# Broken THHN spools...



## mdshunk (Mar 13, 2005)

Every once in a while I get a roll of THHN from an oddball wire company that still puts their wire on steel reels.  It's a bit of a nostalgic feeling for me... I almost want to just sit that spool on a shelf and look at it. Sort of like when you get a roll of romex every once in a while that's in a cardboard box and not shrink wrapped. 

I think that the days of THHN on steel reels are over, and the piece of crap plastic one's are here to stay. As you all know, break the flange and the whole roll is as good as garbage. Carry a few rolls around on a service truck for any length of time, and they'll have broken or missing flanges in short order. What a friggin pain. I used to throw these rolls out, or use as much as my temper permitted before throwing them out. Copper's getting so expensive, I've vowed to change my wasteful ways.

As long as THHN continues to come on plastic reels, they will keep getting broken. I have resolved that trying to prevent them from getting broken is also a waste of time. I have seen "repair kits" or "repair flanges" of sorts for fixing broken THHN rolls. Any of you guys use them? Are they any good? I like to look into a few, but I also don't want to buy any that one of you guys already knows is crap or doesn't work well. Any other helpful tidbits related to broken THHN rolls appreciated also.


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## Speedy Petey (Sep 30, 2003)

Marc, I assume you have by now heard of Rack-A-Tiers?

Very cool stuff!

http://www.rack-a-tiers.com/pro_rack.htm


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## mdshunk (Mar 13, 2005)

Yeah, I use the original "rack-a-teer" for unloading wire, and I've used their laser plumb bob for a long time too. In fact, it might be their "reel end" that spawned this query. Ever used one?


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## Speedy Petey (Sep 30, 2003)

No, but I check them out at the supply house all the time. I really should grab a few of them. Spools of #12 & #10 lasts me a long time and yes, they often get broken. 
I do have a GB hand cart and carry rack though.


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## CE1 (Dec 30, 2005)

MBA's sales Equation: plastic spools WILL Break=electrician WILL scrap half used spools of wire with broken spool out of frustration=sales of wire WILL increase= WILL make more money. 

Moral of the story "If you use junk parts in a product you will sell more products and make more money"

It does happen to all of us and maybe there is SOMETHING out there that will deliver us from this evil scheme. I have not seen anything yet!!

That was fun.:clap: 

I have tried with limited success using 1/4" plywood circles between broken spools on a wire rack. Just have to make do I guess.


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## Leo G (May 12, 2005)

Take some 1/4" plywood cut it into the appropriate sized circle (with a hole) and polyurethane glue it to the NEW plastic spool, should last until the wire runs out.


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## Speedy Petey (Sep 30, 2003)

By the time you do that you could get some of those reel ends and use them over and over.


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## macmikeman (Sep 12, 2005)

I have two sets of the Rack a Tiers fixers. They are pretty good. The drawback is that you cannot share a 1/2" emt with other spools, because one end of the assembly is fixed with a short emt riveted onto it.


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## mdshunk (Mar 13, 2005)

macmikeman said:


> I have two sets of the Rack a Tiers fixers. They are pretty good. The drawback is that you cannot share a 1/2" emt with other spools, because one end of the assembly is fixed with a short emt riveted onto it.


So you're saying you need to use something smaller in diameter than 1/2" EMT to pay off the "fixed" spools? Like maybe 5/8" ground rod scraps?

I did order two of these fixers at the supply house Friday afternoon. They didn't have any handy for me to look at, but they're supposed to come in Monday morning. We'll see how they work out. I just finished a big job, and I'm mostly done with another bigger job, and I've got a few dozen broken THHN spools that I'd like to figure out a way to use up. I mostly ordered the 2500' wooden spools for these jobs, but some of the colors came in on 500' plastic spools anyhow. 

Interesting, that ESSEX is beginning to supply some of the smaller THHN without spools at all. http://www.essexep.com/common/news/articles/2000/3-15-00.htm


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## RobertWilber (Mar 5, 2006)

*sounds ugly*

so, aside from finding an even CHEAPER and less helpful method of delivering product ....

this is supposed to HELP us?


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## brian11973 (Apr 13, 2006)

Someone said " service truck". A long time ago, a coworker & I had THHN on the van for service work, A / C whips etc. Short stuff. We put an EMT connector in one of the holes in the cargo safety cage. Fit right in. We then put a piece of EMT from there to the top of the shelves to the left of the side doors, with a strap, piece of wire, something to hold the end( I can't remember).This pipe would hold about 5 rolls(?)partial rolls of wire. All full rolls were a bit heavy.To hold it in place, just snug up the screw on the connecter. Once in a while it would fall down. To make up a whip, you could just pull off the wire. To use it for more wire, it came out real easy. The EMT could be carried in, with spools on it, for a spinner.

Out of the way, still handy.


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## mdshunk (Mar 13, 2005)

brian11973 said:


> Someone said " service truck".


