Our Alpenlite 50 amp cord is hard wired directly to the converter and the cord stored in the small compartment in the picture. When hooking up to shore power the cord must be pulled through a small opening at the bottom of the compartment. Likewise when not needed the cord must be pulled through the hole with some attempt to coil it back into the compartment. Cumbersome at best!I would like to cut the cord, add a couple of new ends so that I can carry the longer 50 amp cord in a tool box or something easier to access. My dilemma...I am not an electrician and know just enough to get myself in trouble. How do I know which posts of the new plugs the black and white wires of the cord should be connected to? The current plug is a molded one and I can't take it apart. Thanks!

I saw a retractable cord reel setup on a trailer several years ago. The guy said the reel was for an air hose. He wagged his finger and proclaimed "These cords must be unwound fully every time or they will overheat" He gave a yank and the cord was wound in five seconds. Extreme jealously here...

When you cut the cord, you can use a continuity checker or ohmmeter to see which pin of the plug is connected to which wire and go from there.It should generally be wired thusly (but best to verify):Green to groundWhite to neutralBlack and whatever else (probably red) to the two hots, which are interchangeable.Take care that you don't wire anything up such that the male plug (with the pins sticking out) can ever be live when it is unplugged. This basically means not having any cables or adapters with a male on each end.

The 50 amp cord that is wired into the load center is a four wire assembly--two "hot" wires, a neutral, and a ground. You would be better off installing a power inlet on the outside of your 5'er and then adding the correct male plug onto the cut shore cord. All 50 amp devices I've bought recently have a pictured schematic in the product box. If you are unfamiliar with wiring, this may be a job better left to someone with experience.

I am sure I could provide you with the information you need, but since you state you are " not electrical " I really think you should take this project to an RV service center and have it done. While a home electrician could probably do it too, I'd be more certain of proper RV connections from someone experienced in RV electrical work. Home electricians tend to confuse the RV 50A plugs with household type 220V plugs and that could be disastrous.

Ed_Gee wrote: Home electricians tend to confuse the RV 50A plugs with household type 220V plugs and that could be disastrous.They are exactly the same, so no disaster here.

50 amp plug | Good Sam Community

25 Replies

Chris_Bryant
Explorer II
Jul 03, 2015
Ed_Gee wrote:
Home electricians tend to confuse the RV 50A plugs with household type 220V plugs and that could be disastrous.

They are exactly the same, so no disaster here.
Ed_Gee
Explorer II
Jul 03, 2015
I am sure I could provide you with the information you need, but since you state you are " not electrical " I really think you should take this project to an RV service center and have it done. While a home electrician could probably do it too, I'd be more certain of proper RV connections from someone experienced in RV electrical work. Home electricians tend to confuse the RV 50A plugs with household type 220V plugs and that could be disastrous.
westend
Explorer
Jul 03, 2015
The 50 amp cord that is wired into the load center is a four wire assembly--two "hot" wires, a neutral, and a ground. You would be better off installing a power inlet on the outside of your 5'er and then adding the correct male plug onto the cut shore cord. All 50 amp devices I've bought recently have a pictured schematic in the product box. If you are unfamiliar with wiring, this may be a job better left to someone with experience.
DrewE
Explorer III
Jul 03, 2015
When you cut the cord, you can use a continuity checker or ohmmeter to see which pin of the plug is connected to which wire and go from there.

It should generally be wired thusly (but best to verify):
Green to ground
White to neutral
Black and whatever else (probably red) to the two hots, which are interchangeable.

Take care that you don't wire anything up such that the male plug (with the pins sticking out) can ever be live when it is unplugged. This basically means not having any cables or adapters with a male on each end.
MEXICOWANDERER
Explorer
Jul 03, 2015
I saw a retractable cord reel setup on a trailer several years ago. The guy said the reel was for an air hose. He wagged his finger and proclaimed "These cords must be unwound fully every time or they will overheat" He gave a yank and the cord was wound in five seconds. Extreme jealously here...

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50 amp plug

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