[VAC] Re: tongue set-up

[Jim Dunmyer <jdunmyer@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Gerald,
  Of course, you and I understand why the neutral (white) wire is NEVER 
to be bonded to the trailer frame, but for anyone who doesn't:

If the wiring at the power receptacle where you're plugging in is 
reversed, your trailer body becomes "hot" and can easily cause 
electrocution when you grab the assist handle to enter your unit. This 
is especially true if you don't have any stabilizer jacks in use and 
your tongue jack is sitting on something that's an insulator. Like some 
wood blocks or one of those plastic cone things.

That is one reason I drop my safety chains on the ground when I unhitch; 
if I'm camping overnight and NOT unhitching, I still disconnect at least 
one chain and let it drop to the ground. That SHOULD be a better ground 
than me and protect my body to some degree.

Just in case you think you'll never run into a reversed outlet, think 
again. I've stayed at the grounds of a tractor club that we belong to, 
and the tell-tale lights that I installed in our 'old' Avion tipped me 
to a reversed condition. Because of proper wiring in the trailer, it was 
of no consequence. As this was a standard 20-amp receptacle, a quick fix 
could have been to use one of those "cheater" gadgets that allows 
plugging a 3-prong plug into an old 2-prong receptacle. Many RV'ers 
carry one that has a short wire attached, sometimes with an alligator 
clip on the end. That way, you can plug your cord into it, plug IT into 
the receptacle upside-down, then attach the clip to a handy ground. Like 
the screw in the receptacle.

                                  <<Jim>>