Break away switch cable

[mach8274]

Just curious where everyone hooks their breakaway cable while towing. I usually hook mine to the release lever on my hitch but it does seem like enough. If the trailer ever becomes disconnected, it won't pull the cable far enough to engage the trailer brakes.

[Cummins12V98]

blofgren wrote:
I use a padlock to lock the hitch handle in the closed position when I am hooked up and I put the loop of the breakaway cable onto the shank of the padlock before I put it into the hitch handle.

My wife's uncle who we travel with often had some "funny" guy pull his hitch release several years ago while parked causing him to drop his trailer onto the bedrails of his truck. I have been using a lock on my hitch ever since to avoid this type of vandalism.

AW yer just being paranoid! That is the comment I get a lot when mentioning locking my hitch handle. As seen in my pic above I have 5 locks on my B&W.

[Cummins12V98]

dapperdan wrote:

Old-Biscuit wrote:
Looped end of cable goes on handle of 5th wheel hitch.

X3 On the handle.

Dan

That is where I used to lock mine was to the handle but it bound in a sharp turn.

[Cummins12V98]

rhagfo wrote:
Same here, but looking to find or create a better location!! This after the cable hung up on the hitch and pulled the pin while backing into an uphill blind side space, NOT a fun experience!!!!!

I was turning tight at the Elks RV in Keizer, OR and about put me thru the windshield when mine popped loose I was hooked to the locking handle on the B&W hitch. The bugger was hard to get connect at the angle I was at! Now I connect to the padlock that locks the puck latch on the closest padlock in pic below. So far that has been a good location.

[DHCamper]

Timay wrote:

DHCamper wrote:
Everyone should check how their trailer is wired. Everything in my Rockwood is wired after the switch. Towing with the switch off means that the break away safety function will not work if activated.

Might as well throw the break away switch in the trash, then. If no safety stopping, no use for the switch.

Years ago we pulled a trailer house (a trailer house, not an RV) and since it didn't have a battery and items needed for RVing (think The Long, Long Trailer - we predated that movie) it didn't have a safety break away switch, my father drilled a hole in the handle of a regular light switch, tied a string through it, hooked it to the brakes and a dry cell battery and that was our safety break away switch - and shows my dad's commitment to safety.

And yes, I get that you 'turn it on' when traveling...but still - human memory being what it is...

Tim

Tell that to the manufacturers that wire them that way. I changed out the OEM toggle battery switch for a rotary switch. It's mounted exposed to loose items in the forward compartment. The engineer that came up with that must not be aware of what the compartments are used for. What's a person called that finished at the bottom of their engineering class? ENGINEER!

[Timay]

DHCamper wrote:
Everyone should check how their trailer is wired. Everything in my Rockwood is wired after the switch. Towing with the switch off means that the break away safety function will not work if activated.

Might as well throw the break away switch in the trash, then. If no safety stopping, no use for the switch.

Years ago we pulled a trailer house (a trailer house, not an RV) and since it didn't have a battery and items needed for RVing (think The Long, Long Trailer - we predated that movie) it didn't have a safety break away switch, my father drilled a hole in the handle of a regular light switch, tied a string through it, hooked it to the brakes and a dry cell battery and that was our safety break away switch - and shows my dad's commitment to safety.

And yes, I get that you 'turn it on' when traveling...but still - human memory being what it is...

Tim

[rhagfo]

DHCamper wrote:
Everyone should check how their trailer is wired. Everything in my Rockwood is wired after the switch. Towing with the switch off means that the break away safety function will not work if activated.

That is the way I wired mine, need to turn it on to put the slides out to load the refer before heading out, so what many consider a show stopper, to us is the best reminder!!!

[DHCamper]

Everyone should check how their trailer is wired. Everything in my Rockwood is wired after the switch. Towing with the switch off means that the break away safety function will not work if activated.

[8ntw8tn]

I have a carabiner that I use to hook the break away cable to the locking lever (where a padlock would go) on my Reese hitch. I also put a piece of split loom on the cable to prevent it from getting caught under the rail or on the hitch. It's worked well for several years now. Hope this helps.

[MarkTwain]

Timay wrote:

djgarcia wrote:

Is an alternative to just to cut one of the wires up by the break away switch, if so, which wire???

That would be an alternative, and either wire as the breakaway switch is just that - a switch. Close the switch, the brakes come on - open the switch, the brakes go off. By cutting the wire, you are just opening the switch - either wire will do.

Tim

Thanks Tim for the information. When I had my BAS stolen and was not sure if I could find an RV shop near by, it seemed like a frustrating catastrophe I wasn't sure how to fix. I got lucky and there was an RV store in the next little town. He had 2 break away switchs------I bought both and now carry a spare.

[Timay]

djgarcia wrote:

Is an alternative to just to cut one of the wires up by the break away switch, if so, which wire???

That would be an alternative, and either wire as the breakaway switch is just that - a switch. Close the switch, the brakes come on - open the switch, the brakes go off. By cutting the wire, you are just opening the switch - either wire will do.

Tim

[laknox]

djgarcia wrote:

BarneyS wrote:
Those switches are quite inexpensive and easily replaceable by just about anybody. If however you are unable to do so, I would just disconnect the battery and tow the vehicle to the repair shop. By doing that the emergency breakaway will not be functionable so drive very carefully.

May not be legal but that is what I would do - depending on how far away the repair shop was and whether travel on high speed highways was necessary.
Barney

Would that be the same as using the "battery switch" knob and just turning it off like you do when you put the 5th wheel into storage for the winter??

Probably not. Likely the e-brake is wired direct to the battery, same as the landing legs.

Lyle

[Learjet]

Colo Native wrote:
I have a spring clip and hook to the bed rail

X2 ...

[Coach-man]

joelc wrote:
I have a closed end hook that is connected to the bar that my hitch is mounted to. I unscrew the opening in the hook, and put the loop in there. It is solid.

X2!

[MarkTwain]

BarneyS wrote:

djgarcia wrote:

BarneyS wrote:
Those switches are quite inexpensive and easily replaceable by just about anybody. If however you are unable to do so, I would just disconnect the battery and tow the vehicle to the repair shop. By doing that the emergency breakaway will not be functionable so drive very carefully.

May not be legal but that is what I would do - depending on how far away the repair shop was and whether travel on high speed highways was necessary.
Barney

Would that be the same as using the "battery switch" knob and just turning it off like you do when you put the 5th wheel into storage for the winter??

Probably not. That battery disconnect switch is usually for the house batteries but the breakaway is most likely wired directly to the battery and would not be affected by that switch.
I guess it kind of depends on how the switch is wired. You should be able to take a look and see where the breakaway wire goes.
Barney

Is an alternative to just to cut one of the wires up by the break away switch, if so, which wire???