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Old 11-27-2018, 05:23 PM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gharper View Post
My understanding is the breakaway cable should be shorter than the safety chains so that in the event the hitch comes out of the ball mount the trailer will brake and you can control the stop (with the hitch supported by the crossed safety chains).

If the hitch comes out of the ball and the brake is not applied it could cause considerable damage. Anything that could impede the breakaway cable from being pulled such as attaching to safety chains, etc, may not engage the brake in an emergency.
My understanding is you want the breakaway cable longer than the safety chains so that should the hitch come out of the ball you want to do a controlled braking to bring the TV and the trailer to a full stop. You can't do that as easily if the breakaway switch has been activated and the trailer brakes are fully applied.
Should the safety chains fail as well, then you want the breakaway switch to activate, bringing the now disconnected trailer to as quick a stop as possible, and hopefully not causing any injury or damage to anyone else.
I think a little research to clear this up, may be in the works for me.
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Old 11-27-2018, 05:24 PM   #22
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Did you get the one pictured with the split ring or the one with the cable and pin?
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Old 11-27-2018, 06:07 PM   #23
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According to a good source, the cable length should be longer than your pigtail connection, so if there is any break away the power/brake controller is still controlling the trailer brakes, once your lose power then you want the trailer brakes to activate to stop the run away trailer.
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Old 11-27-2018, 07:19 PM   #24
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The breakaway cable must be fastened to a permanent part of the tow vehicle. So, tow vehicle frame(Y),the receiver(Y), permanent loops used for the safety chains (Y); safety chain itself(N), ball mount or its pin(N).


The breakaway switch itself is a set of simple contacts with an insulating piece holding the contacts apart. When the cable is pulled, the insulating piece comes out and contacts come together, causing power to flow from the trailer battery to the trailer brakes: full brake application. The only way to shut off the brakes then is to re-insert the insulating piece, or disconnect the trailer battery.
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Old 11-27-2018, 07:56 PM   #25
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Originally Posted by cpaharley2008 View Post
According to a good source, the cable length should be longer than your pigtail connection, so if there is any break away the power/brake controller is still controlling the trailer brakes, once your lose power then you want the trailer brakes to activate to stop the run away trailer.
That is the length relationship which makes sense to me. It logically follows that the electrical cable should have more slack than the chains, so that you don't lose the electrical connection (and brake control) as long as the trailer is still attached.
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Old 11-27-2018, 08:06 PM   #26
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Originally Posted by sclifrickson View Post
We replaced the factory supplied breakaway with one of these from Fastway. Nice.

https://www.fastwaytrailer.com/zip-breakaway-cable

Attachment 35384
Have same; needed after OEM one failed at the loop after a year. ETI should just provide these instead of saving a couple of bucks making their own....IMO.
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Old 11-27-2018, 08:44 PM   #27
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Years ago I wondered why should I put blocks against the wheels of the trailer, to keep it from moving, when I could just pull the breakaway switch and put the brakes on. It worked great until morning when I found the batteries were dead. Duh!
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Old 11-27-2018, 08:47 PM   #28
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Yes, our trailer was also given to us by Dennis last year, with the cable attached to the chain which got hooked on to the vehicle hitch.

Ignorance is bliss in our case.........
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Old 11-27-2018, 09:46 PM   #29
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Originally Posted by Viajante View Post
Related issue. Does anyone activate the switch to see if it works? Does it reset properly?
Yes - I tested it just to make sure it was really functional. It was. And I should really test it more often.

When you reinsert the plunger, it opens the contacts and that cuts the voltage and frees up the brakes - that's the "reset".

Apparently testing it by pulling out the plunger can damage some (most/all?) controllers, so for testing you should unplug the brake controller before pulling out the plunger. I suppose the theory is that if your trailer gets loose and the plunger gets pulled, damaging the controller is the least of your worries at that point. The brakes are applied fully (full voltage), so the controller is really out of the equation at that time.
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Old 11-27-2018, 11:07 PM   #30
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Call me paranoid, but I carry a spare breakaway switch cable/pin, that I know fits my switch (not all do), just in case some "Campground Cretan" decides to play a joke, steal my pin, lock my wheels, and drain my battery. They may have my pin and a few laughs, but at least I can get back on the road again and far away from them....
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Old 11-28-2018, 11:08 AM   #31
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A picture's worth a thousand words.

