# Conduit carrier....



## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

I think the boxes hold a lot more. Plus, they look cooler. They're also about 3 times more expensive. I dunno. I suppose it's more personal preference, and how much pipe you normally want to tote around at a time.


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## wraiths (Apr 23, 2007)

MD whats the usual size of pipe people use? Is it 6 inch or 8 inch?


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

wraiths said:


> MD whats the usual size of pipe people use? Is it 6 inch or 8 inch?


Beats me. I see all different sizes.


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## heel600 (Oct 31, 2007)

wraiths said:


> Guys what is better for carrying conduit a tube or a box mounted on top of the ladder rack. Your experiences with both is kinda what im looking for the good an the bad...


I do a lot of pools and trench work.

I had a box custom made of diamond plate aluminum. It's 17" high, and 24" wide, and 122" long.

It's completely open on the top, except for an 8" lip at the front.

It holds a LOT of PVC, so I don't need to load up every morning.


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## 480sparky (Sep 20, 2007)

A piece of PVC pipe with a cap and cleanout looks real cheesy, IMPO. I use a diamond-tread box designed for the purpose.

Mine is made by Adrian Steel : http://www.adriansteel.com/index.php?branch=store&view=view_product&id=140

I've seen plumbers' van with humongous ones, big enough to pipe a 12-story building(just kidding). But I don't know where they get them.


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## randomkiller (Sep 28, 2007)

http://www.americanvan.com/catalog/standard_wide.cfm?FamilyID=6

http://www.americanvan.com/catalog/standard_wide.cfm?FamilyID=8

Heres a couple local made types.


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## Stan Mason (Oct 30, 2008)

This is what i built to cary my conduit


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## slowforthecones (Sep 13, 2008)

I use a 4" ABS 10' section with one end solid abs cap and other end abs cleanout. secured to my roofrack using 4x 5"-7" hose clamps, stainless steel.


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## Speedy Petey (Jan 10, 2007)

Stan, that is A LOT of room to dedicate to carrying pipe and long tools. You must do a ton of it.

I also have a 4" pipe on top. I was going to get the System One kit for it but was too impatient to wait for it so I use the clean out method. Works fine for me as I only carry for the occasional use. If I know I am doing a pipe job I'll either bring the trailer or load it into, or on top of, my van.


I DO agree, those diamond plate conduit carriers look cool and are very nice. My thing is I keep a 12' step on top of my van. That next to an extension ladder leaves barely 1-2 inches more than the 4" pipe carrier in between. 
So for me there was no choice.


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## slowforthecones (Sep 13, 2008)

stan.. i reconize that utlity body/cutaway van.. is that a stahl body/chasis?


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## MechanicalDVR (Dec 29, 2007)

slowforthecones said:


> I use a 4" ABS 10' section with one end solid abs cap and other end abs cleanout. secured to my roofrack using 4x 5"-7" hose clamps, stainless steel.


 
We had several vans and trucks at the shop with abs and pvc tubes, til one of our trucks had an accident and a 5' piece of 1 1/4" rmc shot through the tube cap and into a car. Now we have metal end caps on all the plastic tubes.


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## Bkessler (Feb 14, 2007)

480sparky said:


> A piece of PVC pipe with a cap and cleanout looks real cheesy, IMPO. I use a diamond-tread box designed for the purpose.


 you'd love my "bundle".....its currently 60' of 1/2"....90' of 3/4".....10' of 1"......a stick of 7/8" and 1 5/8" strut......30" of plumbers pvc.... 1/2".......and a stick of 3/8's rod on my ladder rack held down with romex.........I was hoping to move up to the pvc soon........true story.:thumbsup:


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## Bkessler (Feb 14, 2007)

MechanicalDVR said:


> We had several vans and trucks at the shop with abs and pvc tubes, til one of our trucks had an accident and a 5' piece of 1 1/4" rmc shot through the tube cap and into a car. Now we have metal end caps on all the plastic tubes.



