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Old 05-20-2013, 10:01 PM   #21
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WOW!! It doesn't kill your battery?
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Old 05-20-2013, 10:40 PM   #22
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WOW!! It doesn't kill your battery?
Sure will. You are pulling a lot of amps out of that battery. and all of it being converted to heat.

Dexter Axle - Trailer Axles and Running Gear Components - FAQ'S

Per this FAQ each magnet pulls 3 amps. So providing your magnets don't burn out or some other component fail. The 12 amps load will kill a 12 volt 70 Amp Hour battery in about 6 hours provided it is the only draw on the battery.
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Old 05-20-2013, 10:54 PM   #23
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My dealership "PDI" person told me it is best to always have that cable pulled when stationary.
It boggles the mind how daft some of these RV dealers are. Wow.
But no worries, simple fix as others have stated. But I wonder why the box melted in the first place. That would indicate a short. Could have just been corrosion I suppose.
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Old 05-20-2013, 11:03 PM   #24
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"Sure will. You are pulling a lot of amps out of that battery. and all of it being converted to heat."

Thus frying the breakaway switch.
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Old 05-20-2013, 11:37 PM   #25
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Using your emergency break-away switch to park a unit......now thats a first...!

I would be not only getting a new switch but asking to check the batteries to see if there was any damage ( thats means a load test ) the wiring needs a visual inspection from switch to brakes and then I would ask for a visual inspection on the brakes themselves.....if they refused to do any I would be asking for a letter of guarantee that there will be no problems with any of the above......

Then tell your dealer he needs a new demo person.
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Old 05-21-2013, 01:22 AM   #26
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Hold on guys,the system is activated when the pin is pulled (OUT) thus 12V to brakes! His pin is melted (IN) the box. If it were (Pulled OUT) his brakes would have been (activated) thus towing home with the brakes (ON). He said the pin was stuck (IN) the melted box? Youroo!!
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Old 05-21-2013, 01:32 AM   #27
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Also looking at the install of the switch is wrong. It is mounted verticaly. The proper mounting position is for a (Straight) pull on the cable for activation. This was a (Shod Job) from the start! Youroo!!
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Old 05-21-2013, 06:40 AM   #28
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Yourou, it seems that when he went camping over the weekend, he backed up his trailer, removed emergency brakes pin so trailer brakes would be applied to unhook truck. Let it that way all weekend (brakes on the trailer). When it was time to leave, hooked up trailer to truck, re-inserted emergency pin and came home. Switch was probably hot at the time he put pin back in releasing the brakes on the trailer. Emergency switch cooled down and everything just got stuck together. When he got home and tried to unhook again and use same process, he could not pull emergency pin out....
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Old 05-21-2013, 06:47 AM   #29
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Dronefly, the more I think on this, the more questions I have as to when the box melted.

If I understand correct, you pulled the pin on the breakaway switch when parking your trailer. If the box melted anytime after that, you shouldn't have been able to reinsert the pin when hooking up to drive home. However, you may have shorted/burned out other brake components/wiring.

I have read warnings on these breakaway switches (and on electric brake controllers) to not ever pull the pin while hooked to your tow vehicles 12 volt system, as this 'could' create an overload backfeed.

It also makes me wonder when you hitched up to come home, if you had already plugged your trailer back in to your tow vehicle first, then plugged your pin back in to the breakaway switch.

I would think that reinserting the pin should take the trailers 12 volt off of the entire brake system........but if something had already shorted/burned out before then, it may not.

I'm just trying to figure out if you may have caused other damage, than just besides the obvious emergency breakaway switch....and am thinking out loud.
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Old 05-21-2013, 06:51 AM   #30
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Also looking at the install of the switch is wrong. It is mounted verticaly. The proper mounting position is for a (Straight) pull on the cable for activation. This was a (Shod Job) from the start! Youroo!!
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Old 05-21-2013, 07:19 AM   #31
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This thread just made me go WOOW !

Unbelievable misinformation coming from a dealership whose job is selling/servicing trailers. Luckily it will be a cheap and easy fix.
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Old 05-21-2013, 07:24 AM   #32
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Dronefly, the more I think on this, the more questions I have as to when the box melted.

If I understand correct, you pulled the pin on the breakaway switch when parking your trailer. If the box melted anytime after that, you shouldn't have been able to reinsert the pin when hooking up to drive home.
It does sound like he pulled the pin while at the campground, then reinserted it just as he left for home. The box would have still been hot, so he could have got the pin back in, but then it would have melted as well, thus getting stuck.

