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Old 11-22-2012, 06:33 AM   #1
f6bits
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Breakaway cable

My cable is routed through the chain links and looped on one of my hooks. That never seemed optimal, but that's how I got it.

Now I know better and should probably replace the cable. The Fastway Zip cable looks like a sensible replacement. Should I get the 4 foot, or the 6 foot?
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Old 11-22-2012, 06:45 AM   #2
f6bits
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Ok, duh, I should have the page I linked to. They recommend a 4'. I was just worried that a coiled 4' cable might not be long enough or have too much tension on it. But I'd still like to hear from someone who's tried one.
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Old 11-22-2012, 07:33 AM   #3
JRTJH
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The purpose of a break away cable is to lock the brakes in the event of a trailer hitch ball separation (or with fifth wheel, receiver separation). On trailers, if your safety chains are 3 ft long then the breakaway cable needs to be 2.5 ft long so it will pull the pin BEFORE the chains reach maximum extension.

Probably the easiest way to determine the cable length requirement is to hook the chains to the tow vehicle, have someone spot for you, and pull forward until the chains are tight. Measure from the break away device to the point you want to hook the cable. Then buy (or make) a cable about 5 or 6 inches shorter than that measure.

If you've ever had a trailer separation, you'll come to really appreciate a breakaway device that activates the trailer brakes and keeps the trailer from slamming into the back of your tow vehicle as you try despirately to slow down. Keeping the break away device and the attachment point on the tow vehicle centered on the hitch eliminates much of the pulling issues in turns and helps prevent inadvertent activations.

Oh, and every time we go camping I see this..... Cross your safety chains under the tongue of your trailer. If it does happen to separate, the cross chains will help support the tongue and keep it from digging into the asphalt or worse yet the dirt and causing even more control issues. Of course if your chains are 8' long and your tongue is 3' long, the chains are going to drag the ground and not be able to do their job anyway. They should be the proper length as well and many come from the factory too long to be effective. Dealers most often just hook them up and never adjust them to the proper length.
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Old 11-22-2012, 08:04 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JRTJH View Post
On trailers, if your safety chains are 3 ft long then the breakaway cable needs to be 2.5 ft long so it will pull the pin BEFORE the chains reach maximum extension.
I would not have thought you should adjust the breakaway cable to be shorter than the chains. I was always under the impression that the cable was there in case the chains failed and you lost the trailer altogether. I always figured that if the trailer popped off the ball, the chains would catch it and I would use the squeezer to stabilize/stop the truck/trailer while I pulled to the shoulder. It seems that suddenly locking the brakes up on the trailer would create a serious control issue of its own. Not to mention, you could be locked up in the middle of a busy interstate, unable to get off the highway before a semi turned you into a pile of splinters. I'm not sure whether the brakes would lock fully causing a skid at speed...but once they do lock, you're probably not going anywhere without serious effort until you release the brakes.

Now on the 5er, if the trailer detaches for some reason on the highway, I guess you're SOL. It's going to come loose and take the tailgate and probably half the truck bed with it. There's no chance it's going to stay with the truck. I triple check the jaws on my hitch and recheck periodically...not to mention a pre-flight inspection to ensure no cracks or problems with the jaws.

I pulled the breakaway switch when my cable got hung up on my slider while making some deep tight turns during a fuel stop. Needless to say...it works!!! For a second I thought something broke, but figured it out when the Prodigy was flashing red indicating a brake error.
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Old 11-22-2012, 09:34 AM   #5
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I have my cable weaved into the chain as well. I will have to check the chain length before we head out next year.
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Old 11-22-2012, 11:07 AM   #6
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Am I the only OCD one who went to the trouble of adding aircraft cable to the TT's frame, to provide the breakaway cable to not utilize any part of the hitch assembly in case of worst case scenario?
Hitches can fail, tearing right off the TT; and the breakaway wouldn't know the difference.
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Old 11-22-2012, 01:22 PM   #7
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Regardless of which method you prefer (short or long breakaway cable), I would NOT recommend having the cable woven into the chain. You run the risk of snapping chain and cable with NO emergency braking of the trailer whatsoever.
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Old 11-22-2012, 07:30 PM   #8
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Ok, I done gone ordered the 4 footer.

JRTJH, I hadn't even considered the issue of comparing it to chain length. The article you quoted does a good job explaining the logic of having the pin pull while the chain is still connected. Once I get my cable, I'll see if it needs some fine tuning so it's not too long.
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Old 11-23-2012, 06:00 AM   #9
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HI ALL next question where do you guys hook your cable to in your truck when towing a 5er? i hook mine over one of the cleats on the bed not on the hitch
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Old 11-23-2012, 06:49 AM   #10
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Barney,
I hook mine to one of the unused holes in the bed rails. I put an extra pin and a carabiner there just for that purpose. It's on the front rail and the cable is routed under the hitch platform centered on the hitch head. My breakaway box is mounted on the back side of the pinbox and centered along the trailer centerline.

