Truck mounted shelter grounding questions

[MWMULES]

Ok do you guys with M109's or shelters use the grounding lug and run a wire to earth when you plug into shore power. The reason I ask is I just finished rewiring my box from 60 amp 3ph 208v to 30amp 1ph 110v. When I have shore powered other mv's in the past they were sorta grounded by Mil metal ladder going to ground. A couple of friends, one has a s280 on civi low boy trailer and when it is hooked to truck, jack leg up it knocked the crap out of his dog as he tried to get up on the dove tail, other guy is a MARS guy has a109 as a ham shack used a fiber glass ladder to get in and out and I leaned up against truck and got a jolt. My new shelter came with a high dollar mil ladder with rubber pads on the bottom and would like to keep it that way. Comments/advice? Thanks in advance

 

[gimpyrobb]

I'd leave it un-grounded just to see people jump!

 

[steelandcanvas]

The ladder by no means is a acceptable way of grounding (or bonding) to ground. When you use shore power, you should have (1) ungrounded conductor (hot, black, 120V), (1) grounded conductor (neutral, white), and (1) grounding conductor (ground, green or bare). Did you bond your neutrals and grounds together, or did you separate them, grounds on the grounding bus bar and neutrals on the neutral bus bar? You might also want to use an ohm meter and check for problems. If everything is properly grounded and bonded, any ground fault should trip the circuit breaker. I'm thinking you don't have a good ground to carry any ground faults to ground. Once the ground is good, then the breaker should trip, now you have to find where your short is. You should be provided with a good path to ground when you are connected to "shore power".

 

[Flyingvan911]

I'd use a 4 foot ground rod put a foot or so into the ground and see how that works.

 

[jw4x4]

I would leave it as it is. That will teach dogs and humans to not urinate on your vehicles.

 

[rosco]

If "shore power" means a Utility Company, then there should be a dedicated wire in your hook up cable, ie. green, running back to shore, that takes care of any errant voltages and shorts.

If you have a "stand alone" system, like out in the field somewhere, and a generater making power, you need a driven grounding rod. That 120 volt power, is nothing to mess with, and it can kill you dead, dead!

 

[rosco]

But jw4x4 does have a point!

 

[quickfarms]

I have to install A separate ground bus and divorce my neutral from my ground so that it does not trip the GFI. Properly wired the 30 amp 110 service is grounded. It sounds like in those instances they have a wiring issue. Remember to run a wire from the ground bus to the box, it would be a good to run several.

As an example RV's do not typically use a separate ground, instead they ground through the power cable.

 

[RAYZER]

Example.

 

[MWMULES]

Yep steelandcanvas the breaker box is set up correctly like you wrote, this is a 2005 built shelter with modern breakers and wiring. The ground comes in from the plug goes up to the breaker box then has a green ground that goes down to the grounding lug which turns the whole metal frame work of the shelter to ground. I am planning to do like RAYZER and have the wire but will pick up a rod tomorrow. One of reasons I brought this up is because RAYZER is one of the few folks I have run into at various rally's and shows that grounded their rig. Just about every 109 and 146 has a grounding lug on them, but never see them grounded outside of active duty. Pictures of the ground lug inside and out, and yes the 24V red wiring on the left looks small to me also, but it only powers 3 lights and came from the factory that way.

BTW jw4x4 I know a guy who remain nameless that had neighborhood kids that would not leave his truck alone after numerous warnings, he hooked it up to a solar fence charger. They don't play on his truck anymore.

 

[quickfarms]

"Just about every 109 and 146 has a grounding lug on them, but never see them grounded outside of active duty."

Where is the grounding lug on a M146?

They use a two wire 60 amp 110 service.

I have checked two if them and nothing is grounded

 

[RAYZER]

The grounding lug on the m146 trailer is foward of the side door.
Look close at the pic, between taj and hq.
Theres a nut on the inside but its covered up by base board, none of the origional breaker boxes or 120v wiring remain.

 

[MWMULES]

quickfarms on one of my 1961 146 it is on the right front corner the other is an hour south but pretty sure it was in the same general area. The M109 it is below right rear reflector. Both of them are nothing more than a bolt sticking out with washer and wing nut.

 

[quickfarms]

The grounding lug on the m146 trailer is foward of the side door.
Look close at the pic, between taj and hq.
Theres a nut on the inside but its covered up by base board, none of the origional breaker boxes or 120v wiring remain.View attachment 433381

Neither of my trailers have the grounding lug

 

[KsM715]

MWMULES, If you need a ground rod I have 3 4' rods with a built in slide hammer that I picked up from Glens back when he got all those fuel pod trailers in.

 

[Matt1970M35A]

Ungrounded so if Gimpy comes by it will be shocking! I ground all the time due to Gimpy and a power inverter. Its a good buzz.

 

[gimpyrobb]

Ungrounded so if Gimpy comes by it will be shocking! I ground all the time due to Gimpy and a power inverter. Its a good buzz.

I was wondering if you'd reply. I got "lit up" at Haspin walking past Matt's S280.

 

[cranetruck]

When using a grounding rod, you may want to drive it at an angle so that it can be pulled out using the vehicle when leaving. Don't use a ground rod when hooked up to the utility co service, one or the other, not both.

 

[MarcusOReallyus]

yes the 24V red wiring on the left looks small to me also, but it only powers 3 lights and came from the factory that way.

Nah, that's fine for that light load @ 24v. It's overkill.

 

[MarcusOReallyus]

BTW jw4x4 I know a guy who remain nameless that had neighborhood kids that would not leave his truck alone after numerous warnings, he hooked it up to a solar fence charger. They don't play on his truck anymore.

I like it.



But a fence charger is DESIGNED to NOT be lethal. High voltage, very low amperage.



120v circuits kill people on a pretty regular basis.

CPSC estimates there are about 200 consumer product-related electrocution deaths each year, which is down from about 600 deaths per year in the 1970s.

That's about 4 people per day, and that's JUST for consumer products. It doesn't count deaths when working on house wiring, for example.


Ground that sucker.