Electric cord falls off of mower, wacker

[micky]

My electric cord falls off of lawn mower. It always did this once in a while but it's gotten much worse. It also falls off of my weed wacker.

Any helpful suggestions?

In both cases, I use the provided gizmo to hold the cord, and they work, but the 6 inches of cord or more between the gizmo and 2 electric prongs is enough to make the cord fall out or off.

I'm using a 75' orange electric cord with one 3-prong receptacle on the end. The mower and weed wacker are both Black and Decker, ten or more years old.

The prongs in each case are one layer of metal, so I can't open them like with two-layer prongs. With other things, I would bend one prong away from the other, and that usually worked, but it hasn't here. If I bend too far apart, I can't plug the thing in at all. OTOH, I"ve never had success bending prongs closer to each other.

With the lawn mower, its prongs face alsmost down, so gravity alone does most of the pulling on the cord. It used to last 10 minutes or more, but now it's often as short as a minute or two until it falls out. . The end of the cord is warmer than it should be.

With the weedwacker, the prongs are horizontal, the gizmo into which a loop of the cord is inserted is right below the prongs, and every 10 minutes or so, the cord works far enough away from all the way in that it doesn't make contact electrically.

Thanks.

[Stormin Mormon]

It sounds like the socket is opening up. The legal option is replace cord. The old fashioned answer is to cut the end off, and put a new socket on.

In between answer might be to buy a short cord, plug that into your 75. And then use the short cord from the 75 to the appliance. Replace short cord when it loosens up.

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

.

Any helpful suggestions?

In both cases, I use the provided gizmo to hold the cord, and they work, but the 6 inches of cord or more between the gizmo and 2 electric prongs is enough to make the cord fall out or off.

I'm using a 75' orange electric cord with one 3-prong receptacle on the end. The mower and weed wacker are both Black and Decker, ten or more years old.

The prongs in each case are one layer of metal, so I can't open them like with two-layer prongs. With other things, I would bend one prong away from the other, and that usually worked, but it hasn't here. If I bend too far apart, I can't plug the thing in at all. OTOH, I"ve never had success bending prongs closer to each other.

With the lawn mower, its prongs face alsmost down, so gravity alone does most of the pulling on the cord. It used to last 10 minutes or more, but now it's often as short as a minute or two until it falls out. . The end of the cord is warmer than it should be.

With the weedwacker, the prongs are horizontal, the gizmo into which a loop of the cord is inserted is right below the prongs, and every 10 minutes or so, the cord works far enough away from all the way in that it doesn't make contact electrically.

Thanks.

[Ed Pawlowski]

There was a thread on this subject a few weeks back.

Tie the two cords in a knot and them plug them in. Buy a cord with a lock made to prevent this Bend the prongs in slightly, just enough to give them some tension.

It may also be possible to wrap the cord around the handle once or twice to take the strain off the plug.

[Kevin O. Conner]

Are you implying that replacing the socket is not legal?

[Nate Nagel]

If you're using it on a job site, no it is not. I ASSume that it is still legal to do so for personal use. (I've actually got at least one really nice cord that way.)

nate

[clare]

Are you saying an "assembled" cord is no longer legal on a job site?????? And the crappy pre-made useless Chinese crap can legally be used????

[Dean Hoffman]

Duct(k) tape? Electrical tape? Could you use some sort of glue to permanently fasten the cords to the devices?

[Stormin Mormon]

Years ago, someone sent me a link. I can't remember what TLA, but it's illegal for business to patch and tape or splice and tape extension cords.

Might not apply to residential users.

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

.

Are you implying that replacing the socket is not legal?

[Stormin Mormon]

I did a startpage search, the TLA is OSHA, which would make it a FLA. In any case, OSHA dot gov, and the web page has several mentions of extension cords.

Our founding Fathers had a fit over a tax stamp on news papers. I wonder what they would say if they could see the Federal Government writing pages of regulations on extension cords? What's next? Regulations on water flow of toilets?

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

.

If you're using it on a job site, no it is not. I ASSume that it is still legal to do so for personal use. (I've actually got at least one really nice cord that way.)

nate

[clare]

Spliced cords and taped cords are illegal for on-the-job use - assembled cords are not. Put a good set of Hubbel ends on a length of tech cable and you have a legal extention cord. Nick the jacket anywhere and tape it, and you have an illegal extention cord. Cut the damaged cord in half at the damage and install another set of cord ends and you have 2 legal short extention cords.

[tangerine3]

Get a pack of those reusable tie wraps. Attach the cord to the handle or frame, then plug it in. Duct tape helps too, but then you'll have to keep removing it.

I also did this once. Put a little solder on the prongs, but use a soldering gun and do it quick so you dont melt the plug. File the solder if it's bumpy. You only want to add a little thickness.

[tangerine3]

Actually he could glue or tape a short 2 or 3 ft. cord on. Then use one of those cord holders to attach the short cord to the 75 footer.

[Mark Lloyd]

I once had a long cord with a locking device (in the female end) that fit through the holes in the prongs. I wish I could find one like that now. It worked well for stuff like that.

[micky]

Thanks you all for a bunch of good answers. I think I'm going to start with Mormon's suggestion of another cord between the tool and the current cord.

Putting a new end on might work but both the mower and the current weed wacker expect the cords's end to go an inch into a hole, so I'd have to check if a new end will fit.**

I"m saving the other ideas for backup.

**(I found or someone gave me a couple devices I couldn't identify. Had to ask a friend. They have rubber rabbit ears that are to be strapped on to a cord, a cord with a female end that is too big to fit in a hole like my lawnmower has, for the prongs. The device plugs into the cord, and it has a small male end that will surefly fit into the hole in the mower or weedwacker. So I could use one of those, but I don't want to have to