Cut the cord!

[tylersdad]

I finally did it. Getting our power cord in and out is a huge pain. On Tuesday, after a 10 hour drive, it took me 45 minutes to get it out in Needles. So, in Tucson today I cut the cord and left about 5 feet. Then I attached a male connector to it. On the longer part, I attached a female connector to it.

Now it will take minutes to get unplugged instead of 30 to 60 minutes.

Don't know why I waited so long.

[RoyBraddy]

Some folks have done this without issues. If your trailer setup includes an optional connected 120VAC generator or an optional 120VAC power source from a Power Inverter you may have a safety violation with the MALE 120VAC Plug hanging on the side of your trailer with 'HOT' male prongs being accessible.

Normally you will NOT have 120VAC coming from the trailer side...

Roy Ken

[Bassdogs]

Originally Posted by RoyBraddy

Some folks have done this without issues. If your trailer setup includes an optional connected 120VAC generator or an optional 120VAC power source from a Power Inverter you may have a safety violation with the MALE 120VAC Plug hanging on the side of your trailer with 'HOT' male prongs being accessible.

Normally you will NOT have 120VAC coming from the trailer side...

Roy Ken

Confused?? The OEM power cord on the TT comes with a male plug so that it can be plugged into the 30amp on the power post. The OP's mod simply shortens the length to 5' so it is easy to stow into the side port on the tt. I am going to do the same thing before my upcoming trip in a couple weeks.

[RodgerS]

Obviously, everyone well understands all this, so we all know that the power cords are best when they are the sealed end versions, with minimal connections, and need to be checked regularly for corrosion and damage. We also all know that some people, none of the forum members of course, don't check their wiring connections and sometimes mis-wire, which can cause a hot skin condition under certain circumstances. We also know that not all cords are equal and that none of us would use a 15 amp extension cord when they needed a 30 amp
cord. We all check our rigs for a hot skin daily and all monitor our voltage and have automatic voltage monitors. And we all took electrical training so we understand electricity, how to use our tools, and our three electrical systems.

The word normally means we are supposed to check and confirm, but not if we don't have time or are bored and this stuff is very simple.
That some folks have done this without issues means some folks have had issues, though mysteriously as electricity is mysterious.

So all is good!

[jloco]

Originally Posted by tylersdad

I finally did it. Getting our power cord in and out is a huge pain. On Tuesday, after a 10 hour drive, it took me 45 minutes to get it out in Needles. So, in Tucson today I cut the cord and left about 5 feet. Then I attached a male connector to it. On the longer part, I attached a female connector to it.

Now it will take minutes to get unplugged instead of 30 to 60 minutes.

Don't know why I waited so long.

So if I understand correctly:
You cut the cord 5' from the trailer and added a male plug.
You then took the piece that had been cut off and added a female connector where it had been cut, essentially just turning the cutoff piece into an extension cord.

This way you don't have to deal with pulling/stuffing the whole 30' cord (or however long it was) in and out of the hole. You now only have 5' to deal with and you can store your newly created extension cord separately.

I don't know anything about the White Hawk 23mrb, but I'm assuming it's a real pain in the neck to get the power cord out of the hole.

Are all the Jayco's like this? I'm curious as I have a new rig coming in the next few weeks and i didn't look at the power cord on the demo i looked at.

[jal0710]

I had a problem with my power cord on a trip in 2014, it got tangled up inside the storage area and I had a terrible time getting it out. Ended up using the extension cord, proper 30 amp cord, to attach to the cord I could pull out and then go to the post. Have considered doing this as well so I can store the cord elsewhere in the FW and not have to worry about getting it into and out of the storage area at the rear of the trailer.

[oldmanAZ]

Originally Posted by jloco

So if I understand correctly:
You cut the cord 5' from the trailer and added a male plug.
You then took the piece that had been cut off and added a female connector where it had been cut, essentially just turning the cutoff piece into an extension cord. That's my understanding of what the OP (tylersdad) did.

This way you don't have to deal with pulling/stuffing the whole 30' cord (or however long it was) in and out of the hole. You now only have 5' to deal with and you can store your newly created extension cord separately. Correct.

I don't know anything about the White Hawk 23mrb, but I'm assuming it's a real pain in the neck to get the power cord out of the hole. People have varying opinions on getting the power cord in and out. For example, it frustrates me, but DW doesn't mind.

Are all the Jayco's like this? As far as I know, yes. I'm curious as I have a new rig coming in the next few weeks and i didn't look at the power cord on the demo i looked at.

An issue not mentioned in this particular thread, is that it has been said that the cord should ALWAYS be pulled all the way out (I'm not sure of Jayco's recommendation). Since the cord has some resistance, and therefor heat, they say that 'wadding' it up in enclosed area is poor practice. Also, as the weather gets colder the cord gets stiffer so pulling the cord out and pushing it back in gets more difficult.

[DocBrown]

The cord on our old '03 Kiwi 17a was a piece of cake to get in and out. Three seasons with our X20E and it's still a bit of pain to get the last foot in.

