Heavy duty cord on 175 vs. Cimex?

[Mike Draper]

Why do 175 scrubbers come with a monster cord and the cimex comes with a normal size cord? Cimex actually uses more amps. I'm just curious because I want to cut off the ridiculous 34' cord on my 175 and install something reasonable.

 

[mike r]

Maybe water related protection cause of floor stripping? May be a dumb answer but it's all I got.

 

[Jim Martin]

both are rated for a wet location....the cimex has a higher rating and should have a shorter cord...higher amperage either requires a heaver cord or a shorter one....the 175..although a lower rating is probably a thicker cord because it is longer for allowing greater distance with the machine....so it needs a heaver cord to keep the amps up....

 

[Lee Stockwell]

Many 175s are 1.5hp and pull a lot of amps under full load. If the cord is undersized that load will cause either bogging or overheating of the cord and the dreaded tripped breaker.

Ohms law at work.

 

[Russ T.]

Every time I fired Big Yella up today, the lights dimmed in the buildings I was cleaning. It was just for a quick second but it was a friendly reminder of the monster I was wielding!

The thing flat out makes money!


The Clean Machine

 

[Mike Draper]

175 = 10 amps and has 50' cord. cimex is 13 amps and 50' cord. I'm gonna cut the sucker off. It's 3/4' thick. PIA!!

 

[Jim Martin]

Every time I fired Big Yella up today, the lights dimmed in the buildings I was cleaning. It was just for a quick second but it was a friendly reminder of the monster I was wielding!

The thing flat out makes money!


The Clean Machine

those are your full load amps......that's the total amount of amps it takes to get that thing spinning.....it pulls so hard it will dim lights and in some cases trip breakers......if you look on the motor tag..it will say ......RLA....Rated load amps or running loads amps.......FLA= Full load amps..

the RLA....is after it gets itself running and calms..these are normally lower amps then the start amps....

there is also LRA..thats when it over amps because it locked up or what ever....these amps are a mute point..the machine locking up and normally smoke coming from somewhere is a good indication you found those amps.............

 

[Jim Martin]

175 = 10 amps and has 50' cord. cimex is 13 amps and 50' cord. I'm gonna cut the sucker off. It's 3/4' thick. PIA!!

don't go by thickness...read the size wire in the out side first........

 

[Lee Stockwell]

175 pulls 15amps

 

[kingjoelking]

Gelinas always suggested removing the stock cord and adding the really supple monster cord.

 

[kingjoelking]

Personally I bob all of my Machine Cords to about a 6" length and carry the extension cord on a reel to use with all of them. I have a nice supple 50' 10 gauge cord that i hook up to everything.

 

[encapman]

According to Cimex USA - the thinner cord that the machine now comes with has a high amp rating, in fact higher than the previous thicker cord that the machines used to come with. At least this is the explanation that they gave us for why they've switched over to the thinner cord.

However, at Excellent Supply we have sourced an awesome power cord for the Cimex, when a replacement is needed. It has high amperage capability. Is extremely water resistant. Carries certification in the US and Canada. Is highly flexible. Won't easily kink. And has a very durable outer skin. We call it the Kodiak cord. It can be used on any machine.

https://www.excellent-supply.com/Ko...-14-awg-Water-Resistant-Twist-Free_p_188.html

 

[Lee Stockwell]

14awg? Most carry 12awg.

 

[encapman]

12 awg is an option. But for a 50' cord - what we have specced handles the load very well. It's a seriously nice cord!

Here's the description for the cable we are sourcing...'

Applications:
SEOOW Flexible Portable Cord applications include include wiring for industrial machinery, washing machines and various other large appliances, heavy-duty tools, motors, and temporary electrical power and lighting installations for construction sites.
Features:
Excellent resistance to oil and moisture. High flexibility. Excellent abrasion resistance. Water-resistant. Sunlight-resistant. Temperature range: -50ºC to +105ºC
Standards:
UL Flexible Cord - UL Standard 62
CSA Flexible Cord - C22.2-49
NEC Article 501.140 Class I Div. 2
NEC Article 400
Federal Spec JC580
Passes CSA FT2 Flame Test
MSHA Approved
EPA 40 CFR, Part 26, Subject C, heavy metals per Table 1, TCLP method
Construction:
Conductors:
Fully annealed stranded bare copper per ASTM B-174
Insulation:
TPE
Specifications*:

Size: 14 AWG
Number of Conductors: 3
Conductor Strand: 41/30
Insulation Thickness: 1.14 mm / 0.045 inches
Jacket Thickness: 2.16 mm / 0.085 inches
Outside Diameter: 13.26 mm / 0.522 inches
Weight: 0.15 lbs per ft
Current Amps: 18

 

[Lee Stockwell]

A high quality cord is essential, and I'm sure that is a good quality.

However a 14 gauge cord isn't made to carry 18amps. Perhaps a typo in their specs?

 

[encapman]

Actually the cord is perfect for this application. The specs are accurate. Perhaps Home Depot's page describing cord specs might add some clarifying info...

http://www.homedepot.com/c/factors_to_consider_when_choosing_extension_cords_HT_BG_EL

 

[encapman]

It's also important to note that the cord carries an a SEOOW designation. Each letter represents a different aspect of the cords attributes. This cord is about as good as you can get.

It's also UL, CSA, NEC, MSHA, and EPA approved. In fact it's fairly over qualified for what we are using it for.

 

[Shane Deubell]

We just took the thick cord off a cimex, it was a PIA.

 

[Lee Stockwell]

Putting an undersized (barely within extended limits) cord on a machine really shows up when one has to use an extension cord.

 

[encapman]

If that were the case there would be a cause for concern. But we are using a cord that's rated by the manufacturer at 18 amps. And the Cimex normally runs around 12 amps under operating load. So the cord is amply qualified for the Cimex. A heavier wire gauge would diminish the flexibility factor. This cord is highly flexible, yet it's also durable. I think we've probably sold over a hundred by now, and we've only heard positive comments. It seems to be a home run!

 

[Lee Stockwell]

If the total length of machine cord stays under 50', and any extension cords are 12 awg it will work...

 

[dgardner]

However a 14 gauge cord isn't made to carry 18amps. Perhaps a typo in their specs?

Lee, Article 400 of the NEC (flexible cords and cables) permits a 14AWG flexible cord to carry 18A, but only if:

• No more than two conductors can be current-carrying (which is the case with a 120V 3-wire cord)
• the ambient temperature can not exceed 86F (the ampacity must be derated for higher temperatures).

The SEOOW cord is a hard-usage cable suitable for immersion in water.

Of course, ampacity rating aside, you still will have the higher voltage drop of a 14AWG cable as opposed to a 12 or 10 AWG. Crunching the numbers, at 12A load the 50'/14AWG cable will have a 3.7V voltage drop, which is right at the 3% that the NEC recommends as maximum. I would not have any qualms running this cord, but if I had to extend it I would certainly use a much larger extension cord, probably a 10 gauge, to minimize any further voltage drop.

As a comparison, if the 50' cord were 12AWG, it would have a voltage drop of about 2.4V instead of this cord's 3.7V drop, or a little less than 2% instead of 3%.

 

[Derek]

both of my Cimex's have had the Kodiak on them...very flexible. i've not once used an extension cord. how many of y'all are using them?

on a slightly different Cimex topic, on the "Dry" pass i do not turn around and walk forwards...i simply walk backwards. i must be nuts!