Sub Panel to Trailer Overhead Short distance

[UglySign]

Hey all,
In a pickle here. By spring we'll be looking to have a cargo trailer electrified.
Currently our outside shed has a 100A sub panel in it & is on the other side of the house
that will be taken down. Sub panel is in good shape.
The house & garage each have a separate 200A service panels. House is out of equation.
I have this opportunity to get an 8.5x20 cargo trailer fairly good price that will be used for
light storage and mostly machine use. A few machines will be taken out of garage and put in there. Beats building a limited size allowance smaller shed.
Would like to hook up this 100A SP to it. But how?

The dilemma is is that we cannot do underground conduit. The Trailer will only be 5' away
from the garage wall. The path walk is her grandpas magical 12" concrete slabs preventing a dig. Not into this setup the way it is.
Since I have a bit of time till spring I'd like to fart around with some ideas as to get wiring
over to it.
What wire size would I need? #3-3-3-8 Cu ? What type? Is xhhw-2 acceptable?
Could I send it in conduit up the garage wall then overhead down the trailer wall?

I've looked at some threads and not really finding any posts that relate and if they
do, we're talking more than 20'+ and aerial cables involved.

Is there a way to get the wiring to go overhead? Method?

Lets end this with that I will not do this connection and plan to have an electrician install
and as well inspected. Not going the knucklehead route. Adding on to the garage is not an option. Also note I may be missing a few things for my pc crashed earlier.
See attached pics as for layout.

Happy Turkey Day!
Ronnie

 

[Norcal]

If it was done with either Rigid, or IMC, conduit with threaded connections it would work, the PVC, as shown would sag & generally look like ****, plus exposed PVC does not really do well exposed in the sun.

 

[FlaGman]

I know I would be having another conversation about how much better it would look if it was done under the slab, or else asking for forgiveness rather than permission after the fact.

I have never seen a trailer hard wired like you are proposing, I would be interested whether that could even pass inspection. If you could get by with 50 amp service it could be plugged in like an RV.

 

[Bert_]

I've done that before when buildings are extremely close together. Use rigid conduit with no couplings in the part spanning the gap. Pvc will end up broken by ice or snow.

You could do conduit from box to box and use individual conductors or just do conduit between the buildings and use it as a sleeve for some SER or somthing.

 

[ez-duzit]

...get by with 50 amp service it could be plugged in like an RV.

This. Use an RV hookup. Otherwise go under the slab with conduit.

 

[UglySign]

OK, went back outside to have a look. The particular area that
is 12" is just a small area who knows what for. Ground is still warm
so I dug more and it looks doable. I just assumed it was whole length.
Use a core drill (x"dia. ?) to go thru cc behind garage?
The cc slab looks to be 4"th from another part the side edge where I can
dig, so that may be promising.

Dig down 18"+/- trench maybe to other side of trailer? After the slab the rest isnt a tough dig. Maybe just 15' overall dig?

I have never seen a trailer hard wired like you are proposing, I would be interested whether that could even pass inspection. If you could get by with 50 amp service it could be plugged in like an RV.

Yea it may be kind of odd wiring a trailer but its no different if it were a shed.
I dont plan on moving it for a while and if I do I can work around the electric w/ a new shed. I just feel like building one.

I agree about the pvc overhead and sag/breakage. So that rules that out
and wont look fugly anymore.

Odd has it that I'll have a slider tablesaw, J/P, BS, small blast cabinet & DC in it.
So it will be powered.

This. Use an RV hookup. Otherwise go under the slab with conduit.

Considering, we'll see.

 

[Jim greengo]

If you cant run it underground,I'd just run a couple of masts and do it overhead like a jobsite/office trailer.

 

[nadogail]

If you cant run it underground,I'd just run a couple of masts and do it overhead like a jobsite/office trailer.

What he said!!

 

[Ole Slewfoot]

Id run 2 50A twist cables, or a banded camlok that way nobody can say it's a become a permanent structure by you wiring it.

 

[Bert_]

The cord and plug idea does have one thing that makes it good. This is a portable building and using a plug keeps it portable.

Portable building = not taxable

One 50A cord would be plenty of power.

 

[Norcal]

The cord and plug idea does have one thing that makes it good. This is a portable building and using a plug keeps it portable.

Portable building = not taxable

One 50A cord would be plenty of power.

There have been a lot of double wide trailers with 50A service & have done quite well, just to add a different prospective.

 

[matt_i]

I don't understand the rigid conduit-to-cargo-trailer thing. The trailer has a suspension which is going to flex incrementally with everything that's added and everytime a person steps in. Thats generally bad for any type of non-flex conduit. Now granted you can add in the flex part.

I also question how you are going to use 100 amps in a cargo trailer. I have 50 tons of machines outside and have never pulled more than 60A at one time. I fully support the 100A subpanel so don't get confused there but feed it with 40 or 60amp capability and save your money for more interesting things

 

[UglySign]

I don't understand the rigid conduit-to-cargo-trailer thing. The trailer has a suspension which is going to flex incrementally with everything that's added and everytime a person steps in. Thats generally bad for any type of non-flex conduit. Now granted you can add in the flex part.

Going to skip the overhead idea.
The trailer isnt going to move for a while and will be supported underneath to keep level etc.