hell. I'd hate to think what would happen to your finger if you were dumb enough to put one of your fingers in one of those snaggers. 

You're right, though. They are a bit large. You'd need half a roll of duct tape to make a nice bullet head on a pull with those snaggers. 

Please, start a thread on those RF foot pedals. That sounds really interesting.


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## Joe Momma (Jan 23, 2007)

Here's what we got;
http://www.maxis-tools.com/product/triggers/

I haven't used them yet but they look pretty slick. We use the Nextel two way radios, but it's rare in a large wire pull for someone to have one hand free to grab their radio in time and say "STOP" Then of course the time for the guy on the other end to react.


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## JohnJ0906 (Jan 22, 2007)

I Picked up a cheap pair of walkietalkies for my truck, and they happened to come with armbands. Very nice, all you have to do is reach over and grab it, leaves hands free. Worked well the last time we did long pulls


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## round2it (Jan 22, 2007)

http://www.ray-tools.com/rt1001.htm is another one like the Maxis setup just so you can "have options." 

I worked with some tower guys who pulled their cable up the tower with a tugger mounted on their truck hitch. They had welded a square piece of stock that slid right into their receiver hitch. Not that it could be used everywhere, but it sure was a quick setup and would not require anchoring it to anything other than the truck.


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## sundogusa (Jan 22, 2007)

Here's what we have:
http://www.maxis-tools.com/product/pullit3000x/

Watch the video. It shows the versatility of the puller. You can also connect it to a 2" receiver on a service truck.


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## Joe Momma (Jan 23, 2007)

We also have the Maxis 3000, I think they're a good company and make good tools. And that tugger really is slick.
Last summer we built an RV dealership with those pedestal RV receptacle deals(don't know what they're called) all over the place, and that Maxis tugger was huge time, floor and back saver.
Though we did break the shear pin that links the drill to the gearbox, we replaced it with an 8/32, did another 30 pulls that week and it's still going strong.


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## Bobbyj (Jan 22, 2007)

We also use the Maxis. Great versatility!! Very portable and easy to set up. we've used it for about two years now, and it has saved a lot of wear and tear on our backs!! Greenlee has now also copied the design.


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## HCECalaska (Mar 21, 2007)

i have both the old style greelee tuggers and the new ultra tugger on wheels. the new ultra tugger is so slick for set up if you are bending multiple runs its a dream. i would also recomend the cable feeder set up. you can pull 750s with 2 people. now that is a labor savings.


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## brian john (Mar 11, 2007)

We have the old Greenlee tugger as mentioned the work horse of the industry and a newer model (not Greenlee) . Red with looks like a Milwaukee drill for the motor, all the goodies, pulls very fast great for small pulls.

I seldom get involved in pulling but I got to say that Greenlee is 20 years old and pulls like it was new. 

Last year I accidentally drove my tractor into a creek (like I'd do that on purpose), this creek had 30" 90 degree banks. Could not get it out, neighbor with a 36 HP ford tractor could no do it with me trying to back out in 4-wheel drive. Went to the office got some rope, chain, tugger and a generator. Chained the tugger between two trees, doubled the rope and drove the tractor as my brother operated the tugger it strained and grunted but the tractor was siting on Terra firma in no time.


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## Joe Momma (Jan 23, 2007)

Straining the tugger is not so bad, it has good gear linkage so the worst you'll do is make it stop(and burn it up if you leave it stopped)

The scary part is pushing(rather pulling in this case, ha) the rope to its limit, there's a lot of energy stored in a standard rope.


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## brian john (Mar 11, 2007)

Joe years ago I was on a job pulling 4-750 kcmils AL THW, The run of EMT had 5 90's and a couple of kicks (I had nothing to do with the conduit installation) I think the rope was 3/4". Any way I was operating the tugger the spindle was full maybe 8-9 loops the tugger was STRAINING rope got to about 3/8" of an inch, I decide to let off just as the rope snapped. More scary that anything. I was always told that a tugger would pull you through the conduit before it would stop pulling.


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## Mountain Electrician (Jan 22, 2007)

I was working for a refinery in NM and a contractor was using a tugger to pull some 5KV cable in a duct bank they had installed the conduit in. They weren't famous for their craftsmanship or attention the the NEC, so who knows how many degrees of bend were in the conduit, and I know it was a* long *run. Anyway, the head was almost out of the pipe when the sock (why they were using one is beyond me) came loose and whipped back and struck one of their electricians right in the stomach. If it wasn't for the big rodeo belt buckle he was wearing deflecting some of the impact, he would've died. As it was, he ended up with several surgeries, and a good six months off work.


