RE: Confused--Need help on break away switch

[Beavis & Ace]

 
My Prodigy brake controller has arrived (we recently bought the camper used and previous owner was using a controller but do not know model etc.,) for our 98 Coleman Sun Ridge.  Suddenly it has dawned on me that I have no break away switch on the camper and no trace where one has been.  The previous owner did state they had never had a battery on the unit--if the camper has never had a battery on it could this be the reason there is no switch and the TV connection is actually serving a  the switch.  Thanks for any information!!!!

[YellowXterra]

 Beavis & Ace
Nope []  You must have a 12V battery on the camper and the break away switch for it to work.  My camper came with the switch but no battery so I removed it till I got a Group 27 battery installed.

[Tim5055]

 Beavis & Ace
Randy is correct, it won t work without a battery.
 
 If you look at my [link=http://www.title-3.com/Battery.htm]Adding a Battery web page[/link] the [link=http://www.title-3.com/images/12vConn.jpg]TOP PICTURE[/link] shows a close up of the battery and break away switch.  
 
 It is actually quite simple, if you look at the spot on the A frame where the wires come out of the tube, there should be 3 " wires" :
 
 [ul]
 

• Two wires together that should have a quick disconnect on them (this is Pos & Neg from the converter for charging the battery
• A large wire bundle that ends in the 7 Pin Bargman connector
• A single wire all alone (on my 2001 it is a blue wire)  This single wire is the one you hook up to the switch.
[/ul]
 
 
 So off the positive terminal of the battery either connect a new wire or tap into one that is already there connecting this wire to one side of the switch.  The " blue"  wire I described above is attached to the other side of the switch.  The is no need for a negative wire as both the brakes and the battery use the frame as a ground.
 
 Hooked up this way, should the trailer become disconnected the plunger will pull out of the switch, the switch closes and supplies power to the brakes - full on!
 
 

[Tim5055]

 Beavis & Ace
OK, yu can tell the DW is out of town...
 
 
 Check out my new [link=http://www.title-3.com/BreakAway.htm]Break Away Swich Web Page[/link]  []

[wahoonc]

 Beavis & Ace
Beavis[]
 Not all campers come with the breakaway switch. You don t have to have the breakaway switch for the electic brakes to work. We use the Prodigy on our Niagra and it is a big improvement over the old Reese controler we had. I do not have a breakaway switch on our camper, it did not come with one and is not required by state law in NC on that weight of trailer.
 
 Aaron[]

[Beavis & Ace]

 Beavis & Ace
Thanks a bunch to all for the great information on the break away switch--I had some misconceptions on how the blommin  things worked and really thought that if a trailer came with brakes then it should have a break away switch.  My Sun Ridge by Coleman stats does not require the switch in Illinois although the weight someone placed on the registration (8000 lbs) does.  This could be a good reason to go ahead and invest in one of the dry cell units and just enjoy the added safety feature.