IDEAL Industries D65-LC-U Breakaway Streetlight Connector, Dual In-Line Fused, Crimp

The IDEAL D65-LC-U is an in-line fused disconnect that sits between the utility feed and the luminaire inside the pole handhole. It does two jobs at once: the dual in-line fuses protect the fixture circuit, and the breakaway body pulls apart on impact so a struck pole separates without tearing the conductors. Spring loaded contacts inside the breakaway hold pressure as the connection heats and cools, so thermal cycling doesn't loosen the joint.

Crimp. The D65-LC-U is the crimp version, so the conductors are terminated with a crimp tool rather than set screws. If your crew is set up for screw terminals or you want a tool-free termination, this is not the model to order.

Four common tools, nothing proprietary: a knife, a wire stripper, a hex tool and a crimp tool. IDEAL rates the install at five minutes or less per connector, which is why these go in fast on a pole-by-pole retrofit run.

The D65-LC-U is a dual in-line fused connector, so both circuit conductors are fused in the single body. You don't stack two separate single-fuse holders in the handhole to protect a two-wire feed.

Go breakaway where the pole is exposed to vehicle impact, typically roadway and parking lot poles on or near a curb line. The breakaway body separates on impact so the pole leaves without dragging live conductors out of the conduit. On a pedestrian path, a courtyard bollard or anywhere the pole is shielded, a non-breakaway fused connector does the same overcurrent job without the separating feature. The D65-LC-U is the breakaway, dual-fused, crimp configuration.

IDEAL Industries D65-LC-U. That one number covers the breakaway body, dual in-line fusing and crimp termination. Fuses themselves are a separate item, sized to the luminaire load, so specify those with your order.

The breakaway models, including the D65-LC-U, use spring loaded contacts specifically to take up thermal expansion and contraction so the contact pressure stays constant. That's the failure mode that puts a crew back out on a dark pole, and it's the reason the spring is there.