Thomas & Betts XJG84-EMT EMT Expansion Coupling, 3 In, 4 In Travel

The XJG84-EMT is sized for 3 inch EMT and allows 4 inches of travel. That travel is the total movement the coupling absorbs, so on a long run you set it near mid-travel at install to leave room for the conduit to both grow and contract with temperature swings.

It is an EMT fitting. The XJG84 is built to terminate 3 inch electrical metallic tubing, not threaded rigid conduit and not PVC. If the run is PVC, use a PVC expansion joint instead, such as the Cantex 5 Series expansion coupling or the Kraloy EJ25 expansion joint.

The Thomas & Betts XJG84-EMT is a ductile iron expansion coupling made for 3 inch EMT with 4 inches of travel, so it lands on steel raceway runs and takes the mechanical abuse that comes with exposed metal conduit. The Cantex 5133591 is a PVC expansion coupling in the 5 Series, intended for PVC conduit runs where the body is solvent-welded or slip-fit rather than fastened to steel tubing. Choose by the raceway material already in the run: EMT takes the XJG84-EMT, rigid PVC takes the Cantex.

No. The Kraloy EJ25 is a PVC expansion joint built for PVC conduit, while the Thomas & Betts XJG84-EMT is a ductile iron expansion coupling for 3 inch EMT with 4 inches of travel. The two terminate on different raceway materials and are not interchangeable in the same run. Use the EJ25 only where the conduit entering the fitting is PVC.

A standard coupling locks two lengths of tubing together, so any thermal movement or structural shift gets transferred into the conduit, the straps, and the boxes. An expansion coupling like the XJG84-EMT lets the 3 inch EMT slide within the fitting, up to 4 inches of travel, so the run takes the movement without buckling or pulling a connector loose. Use one wherever the raceway crosses a structural expansion joint or runs long distances through large temperature swings.

Plan on it. Because the tubing slides inside the fitting, the metallic path across an expansion coupling is a sliding joint rather than a fixed mechanical one, so the equipment grounding path across it is normally carried by a bonding jumper sized for the circuit unless the fitting is specifically listed to maintain continuity. On a 3 inch feeder raceway that is the detail inspectors look at first.

The XJG84-EMT is a ductile iron fitting for 3 inch EMT, which is not the raceway used in direct-burial or corrosive-environment PVC systems. For those runs the comparable choices are the Cantex 5133591 5 Series PVC expansion coupling or the Kraloy EJ25 PVC expansion joint, both of which are nonmetallic bodies made to join PVC conduit.

The Thomas & Betts XJG84-EMT is rated for 4 inches of travel on 3 inch EMT. The Cantex 5133591 is identified as a 5 Series PVC expansion coupling and the Kraloy EJ25 as an EJ25 PVC expansion joint; confirm the travel figure for either PVC fitting against the thermal movement calculated for the run before specifying it. If the design calls for 4 inches of travel on metal raceway, the XJG84-EMT is the fitting that states it.

Order it as Thomas & Betts XJG84-EMT. That designation covers the 3 inch EMT size with 4 inch travel in a ductile iron body, so there is no separate size or finish option to call out.