I am a hvac tech, but my question is I have 2awg stranded and my plug is 6awg, will it matter much if I cut some strands to fit my plug? the plug is 60amp 250vac for a piece of kitchen equipment if the matters.
Cutting strands of wire to fit plug
cord-and-plug
Related Solutions
According to howstuffworks.com the most common type of surge protectors contain a metal oxide varistor or a gas discharge arrestor that utilizes the grounding wire to divert extra current.
However, as others have commented, the neutral wire is usually also used in conjunction with the ground, and therefore, you should get some, but not full protection when bypassing the 3rd prong.
That said, it's never considered safe to use bypass the 3rd prong (even with 2 to 3 prong adapters) and it is likely your insurance / the manufactures insurance will not cover damages caused as a result of such use.
It looks like an NF C 61-315 standard French single phase plug:
These are are rated for 400V, 32A on a single phase. The socket you have pictured looks like a French style Schuko (CEE 7/3), which is typically only rated to around 16A. My guess is that unless you already have a socket that was intended for use with an electric stove, the wires are likely not a suitable gauge to handle the current demand.
If you have an outlet with the appropriate wire gauge, it would probably just be a matter of replacing either the outlet or the plug. If you have any doubts, I'd consult an electrician before attempting to connect it.
Image credit: "Power connector Legrand 32A" by Kae - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Power_connector_Legrand_32A.jpg#/media/File:Power_connector_Legrand_32A.jpg
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Best Answer
Yes, it matters a great deal.
Cutting off extra strands will create a big safety hazard, yes. Yes, it will affect the resistance of the connection. It will cause a voltage drop and localized heating, which may melt the plug. It could also cause arc faulting, which could ignite grease or flour residues.
But also, the plug has a built-in strain relief. It is designed to clamp #6 cable, not #2. It won't be able to clamp #2, which in practice means the strain relief just won't be used, and any pulls on the cable will yank on the connections directly. That would be bad even if the terminations were proper!
The NFPA and UL don't make these rules to be a pain. They do it because experience has proven things blow up if they don't.
There are some other problems. Plugs/sockets larger than 60A are very unusual, which means cordage larger than 6 AWG is very unusual. I have a strong suspicion this is not cordage, but in fact is building wiring. Don't use building wire intended for in-walls or underground, in an application where a flexible cord is normally used. Building wiring can't handle the flexing and motion of cords.
Trying to use #2 here is wrong. Anyone with an experienced eye will spot a #2 cable going to a plug. They could get written up on a walk-through. If this shows up in an investigation of an injury or fire, you could really be in the soup, because the boss will swear he didn't tell you to do that.
I know you have something "on order", but the correct cable is readily available. It's simply 6/4 or 6/5 cordage (3-phase+ground with or without neutral; number of wires = number of plug pins) and they cheerfully sell it by the foot. Most likely there's an electrical supply house within 2 miles who stocks it.
And it's cheaper to boot. Significantly cheaper than #2.
Super easy to do it right, so do it right.