Electrical cords - Montana Owners Club

brenkco · 02-26-2008, 06:08 AM

Can I get some input on what electrical cords you folks carry? I have the one that came with my 3400RL and a 30', 30 amp extension that I used with my TT.

I was considering buying a 30a-50a adapter so that I could combine the 2 cables in case I was too far from the power pole. Would a 2nd, 50a extension cord be more advisable? I do not have a 2nd a/c unit. Thanks!

racerjoe · 02-26-2008, 06:26 AM

I carry a spare 30amp cord with the adapter. it seems you run into more 30amp service poles than 50amp. When all else fails I also have a 50ft 10gauge extention cord made up for plugging into a 20amp service, I went to our local electrical supply house and bought 10ga cord,male and female ends. At least with that cord,I won't lose a lot of voltage in the run. But that is my setup and it has worked for me.

exav8tr · 02-26-2008, 06:28 AM

As I am fulltiming, I carry a 30 amp cord, 50 amp cord, and every conceivable adapter possible, just in case.

bsmeaton · 02-26-2008, 06:33 AM

You might be money better spent just getting the extra 50A cord. I ran into a similar situation last year because the pedestal was too far away. I hooked up my 30A as an extension and it wasn't long before I was shutting off equipment and resetting breakers. This year I will get the extra 50A cord.

By going to 30A you cut capacity down to 30% (keep in mind the 50A is actually 2-50A circuits or 100A - the 30A is not).

Mudchief · 02-26-2008, 06:59 AM

I have a extra 50 amp cord and have used it 6 times last year to reach the pedestal. Like Brad said above without it you will be cutting off things.

racerjoe · 02-26-2008, 07:08 AM

Maybe the question should be, where do you mostly set up your unit, and the other places you attend, what is the service at the camp site? 20-30-50 amp hook ups ? This will dictate what you normally carry.

skypilot · 02-26-2008, 08:33 AM

I have to add one more thing -- how much can you carry (physically and in size). 50Amp cords are big and heavy -- 30 amp gives you a lot more run for the weight and storage space. (Plus you get to my age and you really (well I really) hate lugging that 50 amp cord around during the set-up and tear-down. Haven't been able to convince the wife that she has that duty during those time periods.....) One last thing - campground in Albuquerque had a one night theft spree - police figured the thieves were after the coppy but a bunch of us got our 50 amp cords ripped off....can't stop them but sure hate the expense to replace them....

Jolu · 02-26-2008, 09:52 AM

The Montana is the first unit we have ever had that has a 50 amp hookup. The motorhomes and trailers we have had all used 30 amp service hookups. During the PDI for the Montana the tech told me since we do not have a W/D 30 amps would be more than sufficient to run our 2955RL.
So, I bought a 50amp to 30amp pigtail that plugs into the trailer and a 30amp extension cord to run to the pedestal. It appears to do just fine so far. I did run the air for a test only. Haven't run the air for long periods yet. I do have a volt meter plugged in inside the trailer where I monitor the volts. It has always been in the green. However I will keep a close eye on it to be sure everything is performing as they should be. I prefer not to lug the 50 amp beast out if I don't have to. I would expect to use the 50 amp cord if we had a W/D.
I have plugged a Honda 2000 into the trailer and used the microwave,(not the convection), coffee pot,hair dryer,etc with no problem. I do not expect the 2000 to run the air. Again the voltage meter was well into the green.
I am glad you asked the question regarding cords. this is a good subject for input.
JB

DnDatGrdJct · 02-26-2008, 10:44 AM

I concur with JB regarding electrical service. We also purchased the 50amp to 30amp pigtail. We have not had any problems using only 30 amp service. We have spent all summer the past 3 years using only 30 amps. We have been careful what we use at one time. We found we could run the air conditioner with no problem. We could also use the Spendide washer/dryer just fine. We could also run the convection microwave. Just took a bit of advanced planning so that we kept the load within reason.

Only a couple of times when we have had 50 amps available have we needed a cord longer than the one with the Montana. At those times we just used the 30 amp extension with the proper adapters.

