Help please. Emergency brake cable

Dtapp23 · 05-29-2013, 10:14 PM

When it rains it pours. Went to pick up trailer and notices cable had been pulled out. Not sure how. Anyway, this caused the emergency brakes to actuate so I took a flat bladed screwdriver and somehow was able to guide the loop of the cable back inside the actuator and it worked but I am concerned this cable could just come out easily and cause the brakes to lock up while I am driving. I don't want to pull on the cable as I am afraid I will be back to square one and have to try to jimmy it back in there again. Is there any way for me to be sure that the cable is in properly? Also, this might be a dumb question but could I just cut the wires on this and disable? If I amusing chains, how likely is it the emergency break away brake will ever really be necessary? Thanks

caper · 05-29-2013, 10:39 PM

You cannot disconnect the brake cable. If by chance your trailer did come off the chains are meant to hold the trailer up and the brake away cable stops the trailer from becoming a run away vehicle.

CDNWhiskey · 05-29-2013, 11:04 PM

In a lot of places if you're stopped without an active emergency braking system they pull you off the road ... HUGE tow bill, fines, etc. not worth the risk. Besides its a safety device and you don't want anyone hurt or the criminal liability if an accident happens and someone is hurt.

Timtation · 05-30-2013, 12:23 AM

Replace the actuator, they are not too expensive.

**bikendan** · 05-30-2013, 02:01 AM

in every state, as far as i know, if a trailer has electric brakes, it's required to a battery and a working emergency brake actuator.
sounds like there wasn't enough slack on the cable and a turn pulled it out.

**wmtire** · 05-30-2013, 04:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dtapp23

so I took a flat bladed screwdriver and somehow was able to guide the loop of the cable back inside the actuator and it worked but I am concerned this cable could just come out easily and cause the brakes to lock up while I am driving. I don't want to pull on the cable as I am afraid I will be back to square one and have to try to jimmy it back in there again. Is there any way for me to be sure that the cable is in properly?

I'm not sure if I am understanding this correct. Usually one end/loop of the CABLE is connected to a pin that goes into the breakaway switch. When this pin is pulled out, it lets the two sides inside the breakaway switch contact each other, thus completing a circuit to power your trailer brakes.

The other end/loop of the cable is hooked to your tow vehicle. If the trailer ever comes disconnected from your tow vehicle, then the cable will pull the pin out of the breakaway switch, thus to provide power from your trailers battery to apply the electric brakes on the trailer. You always want to make sure you leave more than enough slack in the cable, so it will not pull the pin when making turns with the trailer. You only want this pin to be pulled as a last resort when the trailer is leaving the tow vehicle (god forbid this ever happening).

If this pin is missing, I would think that you pushing a metal cable back into the breakaway switch to separate the sides, might still maybe allow the circuit to be completed somewhat. See pics below of the pin.

The good new is these breakaway switches are usually less than $20 to replace and can be picked up at auto parts stores, or trailer supply places. If yours is missing the pin, from how you are describing it, I would replace it posthaste. I would also replace it, just to give yourself piece of mind.

Is there any way you can post of pic of your situation, so we can see if the pin is missing or just pulled out some.

**bikendan** · 05-30-2013, 04:18 AM

i was also wondering why the OP didn't mention the pin and just the cable.

RvBill3 · 05-30-2013, 04:51 AM

In a bad accident with our TT several years ago, the emergency brake switch activated and the trailer brakes actually stopped the trailer (via the safety chains) AND the tow vehicle. The brake switch was significant in saving us from serious injury. Don't travel without it (or a charged battery)!

clancythecamper · 05-30-2013, 05:37 AM

I had no idea about this stuff ~ or the importance of having your TT battery charged at all times ~ thanks for the education, guys

OldCoot · 05-30-2013, 05:41 AM

The cable should be short enough that if the trailer should happen to become unhitched, the chains being crossed under the tongue should catch the tongue and prevent it from touching the ground and the cable will pull the pin to activate the brakes and stop the trailer while still chained to the tow vehicle.

Bottom line, the cable should be shorter than the chains.

Dtapp23 · 05-30-2013, 10:48 PM

Wow. This is great. Wmtire you really helped me. There is no pin.
I thought it was just a looped cable that separated the actuator pins. That's scary because as you describe it the cable itself being in there might not have been enough and the brakes could have activated. I drive from to San Diego and back from Santa Barbara like this. I am lucky this did not activate!!
Also raised by this is how much slack to leave in the cable. I usually wrap it once around the cutout in the hitch and the attach to the hook on the safety chain and it seems fine. I guess too much slack and it might not work properly and too little slack and it might pull out? How to know how much slack to allow?
Thanks again everyone !!
I will be replacing this part

caper · 05-31-2013, 09:54 AM

The brake away cable should be attached to the TV and not the chains. If the chains were to break the cable would not activate and the trailer would not have any brakes.

**wmtire** · 05-31-2013, 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dtapp23

That's scary because as you describe it the cable itself being in there might not have been enough and the brakes could have activated. I drive from to San Diego and back from Santa Barbara like this. I am lucky this did not activate!!

I'm still doing some thinking on this one, as I can't see how stuffing the cable in there accomplished anything good. I am wondering if maybe you blew/tripped the fuse to the trailer battery when you stuck the screwdriver in there, thus the brakes weren't able to activate from the trailers battery because of an interrupted circuit due to a blown or tripped resettable fuse.. Like I said I'm still thinking.

Have you noticed any other problems when you got it home? Have you tried to turn on, or use any 12 volt stuff inside the trailer, without it being hooked to 110/120 volt shore power.....to test and see if the trailer battery is supplying power to the 12 volt things (lights, furnace, water pump, power jacks/stabilizers, slides)?

If you have blown a fuse, and not yet replaced the pin (or entire breakaway switch) yet, you'll need to disconnect the switch (or snip a/both wires to it) to keep the battery from powering the brakes again immediately after you replace or reset a fuse.

Anyway it works out, I feel you were lucky. Have you bought your lottery ticket yet?

P.S. Make sure you disconnect ALL and ANY forms of power (battery and shore) before cutting wires or replacing the breakaway switch.....just to be on the safe side.

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