Traceable Duct Rodder with Copper or Steel Wire for High-Conductivity and Flexible Cable Installation

Traceable Duct Rodder with Copper or Steel Wire | High-Conductivity Cable Installation Tool

1. Overview

The Traceable Duct Rodder is designed for efficient cable installation and maintenance in conduit systems.
Equipped with copper or steel traceable wire, it ensures excellent electrical conductivity for detection and tracing during underground or enclosed duct installations.
This tool is essential for telecommunications, power, and fiber optic line projects, improving installation accuracy and reducing conduit damage.

2. Product Definition

A duct rodder is a flexible rod used to guide cables through conduits, ducts, or pipes.
The traceable version includes copper or steel wire integrated into the rod, allowing easy detection with a compatible locator.
Key features include:

• Flexible and strong rod material for long conduit runs

• Copper or steel traceable wire for accurate detection

• Smooth surface to minimize friction with cables

3. Key Features

• Traceable Wire Integration

Copper or steel wire embedded along the rod enables electromagnetic detection, ensuring precise tracing of the duct path.

• Excellent Conductivity

High-quality copper or steel provides low resistance and reliable electrical tracing, ideal for locating rods underground.

• Durable Rod Construction

Made from high-strength fiberglass or reinforced PVC, resistant to bending, twisting, and abrasion.

• Smooth, Low-Friction Surface

Minimizes damage to cables and conduits during installation.

• Lightweight & Easy to Handle

Portable for field use, reduces operator fatigue, and suitable for long duct runs.

4. Advantages

• Accurate Traceability

Integrated wire allows instant location detection, reducing installation errors and maintenance time.

• Wide Application

Suitable for fiber optic, telecom, and electrical cable installation in ducts, conduits, and pipes.

• Durable and Long-Lasting

Resistant to harsh environments, moisture, and repeated use.

• Reduced Cable Damage

Smooth rod surface and reinforced structure prevent snags and scratches on cables.

• Easy Integration with Locators

Compatible with standard duct rodder traceable locators for real-time path verification.

5. Technical Specifications

6. Applications

• Fiber optic cable installation in underground ducts

• Power and telecommunication cable pulling in conduits

• Tracing existing duct routes before maintenance

• Detecting and locating underground lines with locator devices

• Conduit path verification for installation planning

Traceable duct rodder, as its name says, has excellent traceable performance due to its special design. The wire diameter of traceable duct rodder can be made into 8 mm – 16 mm diameter rods to be used to find, follow and accurately map the duct route without digging or trenching.

Structure of traceable duct rodder

As we all know, the conventional fiberglass duct rodder or fiberglass fish tape is composed of resin impregnated fiberglass core rod and polypropylene thermoplastic sheath. The traceable duct rodder has a special structure for traceable applications.

TDR-02: Traceable fiberglass duct rodder has various colors for choice.

• Inserted copper or steel wire. The 0.5 mm to 1.0 mm copper wire or steel wire are inserted in the center of the fiberglass core rod. Additional, the copper or steel wire is directly connected with the transmitter leads on the end fitting. The other transmitter lead is connected to a stake driven into the earth. So, the copper or steel wire can supply a direct and efficient transmission.
• Fiberglass rod. The glass fibers are impregnated with resins to form strong and solid fiberglass rod. The fiberglass rod is the most important part, which supplies anti-bending and not easy to breakage.
• Polypropylene sheath. Polypropylene granules are melted and then cover the fiberglass rod for excellent abrasion resistance performance. Additional, the polypropylene sheath can be made into different colors to make the traceable duct rodder colorful and beautiful.
• Frame: galvanized or powder coated frame supplies corrosion and rust resistance and durable life.
• Rubber or plastic wheels. The wheels make the transporting and operating easy, convenient and labor saving.
• Hand-operated brake. It makes the push, pull and stop operation easy and convenient.
• Hydraulic compression copper head. Hydraulic compression make the head will never drop.
• Rod guide.
• Grip.
• Associated equipment. Signal transmitter and receiver.

TDR-03: Galvanized traceable duct rodder for corrosion resistance.

TDR-04: Hand-operated brake for easy push, pulling and stop.

TDR-05: Copper wire for easy traceable and conductive.

TDR-06: Hydraulic compression copper head will never drop.

Specifications of traceable duct rodder

• Traceable wire material: copper wire or steel wire.
• Traceable wire diameter: 0.5 mm to 1.0 mm.
• Core rod material: glass fibers with resin impregnated.
• Sheath material: polypropylene.
• Rod diameter: 8 mm to 16 mm.
• Rod length: 80 m to 500 m.
• Frame size: 160mm × 450mm × 500mm, 170mm × 600mm × 750mm, etc. (maximum size: 550mm × 1500mm × 1600mm).
• Frame material: Galvanized pipe or powder coated pipe.

Features of traceable duct rodder

• Copper or steel wire for excellent conductive performance.
• PP sheath supplies excellent abrasion resistance performance and various colors.
• Fiberglass core rod is anti-bending.
• Galvanized or PVC coating frame for durable and corrosion and rust resistance.
• Hand-operated brake for easily pull, push and

Applications of traceable duct rodder

• Find, follow and accurately map the duct route.
• Communication cable laying.
• Optical cable laying.
• Pipeline washing and cleaning.

TDR-07: Traceable duct rodder is convenient to map the traceable route.

TDR-08: Traceable duct rodder is widely used for optical cable laying.

7. FAQ

Q1: Can the rodder be used in long or curved ducts?
Yes, flexible design allows easy navigation through long, bent, or narrow ducts.

Q2: Which wire type is better, copper or steel?
Copper offers superior conductivity and tracing sensitivity; steel is stronger and more abrasion-resistant for longer runs.

Q3: How is the traceable wire detected?
Use an electromagnetic duct rodder locator compatible with the wire type.

Q4: Can the rod length be customized?
Yes, lengths from 30m to 100m or longer can be manufactured based on project needs.

Q5: Is the rod resistant to moisture and corrosion?
Yes, fiberglass or reinforced PVC rod with coated wire ensures durability in wet or corrosive environments.

Changshu Xinya Machinery Manufacturing Co., Ltd.is located in the beautiful and rich Chinese historical and cultural city - Changshu, Jiangsu. It is on the east of Shanghai, on the southern edge of Suzhou, west of Wuxi, north of the Yangtze River.It is convenient for transportation.

Changshu Xinya Machinery Manufacturing Co., Ltd. is founded in the eighties of last century, specializing in the production of various electrical equipment, forklift mast and so on. And in 2010,we passed through the ISO9001: 2000 and BV certification.

With support of customers, our products  have sold all over the word. According to the needs of the majority of users, we will increase the investment in science and technology,constantly develop new products, strengthen and improve product performance to meet the requirements of our customers.

Our main products are 1 ton, 2 tons, 3 tons, 5 tons, 8 tons JJM series cable pulling winch, hydraulic tensioner,hydraulic puller,cable laying euiqpments,high pressure hydraulic pump with hydraulic crimping tools,come along clamp,stringing pulley, cable roller and cable drum trailer, steel bar, aluminum alloy gin pole , And other power construction equipment and a variety of large tonnage forklift mast and a variety of special requirements of non-standard gantry.

Manufacturing process is complete, strong technical force, processing capacity is complete, finished products are strictly standardized technical quality testing, a sound quality control and after-sales service system, formed a certain scale of power equipment production capacity. Our existing variety of equipment are more than 80 sets, processing capacity, more sophisticated equipment (processing centers and CNC equipment 15 sets) to ensure product quality.