Breakaway Cable Problem Solved with Pics

[villain2000]

Found an existing opening in the frame and fanangled a hook with some odds and ends that I had in my garage. I never throw anything away!

[villain2000]

PS - Dont be alarmed at the amount of rust on my frame. The pics make it look worse than it really is. This is what happens to a 6 year old vehicle in PA winters. Its all surface rust though, I can assure you. Still makes me sick to the stomach.

[Terry]

I like it! Was thinking about trying to add some kind of snap hook myself under there. I would feel much better if God forbid I ever had a separation.

[FPM III]

Originally Posted by villain2000

PS - Dont be alarmed at the amount of rust on my frame. The pics make it look worse than it really is. This is what happens to a 6 year old vehicle in PA winters. Its all surface rust though, I can assure you. Still makes me sick to the stomach.

Ahhhhh... The joys of living in the "rust belt".

...And, I wonder if there's something about us Pennsylvanians- I never throw anything away either.

I've looked at the laws for trailer breakaway switchs on the PA DMV website and this is the only thing I can find regarding breakaway switches for trailers.

(c) Breakaway System - A trailer operated on a highway which is equipped with brakes or which has gross weight in excess of 3,000
pounds shall be equipped with a breakaway system which shall stop and hold the vehicle automatically upon breakaway from the towing vehicle.

It says nothing as to how the breakaway's cable is to be attached to the TV.

I used to run the breakaway cable through the hole in the bumper that's for the hitch ball and simply tie it in a knot. But then I got more sophiscated (HA!) and just slid the loop over the receiver's hitch pin between the receiver and the locking pin.

I think you're right, though, that the breakaway cable shouldn't be attached to the hitch receiver in case the entire receiver completely separates from the TV's frame.

As a result of this discussion, I'm going to be engineering a way to attach the breakaway cable to the TV itself.

A reminder to all: Periodically, pull the plug out on your breakaway switch and make sure it's operating properly and the brakes are being applied. They can get rusty and corroded to the point where they no longer function. You don't want to find out the hard way.

[David472]

That's a great idea!
Nicely done.

[Denise]

Ya know, it's funny that we never saw anything on this topic before, yet it is something a lot of folks figured out already. Don and I never gave this issue a second thought. Everytime we had a new tt, we just hooked up the breakaway as done by the dealer. I'm glad to have this new info. Don's looking for a new place to hook the breakaway cable. Thanks