Break-away Cable?

[downtheroad]

Am I correct?
The break-away cable should be SHORTER than the chains...(travel trailer)
Doing some tweaking....

Thanks.

[Atlee]

Is there an authoritative statement concerning the length of the breakaway cable?

I may be missing something, but it seems as long as the umbilical cord stays attached to the TV, then full braking controlled by the brake controller is still applicable, right?

[Bobbo]

That is a matter of opinion. Some like it shorter than the chains so that if the chains catch the trailer, it sets the trailer brakes. Some like it longer than the chains so they can manually control the trailer brakes with the brake controller unless they lose the trailer completely. Then the brakes activate.

[Old-Biscuit]

Breakaway cable should not pull pin UNLESS truck/trailer umbilical cord becomes unplugged.

Umbilical cord should not come unplugged if travel trailer is still attached via safety chains......you still have braking

BUT when travel trailer becomes unhitched, umbilical cord unplugged, safety chains snapped.....THEN breakaway cable pulls pin allowing trailer battery FULL voltage to engage trailer brakes

[LarryJM]

JIMNLIN wrote:
If do not want my trailers brakes engaging while still chained to the truck.
I've seen the results of a pintle hitch trailer that broke away from the truck and full trailer braking was applied while still chained to the truck.
The triaxle trailer jerked the DRW truck into a sideways slide.....went across the center line into the other side of the highway all the way into the ditch. Just plain luck no vehicle were on the road ar 3 am in the morning.

My breakaway cable is longer than my chain on all my bumper pull trailers and both my GN trailers.

What you have described IMO is why you do not want to try and maneuver or apply the TV brakes and why you must have your safety chains crossed and properly connected. Any one of these can cause loss of TV control and result in what you have described.

Larry

[JIMNLIN]

If do not want my trailers brakes engaging while still chained to the truck.
I've seen the results of a pintle hitch trailer that broke away from the truck and full trailer braking was applied while still chained to the truck.
The triaxle trailer jerked the DRW truck into a sideways slide.....went across the center line into the other side of the highway all the way into the ditch. Just plain luck no vehicle were on the road ar 3 am in the morning.

My breakaway cable is longer than my chain on all my bumper pull trailers and both my GN trailers.

[LarryJM]

My breakaway cable is shorter than my fully extended safety chains. If and when the safety chains come into play I WANT FULL TRAILER BRAKING. If I can keep my wits and stay off the TV brakes or try and mess with applying just enough trailer brakes to keep that 8K battering ram from rear ending me, the trailer will stay directly behind the TV (as long as I don't maneuver) and will slow both vehicles down.

This subject has been exhaustively discussed in the past which I believe a authortative consensus that you want the breakaway switch to engage before the chains separate if they every would, which I sort of doubt.

IMHO anyone attempting to brake a trailer by normal means when only on the safety chains is a guaranteed way to wreck both vehicles and potentially kill other motorists.

BTW HERE is a fairly good link with multiple links in Ron's post giving various authortative views on this subject.


Larry

[dodge_guy]

You want the break away longer than the chains. You don't want a trailer hanging on the chains and then being yanked around by he trailer brakes at 100% braking. The break away is for just that separation from the tow vehicle. Still attached by he chains is still attached. The brake controller will not give 100% braking at normal stopping speeds. You also want to be sure the 7-way electrical connectors will not be pulled out of its on he chains.

[downtheroad]

OK....I've gotten two different answers/opinions..
So I did some more digging.
etrailer says this: (seems to support DutchmenSport )

Expert Reply:

"The best length for the cable of a breakaway system will be where the pin would get pulled right as the trailer would come uncoupled.

The reason for this is that if the trailer would come uncoupled and the safety chains were to catch the trailer you would still want the brakes to apply."

[DutchmenSport]

The object is for the break-away to engage in the event of hitch failure.

Take into account, the break-away pin itself has to be pulled about 3 inches before it actually activates the brakes, there is a very fine distance between the length of your safety chains and the length of your break-away cable itself.

The break-away pin should pull (if and when) there is ever a separation. The length of the actual cable is really not relevant. What is relevant is that the pin pulls. It's possible, if separation actually occurred, the weight of the trailer would ever keep the chains from extending fully --- straight out ---- although it's possible if you were driving fast enough, but suppose separation occurred at a much slower speed, like a bad speed bump or something. The chains would never extend fully.

So the pin has to pull, really, if the distance increases from the trailer coupler and the hitch ball. That's the distance (or length) it needs to be. But there is a fine line, if it's too short, you could pull the pin on a sharp turn, so placement is important too.

Every camper and tow vehicle will be different, so the length will be different too. Attach the cable so it pulls within 3 or 4 inches the length of (not the chains), but the length of the cable to the hitch ball.

[Dick_B]

Mine is coiled and is longer than the chains when stretched out.

[maddog348]

UH???????? Maybe I am not reading the question correctly. Mine is not.

JM2¢

[naturist]

Only if you want the trailer brakes to lock on while you are still attached to the trailer (by the chains) thereby instituting a parachute opening effect.

I think I'd prefer that cable being longer, so that if breakaway occurs, I (and the passengers in my TV) don't get yanked suddenly into an accident. If the trailer pops off the hitch ball and down onto the chains, it is still attached to the TV, and I will still have control over where it (and I) go, so I can apply brakes in a controlled fashion. Those trailer brakes lock up, and I will lose all control of where we all go and how fast we get there.

I think I'd prefer the trailer brakes be the very last thing that happens, and only after I've already lost all control over where it's going. Therefore, cable LONGER than the chains, please.