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Topic: Smart Plug (Read 606 times) previous topic - next topic

Smart Plug

My coach has a Smart Plug connection to hook to shore power.

I have a 50 amp yellow power cord with female smart plug on end and native male 50 amp prongs on the other.

I also have a 30 amp power cord with a  female Smart Plug on one end to plug in to the coach and 30 amp male prongs on the other end.

Proactively because some of the joints at neck etc, I wanted to buy new power cords. One 50 amp and one 30 amp, both with smart plug connections.

United RV says that what I'm saying isn't possible.

He says my only option is to use the 50 amp power cord and dog bone the park side connection.

Now guys, I know I use the 30 amp cord especially in the fall and winter when I don't want to wrestle the yellow octopus.

Do any of you have same set up? Am I really creating a fire hazard? I think they either don't understand what I have, the smart plug models have changed, or they don't know what they're talking about on a Foretravel.

What do y'all say?
1996 36' U295 Build #4879 Motorcade #18088
2007 Jeep Liberty 4x4 FMCA #F474816
Foretravel Mid-South
There's no happy like Foretravel happy!

Re: Smart Plug

Reply #1 –
I had a 30 amp Marinco yellow power cord with the regular connection to the coach and 30amp male end. It was great t use in the cold when the 50 amp cord was hard to deal with, especially if  we only had 30 amp available. 
2015 Born Free Royal Splendor on Ford 550 nonslide version
Former Coaches  covering. 360,000 miles
1999 34 U270
2000 36 U320
2001 42' double slide U320
2018 Jeep Rubicon

Re: Smart Plug

Reply #2 –
They tell me it's either a 30 amp coach or a 50 amp coach, and that's true, but it can work on 30 amp service,

I tell them I can choose when no or only one ac is necessary.

They tell me the only way is to use  50 amp cord and dog bone down at power pole end of cord.
1996 36' U295 Build #4879 Motorcade #18088
2007 Jeep Liberty 4x4 FMCA #F474816
Foretravel Mid-South
There's no happy like Foretravel happy!

Re: Smart Plug

Reply #3 –
Quote from: jhardman –
They tell me it's either a 30 amp coach or a 50 amp coach, and that's true, but it can work on 30 amp service,

I tell them I can choose when no or only one ac is necessary.

They tell me the only way is to use  50 amp cord and dog bone down at power pole end of cord.

Just to clarify here; you have a thinner lighter 30A cord with the 30 male RV wired end and a 50A socket with the single hot lead jumperd to both 50A hot pins?  The same way it would be in a 30-50 dog bone?
1992 Foretravel Grand Villa
U225 SBID Build No. 4134
1986 Rockwood Driftwood
1968 S.I.A.T.A. Spring
1962 Studebaker Lark
1986 Honda VF700C
1983 Honda VF750C
Charlie, the Dog was broken out of jail 24 Oct 2023
N1RPN
AA1OH (H)e who must be obeyed.

Re: Smart Plug

Reply #4 –
Quote from: jhardman –
They tell me it's either a 30 amp coach or a 50 amp coach, and that's true, but it can work on 30 amp service,

I tell them I can choose when no or only one ac is necessary.

They tell me the only way is to use  50 amp cord and dog bone down at power pole end of cord.

TBH, going with the 50 amp Smart Plug cord and a 50 to 30 dog bone adapter is the most cost-effective option.  It has to cost less than 2 separate cords.

Where did you acquire this custom 50 amp Smart Plug to 30 amp male shoreline cord?  It sounds homemade.
Learn every day, but especially from the experiences of others. It's cheaper!  - John C. Bogle

Lifetime Escapees' member SKP 82766
Former 1999 30IB Lazy Daze (2000-2004)
Former 2003 U320 (2004-2016)
Former 2017 LTV Unity (2017-2023)
Shopping for our next coach

Re: Smart Plug

Reply #5 –
What Jhardman has is a special dog-bone I constructed.

I cut the female 50 amp connector off a regular 30-50 amp adapter (dog bone) and replaced it with a female 50 amp Smart Plug. (note: changed text - not Hubble but regular 50 amp female)
I wanted to get the 30 amp cord's connection into the water bay out of the weather. I could have put the Smart plug on the end of a 30 amp cord but I didn't want a 30' dog-bone.

As you know, a 30 male to 50 female adapter ties the hot wire from the 30 amp side to both hots on the 50 amp side.
It has to do this because the coach wiring is expecting two hot lines coming in in the 125/250 receptacle.
Again, you obviously don't  get 50 amp service but in this case all 30 amps or 50 amps means is how much electricity you can use before bad things happen
Elliott & Mary Bray
ex. 1996 36' U295 - Build 4879
ex. 2018 Coachmen Leprechaun 319MB
 

Re: Smart Plug

Reply #6 –
And it's fabulous! Thank you Elliott and Mary!

I knew I wasn't crazy!

Quote from: TheBrays –
What Jhardman has is a special dog-bone I constructed.

I cut the twist-lock Hubble connector off a regular 30-50 amp adapter (dog bone) and replaced it with a female 50 amp Smart Plug.
I wanted to get the 30 amp cord's connection into the water bay out of the weather. I could have put the Smart plug on the end of a 30 amp cord but I didn't want a 30' dog-bone.

As you know, a 30 male to 50 female adapter ties the hot wire from the 30 amp side to both hots on the 50 amp side.
It has to do this because the coach wiring is expecting two hot lines coming in in the 125/250 receptacle.
Again, you obviously don't  get 50 amp service but in this case all 30 amps or 50 amps means is how much electricity you can use before bad things happen
1996 36' U295 Build #4879 Motorcade #18088
2007 Jeep Liberty 4x4 FMCA #F474816
Foretravel Mid-South
There's no happy like Foretravel happy!

Re: Smart Plug

Reply #7 –
Quote from: TheBrays –
What Jhardman has is a special dog-bone I constructed.


Ah, so this confirms it is not an off-the-shelf item and one needs to construct it (properly) if one wants one.
Learn every day, but especially from the experiences of others. It's cheaper!  - John C. Bogle

Lifetime Escapees' member SKP 82766
Former 1999 30IB Lazy Daze (2000-2004)
Former 2003 U320 (2004-2016)
Former 2017 LTV Unity (2017-2023)
Shopping for our next coach

Re: Smart Plug

Reply #8 –
Looks like you have your answers. We use SmartPlug and think it is one of the better and safer improvements we have made.

If your "joints at the neck" are a problem on the 30 amp SmartPlug end, you could see how your custom modified cable end is wired, cut back the insulation to eliminate the "joints" problem and rewire the 50 amp female SmartPlug to the 30-amp cable or use electrical tape around the cable.

SmartPlug sells a nice long flexible 50-amp pre-made cable with female SmartPlug and campground male end. We have this cable and like it.

Buy the plastic female-end covers, same cover for 30-amp & 50-amp SmartPlug. They keep dirt and danger from getting into the end.

For a new 30 amp shore cable, you could buy a regular 30-amp extension cable, cut off female end, and wire to a 50-amp female SmartPlug.

For flexibility, you could create a short #10-wire cable with 50-amp female Smartplug and 30-amp campground male. Buy regular 30-amp RV cables. Plug in your new short cable to connect shore power to your coach. This way you could use 1, 2 or 3, 25-ft 30 amp RV cables as needed to reach campground electric box. We plug in our short cable to extension within the secure bay location behind locked compartment door.