# Wire pulling in 1960



## Phil DeBlanc

Before the Grate OSHA these grips were probably the best available method of attaching 4 wires to the pulling rope or cable. Evidently OSHA found something wrong with them because I don't recall seeing any offered for sale since.

There were 3 grips in the full set for pulling wire from #2 through 500mcm. Each bullet has 4 holes bored into the back with 2 fine thread setscrews into each hole. About 2" of wire is stripped of insulation, the conductors slipped into the hole and the setscrews tightened. Generally it was considered good practice to tighten, let sit a while and retighten the screws for a difficult pull. 

It was also a good idea to pull the bullet into the conduit, after taping the sides, with the pulling rope or cable attached to the bullet using the bullet as a pig to clean any debris and clean up dings or burrs inside the conduit. 

Other bullets existed for wire above 500mcm that carried individual conductors and were staggered on steel cables going to a single pull bullet or through a doubling sheave.

I've made pulls over 1000 feet and through a lot of bends with these and never lost a wire.


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## gizmo21187

This should go in a old tool section

We

Silly rabit, crack kills, i think

Sent from my M80 using a lighter.


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## B4T

Gizmo.. I thought you were sent back to the toy factory for an extreme makeover and were suppose to come back as a Barbie doll.. :laughing:


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## B4T

Phil.. great pics.. thanks for posting.. :thumbsup:


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## HARRY304E

B4T said:


> Gizmo.. I thought you were sent back to the toy factory for an extreme makeover and were suppose to come back as a Barbie doll.. :laughing:



WEEEEEEEEEEEEE!:whistling2::laughing:


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## gizmo21187

B4T said:


> Gizmo.. I thought you were sent back to the toy factory for an extreme makeover and were suppose to come back as a Barbie doll.. :laughing:


Sorry machine said error

We

Silly rabit, crack kills, i think

Sent from my M80 using a lighter.


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## HARRY304E

Phil DeBlanc said:


> Before the Grate OSHA these grips were probably the best available method of attaching 4 wires to the pulling rope or cable. Evidently OSHA found something wrong with them because I don't recall seeing any offered for sale since.
> 
> There were 3 grips in the full set for pulling wire from #2 through 500mcm. Each bullet has 4 holes bored into the back with 2 fine thread setscrews into each hole. About 2" of wire is stripped of insulation, the conductors slipped into the hole and the setscrews tightened. Generally it was considered good practice to tighten, let sit a while and retighten the screws for a difficult pull.
> 
> It was also a good idea to pull the bullet into the conduit, after taping the sides, with the pulling rope or cable attached to the bullet using the bullet as a pig to clean any debris and clean up dings or burrs inside the conduit.
> 
> Other bullets existed for wire above 500mcm that carried individual conductors and were staggered on steel cables going to a single pull bullet or through a doubling sheave.
> 
> I've made pulls over 1000 feet and through a lot of bends with these and never lost a wire.





> Other bullets existed for wire above 500mcm that carried individual conductors and were staggered on steel cables going to a single pull bullet or through a doubling sheave.


There are a few EC's that still have those and i have used them in the past they work great and never had problems..:thumbup:


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## MDShunk

Umm... They still make those. You can buy them brand new. I have 2 sets.

Sent from my iPhone using the ElectricianTalk Forum app. Please excuse my brevity.


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## macmikeman

MDShunk said:


> Umm... They still make those. You can buy them brand new. I have 2 sets.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using the ElectricianTalk Forum app. Please excuse my brevity.


I was going to say the same.. I have at least one set. I probably have two.....


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## knowshorts

What does OSHA have to do with pulling wire?


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## 480sparky

Greenlee still has something similar in their line-up:


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## tkb

Greenlee made those originally but as time goes on, designs change. 
You can get them sometimes on eBay.


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## BBQ

480sparky said:


> Greenlee still has something similar in their line-up:


We use them all the time, the OP even describes them as well.


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## macmikeman

480sparky said:


> Greenlee still has something similar in their line-up:


Thats the set I have, but funny, mine looks all greasy and beat up, not like the picture at all........


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## BBQ

macmikeman said:


> Thats the set I have, but funny, mine looks all greasy and beat up, not like the picture at all........


You quickly learn to handle the beat up one with gloves, the wire rope splinters hurt. :jester:


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## crazymurph

I have used them several times, always with good results. Around here they are called pulling heads. The other version, as 480 has shown, are referred to as pulling fingers. I have also had good results with them. Then there is also the Kellum, Chinese Fingers, and sometimes called Horse#@#%.


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## goose134

I was informed not too long ago that one manufacturer would make your spools up with a head for like $60 a shot. I think it may have been southwire, but I'm not sure. It might have been less than $60 too.


Not sure about how I feel about a cable head I had nothing to do with, but it might not make a hill of beans.


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## cabletie

goose134 said:


> I was informed not too long ago that one manufacturer would make your spools up with a head for like $60 a shot. I think it may have been southwire, but I'm not sure. It might have been less than $60 too.


 yes it is southwire. I was told the price and forgot maybe $60 for all four on a pull. It is worth every penny when you have guys that are too fast for their own good makeing up the heads with kellem grips. kellems and simpull :no:. we use the maxis grips now. They are faster than allen screws, making up your own head, or kellems with ty-wire.


