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Alright fellows, this week we are going to get back to basics. I know, I spend a great deal of time here handing out business advice and that for a lot of the readers, who work in the trenches each day, that you’re just not that into the dollars and cents game.

For you, it is the everyday Wire Nuts and Lug Bolts that make up your world. You are much more interested in making your work simpler and easier than you are in, how to increase the bottom line.

This point was brought home to me when I asked a couple of my guys what they thought of these blogs and one of them informed me “They’re nice, but it’s not always about the boss, Boss. It wasn’t the answer I expected, but maybe it was the answer I needed to hear. I hadn’t realized I was spending so much time on my concerns and so little on theirs.

That’s why for the next few posts we are going back to the basics of our work and the wonderful tools that can make our lives easier.

Bending Joy

One of the joys that we all know as electricians is the fun we can have when it comes to feeding and terminating heavy cables. Truly, there is nothing more exciting than knowing you have a full day of bending and fighting cables, in the 500 to 750 MCM range, through a series of LB’s and Wire Ways just so you can try and make that last 90 degree turn with just enough slack to reach its termination point.

Bulldog Benders

That is why the first family of tools we are going to talk about is the Bulldog Benders Family. I say family because this actually a collection of tools.

The entire family of Bulldogs serves one purpose and one purpose only. That purpose is to give us that little extra muscle that it takes to make those big boys go where we want them to go.

Think of them as pry bars specifically designed to grab, hold and bend cables. They consist of high tensile steel bars with knobs that securely grasp the cable in a no slip grip.

Growing a Family

The Original Bulldog is a great tool. It can handle up to 500 MCM and is near perfect for making turns in LBs and working in Wire Ways but as often happens with great ideas it was found to be near but not quite perfect.

 

That is how we got the Bulldog Bender Pro. The good folks at Rack-A-Tiers figured out that by repositioning the dowels and adding a T-grip adaptor configuration they could give us even more leverage and make it easier to work in tighter spaces.

 

Now having worked with both of these distinct animals, I have to say that, they are simply fantastic for saving you from sore shoulders and grated knuckles and when purchased as a 3 piece set are cheap, for what you get. They still had one drawback; they were a little lightweight for those who really work with the big stuff.

 

I should have known that my good friends were way ahead of me. Before I could even voice my concern they had introduced the Bulldog Big Daddy Set. It has all the features and advantages of the Bulldog pro but is built on an even larger scale which means that it can handle cables up to 750 MCM with ease.

 

If you work heavy cable, even on an occasional basis, make sure to check out these beauties. You will not regret making this family part of your family

Until next time, keep the coffee hot, the beer cold and don’t forget to like us on Facebook.