Brake-away pin GREMLIN - Montana Owners Club

drsmart · 03-21-2013, 05:33 AM

Well the gremlins are out there. On route to sunny Florida in December, we stopped for fuel and went to lunch. Came back out and did a circle check. Noticed the brake away pin had been pulled. Looked around the parking lot and there was someone about 40 feet away resting his hind side against his boat trailer and watching me with interest. I reached in and re-inserted the pin. Looked back and he turned away and continued to stand there but wouldn’t look back my way. Of course I can’t say who the jokester was nor would it help to know. Problem happened as we headed down the highway. Started to hear an electrical sizzling sound from under the dash. After arrival at our winter destination, I replaced the Prodigy brake controller and by-passed the vehicle harness wiring and installed 12 gauge wiring to the TV battery with an autoreset breaker in line. One thing I found was when I tried to strip the insulation on the 12v minus wire on the harness leading to the controller to make the new splice, the insulation was melted into the braided copper wire. Yikes. Definite hot spot. It looks like 16 gauge wire.
When I located the manual for the Prodogy, it indicated that pulling the brake away pin on the trailer while still connected to the TV could damage the controller.
From now on when we leave the truck unattended, I’ll be disconnecting the trailer.
Dave

**DQDick** · 03-21-2013, 05:46 AM

That's just lovely! Thanks for the heads up.

kylec2 · 03-21-2013, 06:11 AM

Is it possible the breakaway cable got caught on the legs of your hitch (or anything else) in a turn and pulled out? I ask because this actually has happened to a few of us (me included) so we take steps to keep the cable from dangling too much.

racerjoe · 03-21-2013, 06:59 AM

If it did possibly pull out,fastway makes a coiled brakeaway cord that stays out of the way,I use them on both the utility trailer and our 5th wheel

drsmart · 03-21-2013, 07:14 AM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by kylec2

Is it possible the breakaway cable got caught on the legs of your hitch (or anything else) in a turn and pulled out? I ask because this actually has happened to a few of us (me included) so we take steps to keep the cable from dangling too much.

We had pulled straight into our parking spot with little maneuvering and no indication of trailer brake lock-up. When that pin pops, you'll know it

It had to have happened after we parked. I think someone wanted to get a chuckle out of us trying to drive away. He probably would have come over and offered to help. "Oh look! That's why you can't drive away" Har har

Art-n-Marge · 03-21-2013, 07:44 AM

All this talk of 12 gauge wiring makes me wish we could hook up a 12 gauge (you know what I mean) for these fools who think they are jokesters (you are being nice calling them gremlins). Problem is with my luck I'd forget.

I also think it's quite screwy that a brake controller could get fried if the brake away cable becomes engaged. The brake controller should be able to take this. What good is part of a safety system if it fails during the case of when it's needed during and after an emergency situation. I know of people who remove the brakeaway cable when the rig is setup and they don't want the brakeaway cable stolen (really?) or the rig stolen (the brakes are locked up) however the most important time is if you are towing and lose the trailer the brake cable will engage to stop the now unhooked trailer, but you'll lose your in cab controller because of it? Doesn't this sounds kinda lame to anyone else?

Now this is another thing I will have to look up for my Integrated Brake Controller in my '06 Ford. It just never ends.

drsmart · 03-21-2013, 08:03 AM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by Art-n-Marge

All this talk of 12 gauge wiring makes me wish we could hook up a 12 gauge (you know what I mean) for these fools who think they are jokesters (you are being nice calling them gremlins). Problem is with my luck I'd forget.

I also think it's quite screwy that a brake controller could get fried if the brake away cable becomes engaged. The brake controller should be able to take this. What good is part of a safety system if it fails during the case of when it's needed during and after an emergency situation. I know of people who remove the brakeaway cable when the rig is setup and they don't want the brakeaway cable stolen (really?) or the rig stolen (the brakes are locked up) however the most important time is if you are towing and lose the trailer the brake cable will engage to stop the now unhooked trailer, but you'll lose your in cab controller because of it? Doesn't this sounds kinda lame to anyone else?

Now this is another thing I will have to look up for my Integrated Brake Controller in my '06 Ford. It just never ends.

I don't think the controller was damaged but the manufacturer manual indicated that under those circumstances it could be. Pulling the pin and replacing for a short term should be no problem but we had been in the restaurant for at least half an hour. The controller was 9 years old and for $120 I get piece of mind and a the old one becomes a spare.
The possible damage to controller is if your TV is connected.

"if you are towing and lose the trailer the brake cable will engage to stop the now unhooked trailer, but you'll lose your in cab controller because of it?"

No - the 7 pin electrical would be separated if that occurred and harm to the controller would not be an issue.

Dave

dieselguy · 03-21-2013, 08:33 AM

I would just have to smile if someone told me they removed the breakaway pin while set-up to prevent theft. Cut just one wire coming from the breakaway switch and you're good to go. And further thinking ... unless hooked to shore power, it would drain your battery in a few short hours.

steelpony5555 · 03-21-2013, 12:07 PM

Just another good reason to do a thourgh walk around. I do that when I park and before I leave just in case I missed something....

CORattler · 03-21-2013, 01:21 PM

Another thing to inspect when doing a walk around. If someone did this intentionally, he's a sick person.

Overlord · 03-22-2013, 06:09 PM

I came out to my rig after a stop, and on the walk around, found that someone had pulled the handle out on my aux. dump valve at the end of my dump tube. Obviously some joker expecting that I would get a face full of sewage when I went to dump the tanks. I just pushed it back in, but didn't look around to see if anybody was hanging out. Wouldn't have made any difference if I hadn't caught it anyway, because of the first gate valve that is controlled by the pull handles in the convenience center won't allow any nasty stuff in the dump tube in the first place.

But it is a shame that there are jack-a**es out there that think that it's alright to mess with other peoples stuff. I would like to catch somebody red-handed at something like that, just for once, so I could kick them hard, straight in the ol' twig and berries!

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