Breakaway Switch Confusion.
I recently purchased a 2003 25' Coachman travel trailer. The breakaway switch was crushed on the trailer so I replaced it but I am confused about the power for it. The old one only had 2 black wires c...
Forum Discussion
Edd505 wrote:
it's simple to test, pull the pin and see if you can pull the RV. I have had the pin pulled accidentally making 75%? corner, locked the brakes mid turn. The RV brakes are power by the battery, dead battery = no brakes.
ANNND your point is?
So, you hook up your vehicle, pull the pin, forget to pull the trailer to TV cord and your brakes work.. Proves your point?
Wrong.
Trailer to TV cord provides power to run brakes through the chrage line..
Now you have not proved anything other than you vehicle powered the brakes. Forgetting that if the battery is dead or the switch is not getting battery power you are not going to have any breakaway when the vehicle power connection gets severed.
Indicator LED is actually not a bad idea, proves that:
1 You HAVE battery power.
2 Switch is good and sending the battery power to the brakes.
3 Switches do fail so anything you can get that HELPS detect a potential problem is always a good thing.
4 Beats having to pull pin, get in vehicle then pull forward only to find the battery or switch is dead..
5 Price point is not any more expensive than other switches without the LED.
This is something I had thought about making myself just by adding a simple LED marker light on the tongue of the trailer near the switch just so I can visually see it is sending power to the brakes..
Heck even on my TT, I have added a relay so when the pin is pulled it automatically disconnects the brake wiring electrically from the vehicle. The vehicle brake controller will now give you a warning of no connection before you start driving..
Folks have tripped over the lanyard, dislodged to pin slightly and didn't know it right away..
Or you may have tested but failed to put pin in or failed to orient the pin correctly and it didn't run off the brakes..
I am a visual person, I work in a visual work environment (Look up KanBan, 5S/Lean manufacturing), adding a visual indicator is not a bad thing and as I mentioned, that switch is nearly the same cost so why fuss..
