There is probably 5 inches from the bottom of the can to the lugs. An entrance through the bottom would have probably been ok for bending the 4/0. You can see the pliers marks on the 4/0 insulation from the bending method he used. My favorites are the cutting off half the strands and stuffing the 4/0 into 1 1/2 pipe. The flying conduit was great too.
