I have a question about how the break-away system is supposed to work. I'm not sure that mine is functioning, as twice now the cable has gotten caught during a tight maneuver in my culdesac and it pulled the pin. I didn't notice until I already had the trailer backed back into my driveway and was unhooking. Isn't this system supposed to lock up the brakes? I didn't even notice a difference at all if it even sent any signal to the brakes. Is it connected to the battery on the RV, or is there a separate battery located somewhere?? I'm just wondering if this thing were to ever come unhooked, would the system work?
Emergency Break-Away System
- Thread starter PondSkum
- Start date
jerryjay11
Well-known member
Electric brakes are hot wired through the break-away switch to your camper battery. It ties into your electric brake wiring so I would begin with the switch for power and work from there. I use a safety pin to poke through the wire insulation to check for 12 volts to the frame (grd). Power on both sides of the switch with the safety cord pulled the switch is okay. Then it would be somewhere up to the connection to your brake wire.
Your RV battery needs to be fully connected. If you had disconnected the battery while you ran on shore power and did not reconnect the battery, the emergency break-away system will not function.
danemayer
Well-known member
Near the batteries, there will be a row of 12V DC mini-circuit breakers covered by red rubber boots. One of those breakers supplies power to the breakaway switch. That circuit breaker is usually wired so it gets power from the RV battery even if you have the cutoff switch OFF.
If you've done any modifications in that area, you'll need to inspect to ensure power is getting to the breakaway switch.
One way to test whether the circuit is working is to jack up one side of the trailer so at least one wheel spins freely. Pull the breakaway cord and see if the wheel locks up. If yes, the circuit is working and you have a problem with the brakes.
Don't leave the breakaway cord unplugged for long. The brakes will overheat and the breakaway switch may be damaged.
If you've done any modifications in that area, you'll need to inspect to ensure power is getting to the breakaway switch.
One way to test whether the circuit is working is to jack up one side of the trailer so at least one wheel spins freely. Pull the breakaway cord and see if the wheel locks up. If yes, the circuit is working and you have a problem with the brakes.
Don't leave the breakaway cord unplugged for long. The brakes will overheat and the breakaway switch may be damaged.
I need to investigate my brakes on the axle then I guess. As well as make sure the switch is getting/sending power. When I pull the manual lever on my controller, the brakes do grab, but they will not lock up. I didn't notice any grab when the breakaway switch came out. Maybe the brakes themselves need to be adjusted.
danemayer
Well-known member
Could be adjustment. Even with the self-adjusting brakes, sometimes they do, sometimes they don't.
Could also be grease.
If you're stopped, and hold the manual brake controller, the brakes ought to lock the wheels as you pull forward. Electric brakes will take maybe 1/4 - 1/2 wheel rotation to grab.
After various issues with our brakes, I had disc brakes installed.
Roller4tan
Well-known member
I do a pull test every time I hook up the 5er. This does 2 things, makes sure I get a good hookup and checks the brakes before I hit the road.
CoveredWagon
Well-known member
At what level do you have the brake controller set? I had mine set to 10 with an empty Rv (approximately 12K lbs) and it wouldn’t lock up the brakes in a pull test. Didn’t take me long to have disc brakes installed.
I was running it at 7 but didn't feel like it was helping stop enough after a couple of faster than usual stops, so I moved it up to 8. I think it could probably be increased more, I haven't tried it at 10 to see what it does.
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Replace your cable with one of these. It will not get caught nearly as easily.
I'll look into that. The first time it got caught on the slider hitch rails as I was turning, and the second time it actually got pinched in the slider mechanism after I had to slide it back to make a tight maneuver.
wdk450
Well-known member
Dan:
Are you SURE about this circuit breaker on the emergency braking system post?? I was under the impression that the electric emergency brake was so vital to trailer emergency disconnect safety that this one circuit that is excused from being fused. Would you want the emergency breakaway brakes to NOT work because of a blown fuse/circuit breaker?
Look at the diagram on this document at the "Wiring a Breakaway Kit" section. There is NO FUSE or CIRCUIT BREAKER in the drawing. https://www.etrailer.com/faq-trailer-breakaway-kit-installation.aspx
BTW, the other electrical circuit that is excused from being fused is the propane detector alarm. It does have a fuse in its own internal wiring, though.
danemayer
Well-known member
Bill,
I'm pretty sure that there's an auto-reset mini-circuit breaker on most if not all Heartland builds. That's how my 2011 LM was built and I've seen many newer builds with circuit breakers pulling power from the battery before the cutoff switch. I haven't traced those wires, but there are only a few likely candidates. And I don't typically see thin wires coming directly off the battery.
Is every trailer built that way? Don't know. But given that the breakaway switch wiring could short, or the switch could melt (as we've seen the occasional report), I'd think it's a good idea to not allow a dead short to the battery.
Fuse - NO - I agree that could compromise the breakaway function. Auto-reset circuit breaker - YES - as infrequently as that circuit gets energized, I'd think the possibility of a circuit breaker failure is low.
etailer.com diagram - I wouldn't do it that way.
I've attached a photo from a Landmark - probably a 2017 - showing the thick wire coming up from the batteries on the way to the cutoff switch. There are 2 circuit breakers in that path, before the cutoff switch. One supplies power to start the generator and the other, I'm pretty sure, is to the breakaway switch.
Attachments
OK I got some time to investigate this weekend. Apparently I have the Dexter "Never-Adjust" brake setup, so there's no manual adjustments on them. I did activate them with the tires off the ground and verified that they are indeed grabbing. I guess the trailer is just heavy and I'll have to keep the gain up a little higher.
As for the breakaway switch, I found that one of the wires going into the switch is bad. I was getting no power across the switch until I wiggled the wires. I believe the wire strands are broken inside the insulation somehow. I've ordered a new switch which will be here this week.
Also, I confirmed that there is indeed an auto-reset breaker in the circuit that powers the breakaway system, as danemayer suggested. But that was not my issue. There are 2 wires coming off my battery + terminal, one goes to the generator, and the other directly to the auto-reset breaker.
As for the breakaway switch, I found that one of the wires going into the switch is bad. I was getting no power across the switch until I wiggled the wires. I believe the wire strands are broken inside the insulation somehow. I've ordered a new switch which will be here this week.
Also, I confirmed that there is indeed an auto-reset breaker in the circuit that powers the breakaway system, as danemayer suggested. But that was not my issue. There are 2 wires coming off my battery + terminal, one goes to the generator, and the other directly to the auto-reset breaker.
danemayer
Well-known member
The self-adjusting Dexter brakes still have a star wheel that can be adjusted manually with a screwdriver or other tool. And it is possible for the components to get stuck and not self-adjust.
I couldn't see the star wheel to get a screwdriver on it. And didn't know which way to turn even if I could. One day I will get adventurous and pull one apart and see how it's assembled inside there and figure out how to adjust them if needed. As of right now, they actually feel like they have a slight drag to them as they should.
travelin2
Pennsylvania Chapter Leaders-retired
Doubt if a normal screwdriver does the job. Back in the day I used a specific flat bladed brake adjustment tool bent for adjustment leverage. Might still have it.
Looks something like this...
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travelin2
Pennsylvania Chapter Leaders-retired
What porthole says.
Easy enough to check with disc brakes...pull it out and listen for the brake controller to spin up.
If you have drum brakes stand by a wheel and have someone pull it out. You should hear a clunk as the magnet energizes.
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Easy enough to check with disc brakes...pull it out and listen for the brake controller to spin up.
If you have drum brakes stand by a wheel and have someone pull it out. You should hear a clunk as the magnet energizes.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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