18/11/2024
If you have had your rig weighed by us we would have discussed the importance of how & where the Brake away cable should be connected. Please read this article from Ken Wilson Truck Friendly - caravan road safety program.
Unfortunately most caravan sales yards will not explain this and we find approximately 90% of customers have the cable connected to the chains or towbar point.
Happy and safe travels
Caravan and Camping SA, ,
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CARAVAN / TRAILER BREAKAWAY DEVICE
THERE IS SO MUCH MISINFORMATION OUT THERE ON SOCIAL MEDIA. MANY HAVE AN OPINION, BUT IT CAN BE AN OPINION NOT BACKED UP BY FACTS.
Let’s look at the facts.
What is the breakaway and how should it be connected to the towing vehicle – the car?
I start at the Federal Government rules on this.
Australian Design Rules (ADR) state: -
“5.4. Every trailer having a ‘Gross Trailer Mass’ over 2 Tonnes must be equipped with an efficient ‘Emergency Brake System’ which will cause immediate automatic application of its ‘Brakes’ in the event of the trailer accidentally becoming disconnected from the drawing vehicle. ‘Brakes’ so applied must remain applied for at least 15 minutes.”.............................................................................................................
So, what does “which will cause immediate automatic application of its ‘Brakes’ in the event of the trailer accidentally becoming disconnected from the drawing vehicle,” actually mean.
Is the trailer still connected to the towing vehicle when the coupling fails, and the trailer is still connected via the safety chain?
What is “disconnected”? - I can find no definition of ‘disconnected’ and neither can the authorities that I have contacted.
The safety chains are there to hold the trailer, should the trailer become ‘disconnected’ from the tow vehicle. Once again that ‘disconnected’ reference, so we can reliably assume it refers to the trailer coming off the coupling and the safety chains are still attached.
While I can’t, as yet get a definitive answer from the State or Federal Govt on that one, it makes sense to me to only have the trailer breakaway cable long enough so as to activate the trailer brakes if the trailer coupling detaches from the tow vehicle and the trailer is only held by the safety chains.
A large trailer, only attached via safety chains under brakes, would be a lot easier to control than a large trailer attached via the safety chains and NOT under braking.
It would also do a lot less damage to your tow vehicle and trailer I would assume.
The problem is that many breakaway systems have a long cable to connect to the tow vehicle that will not be short enough to activate the trailer brakes prior to the chains reaching maximum length.
The answer is to thread the breakaway cable, preferably through a permanent hole or point in the tow vehicle and then back onto the trailer, therefore shortening the cable length by about half. I have a suitable D Shackle attached through the tow bar attachment points and I thread the breakaway cable through it and, via a carabiner clip onto the start of the cable, halving its length and allowing it to activate should the trailer be only held via the safety chains.
By attaching the cable through a non-tow bar anchor point the trailer brakes will activate in the very rare occasion that the tow bar becomes disconnected. This is not always convenient nor practical on many vehicles. The tow bar is considered a part of the car, the same as the suspension, the panels and chassis, not that that is a real issue as the legislation does not specify where it should be attached. However, I personally would not attach the cable to the tow tongue as it is easily removable via a lock pin. It is also closer to the trailer and therefore leaves a lot of slack in the cable.
HOWEVER: - despite what you will read on social media from some ‘experts’, this is NOT the law and IT IS safe and legal to attach the breakaway cable to the tow bar of the towing vehicle.
One incorrect social media post I read stated that it was illegal in Queensland to attach the breakaway to the tow bar. Unfortunately, the Queensland Governments, Principal Engineer in Vehicle Standards for Transport and Main Roads hadn’t been informed of this and replied with the following (in part) to my enquiry,…...” if using a carabiner style clip then to secure to a dedicated fitting on the tow bar assembly or chassis member”.
Be careful what you believe on social media. Many repost what they read on another incorrect site without checking the facts. That is how rumors start. Many meditators of these site allow incorrect, false, dangerous and illegal activity to be posted on their pages. Unfortunately, one day someone will die as a result of using this information and we will see who the lawyers go after. Will it be the person who posted the incorrect advice or the social media page administrators who allowed it to be posted? Only time will tell.
CAUTION, that all chains and breakaway cables should not foul any trailer coupling or accessories such as a weigh distribution hitch or any mechanical anti sway device.
Correct turning / and or backing of the trailer should not interfere with the break away or safety chains.
The safety chains or brake away cable should not drag on the ground.
The breakaway activator / switch assembly, usually that black box attached by one bolt to the A Frame, should also be able to swivel. WHY? When the trailer jumps off the coupling, the A Frame will drop lower, and the activator needs to be inline so that the activation pin can be pulled out by the cable. I have seen many that are attached too tight and not able to swivel, and my concern is that the plastic activation pin may simply break off and not be pulled out as required for brake activation.
The Federal Government Department of Infrastructure Vehicle Standards Bulletin also offers the following cautions.
“Caution
Load levelling bars should only be used with towbars designed for load levelling. Very high forces can be generated when the vehicle and trailer combination travels through dips in the roadway. These high forces may exceed the design limits of the towbar and or its mountings.
Caution
Drawbar safety chain attachment points should not come into contact with the road surface when the trailer is disconnected.”
I trust that this information helps explain the basic facts on trailer breakaway connections.
Please stay safe.
Cheers
Ken Wilson
Truck Friendly caravan road safety program
www.truckfriendly.com.au
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