Runpotec XB300 cable dispenser / runposticks / thread size

[happysteve]

Thinking of getting a Runpotec XB300 cable dispenser, as my yellow framed tripod thing is unsatisfactory for all the usual reasons.

You can screw in a "Runpostick" (Runpotec's version of super rods) to extend the stubby little mandrel so you can put several drums on (e.g. singles for conduit), I don't suppose anyone who has one of these XB300's (or XB500's) knows what thread it is, and/or whether you can just use a super-rod instead? I suspect it's a proprietry thread, but you never know!

Anyone got any experience using these? efixx did a video about them a couple of years ago... seems I'm late to the party for advances in cable dispensers!

 

[HappyHippyDad]

I've just watched the video Steve. It looks great doesn't it. I instantly though... I'm going to get one!

I'm forever in the loft, or up a ladder and the damn cable comes off the reel.

My only concern is that on most occasions you are pulling the cable up, not side ways as they a re showing in the video. You pull it up to get through joists. In fact, I can't think of times when I pull it in the same manner as they are demonstrating it, i.e horizontally.

It may still work just fine, but I would need to see it, or hear it (from a trusted source) before I bought one.

 

[SparkySy]

Ok so I have one, the 300, it is excellent but does have it's issues, as in when coming to the end of a drum with little weight on it it will loose the drum as with the A frame reelers and turn into a tangle, or pull the whole lot across the room. The bearings do not like grit in them, which is a pain if you do a lot of outside work as muck does get in them and needs Cleaning out or it won't spin properly.
That said It does have a tether point to fix it to something and stop it sliding around.
If the cable drum keeps spinning after you have stopped pulling then the base actually helps it not to get tangled which is a bonus!
I also bought the pull up middle attachment for it and it will hold two drums of T&E quite happily, but the metal flip out supports on it are a pain for getting the cable wrapped around them so I removed them and it made it instantly more useful.
I have found on pulls through ceilings or high up that if the reeler is too close to the hole the cable will just come off in spirals, but if you position it about 2 metres from the hole it will pull in nicely!
As for the thread size in the middle I have no idea and have never tried using a rod in it as I can't see it being strong enough to not just bend and the drum fall off.
They are very good though and I do use mine over the A frame type most days as it's easier to load and unload and light, and will hold a weighty drum of cable, when the bearings are clean they are super smooth which makes the pull a lot easier!
Sy

 

[Dave5678]

I’ve got one and wouldn’t be without it, it’s so much better than the alternatives.

It works best if the cable is being pulled horizontally so when you need to pull up it is best to set it back across the room to get a bit of a slope on the cable. Fitting the mandrel also helps stop the cable drum being pulled up off the unit. I’ve never tried with a rod in the centre as the thread is different to the super rod thread so you would have to buy a runpotec rod to do this.

The heavier the drum the better it works so it is brilliant for armoured etc so long as the weight is under the limit. For almost empty drums of T+E there is a hole you can put a screw through if the flooring permits or you could use the fixing point to tie it to something in order to stop it sliding.

The box it comes in (L-boxx?) is pretty poor quality compared to some other brands but is useful to keep the bits together. Due to the size of the board you would need something like a Toughsystem or Milwaukee box if you wanted to replace it, a T-stak is slightly too small.

Overall when pulling cables it’s worth a man so it pays for itself pretty quickly.

 

[happysteve]

Thanks for all the info @SparkySy and @Dave5678

The 2 main attractions for me are:

(1) more compact and easier to store in the van than the yellow A-frame jobbie, and

(2) use for SWA drums, or heavier T&E. At the moment, I take my conduit bender with me, and use the bender arm extender tube in the pipe vice to hold the SWA drum on - which is fine if the drum is 50kg or less, and even so it's a bit of a faff to carry to the job, and it's not the most stable thing. Just rolling the drum to where you need it, and plomping it on the dispenser, is very attractive!

 

[nicebutdim]

We have an XB500 and it's every bit as good as you might expect. The weight capacity is incredible, but I never seen it with anything close to that limit.

Edit: XB500 capacity is 800kg. We've probably managed to load a couple of hundred kg on it and it works effortlessly. Probably way over specified for the use we give it as big drums tend to be set up on big rollers.

 

[SparkySy]

They are definitely easier to load a drum onto than a reeler or conduit bender.
I have had some very heavy drums of SWA on mine with no issues reeling off from them.
They take up very little space in the van too!

 

[nicebutdim]

They are definitely easier to load a drum onto than a deeper or conduit bender.
I have had some very heavy drums of SWA on mine with no issues reeling off from them.
They take up very little space in the van too!

This is a huge factor in their favour, compared to the alternatives for heavy drums of cable.

 

[happysteve]

Just picked up the XB300 and mandrel jobbie from the wholesaler. First impressions: very good. I'll post back here once I've used it in anger a bit. For now, very pleased to get the old yellow A-frame thing out of the van, but I'm not putting it out for the scrappie just yet...

The thread size is proprietry (or something oddball at least) - it's not M6 (higher tpi), and it's nowhere near the same as the Superod thread (1/4"?). Don't think I'll need it though - turns out, a 50mm diameter downpipe offcut is a pretty good match for the stubby little bit that sticks up from the base, so I'll just use that if I get problems with taller light weight drums falling over.

 

[KungFuTurkeyLeg]

I have about 4 or 5 of the big ones as we tend to work with 1km and 2km drums. They are good but they become a bit unstable as the drum empties and the weight drops