[TowerTalk] Pull Rope in Conduits?

[n8cc at mei.net]

Dorn Hetzel kb4eq at hetzel.org said:



I try really hard to either pull everything I might need and fill the
conduit to reasonable capacity on the first pull,
or to pull several smaller conduits so I have spare conduits :)

________________________________

Now Dorn is a man with a plan.  This is doubtless the voice of
experience, as 'pulling by' inside a conduit is really tempting
fate.  If you've gotten away with it consistently, I recommend
buying lottery tickets!  :-)

An extra run of conduit is a really good investment.

Also,  Greenlee has a couple different products for getting
a string through a long conduit run.  One is a 'bird' with poly
thread on it that is self contained, and strong enough to pull
a cord through with.  This eliminates the drag associated with
pulling a trailing string through the pipe run.  It deploys the
string as it travels through the pipe.  For larger pipe sizes,
they make a foam piston with eyelet that you can hook a line to.
These are the ways the folks who do this sort of thing for a
living do it.  I've been at it since '75, and these are
tried and true methods.

Now, if you're really a cheapskate like me, you can tie some
parachute cord onto a sash weight, and chase it through up to
250 feet of 4" plastic flexible drain tile by lifting the tile.
Then bury the whole thing.  However you do it, keep the bending
radius large, folks!

73, Jeff - N8CC