Emergency Brake Pin Pulled Out!!

Finchy

Hi, 

Someone pulled our emergency brake pin out while at a gas station in WY. 

I think the vehicle was unattended for about 3-5 minutes.

I fell asleep while my wife started driving. WY is usually pretty rough going but it woke me up, as the hauling was particularly bad. Luckily, she had to use the restroom after about 50 minutes of driving.

I walked the dog around the back of the trailer and a wave of heat along with the smell of asbestos hit me. I looked at the T@b wheel rims and they were almost black and steaming hot. I immediately knew the issue and popped the pin back in.

We got through the rest of our trip with no issue other than a little grinding noise in the wheels.

I've driven thousands of miles and never had the pin pop out like that. There was no issue that would have caused it other than another human physically removing the pin.

I'll most likely need to have the entire brake system replaced.

Moral of the story: ALWAYS CHECK YOUR BRAKE PIN AT EVERY PIT STOP!! 

The world is still full of good people but it has gotten less friendly and more confused. Keep your head on a swivel as they say.

Sharon_is_SAM

Just curious where you attach your break away brake cable?  Also, was your battery drained after this event?

Finchy

Break away chains are attached to the normal place on the hitch. The cable is threaded though the chain and there is no way it pulls the pin out without the hitch coming off(god forbid). The battery was significantly drained but we stopped using electricity and I have a solar panel so it was ok after two days.

Marceline

Finchy said:

Break away chains are attached to the normal place on the hitch. The cable is threaded though the chain and there is no way it pulls the pin out without the hitch coming off(god forbid). The battery was significantly drained but we stopped using electricity and I have a solar panel so it was ok after two days.

You should absolutely not have your breakaway switch cable threaded through the chains. The chain might have pulled on the cable as it was moving around as you were going down the road. The chains and the breakaway cable are meant to be independent safety systems and you should keep them separate. Some people even attach the breakaway cable on a different place on the TV than the chains.

Finchy

It's not the best way to go and I will change it up but at the worst it prevents the cable from pulling not the other way around. The point is that someone yanked it. I would advise checking on it every time you stop.

[Deleted User]

My friend pulled hers out when she turned really sharp essentially in a jack knife position. It pulled it out and broke it. 

Finchy

Wow! that is quite a turn.

[Deleted User]

She is reverse challenged 

Michigan_Mike

I use a carabeaner clip on my hitch plate hole that is secured to the truck frame and attach my break-away cable to it.  If the trailer comes off the pin will be pulled.  This works great and is easy to unhook after towing.  

Slackers

@Michigan_Mike that's how we do it.

elbolillo

I I replaced the breakaway cable with the Zip Breakaway Cable from Fastway https://www.fastwaytrailer.com/zip-breakaway-cable

ChrisFix

Michigan_Mike said:

I use a carabeaner clip on my hitch plate hole that is secured to the truck frame and attach my break-away cable to it.  If the trailer comes off the pin will be pulled.  This works great and is easy to unhook after towing.  

Yes to this. 
I use the same setup, easy and reliable.

Dutch061

I have managed to pull mine out 2 x while I was stopped overnight. It appears that while crossing over the tongue or while getting in the bed of the truck, my size 11 stepped on the cable. I was fortunate and never drove while it was pulled. I picked it up both times watching the current draw on my BMV-712. The brakes pull about 6 Amps (on our 2020 400 BDL) and while dry camping, I always look at draw to make sure nothing weird is going on. 

Brad

Denny16

That is a very good idea Brad, keeping an eye on the battery monitor, and a good way to catch something like the emergency brake issue.  I watch the monitor for battery drain also, but didn’t think of using it for diagnostic checks, like the emergency brake being accidentally set.
 Cheers 

pthomas745

I tested mine a couple of years ago for another thread on the emergency brake. Six amps is a lot!

Sharon_is_SAM

I just saw an article that showed someone placing an i-bolt through the edge of the TV license plate and attaching their break away cable to the bolt.

Denny16

That doesn’t sound very secure or even a good idea?

Cheers 

Sharon_is_SAM

I can't find the photo, but there are lots of references to it on the web.  We are supposed to attach it to something else besides the hitch or bumper.  They use the hole where you would normally attach a screw.

Slackers

Unless the i-bolt replaces one of the license plate screws--but I wouldn't trust it especially in light of the use of plastic nuts and such.

Sharon_is_SAM

Found it! https://campaddict.com/rv-living/rv-safety/deadly-towing-mistake/

Denny16

That would work with a license plate that attaches to a steel bumper or bumper bracket.  That said, most newer vehicles have the license plate attached to a plastic plate or something similar, that would not be a secure mounting point.  

Many pick up trucks with plastic over steel bumpers have a bumper mounting hole in the center, that would work, this is what I use, and is separate from the receiver unit.  That said, the factory receiver unit is rated for more weight than the truck is.  On a unibody SUV type vehicle, this is going to be a hard call.
 Cheers 

Finchy

Thanks for all of the insightful comments. I have completely reworked the system.