I have no "illusions" that if it ever came unhitched that the tail gate would hold it before it bends and pulls away from the tailgate locks, but at least there's some small chance that the trailer may stay on the truck if the sides of the bed don't crush. There's a pretty good amount of steel crossmembers in the framework of the trailer, so maybe.....

At any rate, if you do happen to get stopped in Michigan and they do a safety inspection of your rig, (supposedly they won't stop you unless you're violating a law) it is a moving offense to not have the breakaway cable connected.

Personally, I think it's pretty "shortsighted" of anyone to not hookup the cable. It's the only way to have any influence on the trailer if it should happen to disconnect from the Tow Vehicle.

When we first started towing with this truck, I was running the umbilical over the tailgate and down to the bumper 7 way plug. It wasn't but a couple of trips later that I started having the issues with "trailer disconnect" on the factory sway control. That's when I started researching that problem and found that any strain on the umbilical could cause it to pull partially out of the truck connector and cause that problem. That's when I installed the bed umbilical connector and rerouted the breakaway cable to the hitch rail, prior to that, I had been hooking it to one of the bed tiedowns. But they are on the extreme end of the bed and on the extreme side, I thought that centering it and making it the right length would be better than having all that extra cable laying around the bed to get snagged on something.
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Old 11-23-2012, 08:25 AM   #11
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I WOULD NEVER RUN WITHOUT ONE! I like the way you route yours.I hope i never have to find out how well they do or don't work!.so far i am lucky just like when i flew retractable landing gear air craft. you either have or wil have landed with the gear up!. i retired before that ever happened. hope my luck holds out! i do regularly check the jaws. i remember my fist tt. the dealer coiled up the cable put a bit of duct tape on it clipped it to the saftey chain and said that's all you need very good thread hope others gathered some good insight from it. than.John ,Barney
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Old 10-07-2017, 12:28 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SAABDOCTOR View Post
HI ALL next question where do you guys hook your cable to in your truck when towing a 5er? i hook mine over one of the cleats on the bed not on the hitch
Having an Andersen hitch with a B&W turnover ball in the bed, I use a carabiner to attach the breakaway cable to one of the gooseneck chain hookups in the bed.

As far as landing with the gear up...~20,000 hours of retractable time and no gear up landing...yet. I rarely fly a retractable anymore, so maybe I’m not going to be a stat.

GUMP is your friend.
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Old 11-23-2012, 11:22 AM   #13
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This is why I like reading this forum. I've been towing my camper since 2004 and my cable is way too long. My dealer hasn't bothered to hook it up. Thanks for showing me the way.


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Old 10-07-2017, 08:03 AM   #14
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Question Frozen breakaway switch?

I've tried to test the breakaway switch several times by pulling the pin to see if the brakes engage. So far, I've not been able to get the pin to budge. Given the age of the TT, wouldn't be surprised if the switch is frozen and needs to be replaced, but before I do, I was wondering how much force is needed to pull the pin. Any ideas?
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Old 10-07-2017, 08:31 AM   #15
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Mine pulls out with about 5 pounds of pull. It's a plastic pin that sits between two metal "spring contacts" inside that black plastic box. It should pull out easily. If it's stuck, you can buy a replacement assembly for about $5-6 at any RV parts store or trailer supply store. The same assembly is used on any type trailer that has electric brakes, so Tractor Supply or any "farm and fleet" store would have them in the trailer section.
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Old 10-07-2017, 09:01 AM   #16
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As John said, not much force at all. I can pull mine out pretty easily. Also, the observation about Tractor Supply is spot on. I couldn't find a replacement disconnect like the one in my trailer at the RV stores so went to Tractor Supply and they had the identical switch so you might give them a try if they are closer than an RV store.
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Old 10-07-2017, 05:17 PM   #17
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Thanks - I hadn't thought of TSC and there's one real close - I'll check them out. Looked online and found some that had a 3-wire connection where mine has only a 2-wire. Think I'll stick with a 2-wire since electricity and I aren't exactly good buds!
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Old 10-07-2017, 11:10 AM   #18
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I like others I suspect, after reading the posts, have gone outside to my trailer and measured the break away cable against the length of the chains. Cable was 6 inches longer than the chains from the factory. That will be corrected before we tow again. I have not yet looked at a method to shorten up the cable. Any suggestions??
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