Better to be safe than sorry, but whom ever put a 5' peice of rigid in there was a jacka$$....unless it was rk then that's just a honest mistake my a marine with lots of guns!


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## Speedy Petey (Jan 10, 2007)

Bkessler said:


> Better to be safe than sorry, but whom ever put a 5' peice of rigid in there was a jacka$$...


+1 !!!

My full time junior almost j-man employee keep bugging me to keep ground rods up there. I have seen WAY too many holes in the front caps of these things, and heard way too many horror stories, to keep ANYTHING under 10' long in there. :no:


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## randomkiller (Sep 28, 2007)

Bkessler said:


> Better to be safe than sorry, but whom ever put a 5' peice of rigid in there was a jacka$$....unless it was rk then that's just a honest mistake my a marine with lots of guns!


 
I have a diamond plate box on my truck racks. Nobody wanted to fess up to putting the short piece in that tube. I think there is a tendancy to overload the large (6") tubes and anything can end up in them when an apprentice is cleaning up the van.


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## Bkessler (Feb 14, 2007)

Speedy Petey said:


> +1 !!!
> 
> My full time junior almost j-man employee keep bugging me to keep ground rods up there. I have seen WAY too many holes in the front caps of these things, and heard way too many horror stories, to keep ANYTHING under 10' long in there. :no:



I can see an 8' ground rod spearing right through some ones back window and killing a nun or something. 

The first time I worked out of a truck that had the "open top box".... well I thought it was completely closed off so when I loaded a peice of 3/4" up there it went in and was laying on top of the far end.....well I had to slam on the brakes going downhill when the car in front of me stopped fast for a yellow............I was so lucky because thet pipe flew through the air and landed between the two front cars at the intersection and bounced harmlessly into the middle of the intersection. Luckily.


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## slowforthecones (Sep 13, 2008)

I usually tape a bundle of stuff together and put it in there to avoid the punctures at the front capt.


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## Aiken Colon (May 16, 2008)

What do you guys use to bend PVC? Every great once in ahwile we have someone ask us for a steam box, although we do not carry them. I have also seen some type of blanket (electric blanket for lack of a better term) to bend PVC.

JJ


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## gilbequick (Oct 6, 2007)

It depends on what size. If it's 1/2" or 3/4" you can use an emt bender, just overbend it. Or you can use a hot box which is just a metal box with a heating element in it that heats up the pvc, which is what is used for bigger pipes if you don't want to use factory fittings.


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## Speedy Petey (Jan 10, 2007)

Aiken Colon said:


> What do you guys use to bend PVC?


½" & ¾" I use my Milwaukee heat gun. 1"-2½" I use my hot box. 
I have a Current Tools box. 

I want to get a small blanket for the smaller pipe. Less work that way. In cold weather the heat gun is a real P-I-A.


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## Aiken Colon (May 16, 2008)

Speedy Petey said:


> ½" & ¾" I use my Milwaukee heat gun. 1"-2½" I use my hot box.
> I have a Current Tools box.
> 
> I want to get a small blanket for the smaller pipe. Less work that way. In cold weather the heat gun is a real P-I-A.


Hehe that is funny. We sell quite a few heat guns, and here I thought they were just for heat shrink wrap.

JJ


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## slowforthecones (Sep 13, 2008)

I use a heat gun or when not available.. put it on the roof on a sunny day for 4 hours for up to 2 1/2" pvc.


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## Speedy Petey (Jan 10, 2007)

You could always use a magnifying glass too. :thumbsup: :laughing:


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## paulgarett (May 8, 2012)

I am also interested in a conduit carrier with this type of design, top access.
What type of metal worker did you contact to have this custom built. 
How did this carrier mount to a ladder rack?


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## Mrphil (Feb 8, 2014)

I have a local metal fab company make our conduit carriers.They are all on Chevy Express 2500 vans mounted to a standard flat 3 section ladder rack.Each is a galvanized box with open top ,solid end, hinged access door with locking clasp at rear of van.

