50 Amp - 30 Amp

[Florida]

Do any of you carry a 30 Amp cord with you in case there is not a 50 Amp hookup where you go? I'm looking at carrying a 50' 30 Amp cord just in case a 25' isn't long enough with my 50 Amp... Not much on electricity, but I would think 1 50' cord would be better than 2 25' cords... Maybe lose power if 3 cords were hooked together... ? The prices for these cords are all over the place... Quality? Thanks for any information...

Joe & Diana

[DBL Z]

I carry a 50amp extension cord and a 50 to 30amp adaptor.

also a 30 to 110 adaptor

[Phil Saran]

I carry the factory 50 amp cord, a 50 amp surge protector and a
50 to 30 amp adaptor cord (about 2 ft. long) plus a 25 ft. 110
extension cord.

I have never needed anything longer.

[Chance]

Originally Posted by Joe & Diana

....cut.... Not much on electricity, but I would think 1 50' cord would be better than 2 25' cords. ....cut.....

Technically that's correct but practically I doubt it makes much difference -- provided both 25-ft cords are otherwise identical to the 50-ft cord.

The biggest difference is the addition of one set of end connectors which by design are rated to handle the full current rating. So it comes down to possible incremental voltage drop due to the plugs themselves, and that should be next to insignificant if in good condition.

The other thing to consider is that voltage drop in cord not only depends on length but also amount of current going through it. So a 25-ft cord at 50 Amps is not all that different in voltage drop than a 50-ft cord at 25 Amps.

As long as you have adequate voltage at the RV under load, I personally wouldn't worry too much about the cord length. Just make sure you cant exceed the cord's current rating.

[Florida]

Thanks y'all... See ya on the road...

[blw2]

I have never needed anything more than the 25ft or so cord integral to my coach..... or the cord that was in my popup that was likely a bit shorter.

I'm 30AM, but I carry dogbones for 50A or 15A

[JamieGeek]

A couple of times we've needed 50ft and once we've needed 75ft.

[Joezilla]

When the transformer governing the pedestals in our winter RV area this past winter blew up, the closest working pedestal was over 100 feet away. I used my 30 foot 50 amp cord, along with my 25 foot 50 amp extension cord. I added a 50 amp to 30 amp converter. Then attached 75 feet of 2 30 amp cords, which was finally long enough to plug into the active pedestal. That gave us 30 amp service at a time we did not need a/c.

So that is what I carry in the RV, 50' of 50 amp cords and 75' of 30 amp cords, along with an assortment of various adapters so that I can plug into nearly any type of plug. We do not boondock and thus need electricity at all times.

Joe

[FW28z]

The only real issue I see is if you extend your 50A service with a 30A cord, you must plug into the 30A service at the pedestal... in other words, don't attempt to use a dog-bone and connect to 50A service.

This should be obvious, but you could encounter this situation if say, the pedestal only has 50A service. It is not all that common, but I have encountered 50A only service at the pedestal on occasion.

The problem is of course safety; if you have a 50A breaker in your RV and only have 50A service at the pedestal, you should not be using a 30A cord between them.

At any rate, the manufacturer is cheaping out with just a 25ft cable, which is probably not sufficient. If you only camp at private parks, you might get away with a short cable, but I camp at both private and state parks. I'd venture to say that 20% of the time, I have needed more than 25ft.

I would recommend a 25ft extension cable, as sooner or later, you are going to need it. Whether you want to spend the extra money for a 50A cable (they can be pricey), or a 30A cable is up to you. In reality though, 30A will probably be sufficient, unless you have 2 AC units and want to run them both.

[Joezilla]

Originally Posted by FW28z

At any rate, the manufacturer is cheaping out with just a 25ft cable, which is probably not sufficient.

I have not needed more than the 25' of original 50 amp cord but less than 10 times in the nearly 4 years we've had this unit. I am not sure if it is 25 or 30', but I do know that it is shorter than the 50 amp cord we had on our previous unit.

Anyone know how long the cord is on the newer Mobile Suites that have the built in cord reel?

Joe

[retispcsi]

Funny as I write this post I am using my factory 50amp and my spare 50amp cord. Not sure if it is 30 or 35'. I also carry a spare 30 amp cord. 50amp to 30 amp pigtail cord and a 30 amp to 15 amp pigtail. We fulltime and I have had need for the cords in the past.

[Cummins12V98]

I would guess the cord with the power reel is 25-30'.