50 or 30 amp

I fully understand that you have not found a case in the RVIA data where a dogbone has been found to be the direct cause of an RV fire.  Again, there is a good reason why the NEC requires and the manufacturers apply a warning label not to apply 50A to a 30A trailer connector. And, again, because there has not been a case documented doesn't mean that there hasn't actually been one, and it also doesn't mean that it is a non issue. Obviously, the code authorities and FR think that it is. 

I'm probably going to regret posting this, but here goes anyway.

I'm sure everything that's been said in this thread so far is true and correct, but maybe it's stretching things a lttle too far to compare using a 50/30 dogbone to driving 100 mph through a school zone or saying that I might be responsible for burning down 14.000 homes if I use a dogbone.  

I lobbied, mildly, for the continuation of this thread after it was shut down for beating dead equines, but there is a mostly small group here, who have been just about the only particpants in this thread, except maybe the OP.  I gotta say, I think we all know what everyone's position is on the subject.  I guess I'm just trying to say that it might be nice if we didn't try to keep hitting each other over the head with just one more point. 

I just went to the effort to tally things up.  If I counted correctly this is the 94th post on this subject.  The OP posted twice, once with the original question and then just a few posts later to thank everyone for their replies.  Seven people posted once, mostly long ago.  Everyone else has posted multiple times, some more than 15 or 20 times.

I'm totally fine with this thread dying a natural death, even if it lingers another 50 years but it does seem to me that one of the dynamics going on here is that there are only a few people participating in this thread anymore.  Aside from the fact that there probably really isn't much useful to add, I think it would be helpful if we realize what a small audience there really is here.  I've been around the internet long enough that I have pretty tough skin, and I know this wasn't really anyone's intention, but when it gets to the point that someone basicallysays you're going straight to hell if you use a dogbone (running over kids in a school zone or killing 79 people by causing a forest fire will probably put you on a shortcut to hell, I assume), well, just my opinion, maybe it's past time to give it a rest and move on.

TT

I'll let lostagain speak for himself but for folks living in the far west the last couple of years electrical fires have been a really big deal.  He may be thinking about the cause of the Tubbs fire in 2017 which up until the Camp fire this year was the largest in CA history (22 deaths, 5600 buildings, 37000 acres). 

I like that you are asking to separate facts from opinions. Like many things in life though knowing the facts doesn't necessarily result in a decision between black and white. 

The facts are that when you use a 50A to 30A dogbone you are leaving the conductors between the output of your dogbone and the 30A circuit breaker in your trailer panel (the power cord and the internal trailer wiring) unprotected against certain types of electrical fault conditions. The result could be an electrical fire. Leaving these conductors unprotected from those fault conditions is not allowed under the National Electrical Code which is why you have a label next to your trailer connector warning you not to do that.

If your standard of proof is that there are actual cases where this has resulted in fires than it is most likely that does not exist, as the probability of occurrence of these particular fault conditions is low and the reporting of such things is spotty. 

At this point your decision to use the dogbone or not becomes a matter of opinion. I think you have three choices:  accept the risk of a fire from these faults in order to have the convenience of using the dogbone, don't use the dogbone and accept the inconvenience in order to avoid this fire risk (and/or to avoid violating your warning label instructions if such things bother you), or spend $ to add in a 30A circuit breaker after the dogbone to eliminate this risk.  Note that options 2 and 3 would not magically remove all fire risk, just this particular one. 

I for one don't think satan has anything to do with this and am OK with any of the above choices. 

Hope that helps.

I had to look up Godwin's law. I've heard folks in the electrical industry grumble about "Code Nazis" (folks who write and/or defend the NEC) before so I guess I could easily be accused of that