Hi Everyone,

Does a trailer that carries over 3000 pounds in Michigan need a breakaway switch that works? I bought a trailer that the brakes work but the breakaway switch cable is gone. Just seeing if I need to fix it right away or work on some other projects on it first.

Thanks,
Calvin

 

I don't see anything that even requires a breakaway switch under our MCL's.


Michigan Legislature - Section 257.705

I checked a number of other sections related to RV's and found nothing. Nothing in the pdf on recreational doubles either.

 

Thanks for that. I looked around and did not find anything of importance either. They make it so hard to find a specific requirement.... I found a rv site that said it had to be either safety chains or breakaway but I would not feel safe without chains.

I will probably reinstall it just after I fix the lights, grease the hubs, and check the brakes. My only concern is I hook and unhook the trailer multiple times a week, so I may forget that it is tethered and pull the breakaway...

 

Given the small cost of a break-away switch cable, what would be the rationale to allow a safety system to remain inoperative? Installation takes very little time and certainly is not complex.

Steve

 

Before computers, I had to look up MCL's in very large books (and then check for changes in subsequent years books). Life is a lot easier, trust me.


I also looked at 4 different RV sites. 3 mentioned either no breakaway switch required, or didn't speak of one at all. 1 site said required (but no citation).


Not saying its not a good idea. Just don't think it is "required".


Good luck and safe travels.

 

I suspect the liability issue here in the event of an accident would be subsumed under "negligence". The requirement for RVs is contained in the RVIA certification regs. No breakaway, no certification seal. Cargo trailers also have regs, but I am not familiar with them.

 

I will be replacing it , just hoping I don't forget about it and pull it.

 

I know it is kind of a pain, if you pull the cable and drag it, after you unhook. I have a hunch you can get into a routine of unhooking it first. At least the cable is not a huge expense.

 

Yea its only $6 plus shipping... If the switch has had the cable pulled for quite sometime, I would assume at least 6 months. Would the switch still be ok or would it need to be replaced?

 

We go through this all the time at dealerships. The switches hold up very well, but I have a fair number of cables on my truck. Order those a dozen at a time, switches almost never.

 

If you have a battery on the trailer and the breakaway cable is missing, you prob have fried your brake wires...... with the breakaway disconnected there is supposed to be full application of battery voltage (and amperage) to the brakes.

 

Guess I'll have to check and see if the brakes are working. When I pulled it home, the electric brakes seemed to work. The wiring is pretty messed up so It maybe cut out and the breakaway is completely disabled...

 

If the pin is out of the breakaway and you can still pull the trailer, the breakaway is not connected.

 

Towing World Official Website


Pretty good source


This website says breakaway for 3K trailers If I read it right. Does not mean it is accurate though.

 

Being as I/We manage a large fleet of trailers with electric brakes that all have breakaways, I will chime in. Sorry for the days of delay, just saw the post.

Firstly, a good rule of thumb, not necessarily a rule of law, is that if the trailer is large enough to have included electric brakes, it pretty much must have a safety measure in place (aka, a breakaway system) to stop the trailer should it be separated from the tow vehicle.

In regards to actually frying the wiring for the brakes by leaving the pin pulled on your breakaway system, that is not even an issue unless someone hooked an enormously large battery to the breakaway system AND you had a shorted brake puck or dead shorted wire to your wheel ends. Reason being is that the pucks will only draw as much amerage as they can from the power source and most, if not all, battery setups installed for breakaway purposes are not large enough or hold enough capacity to cook the pucks. They burn up and cause an open in the circuit instead of burn up and cause a dead short.

In reality, if your trailer has had the breakaway removed, it was because the system was not operating properly for some reason (like the owner had no idea how to maintain it or that you need to change out the battery regularly to keep the system working properly) and deleted that part of the system for their own liking. There are lots of resources online talking about how these systems are designed, how they work, how to spec a system if you are installing one from scratch and how to troubleshoot one that is inop. I can even answer questions about them from my 100's of hours of fixing systems after doofuses have destroyed them by neglect or willful maliciousness.

Bottom line - if your trailer has electric brakes, it was probably manufactured with a breakaway system. Not completely sure but I believe that falls under federal DOT requirements. The goal is to have that system activate in emergent need and stop the trailer quickly, then hold the brakes applied for a brief period before the battery goes dead making sure that the trailer stays put once stopped. I believe that the specified time is 15 minutes before the battery goes dead.