g/electrical • Posted by u/conduit_king • 23 hours ago

Best method for pulling 4/0 aluminum through a 4" conduit — 200' run

Got a 200-foot run of 4" rigid PVC with a 90 at each end, pulling 4x4/0 XHHW-2 aluminum for a 600A service. Building is occupied so I can't open the ceiling — it's a through-floor run in a mechanical shaft.

My crew is 3 people including me. We have a cable tugger (Greenlee 6001) with 5000lb capacity. The 4/0 is pre-lubed.

The 90s are the part I'm nervous about. Any techniques for negotiating the 90s without kinking the conductors or blowing out the conduit? Prior pulls I've done were shorter with no 90s.

💬 4 replies

4 replies

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u/three_phase_phil • 23 hours ago

This is the kind of pull I'm going to remember when I'm a JW. Taking notes.

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u/admin_jake ADMIN • 23 hours ago

Are the 90s accessible? If so, set up a roller at each 90. Pulling one conductor at a time through lubed conduit with a roller assist at each 90 is the cleanest approach. 5000lb tugger is plenty for a straight pull, but load spikes at the 90s can exceed that if you're not careful.

u/voltage_vince • 23 hours ago

Sidewall bearing pressure is your enemy at the 90s. The NFPA 70B formula gives you max pull tension — look it up for your conduit size and cable fill. For 4" with 4x4/0, you're close to the limit. If the first cable goes through rough, stop and reassess before running the rest.

u/sparky420 • 23 hours ago

Pull the conductors separately if you can — one at a time reduces the jamming force significantly at the 90s. Pre-lube heavily at the 90 entry point, not just at the pull point. Have someone at the 90 guiding the cable into the bend with their hands (gloves, obviously). Aluminum bends easier than copper but kinks just as bad if you rush it.