30 vs 50 amp cord

[pineranch]

I have 50' of 10/4 AWG SOOW 600V portable electrical cable and put CAMCO 50 amp male and female ends on it. Used it for over a year and am finally getting around to asking the question, "what is the downside?". I do carry the rubber 50 amp but do not see the need to drag that heavy!@##$$ out for short stops.
They both are rated at 600v.
Mike

[dpilot]

You could start a fire... 10ga is rated considerably lower than 6ga.... If you keep your current levels normal you could also damage equipment due to low voltage si.ce overloading the cable creates heat and a lower voltage... The higher the current draw, the higher the temp and the lower the voltage which in turn causes a higher current draw on equip....
Just my opinion, good luck... !!!!!

[NCFischers]

I agree with dpilot. 10ga wire is rated for 30 amps and can overheat and cause big problems (read fire) and cause a voltage problem that can damage equipment.

[farmboy]

Ok, The 10/4 awg soow 600v is only rated for 30 amps period. That is the reason the 50 amp cords are 6awg. Now you can use sjow wire, which is 300v rated if you wish to lower weight,but it does not have a rugged outer casing and will wear out at some point after being dragged around on the ground. Wear is the reason they use such a heavy cord. JMHO.

[BB_TX]

At full load you would have something over 5 volts drop in the line. So if the park voltage was low to begin with it could drop in the trailer below recommended levels for some appliances.
Since it is used externally of the trailer, heating (fire) probably would not be a concern although it could get hot enough to damage your connections.
And from one web site;
* The national electric code (NEC) specifies that the overcurrent protection device not exceed 30A for 10 AGW wire, 20A for 12 AGW wire and 15A for 14 AWG wire.

[pineranch]

Sooo, If I use my 50 to 30 amp pigtail and hook up to a 30 amp park box I'm golden!!!!!
Mike

[Tom S.]

quote:Originally posted by pineranch

Sooo, If I use my 50 to 30 amp pigtail and hook up to a 30 amp park box I'm golden!!!!!
Mike

Yes.

[NCFischers]

The 30 amp outlet on the pedestal has three wires, one hot, one neutral and one ground and requires a three wire, 30 amp cord with three hole, 30 amp plugs. The 50 amp outlet has two hot leads requiring a 4 wire 50 amp cord and 50 amp, 4 wire plugs. You should NOT be putting 50 amp plugs on 30 amp wire. They are different for a reason. You can get into a lot of trouble doing that.

[kab449]

I put a 30 amp RV plug on the one end of the cable and The 50 female connector on the other end. You do have to put a jumper in the 50 to feed both legs into the Monty from the single hot from the 30 on the pedestal. Then you plug into the 30 amp on the pedestal and you will not exceed the rating of the 10 gauge wire. The only thing you can't do is run any 240 volt appliances if you have any and you will have to turn off the double pole breaker the them. PM me if you need any more info.

Just saw you have 10-4 wire, you only need 10-3 so you can tie both hots to the single hot of the 30 amp plug and not need the jumper.

[Tom S.]

quote:Originally posted by NCFischers

The 30 amp outlet on the pedestal has three wires, one hot, one neutral and one ground and requires a three wire, 30 amp cord with three hole, 30 amp plugs. The 50 amp outlet has two hot leads requiring a 4 wire 50 amp cord and 50 amp, 4 wire plugs. You should NOT be putting 50 amp plugs on 30 amp wire. They are different for a reason. You can get into a lot of trouble doing that.

They do make 30 amp pigtails that are made for this though. I'm guessing it puts power to both lines of the 50 amp cord. You obviously can't draw 30 amps on both sides because the 30 amp pedestal breaker would blow. I've used one with no issues, but was always mindful not to overload the circuit.

[Lije Baley]

Marinco makes a 30 amp cable with a male 30 amp connector and a female 50 amp connector for those that want the convenience of a lighter cable without doing all the modifications at home. We've used one for years. That 50 amp cable is too heavy and inflexible. The only drawback of which I'm aware is that only one AC can be powered when the power is rated at 30 amps. We've only got one AC, so it's not been a problem.

http://www.amazon.com/ParkPower-Mari...9977390&sr=1-8

[Carl32092]

Here is a handy site for figuring out what you need to run for length and amperage. Good to bookmark! Also lets you figure 12vdc line loses.

http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/el...tems-t_33.html