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## SparkyinMontan

Well, some years ago, our engineer decided to save money and run 3" GRC in a hospital. And then we had to run the medium voltage cable, we measured, and it was RIGHT at the minimum for conduit fill. The foreman was griping about how we simply didn't run 4", would have been 10x easier. After breaking a pulling sock, we got a set of those pulling fingers, pulled the wire without a problem. Nice pic

~A


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## noarcflash

Those little set screws hold the wire that firmly over a long pull? I would imagine the wires coming out...


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## chicken steve

cabletie said:


> we use the *maxis grips* now. They are faster than allen screws, making up your own head, or kellems with ty-wire.


just used the greenlee pictued to pull in many 5-750Kcmil runs, worked great

not familiar with maxix grips....

~CS~


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## BBQ

chicken steve said:


> just used the greenlee pictued to pull in many 5-750Kcmil runs, worked great
> 
> not familiar with maxix grips....
> 
> ~CS~


Where the heck in VT uses 5-750s, that is one big outhouse. :jester:


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## JohnR

I have used the ones for 500's in a pinch for #2's Just fold the wire over, beat and stuff it in, then crank away with the wrench.


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## CADPoint

I've never seen either, to cool...

I'd have at least a thought about that metal slug going into a conduit.


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## bill39

I have had a fair amount of wire-pulling experience over the years in heavy industrial, refineries, & power plants.

We used these for pulling some of the toughest pulls ever without any problems.....500MCM, 750MCM, etc. Never had a conductor fall out of the heads. Just use some tape to cover everything up and pour on the soap.

On the other hand I have also used the chinese handcuffs, and homemade heads made from ty-wire and have had them fall off more than once.

One recommendation: put a swivel head between the rope's eye and the pulling head.


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## Jlarson

chicken steve said:


> not familiar with maxix grips....


They're awesome







http://www.maxis-tools.com/product/grips/


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## hardworkingstiff

Jlarson said:


> They're awesome


That looks really nice. I do like that cover to keep the lube off of the wire gripping section. Pretty cool.


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## cabletie

The cover that comes with it adds to the size of the head and most of the time can't be used unless the pipe has been oversized. We usually use viscreen or contractor bags cut open to wrap around the head. Not only does it keep the basket clean but it helps it a slide in and around 90's especially on pulls with PVC. Always remember to put on a condom.


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## chicken steve

BBQ said:


> Where the heck in VT uses 5-750s, that is one big outhouse. :jester:


it was the mother of all chickenhouses BBQ

~CS~


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## Jlarson

hardworkingstiff said:


> That looks really nice.


I've never personally gotten to use them, I don't even have a set on my truck :laughing: but the guys love them, they say the same thing about the cover as cabletie, they've been using clear poly trash bags on pulls with other baskets so I guess they stuck with that tactic.


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## user4818

Jlarson said:


> I've never personally gotten to use them, I don't even have a set on my truck :laughing:


That's not surprising. We all know your pipe skills leave a lot to be desired. :whistling2:


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## Jlarson

Peter D said:


> That's not surprising. We all know your pipe skills leave a lot to be desired. :whistling2:


:laughing:

I actually use the set of pulling grips I do have for pulling cable, and yanking cable and wire, they get used for demo more then anything, that and well cable recovery. 

I laid a bunch of tray cable in a ditch with a loader that way a while back with one, drove down the trench and pulled right off the spool. :thumbup:


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## CanadianSparky

We use those greenlee ones on every big tough wire pull. Never had a wire come off. Sure they take a little more effort getting the head ready but you never have to do it twice.


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## rdr

Holy! Never seen that one before. Then again there's no end to the things I've yet to see. Just curious how is that better than pulling bigger wire with say, a rope?


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## CanadianSparky

rdr said:


> Holy! Never seen that one before. Then again there's no end to the things I've yet to see. Just curious how is that better than pulling bigger wire with say, a rope?


Doesn't let go. We attach it to a rope to pull but it makes a much smaller head IMO than using a rope and looping the conductors around. (the greenlee set not the OP picture)


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## rdr

CanadianSparky said:


> Doesn't let go. We attach it to a rope to pull but it makes a much smaller head IMO than using a rope and looping the conductors around. (the greenlee set not the OP picture)


Yeah, the OP picture is the one I meant. I've seen but never used the Greenlee ones. Like somebody said farther back in the thread I would imagine the wire coming on bigger wire/longer pulls.


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## CanadianSparky

rdr said:


> Yeah, the OP picture is the one I meant. I've seen but never used the Greenlee ones. Like somebody said farther back in the thread I would imagine the wire coming on bigger wire/longer pulls.


I've never had a problem. We use them with tuggers and sometimes we have the tugger working pretty hard and it has never come loose.


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## rdr

CanadianSparky said:


> I've never had a problem. We use them with tuggers and sometimes we have the tugger working pretty hard and it has never come loose.


They would definitely be good for longer pulls of lots of 10's and 12's then. Can't count how many times I've seen a pull have to be started over because a jet line broke.


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