The cord works fine!

I took it off the reel and ran my hand along the entire length, looking for obvious abrasions or cuts. Nothing. Hmmmmmmmmm.

So, I took both ends and took apart and made sure they were connected to the proper connectors (they were), and that they were seated properly. I put it back together, and VOILA, it worked.

That means that the original problem was one of the plugs on one end......but since I did both, and rechecked both, I don't know which one it was. Doesn't matter, it's now working like a champ and has two new connectors.

I need to get a decent hose reel for something this heavy..........and then I have a 600v 'outside' yellow cord that'll carry most anything. Woo Hoo.