Always having your electrical cords get all twisted up when stretching them out when setting up camp? There is a real easy way to prevent this and it's called the over/under method. Electricians in the movie industry use this method on all sorts of cables. I tried it recently on our 30 amp shore power cord and it actually works great! Doubt it will work on a 50 amp cord due to weight and bulk, but will work on everything else like co-ax cable and 15 amp extension cord. Am an EE and started in the biz 40 years ago and have never heard of this before. It's supposed to work with a garden hose too but haven't tried it yet. I guess it will work on a rope too. This will definitely help with our co-ax out to the sat dish.Here's a couple of youtube vids:3 minute vid.This is a better explanation but is a kinda long-winded. 10 minute vid.

You know what works REAL good? A hose, or wire reel. Sold at Lowes, or WalMart for $7.00. You just get the cord started, and crank it on. It NEVER gets tangled, and when camping. You can just unwind as much as you want.

Very interesting and I can see it being challenging with thicker cords. My shore power I keep in plastic totes and they are coiled in the tubs carefully each time and stored.Being a carpenter by trade at home my extension cords I wrap in a daisy chain braid but that doesn't translate well to RV use I've found. Carpenters knot

One of the best places to use a "figure-8" wrap in on you long vacuum cleaner cord. Keeps it from getting all kinked and twisted. To coil a 50A power cord, lay it out straight to start with, so it can roll, then just coil it up twisting it each loop. The Over-under works if you have more storage room.

I learned that technique a few years ago. It works great and allows you to throw a long cord out by simply tossing the coil while holding the end. I even use it on the air hose on my shop compressor. You can wind a cord up faster this way once you get the hang of it since you don't have to deal with all the twisting and knots.

Would like to see a video of someone doing the over-under with an icy cold 50A in a driving ice storm..

How to coil up an extension or shore power cord!

34 Replies

Pangaea_Ron
Explorer
Dec 31, 2016
Naio wrote:
Pangaea Ron wrote:

I understand the gaffers technique of over/under, but have never been able to make it work successfully without abusing myself.

Good thing you quit that -- I hear it can make you go blind!

Like, I think?
1L243
Explorer II
Dec 31, 2016
I use a extension cord reel. Their made for a 100' 15 amp cord but my 30 amp 50' cord fits with just a little modification to make the hole bigger where the cord goes through.
Naio
Explorer II
Dec 31, 2016
Pangaea Ron wrote:

I understand the gaffers technique of over/under, but have never been able to make it work successfully without abusing myself.

Good thing you quit that -- I hear it can make you go blind!
Pangaea_Ron
Explorer
Dec 31, 2016
I tend to coil my 50a cord into the electrical bay as is naturally wants to coil, and take it out in the same manner. It means a bit of coiling/uncoiling, but it works for me, and does not seem to induce any stress on the cord.

I understand the gaffers technique of over/under, but have never been able to make it work successfully without abusing myself.

I've been offshore sailboat yacht racing for 40 years and for more than 35,000 miles around the world. We are careful how we coil lines by bringing the coils together without inducing any twist. We also occasionally drop the lines overboard to untwist the lines with the yacht's motion through the water.

I've designed mounting anchors for rope braiding equipment for lines up to 9" diameter, and 1,000,000 pound breaking strength for oil tanker towing bridles. Any induced twist is a really, really bad thing.
rockhillmanor
Explorer II
Dec 30, 2016
Tried them all and ended up throwing them all out. Buckets just take up too much room and usually only can hold 2 items. Gadgets that you wind stuff around always come undone, etc. etc.

I found these adjustable clamps that fit around everything and anything that you can roll up and keeps them snug and in place. And then you just stack them on top of each other in the bay. the handle on it makes it a breeze to pick up and carry to where needed.

Comes in ALL sizes. All the way down to a nano size clamp that will hold a usb cord! :B

http://www.cableclamp.com/product-category/mega-clamp/
gatorcq
Explorer
Dec 30, 2016
used them all, over / under my father's cords lasted over 30 years
Cummins12V98
Explorer III
Dec 30, 2016
The "trick" is to make your own "SO" cord. It's very flexible and will easily coil into a bucket as shown earlier.
garmp
Explorer II
Dec 29, 2016
Saw these at a recent SportsMobile Rally: Cord holder and was really impressed. Night not be the answer for 50 ampers, but we use 30.
down_home
Explorer II
Dec 29, 2016
myredracer wrote:
Always having your electrical cords get all twisted up when stretching them out when setting up camp? There is a real easy way to prevent this and it's called the over/under method. Electricians in the movie industry use this method on all sorts of cables.

I tried it recently on our 30 amp shore power cord and it actually works great! Doubt it will work on a 50 amp cord due to weight and bulk, but will work on everything else like co-ax cable and 15 amp extension cord. Am an EE and started in the biz 40 years ago and have never heard of this before. It's supposed to work with a garden hose too but haven't tried it yet. I guess it will work on a rope too. This will definitely help with our co-ax out to the sat dish.

Here's a couple of youtube vids:

3 minute vid.

This is a better explanation but is a kinda long-winded.
10 minute vid.

2x

About the only way to do it. Try to roll up a long 50 amp cord any other way is an exercise in futility.
ORbiker
Explorer
Dec 29, 2016
Veebyes wrote:
The video shows the standard way of coiling boat line, or any other line for that matter. Works on thin line & cable up to what can be held in the hand when all coiled up.

Long lengths of 30amp & 50amp shore power, not so much.

After some years struggling with 25' of 50amp I now use a method I used for an en extra long length of spare anchor rode that I had for the boat. Flake it into a laundry basket.

Put the trailer end into the basket first with enough hanging out for the female RV plug to reach the RV shorepower input receptacle. Flake the cable into the basket with the pedestal plug last in ontop.

Now all I have to do is take the basket out, plug into the trailer, pull enough out of the basket to reach the pedestal leaving uneeded cable in basket & shove basket under the trailer out of the weather.

The basket with cable in it is one easy unit to handle.

I like the laundry basket idea. It would keep the unused from getting dirty and easier to pick up in the basket. It would need to be a good laundry basket thou.
So; did you just flake it into the basket or over and under when needed?