Forum Discussion

oldschoolhdmike's avatar
oldschoolhdmike
Explorer
Mar 02, 2018

These 50 amp inlets suck,other options????

my 2016 laredo 293 sbh has a 50 amp inlet on the back wall. the way the back wall is made, it is not glued to the backer board....kinda snapped into place...it kinda sucks and at first i thought it was delaminating until i figured out how it was made....anyway...with the weight of the 50 amp cord on it i cannot keep it from pulling away from the wall and i have siliconed it about a million times. so i got a 50 amp pigtail.....it wont work because it hits my bumper.....so as i was trying to get that to work the plug came completly out of the wall and broke.....another plug is $20 and easy to replace but iam looking for better options for mounting, etc...any ideas here....i am going to use longer screws to mount it next time but not sure how much that will help....i do not post much but i read a ton on here and there is some good stuff on here...maybe someone can help me with this.


Seeking Advice
  • Lynnmor's avatar
    Lynnmor
    Explorer
    Mar 03, 2018
    I understand that the cable is very stiff and heavy, that is the reason that the wall takes a beating. I still believe that often a short cord, hard wired is a reasonable alternative to hanging all that weight on a twist lock connection and expecting a marginal wall to support it. The OP knows what can happen all too well.
  • rhagfo's avatar
    rhagfo
    Explorer III
    Mar 03, 2018
    Lynnmor wrote:
    I don't like the twist lock connectors in the sidewall because of the potential poor connections and the heating as a result. If you have some storage room behind the the opening, perhaps you could hard wire a cord and run it out thru a locking hatch.


    ???
    Have you ever dealt with a 50 amp cable? We are talking 6/4 cable. Even if it is SO cable stuffing back into a space from the out side would be a struggle.

    Typically the wall behind the filon sheet is 1/2" plywood, that is what the screws bit into. If the holes are stripped do as I did, I took a piece of 1/2" plywood about 1" wider than the opening drilled the 1-1/2" (I think that was the size) in it cut it in half and glued to the inside of the hole. Held in place with a 3/4" sheetrock screw midway between the top and bottom. That gave longer screws a good bite.

    Your connector looks like it was damaged by someone yanking on the cable. One way to reduce the strain on the connector is to switch to SO cable, softer and more flexible than the OEM plastic jacket.
  • wa8yxm's avatar
    wa8yxm
    Explorer III
    Mar 03, 2018
    IF that is a Marinco Inlet (Round with a locking ring)

    I"d re-do the way it attaches.. Not that hard. I'd have to have eyes on to design it though.
  • Range_Maggot_Bo's avatar
    Range_Maggot_Bo
    Explorer
    Mar 03, 2018
    LarryJM wrote:
    oldschoolhdmike wrote:
    my 2016 laredo 293 sbh has a 50 amp inlet on the back wall. the way the back wall is made, it is not glued to the backer board....kinda snapped into place...it kinda sucks and at first i thought it was delaminating until i figured out how it was made....anyway...with the weight of the 50 amp cord on it i cannot keep it from pulling away from the wall and i have siliconed it about a million times. so i got a 50 amp pigtail.....it wont work because it hits my bumper.....so as i was trying to get that to work the plug came completly out of the wall and broke.....another plug is $20 and easy to replace but iam looking for better options for mounting, etc...any ideas here....i am going to use longer screws to mount it next time but not sure how much that will help....i do not post much but i read a ton on here and there is some good stuff on here...maybe someone can help me with this.




    One of THESE might help some I use one and like it in the 30A flavor.

    Larry


    Now that's a cool tool. Takes care of a big problem.
  • WILDEBILL308's avatar
    WILDEBILL308
    Explorer II
    Mar 03, 2018
    I would use a doubbler behind the fiberglass of say .090 and use real nutplates to run the fasteners into. Then if you want to use a pigtail you could clock the receptacle so it clears the bumper. Use a good sealant when you assemble it.
    Bill
  • Lynnmor's avatar
    Lynnmor
    Explorer
    Mar 03, 2018
    I don't like the twist lock connectors in the sidewall because of the potential poor connections and the heating as a result. If you have some storage room behind the the opening, perhaps you could hard wire a cord and run it out thru a locking hatch.
  • LarryJM's avatar
    LarryJM
    Explorer II
    Mar 02, 2018
    oldschoolhdmike wrote:
    my 2016 laredo 293 sbh has a 50 amp inlet on the back wall. the way the back wall is made, it is not glued to the backer board....kinda snapped into place...it kinda sucks and at first i thought it was delaminating until i figured out how it was made....anyway...with the weight of the 50 amp cord on it i cannot keep it from pulling away from the wall and i have siliconed it about a million times. so i got a 50 amp pigtail.....it wont work because it hits my bumper.....so as i was trying to get that to work the plug came completly out of the wall and broke.....another plug is $20 and easy to replace but iam looking for better options for mounting, etc...any ideas here....i am going to use longer screws to mount it next time but not sure how much that will help....i do not post much but i read a ton on here and there is some good stuff on here...maybe someone can help me with this.




    One of THESE might help some I use one and like it in the 30A flavor.

    Larry
  • swphotobug's avatar
    swphotobug
    Explorer
    Mar 02, 2018
    If you don;t have a ladder you can always put some sort of a hook to support the weight.
  • ken56's avatar
    ken56
    Explorer
    Mar 02, 2018
    I have the same type of plug. I have always routed the cord through the ladder to take the downward stress off of it. Your rig may not have a ladder so I don't know if you could route the cord so it is supported some how. If you are using 100% silicone then it wont stick to its self or anything else it has touched after its cured. Use a proper RV sealant.

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