So... from what you guys are saying, to be clear, I'm doing it wrong because picture B here is the correct, best way to attach the break-away cable since, if the cup jumps off the ball and gets nested in the safety chains, extra cable slack delays the pin pulling out just enough to prevent trailer brakes from locking too soon. A good thing if it all happens when you're driving at highway speeds.
Attached Thumbnails
hitchcable01.jpg   hitchcable02.jpg  
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Old 11-28-2018, 11:20 AM   #32
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Me too
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Old 11-28-2018, 12:21 PM   #33
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Viajante View Post
Related issue. Does anyone activate the switch to see if it works? Does it reset properly?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Great Eggstrications View Post
Yes - I tested it just to make sure it was really functional. It was. And I should really test it more often.

When you reinsert the plunger, it opens the contacts and that cuts the voltage and frees up the brakes - that's the "reset".

Apparently testing it by pulling out the plunger can damage some (most/all?) controllers, so for testing you should unplug the brake controller before pulling out the plunger. I suppose the theory is that if your trailer gets loose and the plunger gets pulled, damaging the controller is the least of your worries at that point. The brakes are applied fully (full voltage), so the controller is really out of the equation at that time.
Everyone should test their breakaway switch. It is very easy. Attached is what Escape has in the Owner's Manual for testing. When I have tested ours it has worked fine with all wheels locked up.
Attached Thumbnails
breakaway switch test.JPG  
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Old 11-28-2018, 02:24 PM   #34
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Everyone should test their breakaway switch. It is very easy. Attached is what Escape has in the Owner's Manual for testing. When I have tested ours it has worked fine with all wheels locked up.
Thanks. This is new information since my Owner's Manual came out in 2010.
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Old 11-28-2018, 02:56 PM   #35
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Locked up

If you so desired I think you could systematically check your full on brake adjustment using the breakaway switch. If any one or more of your wheels did not fully lock up, I would think it would indicate that your brake shoes were out of adjustment and ran out of travel before they contacted the drum fully. You could then tighten up the shoes with your adjustment tool, screwdriver or whatever you use. You’d have to get each wheel off of the ground one or more at a time with wood blocks or jackstands. Personally I’m most comfortable with one tire off the ground at a time when I’m under our Escape 21. ( and then the tire only has to be up about an inch.) When the breakaway was hooked back up, the wheels would free up and you could check for the very subtle contact scrape when the tire and wheel was spun by hand and loosen it up to increase clearance by a couple millimeters if need be.
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Old 11-28-2018, 04:33 PM   #36
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Here in Penciltucky you have to have your vehicle and trailer inspected yearly and one of the tests performed is the emergency brake system operation.
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Old 11-28-2018, 05:10 PM   #37
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Inspection

Quote:
Originally Posted by cpaharley2008 View Post
Here in Penciltucky you have to have your vehicle and trailer inspected yearly and one of the tests performed is the emergency brake system operation.
How much does the inspection cost? Do the inspectors themselves have individual inspection credentials or is it a blanket shop certification? I remember when Iowa had vehicle inspections, it was not effective. The cash for clunkers got more Smokey Joe cars off the road than the inspections did. Done right, I could see how it could be effective.
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Old 11-28-2018, 05:22 PM   #38
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Average cost for cars/trucks $50 and trailers $40, each mechanic is certified and signs the inspection sticker.Brakes, lights, glass, tires and emissions are the main areas looked into.
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Old 11-28-2018, 06:33 PM   #39
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Ninety bucks to the governor...every year? No yearly inspection here. (But bikers not required to wear helmutts, either.)
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Old 11-28-2018, 07:54 PM   #40
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Ninety bucks to the governor...every year? No yearly inspection here. (But bikers not required to wear helmutts, either.)
When we were in the eastern US last September I was surprised by how many bikers on the freeway passed us with no helmet. And sadly when we passed one of them, the police had covered his body with a sheet.
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