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Administmtlml Refer to: HNG-14 

Mr. Russell E. Mack 

Hr. William H. Coy 

PrecisionForm Incorporated 

I46 West Airport Road 

Lititz, Pennsylvania 17543 

Dear Messrs. Flack and Coy: 

Thank you for your letter of January 22 to Mr. James H. Hatton in which you 

requested Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) acceptance of a revision to 

your company's PFI 200-l breakaway coupler for use with luminaire supports. 

Your letter included drawings of the currently acceptable version of the 

PFI 200-l (accepted via our letter of January 26, 1990) and the proposed 

version as modified (shown on drawing SK 965, revision 01, copy enclosed). 

You also included production test data of the currently acceptable version, 

and results of tests on modified versions of the PFI 200-1, including the one 

you wish to put into production. Modification of the PFI 200-l apparently was 

deemed necessary to increase the compressive strength of the coupler. 

The revisions include increasing the length of the threaded interior of the 

coupler by 0.50 inches and moving the retaining bands in 0.29 inches from each 

end. The data you presented indicate these changes result in increasing the 

compressive strength of the coupler while not adversely affecting its tensile 

or shear strengths. The laboratory shear test data included with your letter 

and in a facsimile message of January 29 indicate that the shear strengths of 

the prototype modified PFI 200-l (drawing number SK-965, revision 01) fall 

within the same range as the results recorded during testing of your current 

production model. Only four shear tests on the modified PFI 200-l (SK 965 

revision 01) were conducted. Therefore, we are granting acceptance of the 

modified device contingent upon your providing us data on shear tests of early 

production samples as soon as they are available and that these tests show 

results similar to those of the replaced coupler. We infer that you have 

continuously sampled your coupler production to ensure the strength and 

breakaway requirements of the couplers are met and that you will continue to 

do so. 
2 

The other acceptance conditions in our prior letter, including maximum pole 

weight (800 pounds) and proprietary restrictions, remain in effect. 

Sincerely yours, 

%h 

L. A. Staron 

Chlef, Federal-Aid and Design Divfsion 

Enclosure 

Geometric and Roadside Design Acceptance Letter LS-23 
(W 

PFI 200-l BREQhAWQY COUPLING FISSEMBLY 

SK-065 I=’ 01 

I”. 

I. BOTH ENDS 
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a U.S. DEJxwmmt 

of Tmnsfxxmtlon 

-mghwcly 

Administmtton 

NO’/ 20 1~2 

4W Seventh St.. S.W. 

Washington, D.C. 20590 

Refer to: HNG-14 

Mr. Russell E. Mack 

Sales Manager 

PrecisionForm Incorporated 

148 West Airport Road 

Lititz, Pennsylvania 17543 

Dear Mr. Mack: 

This is in response to your request of November 10 regarding the use of the 

PrecisionForm ZOO-1A coupler in the United States. On February 4, 1991, the 

Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) wrote a letter of acceptance for this 

coupler, a modification of the 200-l coupler. This FHWA acceptance was 

contingent upon you providing us with laboratory shear test results indicating 

consistent, successful performance of the couplings. On February 26, 1991, 

you gave us results of early production testing. On November 16, 1992, you 

followed this up with the results of production testing over the last 20 

months. These results show that the shear test results on the PFI 200-1A 

(your designation of the modified coupler) are similar to those conducted on 

the original PFI 200-l model. 

Therefore, your company's 200-1A model couplings continue to meet the FHWA 

acceptance guidelines and, except for requirements on the use of proprietary 

products, are acceptable without qualifications for use on Federal-aid highway 

projects. 

In addition, we have determined that these couplings are in current use by 

various highway agencies throughout the United States. 

Sincerely yours, 

Lawrence A. Staron 

Chief, Federal-Aid and Design Division 

Supplement to Geometric and Roadside Design Acceptance Letter Number LS-23