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I have read warnings on these breakaway switches (and on electric brake controllers) to not ever pull the pin while hooked to your tow vehicles 12 volt system, as this 'could' create an overload backfeed.
I don't know what kind of "backfeed" you are suggesting, as this is just a simple 12 volt system.
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Old 05-21-2013, 07:27 AM   #33
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Take it back to the dealer and make sure you talk to someone with some knowledge and tell them what the dumb PDI guy told you to do, if he does not find this wrong you are talking to the wrong person.
They should pull all the hubs and check the magnets for burning also checking the wiring for signs of over heating, the switch obviously needs to be replaced and I would make them do a load-test on the battery as it has had quite a workout over the weekend. All of this should be done at the expense of the dealer because they are ultimately responsible for this.
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Old 05-21-2013, 07:34 AM   #34
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Take it back to the dealer and make sure you talk to someone with some knowledge and tell them what the dumb PDI guy told you to do, if he does not find this wrong you are talking to the wrong person.
They should pull all the hubs and check the magnets for burning also checking the wiring for signs of over heating, the switch obviously needs to be replaced and I would make them do a load-test on the battery as it has had quite a workout over the weekend. All of this should be done at the expense of the dealer because they are ultimately responsible for this.
This is exactly correct and I agree 100%
The switch that melted is an EMERGENCY brake and NOT a parking brake
as everyone else has stated.
It probably melted because it was defective but still should NOT be used
day to day.

The bold print above is mine and it's important.
Good luck and please let us know how this turns out at the dealer!
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Old 05-21-2013, 07:48 AM   #35
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Also looking at the install of the switch is wrong. It is mounted verticaly. The proper mounting position is for a (Straight) pull on the cable for activation. This was a (Shod Job) from the start! Youroo!!
Every trailer I've owned has been like this from the factory, as it is not tight against the frame and can swivel according to the pull on the cable. On my 5er, I put tension on the cable and then tightened the screw holding it in the proper alignment. The other trailers, I left it loose to swivel.
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Old 05-21-2013, 08:23 AM   #36
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I don't know what kind of "backfeed" you are suggesting, as this is just a simple 12 volt system.

This is taken from Tekonsha's website on the Voyager brake controller, particularly # 3:

Important Facts to Remember
1. Do not mount or activate RF generating items (cell phones, two way radios) near (less than 12") the brake control.
2. Reversing the connection to a breakaway battery on the trailer will destroy the brake control.
3.Disconnect trailer plug from the tow vehicle prior to testing a breakaway switch, or you may destroy the brake control.
4. The light is:
  • GREEN when trailer is connected.
  • RED when brake pedal or manual is activated and trailer is connected.
5. The GREEN light draws 10 milliamperes of current from tow vehicle. It would take over 5,000 hours to drain the tow vehicle battery.
6. The level adjustment is CRITICAL. The level adjustment determines whether automatic braking response is delayed or aggressive.
7. This brake control is activated by inertia. It senses deceleration and generates an output that reflects the inertia sensed. In a stationary state, the brake control will not apply the trailer brakes unless the Manual Slide Knob is actuated.
8. For Technical Assistance and Warranty Information call: 1-800-786-7968.
For more information and Troubleshooting Check out Tekonsha's Website.

My very simplistic understanding of a basic electric brake proportional controller (and it may be wrong) is this. You would have a 12 volt input from the Tow Vehicle on side A of the brake controller. The controller takes this 12 volts and then applies in proportion how much it needs to stop the trailer on the output side B, which is where the trailer brakes get their power.. The controller changes the voltage to the output to change the amount of power being applied to the magnets in the electric brakes.

Now, if you pull the breakaway pin, while still plugged into a tow vehicle, you are now applying 12 volts from the trailers battery back up side B, which is the output side of the brake controller......thus backfeeding the power to the controller.
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Old 05-21-2013, 08:46 AM   #37
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#3 is very important.
My prodigy controller has the very same warning.
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Old 05-21-2013, 08:56 AM   #38
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Well that's kindof dumb. You would think the brake controllers would have some form of protection for that.
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Old 05-21-2013, 08:58 AM   #39
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Well that's kindof dumb. You would think the brake controllers would have some form of protection for that.
I believe some do and some don't. That's why we want to err on the side of caution and others may learn from reading this thread.
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Old 05-21-2013, 09:05 AM   #40
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I was just thinking about the time my emergency brake cable snagged on something in the truck bed and got pulled out. That would have fried one of these expensive unprotected controllers.
I was lucky that I just had a cheap one at that time, and nothing happened.
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