Blackburn PAA4-B1-5 PARALLEL GROOVE CLAMP 1 BOLT 1/0-6

The PAA4-B1-5 covers a 1/0 through 6 conductor range, and it takes two conductors, one in each groove. Because it is a parallel groove clamp, the two runs sit side by side and are clamped together rather than butted end to end, so both conductors have to fall inside that 1/0 to 6 range.

The PAA4-B1-5 body is aluminum. Aluminum-bodied parallel groove clamps of this style are used on aluminum conductors and on aluminum-to-copper parallel taps only where the clamp is rated AL/CU; the PAA4-B1-5 record states the material, not a dual rating, so treat it as an aluminum conductor clamp. For an all-copper parallel tap, use a copper or bronze bodied clamp instead.

Single bolt. The bolt is 3/8 inch with a 9/16 inch head, so a 9/16 socket or wrench is what goes in the pouch for this one. One bolt keeps the body short, which helps where you are tapping a parallel run in tight space.

Plan for a body of 2-7/32 inch height by 1-3/16 inch length by 1-1/2 inch width, plus swing room for a 9/16 inch bolt head. That is the envelope to check before you commit to it inside a crowded pull box or hard against a structure.

Bolted, mechanical. No crimp tool, no die set, no hydraulic head needed, which is why crews carry these for field taps and repairs where bringing a compression tool is not practical. Torque the 3/8 inch bolt and the joint is made.

It is a bare metal clamp with no insulation of any kind. Any insulation or protection at the joint has to be added in the field, or the connection has to be made where bare hardware is acceptable, such as a grounding or bonding run.

Both make a mechanical parallel tap. A parallel groove clamp like the PAA4-B1-5 seats each conductor in its own machined groove and pulls them together with a bolt, which keeps the two runs aligned and spreads the bearing surface. A split bolt wraps the pair inside a single threaded body and is usually the cheaper, smaller choice on smaller wire. For the 1/0 to 6 range with a 9/16 head bolt, the groove clamp is the easier one to seat cleanly on larger aluminum.

Sold each, one clamp per unit, under manufacturer part number PAA4-B1-5. If you are standardizing a truck stock or a job pull for parallel taps in the 1/0 to 6 range, count the taps and order that quantity.