think and act like a rancher

When you have a ranch with countless buildings and a huge barn, there is no such thing as having too many power cords. In fact you want power cords (extension cables) of various lengths. I like my cords to be just the right length, and very often circa 25 ft work really well for powering battery chargers attaching to the vehicles.

I have this 100 feet 14 AWG extension cable that has been exposed to the outdoor elements for over decades. It feels stiff now and I have been thinking it must well passed its useful life, and may short out any time. But, like a frugal rancher, I just could not bring myself to throw it away.

I recently shopped for some 120V plugs and receptacles. I found the cheapest that comes in five each. All for $26, which works out to be about $5.10 a pair. They are quite decent and no less in quality than the name brands that cost 3 to 4 times as much. I decided to use them on this 100 ft extension cable, turning it into four circa 25 ft power cords. 

Once I cut down the extension cable and proceeded to strip the outer skin and the conductors, I realized it is of high quality that was manufactured in USA. While the outer skin is less pliable than when it was new, it is still very tough and have many years of service life left. The internal wires are as good as new, and there is no oxidation on the copper conductors. I like to tin the ends and the copper strands tined nicely.

stripping off the outer skin proved it is still very robust with a lot of life left

In all I made four shorter power cords out of this 100 ft extension cable. Instead of being used for one connection, it now serves four connections.