The term "sidecar":

[mdshunk]

Is the term "sidecar" a geographic term, used only in a certain part of the country? I sometimes hear this term on the 'net, and as best as I can tell, it normally refers to a little 2-circuit box tapped off the subfeed lugs in a Main & Range plus four fuse panel. Ever heard this slang term before?



edit... fixed spelling

 

[brantmacga]

nope can't say that i have. but now i know.

 

[Ed Carr]

Marc, I've seen the setup you described but never heard a name given to it. Probably a referance to motorcycle sidecars? IMHO

 

[quogueelectric]

Negative I wish I could help you but I have never seen nor heard of this. That doesnt mean that it doesnt exist by any means.

 

[iwire]

To me that means a device box with the extension on the side.

 

[Pierre C Belarge]

To me that means a device box with the extension on the side.

Same here as Bob's explanation.

 

[frenchelectrican]

there is a simuair term " sidecar " box sometime called " Pregant " box as well [ it is common to find this on mobile home with super skinny wall ]

Merci, Marc

 

[tonyou812]

Isnt a sidecar a drink?

 

[mdshunk]

Isnt a sidecar a drink?

Yeah, to people in their 80's. Not quite as popular nowadays, as say maybe a Jaegar-bomb.

Neither of them seem to run on electricity, however.

 

[ITO]

Its the extra milkshake from the mixer they shake out of the can, if you are lucky they will serve it in a little cup with a animal cracker along with the full size milk shake you just ordered.

 

[ishium 80439]

I've heard it used referring to an empty cabinet that bolts on to a piece of switch gear essentially giving you room to route your wires. My old boss used this term. His background was as a union guy in SW CT so I don't know if it is more geographic or union slang or a combination between the two.

 

[al hildenbrand]

. . .the term "sidecar". . . . a little 2-circuit box tapped off the subfeed lugs in a Main & Range plus four fuse panel.

I haven't heard the term, either.

I knew them as the AC disco, or the electric water heater disco, etc.

The Master I apprenticed under, back in the Sixties, made a significant part of his "bread and butter" by plopping in the AC circuit, etc., to residential fuse centers by adding that 2-circuit box, and the term never came up there or elsewhere.

My "old" geographic learning areas include Nebraska, New Mexico, Iowa and Minnesota

 

[BackInTheHabit]

How about this?

 

[480sparky]

My money's on something like this:

 

[JohnJ0906]

I think of an add-on extention to a box. Like the add-on bracket from page 2 http://www.lamson-home2.com/MasterCatalog/Structured%20Cable%20Management%20Systems.pdf

 

[knaack134]

Is the term "sidecar" a geographic term, used only in a certain part of the country? I sometimes hear this term on the 'net, and as best as I can tell, it normally refers to a little 2-circuit box tapped off the subfeed lugs in a Main & Range plus four fuse panel. Ever heard this slang term before?



edit... fixed spelling

I have heard that term used around here. It pretty much means exactly what you described. I just removed the fuse panel from my house, which had an 8 ckt sidecar tapped off the range lugs.
As a side note, we refer to boxes bolted on to existing pull boxes or troughs as blisters. Does anybody else use that term?

 

[satcom]

It was a term used to describe an add on extension for a steel switch box, wich was used to meet the space fill requirement, by using the older small steel switch box with a side car, was a hot item for about 2 years until everyone started using plastic boxes, then the side car, stock at the vendors just went to the junk pile,

 

[Oakey]

Agree with Satcom.

 

[ed downey]

I have heard the term Sidecar used when describing Power Distribution Units (PDU) that have either a distribution section of (6) 225A breakers or a distribution section with (3) 208/120V 42 circuit panels attached to the PDU.

-Ed

 

[infinity]

For what it's worth I've never heard of anyone using the term sidecar outside of this forum.