Would agree that having an extra 50 amp cord could be useful. But considering the extra weight, size and cost of that cord vs the 30 amp size we just haven't seen the need.

Dean Nelson

bsmeaton · 02-26-2008, 11:00 AM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by skypilot

(Plus you get to my age and you really (well I really) hate lugging that 50 amp cord around during the set-up and tear-down.

I agree with you there Skypilot - its a catch-22 for me - I need the 50A to run my oxygen machine, and I need the oxygen to carry the cord to the pedestal - life just sucks.

MacDR50 · 02-26-2008, 11:25 AM

This is going to sound dumb but I always assumed that the 50 amp plugs at the pedestal were 240 volts and the 30 and 20 were 120. Can someone confirm this?? If this is correct then you indeed have two 50 amp circuits (each phase carries 50 amps)available on the 240 plug. If you plug a 30 amp adapter onto your 50 amp cable and plug it into a 30 amp plug carrying 120 volts I am pretty sure it feeds that cables two circuits the 30 amps in total. That is a substantial drop in available power. Any "Sparkes" out there that can clear this up?

rps · 02-26-2008, 12:14 PM

Hello:

I just ordered a 30 foot 50 amp extension from Camping World for $129.00 plus $8.50 shipping -- It's waiting at home when I return to Boston in the spring --

I ran into a few situations last summer, not having enough length to hit the pedestal and had to drop back to 30 amp.

I also just did a warranty exchange for my 50 amp cable with Keystone -- Both ends of the cable were pulling out from their connectors. I read on the forum - common issue with 2007's.

I went to Suncoast RV in Ocala FL about 20 miles from where we are staying now.

The new cable has a molded cable at the Male end and a 50 amp connector at the female end ..

They told me at the service counter to plan on bringing the cable back in about 4 weeks, because after it sits out in the sun -- the cable will stretch -- they will remove the connector, shorten the wires and reattach the connector

Sounds like a plan.

bsmeaton · 02-26-2008, 12:19 PM

It is as you describe Mac - from my understanding (I was only an Apprentice).

When talking 50A service on Montana - it has two completely different meanings based on a change that occurred around 2003-2004.

The early 2003 Montanas were only 30A with an optional 50A. The option only gave you an extra 20A circuit for the 2nd AC, nothing else. The main breaker panel had a 30A and a 20A breaker. When we used the big cord and plugged in to 50A service, all it was doing was feeding our 30A and 20A circuits with independant 50A circuits. Without the 2nd AC option, it was a complete waste to lug the cord around and pay the extra for 50A service. If fact our 5500kw generator was only connected to the single 30A and was drastically oversized and underused.

The "change" that occurred 2003-2004 was two complete 50A circuits to take full advantage of the 50A plugs at the campground. Realistically when I plug into a 50A with my 2007 Montana I'm getting over 330% more power than I did when I plugged into the 50A with my 2003 Montana.

Snownyet · 02-26-2008, 12:22 PM

I had to shorten the cables at the 50a trailer connector on our 2007, it was a poor fitting assembly from day 1.

richfaa · 02-26-2008, 12:30 PM

Well we have 50 amp service and these things have a lot of Amp hungry appliances that we like to use. 99% of the time we call ahead to a C.G when on the road and ask for 50 amp service. It is a rare occasion when we do not get it. We do have 2 50 amp cords because with the hook up at the rear of the camper we have found ourselves too far away from the pole for 1 cord. We also have 2 30 amp cords left over from our TT 30 amp days...just in case. Depending on how you use the camper you in time learn what you need to carry around. The above are a lot of power cords but we have learned we need them..There are 2 legs at the 50 amp power pedestal.Our PT 50C reads Leg 1, voltage, amps drawn, frequency and leg 2, Voltage, amps drawn, frequency.... and errors if any..

Army Guy · 02-26-2008, 01:25 PM

I also carry an extra 20' 50amp cord that I had made at an rv manufacturer. I haven't had to use it yet but have it in case of need. I also carry the 30 amp cord from my TT days to - along with an assortment of adapters to cover (I hope) all possible situations.

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