Connecting electrical- FOUR PLUGS?

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Janierachelle

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My Quixote has four 30 amp plugs. Help! Everything I've found while researching only mentions one plug for power.
 
Sounds like someone did something creative, unfortunately creative and electricity often means dangerous, possibly deadly.
 
I was wrong, it's 3.. and definitely factory
 

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It's 3 not four.. they were plugged j to themselves if that makes sense.. each cord has a 30 amp adapter attached.. I'll take more photos
 

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Was this RV originally built for movie/TV studio use on back lots or on location? Quixote has been building those for many years, and most are custom built to the buyer's specifications. Those Square D surge protectors for instance, are not commonly used in the retail RV market.
 
Was this RV originally built for movie/TV studio use on back lots or on location? Quixote has been building those for many years, and most are custom built to the buyer's specifications. Those Square D surge protectors for instance, are not commonly used in the retail RV market.
Very cool! Just spent some time checking out their site since you mentioned it. Now I'd like to see some interior pics of the trailer!

The site had some specs on current trailers with fairly large onboard generators. Does yours have a large generator too? Maybe those are just outlets wired directly to the generator?

Wonder who slept in your trailer? I'd go with a story about someone famous as opposed to make a production assistant or makeup artist :D.
 
Those 30A sockets are OUTLETS, intended to provide power to something else. That's not where the trailer receives its external power. Does the trailer have a generator (or maybe did in the past)?

I think you will find a larger 4-prong plug elsewhere for the input. Unless it was designed to always have its own generator onboard or adjacent.
 
If the trailer has an internal generator, the three outlets implies it's a 3 phase generator. Three phase power is common around movie sets.

Having 3 power cords gives the trailer maximum flexibility. If the trailer is powered by an external 3 phase generator or shore power, dividing the trailer's load among all 3 phases keeps the generator's load balanced. Or the trailer could be powered by one or more portable generators by plugging the 30 amp cords directly into them.
 
Very cool! Just spent some time checking out their site since you mentioned it. Now I'd like to see some interior pics of the trailer!

The site had some specs on current trailers with fairly large onboard generators. Does yours have a large generator too? Maybe those are just outlets wired directly to the generator?

Wonder who slept in your trailer? I'd go with a story about someone famous as opposed to make a production assistant or makeup artist :D.
I've worked on a few Quixote's over the years, but I've never owned one. The ones I worked on were trailers used on photo or ad shoots, and no two were alike. Some of them had large onboard generators in the 10-20 KW range that were used to power cameras and lighting equipment or other trailers on set. One trailer was custom built as a craft services kitchen plus six bathrooms and showers. That one had three 100 gallon waste tanks...
 
Those 30 amp outlets are likely what I call a "Poor man's Transfer Switch" This is an extremly good transfer system that absolutely guarantees you are either hooked to shore power or generator power and guarantees you shut down one before connecting to the other (recommended shut down period 3 minutes for air conditioners and other compressor loads)
Plug in to them. Crank up the Genny, POWER
 
Or the trailer could be powered by one or more portable generators by plugging the 30 amp cords directly into them.
No generator is going to have a live male plug for its power output - that would be almost guaranteed to be fatal to someone. Therefore power outlets are always female for that reason. Thus those 3 outlets on the trailer would have to be power sources rather than inlets for external power.
 
No generator is going to have a live male plug for its power output - that would be almost guaranteed to be fatal to someone. Therefore power outlets are always female for that reason. Thus those 3 outlets on the trailer would have to be power sources rather than inlets for external power.
Obviously not. The first photo shows at least two power cords going directly to those outlets. These are undoubtedly meant to connect to an an external power source, then the trailer plugs into the sockets. The male plugs on the trailer cord(s) could go directly to an external generator instead.
 
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It did not appear to me the cords went to the outlets. but then I could not see where they went exactly
One one surge guard there is a line running to the right can see how the others are connectred.

It goes back to one at a time plug in and see what does and does not work..
 
The point is that the owner appears to be asking about for the way to plug the trailer into campground power and those 3 x 30A outlets clearly are NOT it. Nor is there any explanation of those cords in the #1 photo, or what they are connected to on the other end. If anything.
 
Everything I've found while researching only mentions one plug for power.
I would be interested to know where you found technical information on the one that you have? I found the Quixote website, but there was nothing at all about the tech specs on them. I must say that I was not aware that they made an RV but have seen the "Honey Wagon" version and several different bunkhouse versions but none of the motorized rigs.
 
I posted how to plug it in at most CG's. one cord to the CG's 30 amp outlet
And one to a "Splitter" (Link up thread) that has a 50 amp plug and two 30 amp outlets.. Kind of the opposite of the cheater boxes that have two TT-30 plugs and a 50 amp outlet this one has two TT-30 outlets and a 50 amp plug

This is the adapter Link again
 

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