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## JohnJ0906 (Jan 22, 2007)

I've not used a tugger very much, but that is something I am always aware of. I always watch where I and others are standing. Also making sure the rope is in good shape. (had one break once with the head at the last 90, could have been worse)


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## Mountain Electrician (Jan 22, 2007)

In this instance, they were pulling into a large concrete vault under some switchgear, so it was in a limited space, and a straight pullout of the end of the conduit. Unsafe acts and unsafe conditiions!


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

There are some alternate tuggers people sometimes use.... bucket truck boom as a tugger, forklift as a tugger, van hitch ball as a tugger, etc. :whistling2:


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## JohnJ0906 (Jan 22, 2007)

MDShunk said:


> There are some alternate tuggers people sometimes use.... bucket truck boom as a tugger, forklift as a tugger, van hitch ball as a tugger, etc. :whistling2:


I have no idea what you are talking about. :whistling2:


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## Mountain Electrician (Jan 22, 2007)

I've never used a Bobcat as a tugger.:whistling2:


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## sundogusa (Jan 22, 2007)

I heard about a crew using an ATV to pull wire. I think it would be interesting!  Dangerous if the rope broke...but fun!


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## brian john (Mar 11, 2007)

When I was an apprentice, a crew on this job I was on was using a fork lift to pull wire, 32' ceiling, something happened and the driver either was not paying attention or was going to fast but he pulled the rack with 10-runs of 2-1/2 EMT down, some had feeders already pulled. Made quite a mess, though luckily no one was hurt.


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## Mountain Electrician (Jan 22, 2007)

I've seen a forklift used before, but worse than that... we were repulling a feeder in an oil refinery. They had to wait untill shutdown to do it, and had ordered 6 long spools of 500 MCM for the project. It was a simple out with the old, in with the new pull. I don't remember why we were repulling, it was many years ago, but as the run was several hundred feet long the foreman decided that what was needed for the job was a way to really tug on that cable. One end came up out of the ground and LB'd into some aincent gear, so we removed the short nipple and LB right there, tied the existing 500 onto the crane's hook and with a couple of radios, went to pulling. I was on the feeding end, and as far as we could tell everything was going fine. After what seemed like forever, the foreman on the other end said that the head was out, and then a few seconds later, he said some stuff I'm pretty sure the FCC wouldn't have been happy about. As the new wire came up out of the pipe, every bit of the insulation was skinned off! After a little forensic evaluation, we discovered that there was a 5" LBD buried 2' under the ground right below where we were feeding the wire in. The crane operator couldn't feel the added strain, and we ruined all 6 conductors. They had to airfreight new wire from California to New Mexico so we could be back up and running before shutdown ended. I was glad that the contractor I was working for at the time was just supplying labor, and had no part of the planning that went into that little project, because I might have missed the LBD too, (sure couldn't see it) and then would have been looking for a job.


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

On the bright side, somebody had a lot of pre-skinned 500, ready for recycle :thumbsup:


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## Mountain Electrician (Jan 22, 2007)

MDShunk said:


> On the bright side, somebody had a lot of pre-skinned 500, ready for recycle :thumbsup:


Good point, although I probably wouldn't have brought it up that day. Everyone was pretty testy!


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## K&R (Jan 22, 2007)

We finally broke down and spent the money on the tugger. Picked this one up http://www.currenttools.com/catalog/


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

K&R said:


> We finally broke down and spent the money on the tugger. Picked this one up http://www.currenttools.com/catalog/


I guess your link got chopped off a little bit. Which model did you end up with? Current Tools brand is a good value, since they basically make copies of Greenlee and Ridgid stuff for a cheaper price. I mostly use the Greenlee 640.


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## K&R (Jan 22, 2007)

http://www.currenttools.com/catalog/pdf/products/CP31-30RV1_0307.pdf

We got the Mantis 8890. It is rather large when put together but can be broke down into 3 pieces. When in 3 pieces it can be put in and out of the truck with 1 person and some ramps. Saves a bit of labor moving it around compared to the Greenlee models in the large job boxes. It did come with a job box for when it is in storage though. It was the largest pull rating I could find other then the Condux cable glider at 12,000 pounds but it had a sticker of $12,000 for a basic package.


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## K&R (Jan 22, 2007)

MDShunk said:


> I guess your link got chopped off a little bit. Which model did you end up with? Current Tools brand is a good value, since they basically make copies of Greenlee and Ridgid stuff for a cheaper price. I mostly use the Greenlee 640.


We rented a 640. It did not have the power to pull 300' of 500 mcm through 3" conduit and 3 elbows. It did the job but about killed 6 guys doing it. I took it back with about 3 less teeth on the gears though. Would have worked fine if we installed the conduit because I over size the conduit the guys who laid the pipe put in the smallest that was legal.


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