Originally Posted by oldmanAZ

An issue not mentioned in this particular thread, is that it has been said that the cord should ALWAYS be pulled all the way out (I'm not sure of Jayco's recommendation). Since the cord has some resistance, and therefor heat, they say that 'wadding' it up in enclosed area is poor practice. Also, as the weather gets colder the cord gets stiffer so pulling the cord out and pushing it back in gets more difficult.

X2! And yes that is Jaycos recommendation.

[Mustang65]

I got tired of fighting with the cord, especially in the rain so I installed a 30Amp 110VAC receptacle where the cable was stored. Now I just plug and unplug the shore-power cable, coil the cable up and put it in the rear storage area.

So much easier now....

Here is the link to my project.

Don

[tylersdad]

Originally Posted by jloco

So if I understand correctly:
You cut the cord 5' from the trailer and added a male plug.
You then took the piece that had been cut off and added a female connector where it had been cut, essentially just turning the cutoff piece into an extension cord.

This way you don't have to deal with pulling/stuffing the whole 30' cord (or however long it was) in and out of the hole. You now only have 5' to deal with and you can store your newly created extension cord separately.

I don't know anything about the White Hawk 23mrb, but I'm assuming it's a real pain in the neck to get the power cord out of the hole.

Are all the Jayco's like this? I'm curious as I have a new rig coming in the next few weeks and i didn't look at the power cord on the demo i looked at.

You're understanding correctly. Our trailer is relatively small and the "box" that the cord gets fed into is incredibly small. It took 3 service guys 45 minutes to get it fed back in when we picked it up from the dealer.

[tylersdad]

Originally Posted by Mustang65

I got tired of fighting with the cord, especially in the rain so I installed a 30Amp 110VAC receptacle where the cable was stored. Now I just plug and unplug the shore-power cable, coil the cable up and put it in the rear storage area.

So much easier now....

Here is the link to my project.

Don

We will probably do this when time permits. We just happened to be at the Tucson KOA where my parents work and my dad helped me do the work. Translated: He did the work while it stripped cable and picked tools out of the toolbox for him.

[Bassdogs]

Originally Posted by RodgerS

Obviously, everyone well understands all this, so we all know that the power cords are best when they are the sealed end versions, with minimal connections, and need to be checked regularly for corrosion and damage. We also all know that some people, none of the forum members of course, don't check their wiring connections and sometimes mis-wire, which can cause a hot skin condition under certain circumstances. We also know that not all cords are equal and that none of us would use a 15 amp extension cord when they needed a 30 amp
cord. We all check our rigs for a hot skin daily and all monitor our voltage and have automatic voltage monitors. And we all took electrical training so we understand electricity, how to use our tools, and our three electrical systems.

The word normally means we are supposed to check and confirm, but not if we don't have time or are bored and this stuff is very simple.
That some folks have done this without issues means some folks have had issues, though mysteriously as electricity is mysterious.

So all is good!

Confused with your post and purpose. Maybe its the sarcasm that I don't follow. In past posts you encourage folks to learn and to become more self sufficient rather than relying on service at dealers. Then when the "Folks" do exactly that, this post implies that most of us are incapable of doing something as simple as cutting off a connector and reconnecting a replacement connector while being careful to follow instructions with the work.

This OP performed a simple and in my mind good modification to address a common problem many of us have with our power cords. Obviously any time you mess with your TT electrical system you must be careful and double check your work, but the same could be said for many of the mods we might consider. Asking for advice on the forum is not only helpful but very wise.

[Mustang65]

[QUOTE=Bassdogs;366079]Confused with your post and purpose. QUOTE]

2x

Don

[JayFeather24T]

I'm wondering if wiping the cord with a silicone spray would facilitate deployment?

[troutslayer]

Originally Posted by Mustang65

I got tired of fighting with the cord, especially in the rain so I installed a 30Amp 110VAC receptacle where the cable was stored. Now I just plug and unplug the shore-power cable, coil the cable up and put it in the rear storage area.

So much easier now....

Here is the link to my project.

Don

This is similar to what I did. Got it from Amazon, works great and an easier project than I originally thought.
Robot Check

[Bassdogs]

Just ordered the replacement male and female plugs from Amazon. Plan to make the mod before our trip in 3 weeks.

[Bassdogs]

Originally Posted by JayFeather24T

I'm wondering if wiping the cord with a silicone spray would facilitate deployment?

Maybe might help a little, but still w/b fighting tangles and twist. Also biggest problem is with rain and cold weather. Cold weather makes the cable stiff and hard to stuff or to pull out.

[Fairenatic]

I am looking at an 2016 Eagle brochure and was hoping someone can clarify.

"Power service with detachable Powersmart™ LED shore power cord (30 or 50 amps depending on model)"

What exactly do they mean by detachable?

[TCNashville]

Originally Posted by troutslayer

This is similar to what I did. Got it from Amazon, works great and an easier project than I originally thought.
Robot Check

I did the same thing only with a Marinco kit.

[TCNashville]

Originally Posted by Fairenatic

What exactly do they mean by detachable?

Click on Troutslayer's "Robot Check" link above and it will show a picture. No more stuffing the cord back in. You can store the cord anywhere you want. Tylersdad's way will work just as easy, and cheaper.