Breakaway cable

[f6bits]

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 (http://www.fastwaytrailer.com/zip/) looks like a sensible replacement. Should I get the 4 foot, or the 6 foot?

[f6bits]

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.

[JRTJH]

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.

[jbsmith]

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. :eek: 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.

[Jay D]

I have my cable weaved into the chain as well. I will have to check the chain length before we head out next year.

[audio1der]

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.

[JRTJH]

There are two schools of thought on break away cable function. One is as I've described earlier and the other, as explained by JBSmith in his post following mine.

This is an exerpt from the University of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service. The entire pamphlet can be viewed at:

http://bioengr.ag.utk.edu/Extension/ExtProg/Safety/Highway/TrailerBrakes.pdf

The part explaining breakaway switch function and cable length is posted for your review:

A breakaway brake controller must be used so that all trailer brakes will be automatically applied in case of an accidental breakaway of the towed vehicle. This is required by all 50 states. A typical electric breakaway controller has a sealed 12-volt gel cell battery and switch that are mounted on the trailer and wired into the
brake circuit. The switch is connected to the towing vehicle by a small wire rope (the cable must be secured to the towing vehicle, not to the safety chain nor any part of the hitch ball or ball mount). If the hitch separates or fails, the cable pulls the “key” from the switch, allowing the contacts to close and 12 volts will be applied to the brakes. Adjust the length of the cable or lanyard from the key to the tow vehicle frame so that the brakes are applied before the safety chains break. Regulations do not state whether the brakes must apply before the safety chains break. However, if the brakes are applied and the safety chains hold, the emergency braking keeps the trailer directly behind the towing vehicle so you can stop under control. This also keeps the trailer from slamming into the rear of the tow vehicle, minimizing damage. Should the safety chains fail before the brakes are applied (meaning your safety chains were not the right size or were improperly attached), the trailer ought to at least stop somewhere nearby, but it may collide with other vehicles before it stops. Keep in mind that the safety chain must be of sufficient strength and properly attached to “maintain the attachment.” Refer to the fact sheet “Safety Chains for Agricultural Vehicles”
for more information.

My logic (you may not agree) is that a trailer weighing 8000 lbs being towed down the highway at 60 miles an hour with a sudden hitch breakaway is going to become a deadly object careening down the highway if it separates from the tow vehicle. If the trailer umbilical separates from the tow vehicle plug, there is NO braking available at all (unless the breakaway device functions) If the breakaway cable is too long, you have no control of brakes. If the chains hold and do not tear apart, there will be 8000lbs of lateral (sideway) force slamming back and forth on the rear of the tow vehicle. Nobody that I know would have the manual dexterity to keep both hands on the steering wheel, apply the trailer brakes with the brake controller on the dash and maintain stability of the rig. If the unbilical comes loose, the brake controller is useless anyway.

Additionally, the trailer brakes won't lock up at high speed on a trailer that size, Yes, they do lock up at 5-10 miles an hour, but the next time you're going down a lonely highway, with nobody around you, try to use the brake controller to lock up your trailer wheels. They don't lock, they firmly apply, but keep rolling. So, if using the advice from the University of Tennessee and adjusting the trailer safety chains and break away cable properly, you will most likely have braking capability in a separation while maintaing decelleration pull by the trailer to prevent slamming into your tow vehicle, maintain brakes even if the umbilical separates and hopefully safely stop your rig.

Whether you agree with this position or not, if the conversation at least gets you to think about how your rig is attached and how it functions, if it gives you pause to stop and critically think about what you would do in a separation, if it gets you to actually think about your safety chains, your hitch and your breakaway device (rather than just assume the dealer did it right), then there's something positive coming out of the discussion.

[gepaine]

F6bits (the OP),

The 4' length will be fine for you unless you have a Hensley Arrow as I do in which case you will need the 6'. I also was concerned that the coiled cable might have enough force to pull the pin out of the emergency brake control unit. I found that is not a concern as it takes quite a bit of force to pull the pin out - at least in the case of my trailer.

As for having the breakaway cable 6 inches shorter than the chains, I am not a fan of that approach as I do not want the trailer brakes to go full on unless the chains have broken.

