Towing without a battery

tekman741 wrote:
Thanks again since we live in mass, where everything is illegal, just to be safe he will spend the extra time and install it. Too risky with all the rolling hills and winter still hanging around.

Glad to hear your friend has come to his senses and made the right decision to tow safely.

Thanks again since we live in mass, where everything is illegal, just to be safe he will spend the extra time and install it. Too risky with all the rolling hills and winter still hanging around.

Ozlander wrote:
Millions of trailers are towed every day without a battery installed.
Check a U-haul trailer and the mower guys.

Just saying.

U haul trailers big enough to need brakes have hydraulic surge brakes that use a momentum-activated cylinder on the tongue to activate the brakes, they are not electric and do not require a battery. This way they don't have to worry about the renter having an electric brake controller in the truck, just the 4-flat lights plug.

Ozlander wrote:

blt2ski wrote:
"IF" he gets pulled over by an LEO and DOES NOT have the battery on the trailer for the emergency stopping issue, HE WILL get cited, and his trailer will be redtagged on the side of the road until he goes and gets a battery, or the trailer will have to be bed hauled to the destination.
Marty

Millions of trailers are towed every day without a battery installed.
Check a U-haul trailer and the mower guys.

Just saying.

It depends on the trailer's weight if it is needed or not. In Pennsylvania, up to 3,000 pounds does not require brakes. Once it has brakes, it requires a battery for the breakaway.

To the OP- why doesn't he just pull a battery from another vehicle or borrow one from a friend? Surely it has to be easy to setup a battery temporarily in this situation.

blt2ski wrote:
"IF" he gets pulled over by an LEO and DOES NOT have the battery on the trailer for the emergency stopping issue, HE WILL get cited, and his trailer will be redtagged on the side of the road until he goes and gets a battery, or the trailer will have to be bed hauled to the destination.
Marty

Millions of trailers are towed every day without a battery installed.
Check a U-haul trailer and the mower guys.

Just saying.

tekman741 wrote:
you folks are awesome, quick response team here. I told him to get the battery and be safe, nothing like risking your investment on a $100 battery(probably less, just say-in). But he's determined to not use the battery so I figured the system must be design so if the battery was dead you would still have lights and brakes. Also told him if he did decide to move it tape the positive batt terminal. hook his vehicle up and see what happens.

a small lawnmower or motorcycle battery will activate brake-a-way circuit.

"IF" he gets pulled over by an LEO and DOES NOT have the battery on the trailer for the emergency stopping issue, HE WILL get cited, and his trailer will be redtagged on the side of the road until he goes and gets a battery, or the trailer will have to be bed hauled to the destination. Now I admit he will probably NOT have this issue.....but there is a chance.

Otherwise as noted, he does not "need" the battery to tow the trailer. The few times I have been pulled over in commercial rigs, they have checked the battery voltage to verify it is above 10.5 or 11.5v. If it was not, again, I would have the same issue as one with no battery.

Marty

ah64id wrote:

Bumpyroad wrote:
of course if he has an accident there will be issues for towing something requiring brakes with no brake hookup. it is not for the "emergency" brakes, it is for the trailer brakes to assist the TV in stopping.
bumpy

Not true, the brakes get their power from a different wire. The trailer brake controller provides that voltage directly to the brakes. To operate as you have stated would take a variable relay, which is not part of the equation.

The only thing the battery is for is the emergency brakes if the trailer separates from the truck.

If you look at the wiring the emergency brake-away switch has two wires. One goes to the 12V + side of the battery (actually a distribution point in the front of the trailer) and the other taps into the brake system. Unless the emergency brakes are activated they are separate systems.

I stand corrected. what I should have said is if your have a break away and smash things up, your lack of the battery and brakes will be an issue.
bumpy :)

All of the trailer running and stop lights are powered by your truck battery when hooked up to the trailer cable.

The trailer battery is REQUIRED by DOT for trailers equipped with electric brakes for safety requirements. Like said above if your run-away trailer causes damage to property or worse then your Insurance may have a field day with your claim if it is known you DO NOT have the required battery on-board required by DOT to power-up your electric brakes if you have a disconnect going down the road.. Might get expensive for you to settle a lawsuit on your own. Too big a risk for this ole cowboy...

I would not pull my trailer with electric brakes anywhere without a working trailer battery setup installed.

BTW - Not all trailer are setup the same I guess.. My emergency brake pull switch assy on my two 2004 and 2008 trailers provides 12VDC from my on-board trailler battery to all of my trailer wheel mounted electric brakes using the same wiring the truck mounted brake controller is using.. If left "ON" it will discharge my battery pretty quick and probably do harm to the electric brake module as each electric brake assy pulls 3AMPS of current when 12VDC is applied. My fifth wheel trailer with four brake modules will pull 12AMPS and my OFF-ROAD trailer with two brake modules will pull 6AMPS when 12VDC is applied.

Roy Ken

you folks are awesome, quick response team here. I told him to get the battery and be safe, nothing like risking your investment on a $100 battery(probably less, just say-in). But he's determined to not use the battery so I figured the system must be design so if the battery was dead you would still have lights and brakes. Also told him if he did decide to move it tape the positive batt terminal. hook his vehicle up and see what happens.