Mistakenly pulled breakaway cable

Vvvv1010 wrote:
It was 5 minutes or so that it had been pulled and reinserted. It is fully snapped in and is flush with its box. I sense it's not as easy as just snapping back in. I am thinking of some type of reset process.

There is no reset, it is a simple switch.

Pull pin, switch closes and applies power to brakes.

Insert pin, switch opens and removes power from brakes.

Don't overthink it.

Melting??? Did anyone say melted???

I do believe the full voltage load on the magnet can cause an open or a short condition in the magnet… which is in effect the wiring overheating and the melting of the wire (open) or the insulation (shorting)…

Yes I believe it can and does happen, and yes I have seen magnets go bad…
No I can’t document what caused the encased wire to break or short out…

Putting the pin back in should restore everything to its original condition over time… it is more likely that you did damage to the battery than the magnet though...

It was 5 minutes or so that it had been pulled and reinserted. It is fully snapped in and is flush with its box. I sense it's not as easy as just snapping back in. I am thinking of some type of reset process.

No problem if not left out too long. I use it to check individual brakes before first trip each year. I jack up one wheel, pull the breakaway pin, rotate the wheel to make sure it will lock up, put pin back in, lower that wheel, and repeat with the other three.

Be sure it SNAPS into place when pushing-in.

How long was it pulled out. Each BRAKE MAGNET will draw right at 3AMPS DC CURRENT when 12VDC is applied. For Dual Tandom that would add up to around 12AMPS DC Current which is alot to be draining from the battery.

I always check my trailer brakes when I first start pulling the trailer. I will use the manual lever to full position and let that stop my truck and the trailer without me applying foot pedal brakes. This will tell me the trailer brakes are engaging...

I don't think I would want to drive very far with the trailer brakes disengaged. This is a DOT REQUIREMENT and could result in a fine if caught. It is also very dangerous to others on the road if you have your trailer brakes disengaged.

I'm pretty sure my Insurance Company would not support my claim if something bad happens and they find out the trailer brakes were not functioning. That could add up to BIG DOLLARS in a hurry...

Roy Ken

Just put the pin back in and you should be good to go. The post that stated the magnets might melt if the pin is pulled is wrong in my opinion. anyone have documented proof of a magnet melting by this mishap???
You just learned a lesson not to hook your dog leash to the Pull out pin anymore.

One of you should re-insert it.

When 'pin' is pulled full battery voltage goes to trailer brake magnets energizing them. Brake shoes will not engage until trailer rolls.

Putting 'pin' back in the switch holds the contacts open. (Turns it off)

No real harm done. Magnets can be damaged if energized with full battery voltage for extended periods........many,many hours.

If you can't fix it unplugging it should prevent it from locking the brakes until fixed.

Hi,

I think that putting the control back together is the only thing to do.

When the breakaway pin is pulled, it applies a full 12 volts to the brakes (if the RV is plugged in, then about 13.4 volts) and that is a lot more stress on the magnets than they normally get. In normal application, light braking is only about 5-8 volts, while a panic stop might be as high as 10 volts to the magnets, and only for a few seconds at a time. Hopefully the magnets did not stay on for more than about 5-10 minutes.

You might need to have the brakes checked. If you have a portable compos, you can hold it near a tire, with someone applying the brakes manually in the cab, then N (north) should swing towards the tire while the magnet is on. If it works on say 3 of the tires, but not one, then that tire might have a melted magnet that will need to be looked at when you get back home.

Fred.