Each is 122 x 14 x 14 with holes for drainage.The boxes stay full up with pipe and strut.
Last one was made 1 year ago $150.00. Some of them are 8-9 years old and no issues.


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## BBS (Aug 19, 2009)

Most of our vans have 6" pipes with these hinged access covers. 
Better than a threaded pipe cleanout but still clunky.


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## stuiec (Sep 25, 2010)

BBS said:


> Most of our vans have 6" pipes with these hinged access covers.
> Better than a threaded pipe cleanout but still clunky.


..and you still need a pair of these.....for the knuckles of the apprentice, or co-worker, who likes to save those cut lengths.....


View attachment 34786


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## BBS (Aug 19, 2009)

Just stomp on the gas and all the short pieces will be easily within reach.


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## Mrphil (Feb 8, 2014)

Any sheet metal /fab shop can build it for you to your specs.
They may even have a design they have previously used for this type of box
We use galvanized sheet metal.

I have the 3 bar ladder racks by American Cargo I believe and they are 2"x2" box channel that slide in/out for the size of the van roof.
We use 2 u bolts per arm with lock washers and non backing nuts.


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## Southeast Power (Jan 18, 2009)

Stan Mason said:


> This is what i built to cary my conduit


That body has a pipe chute on each side. Why did you build a pipe rack inside?


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## varmit (Apr 19, 2009)

On all of the vans at work we build a plywood tunnel under the left side shelves and bins. This keeps the conduit inside and out of the weather. It is also much easier to access. You just open the back doors, and there it is. These are made to be about 14 to 15 inches square and will hold several hundred feet of smaller conduit. It is a bit of a pain to cut the bottom off of the "store bought" shelving, but it is only practical to do after the shelving is installed, as if the pipe box is install first, the standard shelving will not fit. 

I don't have a picture now. I'll try to post one later.

The end of the pipe box would be where the box of Cat 5 cable is located in the post above.


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## Big John (May 23, 2010)

Used to have this because we ran a good bit of pipe and it would've taken a lot of PVC tubes to store the same amount. I was also afraid of blowing out the end of PVC pipes if I had to stop short.


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## thegoodelectrician (Dec 13, 2009)

Question, What is everyone doing for shorter pieces. I try to keep everything about four foot, but they are a pain to store. Any ideas?


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## running dummy (Mar 19, 2009)

thegoodelectrician said:


> Question, What is everyone doing for shorter pieces. I try to keep everything about four foot, but they are a pain to store. Any ideas?


Throw them out.


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## 480sparky (Sep 20, 2007)

thegoodelectrician said:


> Question, What is everyone doing for shorter pieces. I try to keep everything about four foot, but they are a pain to store. Any ideas?



3' and longer go in the van, used on the next job. If you're good with running pipe, you shouldn't have too many of them at any time.

Less than 36" gets tossed.


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## thegoodelectrician (Dec 13, 2009)

running dummy said:


> Throw them out.


All I do is smaller projects, so i use all of my pieces because that saves me buying a 10 ft stick when I only need 42 inches for a sleave down a wall. 
I dont like throwing money out.


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## running dummy (Mar 19, 2009)

thegoodelectrician said:


> All I do is smaller projects, so i use all of my pieces because that saves me buying a 10 ft stick when I only need 42 inches for a sleave down a wall. I dont like throwing money out.


Ah, I always forget that 90% of this forum ropes houses. 

I run pipe exclusively so those little cut offs always bother the hell out of me.


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## ponyboy (Nov 18, 2012)

We order all sizes by the master bundle. Saving shortys is a waste of time. We have a pretty good steel recycling program so I don't hesitate to throw away anything under 5'


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## ecelectric (Mar 27, 2009)

I got the 6 inch masterack pvc with lockable end caps installed for $180 from my local trucking center


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## CADPoint (Jul 5, 2007)

7 year old thread ...


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