Is this unsafe to do this?
Would anyone hitch up their breakaway cable like this? I was trying to figure out the logic behind this method, thanks. Moderator edit to re-size picture to forum limit of 640px maximum width.
Forum Discussion
horton333 wrote:fj12ryder wrote:
Not the way I would do it, but doesn't look particularly unsafe.
Not legal in these here parts either. The whole purpose of the safety cable is to limit to problems from a catastrophic hitch where the trailer separates, there are several scenarios here where the brake would no be actuated and the trailer would be separate from the TV and..... well pity the other people on that road. The cable needs to be connected to a separate piece of the TV, not the hitch in general and esp not the pin, for safety.
Kind of stunned by everybody who claims that it's just fine. There isn't a set of manufacturer's instructions, or safety regulation out there that would approve of attaching a breakaway to a receiver. I have had a receiver that tried to separate from the frame. At the start of my RVing hobby, I paid a dealer to install a receiver on my truck. The idiot who did the work didn't see the value of actually torquing anything, and all four bolts were working loose as I towed. I noticed it in time to prevent a catastrophic failure, and redid the work properly. With the breakaway attached to the receiver it could of been a disaster.
Bottom line, the breakaway should be attached to the vehicle in such a manner that the complete failure of the receiver, as in it literally falling off the tow vehicle, WILL NOT prevent the safety braking from activating. This can be easily accomplished with a short loop of aircraft cable looped around the frame, and routed in a area where the breakaway lanyard can be easily attached.
