Power cord question

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More than likely he has a marine 50A, 125/250V shore power inlet on his camper.  The three "prongs" are the two hots and the neutral.  The ground is thru the shell of the plug.  It is just a different configuration of the 50A RV plug.  The marine version was made round because it is easier to protect with weatherproof boots and sealing rings.
I have dealt with more of these connectors than I care to remember.
 
Boatbuilder Charlie is describing the plug I have on my Montana and it is 50A. The male end will be a 4 prong. Again, make sure it is only 120 volt that is coming out of the house or shed.
 
kjansen said:
Boatbuilder Charlie is describing the plug I have on my Montana and it is 50A. The male end will be a 4 prong. Again, make sure it is only 120 volt that is coming out of the house or shed.
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A correct 50 amp RV outlet will read 120 volts from each leg to the neutral, and 240 volts from leg to leg, and have a separate safety ground. That's why it's listed as "120/240". It's the same outlet form as used by modern kitchen ranges.
 
Wow, way more replies then I'm used to getting when I ask for help. Thanks alot everyone! I'm going to grab a couple pictures tomorrow and hopefully can get it sorted out. The local RV dealer quoted $370 for a 50 amp 25ft cable, which I hope is high.
 
Here's one on Amazon for $155.00.  http://www.amazon.com/Foot-Power-Marinco-Twist-Connector/dp/B008S3GZCS
 
Here's some pictures just to confirm.
 

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Pay attention to what you buy and make sure there are TWO dog eared terminals (by the V and by the 50A in the top picture) AND that they are pointed out like in your receptacle picture. There is an almost identical type of plug that has a single dog eared terminal and one that has two pointed in. Also just to complete the conversation notice the ground terminal on the left side of the top picture. Yep, 50 amp cords are expensive. Depending on your time frame, you may be able to find one on Craigs list cheaper, even if you had to change a cord end.

Ken
 
bucks2 said:
Pay attention to what you buy and make sure there are TWO dog eared terminals (by the V and by the 50A in the top picture) AND that they are pointed out like in your receptacle picture. There is an almost identical type of plug that has a single dog eared terminal and one that has two pointed in. Also just to complete the conversation notice the ground terminal on the left side of the top picture. Yep, 50 amp cords are expensive. Depending on your time frame, you may be able to find one on Craigs list cheaper, even if you had to change a cord end.

Ken
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I'll take a look at the end of my cord tomorrow morning and compare it to the one I found on Amazon just to make sure it's the same.
 
Rene, the one in the Amazon picture looks right. But, there's no guarantee that's what Eckert is going to buy, so I thought it best to make sure what to look for.

Ken
 
Yes it looks like the right one. Let me check the end of mine tomorrow and I'll reply to this post.  The only thing I would add is that these cords are very heavy and they can be very difficult to roll up especially when it's cold. . I have a 25' cord which usually works in most campgrounds and I also have a 15' extension cord. I wouldn't want any longer than 25'.
 
The suspense was killing me so I just went outside (@ 35 degrees and dropping) and checked mine. The end of the plug is identical to the one I had listed from Amazon and mine is the same as the one you have listed from Amazon. Hopefully other people will give their recommendations as far as the length.

Here is the 15' extension cord:  http://www.amazon.com/Camco-55194-PowerGrip-Extension-Cord/dp/B002XL2IG8/ref=pd_sim_sbs_200_7?ie=UTF8&refRID=1CQC2QY9533VPJS8HWWB
 
My 50 amp cord is on a reel and is 34' IIRC. It is mounted at the left rear corner of the rig and sometimes won't reach the pedestal at some parks because they're in the middle of the space instead of the rear. (maybe one or two places out of 20 each year) This is most likely because of the length of my rig which makes me back farther into the space than other rigs might. My reel went bad last year and you can only buy the reel with the cord included, so I have my old cord which is still in good shape as an extension cord. It is heavy with 3-6 gauge wires and an 8 gauge ground wire.

The covering (insulation) is the key as to how hard it is to roll up. There are different types of material and the abbreviations are printed on the outer jacket. Mine is STW, which is listed as

"Hard Service Cord with two or more stranded conductors 18 - 2 Awg. with a serving of woven cotton between the copper and the Thermoset insulation. Jute or other ?fillers? are twisted together with the conductors to make a round assembly. Outer jacket of high quality rubber or modern Thermoset. For Portable or Pendant, damp locations. Extra Hard Use. Stage and Garage Use."

I would presume that most rigs could easily get by with the 36' cord you have listed.

Ken
 
Yes that is a genunie 4 wire 50 AM Marinco type inlet.. The 4th contact is on the outer edge of the "Shell" part of the inlet, roughly the 10:00 position  That is identical to every 50 amp; RV inlet I've seen.

Hope this helps.
 
I'm still pleasantly surprised how helpful everyone on here is already!! I ordered the cord suggested by Rene. Is my best bet to just connect to a standard outlet? If I read correctly I would need a few dogbone adapters, 50 Amp to 30 Amp and then 30 Amp to 120V?
 
Eckert4428 said:
I'm still pleasantly surprised how helpful everyone on here is already!! I ordered the cord suggested by Rene. Is my best bet to just connect to a standard outlet? If I read correctly I would need a few dogbone adapters, 50 Amp to 30 Amp and then 30 Amp to 120V?
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yep, just don't turn on too many devices at once
 
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