[jbsmith]

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.

[f6bits]

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.

[SAABDOCTOR]

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(tx)

[JRTJH]

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.

[SAABDOCTOR]

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:eek: very good thread hope others gathered some good insight from it. than(tx).John ,Barney

[LZScout]

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.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[JRTJH]

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:eek: very good thread hope others gathered some good insight from it. than(tx).John ,Barney

Barney,

I never got a valid gear up squawk, but I never was below the preset altitude without pulling the gear handle. You're right, there's two kind of pilots, Thse that have landed "gear up" and those that will eventually land "gear up" :(

As for trailer separation, I had a 6x12 covered trailer with about 3000 lbs come off the ball on my Dodge PU. The chains were strong enough to hold it and the trailer brakes didn't work (I was much younger and much less safety oriented then). When the trailer reached the end of the safety chains, it bucked, headed left, hit the end of the chains, bucked, headed right, bucked, headed left, this went on for about 3 days it seemed in the next 30 to 45 seconds. When I finally got the rig stopped, after changing my pants and trying to get my knees to hold me up, I went back to check what had happened. The ball lock was up, bent to one side, the tongue was scraped and scored all over, the back of the truck (thank goodness for the old HD bumpers) was scratched and scraped everywhere, both tail lights were broken out and the tail gate was a "goner" That event taught me that if another trailer ever separates on me, I know that I won't be able to reach for the brake control to try to slow the rig, my hands were so busy trying to control the truck and keep it on the pavement that I don't even remember where they were, but they sure weren't thinking about brakes.

As for the fifth wheel. I think if I had a separation, when I saw the front of the trailer moving in my rear view mirror, I'd probaby be inclinded to at least take my foot off the accellerator and probably try braking if I reacted in time. I think that is only natural instinct to do. I have no doubt that if the fifth wheel were "freewheeling" with out any braking, as soon as I started slowing down, the trailer pinbox would be riding right up into the rear glass on the cab of my truck. So, hopefully the breakaway cable would have started trailer braking before all of that happened. The last thing I want to see in this lifetime is a Lippert pinbox headed my way...... YIKES !!!!!!!!!!!!

[PerryB]

Although "we all know" what a breakaway cable is for, I never thought about adjusting it so it pulls prior to chain separation. I'd always thought of it as the last ditch. You make an EXCELLENT point of having the brakes come on while the chains are still attached. This would quite possibly eliminate damage to the tow vehicle (conventional hitch) AND prevent the next step, which would total separation due to chain failure caused by a whipping trailer. I'm ashamed to admit I didn't know this before!

[f6bits]

My 4’ coiled breakaway cable arrived today. It seems more like 3 feet. It sure doesn’t look long enough. I’ll find out soon enough… At least my old cable is in good shape. How does one shorten up the existing cable?

[f6bits]

Good news! It works! It's clipped to an eye bolt I installed on my hitch assembly just above to the outside of my trailer plug. It's a tight stretch, but it never pulled the pin, in spite of several relatively sharp turns while maneuvering the trailer. Thanks for the 4' recommendation, gepaine.

[audio1der]

Trailer Couplings and Other Safety Devices Regulations

made under Section 200 of the
Motor Vehicle Act
R.S.N.S. 1989, c. 293
O.I.C. 73-1027 (October 2, 1973), N.S. Reg. 86/73

(2) The safety connecting device referred to in subsection (1) shall

(a) not be attached to any part of a trailer hitch that would render the safety connecting device ineffective should the trailer hitch or its attachment to the towing vehicle fail;

Just sayin':)

[f6bits]

Yeah, I know, but that part of the hitch is part of the bumper assembly. Some people put an eye bolt into the license plate frame, but if my trailer hitch assembly fails, it's taking the entire bumper with it. I'll look around for another suitable location, but it'll have to be a ways from where it currently connects.

[jb238smw]

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?

[JRTJH]

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.

[sourdough]

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.

[zuley]

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??

[Desert185]

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(tx)

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.:cool:

GUMP is your friend.

[jb238smw]

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!