Breakaway cable question

Photomom

Our breakaway cable is really long and I would like to replace it with one of these. I tried pulling the pin so I could verify this is correct but it wouldn’t budge. Should I be able to pull the pin out by hand, and will this replacement cable work?

PamandJohnUpNorth2

Yes , that Fastaway cable would be a good replacement. You should be able to pull it by hand though it will require a strong tug on the cable to pop it out.

Om3

We experienced our T@B completely popping off of the coupler while driving on the Alaskan Highway. We know the importance of the breakaway cable's function! Ours literally saved our lives...! Yes, the coil is long, but we would not replace it based on our experience!

Sharon_is_SAM

@Photomom, we can’t pull our break-away pin either.  We asked Austin in Repairs at muCamp and he said that was the way it should be.  As a result, we have never tested it.

ChrisandAlexis

@Sharon_is_SAM, you could do like I did to test it and forget to unhook it from the TV and pull forward. The break-away pin did pull out but also at the same time the cabled loop that that goes through the hole of the pin opened due to the crimp not holding. I re-crimped and formed the loop and pushed the break-away pin back into the switch.

Sharon_is_SAM

Very good idea!  OK.  That would also test the integrity of the cable.  Thanks for that!

Ratkity

I did what @ChrisandAlexis said to do by accident. Good thing I walked around to the back of the truck to take stuff out. Ooops. At least it worked!

Ratkity

PS It took a good push to hear it click back in too.

Photomom

I dunno, if I can’t pull it out by hand there’s little chance I could push the new one in. Will probably just leave the original.

tabiphile

Photomom said:

Our breakaway cable is really long and I would like to replace it with one of these. I tried pulling the pin so I could verify this is correct but it wouldn’t budge. Should I be able to pull the pin out by hand, and will this replacement cable work?

That seems long.......Consider that will need to stretch 4 feet before it pulls the pin. You want the pin to pull quickly so shorter is better. The thing to watch for is that the cable is not so short that it is affected by making turns when you are towing. Most bumper attached cables should end up being about 3 feet long (depending upon the hitch and where the breakaway is mounted). Adding carabiners makes them even a bit longer.

You should measure your setup before you buy that.

Photomom

tabiphile said:

Photomom said:

Our breakaway cable is really long and I would like to replace it with one of these. I tried pulling the pin so I could verify this is correct but it wouldn’t budge. Should I be able to pull the pin out by hand, and will this replacement cable work?

That seems long.......Consider that will need to stretch 4 feet before it pulls the pin. You want the pin to pull quickly so shorter is better. The thing to watch for is that the cable is not so short that it is affected by making turns when you are towing. Most bumper attached cables should end up being about 3 feet long (depending upon the hitch and where the breakaway is mounted). Adding carabiners makes them even a bit longer.

You should measure your setup before you buy that.

The breakaway cable that came from the factory is 4 feet long. I measured.

tabiphile

@Photomom..

Your post read that you were considering this replacement because the one that you have "is too long"...and even though it is from the factory, it is. Most standard cables start out at 4 feet and are "too long". Replacing a 4 foot cable that is too long with another that is the same length does not address the problem that you noted. A shorter custom cable, about 3 feet long (you will need to measure and decide) will probably do the trick.

ColoradoJon

A four foot cable is plenty short enough to apply the brakes in an emergency.  I think the benefit with this is that the coiled unit keeps the cable out of the way and off the ground, which is a good thing!  I might have to get one of these, thanks @Photomom

Photomom

ColoradoJon said:

A four foot cable is plenty short enough to apply the brakes in an emergency.  I think the benefit with this is that the coiled unit keeps the cable out of the way and off the ground, which is a good thing!  I might have to get one of these, thanks @Photomom

If you figure out how to pull the pin out of the  existing one without jerking it with your tow vehicle please let me know. 

PamandJohnUpNorth2

Well, first a disclaimer. What I know about this I learned because I once that got distracted and didn't remove the breakaway cable from my truck before pulling forward. So the first ever time that the pin was pulled from my T@B400 was with a tow vehicle. I did this with enough force that I pulled the cable loops apart on the pin end, and the pin went flying and I could not find it. So I put in a replacement cable and pin.

Here's the link to the website for the vendor of the esco switch I have that has some specific information on pulling the pin and testing the switch:

https://www.escousa.net/technical-documentation/break-away-switch/

I am not sure what switch is installed in each tab model but I believe a similar switch is in the recent models.

This morning I pulled the pin by hand - grabbed the cable close to the pin with vise grips and gave it a good quick tug and it popped out OK. I hope the above information is helpful.

 

Sharon_is_SAM

It takes a really hard tug apparently!  I am going to try this at home or just use the van😏

ChrisandAlexis

@Sharon_is_SAM, I had a similar experience as @PamandJohnUpNorth2. I forgot to disconnect the break-away cable from the TV and the pin popped out from the switch AND the cable loop opened up. I was surprised that the cable loop opened. I did find my pin though and it clicked it pretty easy after I repaired the cable loop.

gymcoachdon

I can't say how hard it is to pull, but mine went back in easily.  Wife was disconnecting the chains, and I asked her to wait until I disconnected the TV.  When the ball released, the T@B rolled back while on the jack with no wheel, until the chains stopped it.  OOPS!  forgot to chock the wheels!  When we remedied this, I noticed that the brake pin had been pulled.  Once I had it oriented properly, it went back in easily.

tabiphile

If you are having a difficult time inserting or removing the pin it's likely that the o-ring needs a bit of lubricant. Try applying some o-ring lube, silicone, grease, butter, what have you to the o-ring located on the base of the pin.
If you are in the habit of leaving the pin in it's probably dry welded itself in the switch. Your TV can tug it out if it's stuck.

PNWtabber

@Photomom and @Sharon_is_SAM
I am curious if there is any update to this topic of replacing the original cable with a coiled cable. Were you able to pull the pin and re-insert it ok?

I have a 2018 320S Boondock and I too am interested in making this change to keep the cable "contained" when towing (I'm always worried that my cable is too long and will drag or catch on something).

I checked my switch and it is an Esco, as @PamandJohnUpNorth2 mentioned.  The existing/original cable is 4-feet long, as @Photomom said.

Binghi

It’s my understanding that the brake cable needs to be slightly shorter than the safety chains so that if your trailer becomes unhitched the cable will pull the e-brake pin before the chains engage. I try to configure my safety chain and brake cable lengths accordingly.

My concern with the accordion-style cable is that it might extend out too far and fail to pull the pin before the chains engage. I would stretch the cable to its fullest length and take a measurement before deciding whether to use it.

Sharon_is_SAM

@PNWtabber - we did replace the cable with a coiled model.  My DH says he has removed and replaced the pin.  Still takes some force to remove it.  

pthomas745

The Purdue Extension "Keep The Trailer Connected" Brochure has a rundown of the emergency brake cable. On Page 60, there is a discussion of "should the cable be shorter or longer than the safety chains."  There is a definite difference, and every owner should understand the difference.  I think a failure of the hitch would be so catastrophic that I probably wouldn't notice, but it is some nice info.

I have one of the curly types as a backup, and if I ever do use it, I will trim it down and adjust it if necessary.

https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/ppp/ppp-92.pdf