Have you checked your breakaway brake switch lately?

[us71na]

Pennsylvania requires an annual inspection of all trailers with brakes. When I had our 2011 Skylark FKV in for inspection last year, the mechanic told me that the brake pads were getting pretty low and recommend replacement before the next season of use. This past spring I ordered the new brake pads and had my mechanic put them in. As part of his work, he tested the breakaway switch and found it to be non-functional. He was able to spray in some contact cleaner and get it working.

However, when I checked out the trailer yesterday, by jacking up one side of the trailer and pulling the pin out of the switch. With the switch activated, I could easily turn the wheel by hand. Once again the switch wasn't working. I then by passed the switch with a jumper and the brakes worked. So I have ordered a new one which should arrive tomorrow, New switches are cheap ~$11.

Better to find a bad switch in the driveway than on the highway.

[OnTheGo]

Nice post. There are propably quite a few others who will discover their switch needs attention after reading about your experience.

We all hope we never need the breakaway switch to function in an emergency. And because it's not needed very often (a good thing) we tend to forget about it.

[Gary207]

Picked one up at Tractor Supply on the shelf.

[Happy wife / happy life]

Thing’s you never think about. Thank you!

[craigav]

They are cheap enough for everyone to carry a spare. One thought to share is to test it with enough time ahead of your travel plans to have time to replace it if needed. ~CA

[TCNashville]

Great idea. Come to think of it, I've never tested mine in the 10 years I've owned my Eagle. After reading about them they tend to only last 3 to 4 years. I'll test mine plus order one off Amazon. Thx for the heads up.

[LuckyDuck]

I normally take my rig in to the shop to have the bearings packed each spring before we start traveling. As part of the deal, they check the brakes and breakaway cable, inspect the roof etc. Peace of mind.

[travelingjw]

I must be one of the insane ones. I test my break-away switch every time I hook up the TT. My first one failed just 4 month after I purchased the new TT. I have wondered it I will wear it out doing this but after the first failure I purchased a spare. We do a lot of traveling over the mountains and that is one thing I don't want to worry about.

[norty1]

Good reminder to test it often.

I have replaced mine in the last couple of years but need to set up a regular routine.

I remember an old post on JOF where someone was pulling it at a campsite in lieu of chocks. If I remember, that idea was shot down by everyone who commented on it.

[JFlightRisk]

Originally Posted by norty1

Good reminder to test it often.

I have replaced mine in the last couple of years but need to set up a regular routine.

I remember an old post on JOF where someone was pulling it at a campsite in lieu of chocks. If I remember, that idea was shot down by everyone who commented on it.

That was a bad idea as it provides constant 12 volts to the brake magnets and will cause overheating and eventually, catastrophic failure.

Our breakaway gets checked as part of our annual New York State inspection, and I'll check it randomly during the season when I think of it. Our stone driveway makes it easy to check for lockup.

[GTS225]

Originally Posted by JFlightRisk

That was a bad idea as it provides constant 12 volts to the brake magnets and will cause overheating and eventually, catastrophic failure.

Not to mention the added load on the convertor, or discharging the on-board battery rather quickly, if you're boondocking.

Roger

[mikeplaneguy]

Worth mentioning as well:

A few years ago, I was with a buddy towing a drag car 800-ish miles to a race event.

A couple hours in the hitch broke loose (he swears to this day it was set up properly....) the trailer ended up passing us on the road and flew into a ditch. When we examined it, the nylon covered braided cable that attached the breakaway pin to the hitch was corroded through, and obviously the nylon wasn't enough to pull the pin. A quick look would make one think it was intact.

I haven't gotten into a TV since without personally checking the rig.

[Yooper906]

Originally Posted by norty1

Good reminder to test it often.

If I remember, that idea was shot down by everyone who commented on it.

It was shot down for a good reason by a lot of us. But it keeps coming back. LOL

[KowalskyKs]

Where would I find information on how to test the switch? If you pull it, are you able to simply reinsert the pin and that resets it?

[Midnightmoon]

Originally Posted by KowalskyKs

Where would I find information on how to test the switch? If you pull it, are you able to simply reinsert the pin and that resets it?

Yes. It should simply reset when you replace the pin if it is working properly.

[gself]

Be careful when you reinsert it. Don't let any of your skin into the gap at the head of the pin. It takes a bit of effort to push it in then the last 3/16-1/4 inch snap in with force.
Don't ask me how I know this.

[Conservationman]

Really !!!
Can't make a swith that just sits last more than 4 years??

[us71na]

Originally Posted by KowalskyKs

Where would I find information on how to test the switch? If you pull it, are you able to simply reinsert the pin and that resets it?

I jacked up one side of the trailer, pulled the pin and then tried to rotate the wheel. It rotated maybe 1/4 turn and locked up. I replaced the pin and did the same thing on the other side.

[GTS225]

Originally Posted by Conservationman

Really !!!
Can't make a swith that just sits last more than 4 years??

Yes, we can, but then you'd have to pay as much as NASA does for the parts on satellites.

Roger

[us71na]

Originally Posted by Conservationman

Really !!!
Can't make a swith that just sits last more than 4 years??

I noticed that the new switch had an O-ring on the pull out plug. The old one did not. I don't recall if the original switch ever had the o-ring. I do know that the original switch worked for over 10 years. At $1.00 per year that is pretty good service.