BKO5
BKO5 New Reader
10/4/23 8:02 p.m.

For those who use shore power at the track, how many cords or feet do you keep on hand? 

Sonic
Sonic UberDork
10/5/23 11:35 a.m.

My trailer is setup for 110v, I've always been able to get to power with a 50' cord.  I also keep a 3' cord as that gets to my generator when I need it.  

BKO5
BKO5 New Reader
10/5/23 8:39 p.m.

Good idea on the 3ft cord.

Mel9146
Mel9146 New Reader
1/29/24 6:03 p.m.

Remember the longer the distance the larger gauge wire, I use 8 gauge and have gone over 50 ft no problem 

Toyman!
Toyman! MegaDork
1/29/24 8:13 p.m.

I usually have my motorhome. I carry 75' of 50 amp cord and 100' of #12 cord in 3 pieces. On 50' and 2 - 25'.

 

03Panther
03Panther PowerDork
1/29/24 10:19 p.m.

In reply to Sonic :

Are you on a30 amp, or 50 amp plug? Just wondering on your amp draw / gauge. Can be a factor at 50', but most are not drawing heavy enough to care too much. At 100' , it starts mattering more. 

billmrmi1
billmrmi1 New Reader
1/30/24 12:47 p.m.

You can have a single 100' 50 amp cord with reducers and get almost any spot. You can buy a reducer 30 amp (trailer side) to 50 amp(shore power) and you can also go from 30 to 15.  15 will generally blow a breaker if just the air conditioner is on high.  

If you can get a 50AMP connection at the track it is probably 240V so that allows for a significant increase in power avaialability.  

Online wire sizer calculators show that 6 AWG is needed for any 50AMP 240V service.  The 8 AWG probably hasn't handled a full 50 AMP load.

The cord length will determine the resistance and thus the gage of the wire needed to avoid a serious issue, like a fire.

 

codrus (Forum Supporter)
codrus (Forum Supporter) PowerDork
1/31/24 4:08 p.m.

I have a 10 and a 50, just because the 50 is enough of a PITA to coil back up that I don't want to get it out unless I really need it.

 

Sonic
Sonic UberDork
2/1/24 7:49 p.m.
03Panther said:

In reply to Sonic :

Are you on a30 amp, or 50 amp plug? Just wondering on your amp draw / gauge. Can be a factor at 50', but most are not drawing heavy enough to care too much. At 100' , it starts mattering more. 

It's 110v, so no more than 20A, usually 15.  Plus my load is max an AC unit and LED lights usually. 

Rodan
Rodan UltraDork
2/2/24 8:29 a.m.

We're usually in the Motorhome, and IIRC that's a 30ft (50A) cord.  Our trailer is wired for shore power, and that's also a 30ft (30A) cord, IIRC.  I also keep two standard 110V 50ft extension cords on hand.

At the track, if you've got to run a cord any further than the adjacent pit, someone will be running over it...

You'll need to log in to post.

Our Preferred Partners
eTSJ6vwreIQTRWfdjEKHOiL7YRd28peQOEXhocGtXdtGhWWLbl22lDKMArg2B7J3