OK, Question about Brakes/Breakaway Switch

[4Galvs]

The chains and cables are IMHO never the correct lengths. That was the most common problem we saw at that clinic in Ohio.
 
What we were taught was the chains should be of a length that allows for turning (up to and including an angle that the TV contacts the trailer), be attached to the trailer one on each side of the tongue and crossed and attached at two different points on the opposite side of the coupler on the TV, to form a "bucket" to catch the trailer tongue before it contacts the pavement in the result of a disconnect. Their connection to the trailer should be permanent and the non permanent connection to the TV should be with closable ring type connectors not open S hooks.
For those of you with electric brakes a breakaway cable on a surge brake equiped trailer is designed  not to "break" but to actually pull on the master cylinder.
The breakaway (I happen to have a Rockwood with surge brakes at that rally, so I can give you the exact advice I got) cable for surge brakes works by pulling on the lever mounted on the master cylinder activating the brakes. The cable should be connected on the TV at a point at or near the centerline of the TV/trailer and feed over/under the ball/coupler connection with as little slack as need to allow for turns. That way in a disconnect the cable will start pulling as soon as the coupler leaves the ball and activate the brakes starting before the chains get tight.
 
I've found that with any of our towed RV's with brakes it takes about 2-3 hours of measuring and fitting to get the setup right and in 20 years I've seen a really correct towing setup from a dealer only once or twice, and again JMHO they were mostly luck.

Thanks for the info Mike4947!

It sounds like both breakaways are a last resort at best.  I think the safest thing, is to do your best to make sure that the trailer does not leave the ball.  With that said, I think I will be looking for some closed chain ends this spring.

[cpine]

I guess I may rethink my setup again. Last year I had mine setup to activate the breakaway switch only after a complete separation of tow vehicle and trailer. I played around getting the chains to be as short as possible and still be able to make a maximum turn. All was well until one day I backed up an incline as I was tightly turned and one of the chains went taught and bent the connector attached to the trailer. So I had to leave them longer to provide for that scenario. I also found that if the hitch came off the ball, the X formed by the crossed chains formed in front of the trailer tongue and would not be a cradle for it.  Hmmmm?  At first I set up the breakaway cable to pull the plug before the chains went taught, but then I was concerned that the system would activate accidentally by the cable getting caught the wrong way when turning etc, so I just set it up for an entire separation only. Now I read this post and I looked around and found a site that I think very well defines what we are all talking about and I am rethinking (again LOL)

http://bioengr.ag.utk.edu/Extension/ExtProg/Safety/Highway/TrailerBrakes.pdf

[Tim5055]

I guess I may rethink my setup again. Last year I had mine setup to activate the breakaway switch only after a complete separation of tow vehicle and trailer. I played around getting the chains to be as short as possible and still be able to make a maximum turn. All was well until one day I backed up an incline as I was tightly turned and one of the chains went taught and bent the connector attached to the trailer. So I had to leave them longer to provide for that scenario. I also found that if the hitch came off the ball, the X formed by the crossed chains formed in front of the trailer tongue and would not be a cradle for it.  Hmmmm?  At first I set up the breakaway cable to pull the plug before the chains went taught, but then I was concerned that the system would activate accidentally by the cable getting caught the wrong way when turning etc, so I just set it up for an entire separation only. Now I read this post and I looked around and found a site that I think very well defines what we are all talking about and I am rethinking (again LOL)

http://bioengr.ag.utk.edu/Extension/ExtProg/Safety/Highway/TrailerBrakes.pdf

Thank you very much!  That is what I was looking for, more of an independent authoritative source rather than someone trying to sell something.

I have updated my Break Away Switch web page to include the information provided from everyone.

[EZCamper]

Thank you very much!  That is what I was looking for, more of an independent authoritative source rather than someone trying to sell something.

I have updated my Break Away Switch web page to include the information provided from everyone.

We were gone since july 1st on our vacations. We never thought this could happen to us after nearly 5 years of hitching and unhitching. The weekend before the eastern rally we made a stop of two days before the big ride to Gettysburg. On sunday morning after preparing everything the night before we were ready to go at 7 am. Once we were on the highway going around 105km/h (around 70 mi/h). I felt my popup going strangely. One look in the mirror and my fears were answered. The popup was no more on the hitch. The horrible sound of the tongue screeching on the road could be heard even through the closed windows. As I took a look in the side mirrors, I saw the popup going sideways from left to right probably from de deceleration. To correct it I just slightly put a little more gas and the trailer seemed to assumed a more direct way. When I felt I had the control, I gently started going for the side of the road while starting to decelerate. Until I could stop everything.

We were very lucky. First, the chains held, there's not much remaining but they held plus the fact of crossing them in X made a nice bed for the tongue. Secondly, the brakes on the popup worked up nicely since it didn't disconnect from the TV. And thirdly, I had an antisway bar that probably reduced the swaying motion of the trailer. Not to mention, little traffic on the highway at 7 am on a sunday.

Obviously, We could not make it for the rally since there was many things to fix before getting back on the road. I had to replace the tongue on the frame, check for any leaks in propane, check the battery not to mention some minor repairs on the frame. In the end, everything got fixed, and we made it home on thursday 14th with the popup. End of vacations for us.

I planned to install a breakaway switch, which length ? I am not sure yet. I already purchased it. But I believe I did rather well considering the misadventure. You always think it's for the others when it happens to you.

From now on, I will always double, triple and quadruple check before leaving.

[Martorious]

First let me say that I'm glad to be joining this community.  :W  I've learned quite a bit from this forum and hope to learn quite a bit more from the magazine, as soon as I get the first copy!  :-()
 
Tim, I thoroughly enjoyed Natasha's website and have gotten many nuggets of wisdom from it.  On this issue I agree with the way you present the breakaway setup considering the equipment that is currently available.  It sounds like it would provide the best choice between two 'evils'.  
 
However, I would like to throw out an idea for debate and see if it has any merit.  All who have more towing experience please feel free to pick this idea apart, and any who are adventurous please feel free to try it, of course assuming all associated risks that would go along with trying any untested innovation.
 
My idea is this:
Since the main drawback to setting the breakaway longer than the safety chains is that you may not realize the trailer has become unhitched in time to take any type of corrective measure (i.e. manually applying the trailer brakes gradually on an electric system) before you lose the electrical connection, why not install another plunger switch on the tv with it's cable set shorter than the chains.  Have a warning light/buzzer installed on the dash wired to this plunger.  That way when the first plunger trips (before a complete separation occurs) the driver is instantly alerted to an unhitched situation, and can apply the brakes gradually on the trailer to get it under control without locking them up.  
(unfortunately, there is no manual control on surge brakes, so this may not have as much benefit for that type of trailer, but being alerted to a breakaway situation asap is always of some benefit.)
 
If used properly it seems to me this system would provide the best of both setups.
 
Comments, criticisms?  It is just something I thought of in the 5 minutes I was reading this thread, so I haven't thought it all the way through, but it seems promising on the surface.
 
Marty

[mike4947]

Marty, it sounds good on paper, but in real life the time between the ball disconnecting and the trailer deciding to go in a direction other than you intend it to is less than a second.

There just isn't time to react before the damgae is already done. Besides it also means you have to remove one hand from the wheel and focus your attention on the brake controller at the time when you attention should be outside the vehicle and your hands should be on the wheel.
 
I've been in two disconnects, one as the driver and one as a passenger and your first clue that something is going wrong is the tongue hitting the chains. By then if they aren't set up right he tougue is also hitting the ground and the trailer will be pivoting around.  By the time you can reach for that brake controller manual handle the damage has been done.