Question About Trailer Breakaway Switch
Bill
trailer and I have decided to add one to my trailer. My trailer has electric
brakes and after reading all of the instructions the installation appears
very simple. However, I have one question/concern about one thing in the
instructions.
The breakaway switch I am looking at comes with a battery which is to be
connected to the charge line coming from the tow vehicle and then to ground
in order for the breakaway battery to be charged. I also have a battery
hooked up on my trailer because I mainly dry camp. With the two battery
connected I to the tow vehicle for charging while driving I feel that this
would connect the two batteries together on the trailer and they would drain
each other. Does anyone else agree with me or am I missing something? I
also feel that I should be able to eliminate the Breakaway switch battery
and connect directly to my trailer battery in order to power the breakaway
switch should the trailer every disconnect from the truck. Does this make
sense or am I missing something again,
Bill
Camplite 2000 12SL
78 Blazer
Dick
in parallel.
However, you do not need two batteries for switch. Just hook it up to
the trailer battery.
jimharris
taking it out on the road.
Better safe then sorry.
--
Jim Harris
1 wife, 3 kids (sometimes 4), 1 dog
2000 21' Thor Cub Pop-Out (not "Up")
'99 Grand Caravan Sport
Pasadena, MD
"Bill" <whk...@canoemail.com> wrote in message
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jimharris
That's what my trailer uses - one 12v battery.
--
Jim Harris
1 wife, 3 kids (sometimes 4), 1 dog
2000 21' Thor Cub Pop-Out (not "Up")
'99 Grand Caravan Sport
Pasadena, MD
"Bill" <whk...@canoemail.com> wrote in message
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Dino
> The breakaway switch I am looking at comes with a battery which is to be
>connected to the charge line coming from the tow vehicle and then to ground
>in order for the breakaway battery to be charged. I also have a battery
>hooked up on my trailer because I mainly dry camp. With the two battery
>connected I to the tow vehicle for charging while driving I feel that this
>would connect the two batteries together on the trailer and they would drain
>each other.
The two batteries will equalize but not drain eachother.
>I also feel that I should be able to eliminate the Breakaway switch battery
>and connect directly to my trailer battery in order to power the breakaway
>switch should the trailer every disconnect from the truck.
I don't know the actual law for this, but you are right! Using the camper
battery would work just as well if not better due to its larger capacity.
For the sake of people who don't know what the breakaway system does, when
the trailer becomes separated, a switch is activated allowing the full 12
volts to actuate the brakes. Any 12 volt source will do this.
Dino
George Burdo
different part of the tow vehicle. In the admittedly rare case that the
receiver should fail, then the trailer brakes would still work. I've seen
several cases of the hitch separating from the tow vehicle but not the
trailer.
--
George Burdo
gab...@gte.net or gab...@earthlink.net
"Bill" <whk...@canoemail.com> wrote in message
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Bill
the trailer battery. I had also planned on hooking the cable to the truck
instead of to the hitch in the rare event the hitch comes off the truck,
then the trailer brakes will still come on.
Stephen Watson
Dino <di...@deltanet.com> wrote:
>You said...
>> The breakaway switch I am looking at comes with a battery which is to be
>>connected to the charge line coming from the tow vehicle and then to ground
>>in order for the breakaway battery to be charged. I also have a battery
>>hooked up on my trailer because I mainly dry camp. With the two battery
>>connected I to the tow vehicle for charging while driving I feel that this
>>would connect the two batteries together on the trailer and they would drain
>>each other.
>I don't know the actual law for this, but you are right! Using the camper
>battery would work just as well if not better due to its larger capacity.
>
>For the sake of people who don't know what the breakaway system does, when
>the trailer becomes separated, a switch is activated allowing the full 12
>volts to actuate the brakes. Any 12 volt source will do this.
So, is a functional breakaway switch a legal requirement on trailers
which are required to have brakes? Would this mean that we would then
be required to keep our batteries in working order? (See thread about
perpetually dying RV batteries -- I doubt that mine would actuate the
brakes worth a damn, in its "normal" condition :-( ).
Not that I'm all that worried -- the chance of losing the ball AND the
chains seems a bit remote.
--
-- Steve Watson
Nortel Networks, Ottawa Canada
swa...@nortelnetworks.com