I make a distinction between electrician's trucks. To me, a "service truck" has one or two of everything on it, as well as gobs of tools. A "new work truck" or "construction truck" is mostly empty, little to no material on the shelves, with a hook to hang your pouch tools on, a generator, extension cords, and a couple of drills. You see both types of trucks at the supply house. You can almost tell what type of work a guy mostly does by how full or empty his truck is. There's no shame in either; they're just set up for different purposes. 

Service trucks are usually shiny, washed, dent and rust free, and in good repair. Construction trucks are usually worn out hand-me-downs from the service department, that only provide basic transportation to jobsites.


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## sundogusa (Dec 4, 2005)

*Homemade Rackatier*

I cut 2 pieces of scrap 1/4" masonite 6" square and through bolted them to the spools using some scrap 1/2" threaded rod and a couple of nuts.

Total cost $0
Total Labor $0

Total savings What's a roll of wire cost??


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## mdshunk (Mar 13, 2005)

sundogusa said:


> I cut 2 pieces of scrap 1/4" masonite 6" square and through bolted them to the spools using some scrap 1/2" threaded rod and a couple of nuts.
> 
> Total cost $0
> Total Labor $0
> ...


I applaud your homebrew suggestion. I was the tinkering sort in years gone by, but lately I'm too busy to fuss with things. I'm pleased that it's works out for you. I did get the reel ends, but havn't tried them yet. In fact, they're laying on the floor next to me, but I've never ripped the pack open to check them out yet. The true tell will be to pull with them. The thing that appealed to me about them was the fact that the repair shaft is hollow, so you can put it on the same axel as normal rolls.


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## macmikeman (Sep 12, 2005)

Not on the axel that is part of a Greenlee wire cart:sad: That is too large diameter to fit inside. I think 5/8" rod might work out ok. 1/2" would probably bend under the weight of the spools.


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## hiflyer (Nov 12, 2008)

*Spool Tool*

I could not believe my eyes when I saw the rack-a-tiers spool repair kit.
I am currently in the patent search for the Spool Tool. It slightly increases the diameter of the original wire spool, it will take 1 or 2 minutes to repair a spool. It will take 1/2" conduit, end plates are flat and smooth, non marking nylon. Need only repair broken side. Encapsulates broken end so you don't have those wire snags. I would like to get some feedback if this may be a better solution to everyones problem. 
Until I am in patent pending I cannot discuss in to much detail design, or how it works. I have used it on my own jobs and it works well.


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## mahlere (Aug 6, 2006)

old thread...but some of you are old men....a few years ago there was a company trying to market THHN in plastic wrap (similar to how NM-B is sent)...the premise was that you could stack these in a 5-gal bucket and pull up through the middle....no more spools...

i had a chance to see them in action at ElecticWest about 5-6 yrs ago, but apparently they didn't catch on....


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## 220/221 (Sep 29, 2007)

Yeah...pulling wire from the center. GREAT idea :jester: Add a bunch of squirrlyO's to the pull.

Back in the 70's, thhn came in flat boxes. Not so good.

If you store your spools properly they won't break. I guess you know that though arty:


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## mahlere (Aug 6, 2006)

220/221 said:


> Yeah...pulling wire from the center. GREAT idea :jester: Add a bunch of squirrlyO's to the pull.
> 
> Back in the 70's, thhn came in flat boxes. Not so good.
> 
> If you store your spools properly they won't break. I guess you know that though arty:


that was just it...no squirrlyO's...it was actually a nice setup...


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## 220/221 (Sep 29, 2007)

If it pulled from the center, how did the wire come off straight ???

My complaint is with the new spools, they make the ends barely big enough to contain the wire so you have to fight with brand new spools.

An extra inch wouldn't kill them.


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## mahlere (Aug 6, 2006)

220/221 said:


> If it pulled from the center, how did the wire come off straight ???
> 
> My complaint is with the new spools, they make the ends barely big enough to contain the wire so you have to fight with brand new spools.
> 
> An extra inch wouldn't kill them.


if i knew the answers, i'd remember the company that was hawking it...


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## Tiger (Nov 21, 2007)

I keep the THHN in a plastic milk crate & pull it from there. I still break some rolls but it seems to help.


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## 220/221 (Sep 29, 2007)

_Milk _crates rock :thumbup:


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## macmikeman (Sep 12, 2005)

The old square boxes of thw or tw used to have a printed circle at the middle of the box that you cut out with a knife. Then you could pull out the wire from the center of the box. The yo-yo's you get from stranded wire are worse than the ones that came from the old tw boxes, the stuff pulled pretty good as I recall, but then that was a long long time ago...... Back then I was a real man, cause all I did was bend pipe and pull wire. Now I mostly use that pretend stuff- you know- romex....::laughing:


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## 220/221 (Sep 29, 2007)

Thw????

tw????

I thought *I* was old. :notworthy


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