Breakaway Switch

BFL13 wrote:

kellertx5er wrote:

BFL13 wrote:
Tekonsha says don't do it and so does the instructions for the switch.

"4. WARNING. Disconnect trailer plug before testing breakaway unit. Failure to do so will result in severe damage to electronic brake control."

Apparently, it does not always fry it. But that's what the instructions say.

I guess Tekonsha expects you to unplug the 7-pin before your hitch fails and pulls the breakaway pin?

No, you are supposed to have the lengths of the wires and cords so that the 7-pin gets pulled out before the breakaway pin does. With a TT instead of a 5er, you also have those safety chains. If the TT comes off the ball to the chains, I am not clear if that counts as a breakaway. I think I would like the 7-pin to still do the braking then and not get pulled till the chains broke too.

I think the whole thing is for a crash where the tow vehicle is now stopped and the trailer has come off and would roll down the road on its own till it hit something if it didn't have its brakes come on using the power from the trailer mounted battery.

Also some common sense is required for where to attach the breakaway pin wire. The RV "techs" at our Dealer had ours with the wire hooked to the 5er hitch head in the truck. This would not help if the breakaway was due to the hitch head coming off its support somehow (no idea of a scenario for that). I have it hooked to the clip on a long dog leash attached to one of the eye-pads in the truck bed.

Also the switch instructions say, " Do not hook cable to safety chain loop or the hitch ball." Same idea.