power cord strain relief, is it necessary?

[robkathybat]

5 years ago I bought a Camco 55572 18" 50 AMP Locking Male/50 AMP Locking 90 Degree Female PowerGrip Dogbone Electrical Adapter to relieve the strain on my power cord where it plugs into the trailer. Last year the power would just suddenly go away. After ensuring the breaker wasn't tripped I discovered that it would come back on when I wiggled the adapter, so I stopped using it. I finally got around to seeing if I could figure out what the problem was. It appears one of the stabs internal to the female end (the part that connects to the trailer) has somehow slid out of place, probably due to the slight twisting motion when you connect it, so it will not maintain good contact.



I don't really want to spend another almost 60 bucks to replace it, and I have searched for just the plug to replace just that end to no avail. I am curious how others relieve the strain on their cords, or should I even be worried about it.



I did find a regular replacement plug for my cord (just not 90 degrees), so if it were ever to go bad I could replace just the plug and not have to replace the entire cord. I have done it many times with 30 amp cords.

 

[Elliott & Vicky]

A mobile tech recommends the use of them. At the campsite I met him at, he was replacing the plug at the rear of the trailer after the constant weight of the cord had damaged it and melted the wires inside the trailer. He told me it was about the 4th or 5th one he had replaced. Definitely dot Redwood specific.

 

[robkathybat]

Well I didn't think of that, I was focused on the cord being bent over and over again, having the wires in it break. One would think the connection on the trailer would be robust enough to take the weight of the cord. I will have to take a close look at mine to ensure everything looks tight.