Troubleshoot/Repair Damaged Trailer Break Away Braking System

Question:

I have a nearly brand new dual axle Canada Trailer. One of my crew members drove away after dropping the trailer, and forgot to unhook the breakaway cable from the truck. The break is not engaging though, we can use the trailer as we normally would. I went to replace the plunger, and a new one will not go in, even though its the same type of system and plunger that most of our other trailers have. Thoughts before i tear the whole thing apart or replace the whole system? Thanks!

asked by: Rachel D

Expert Reply:

It looks like the interior of the switch was damaged. It's not a big deal assuming it's an electric breakaway system. You can just replace the switch assembly very affordably. The switches use two wires to connect, so they're not system specific. I like the switches offered by Fastway that use a coiled cable that won't drag and feature a carabiner that makes it simple to attach to the tow vehicle. The switches are available with a 4 foot cable as part # FA80-00-2040 or a 6 foot cable as part # FA80-00-2060.

Additionally, the battery that drives the system probably got discharged. When the pin was pulled, the brakes applied and probably stayed on for 15 or 20 minutes, until the battery depleted. Breakaway systems typically have a built-in charger that maintains the battery when its plugged into a vehicle with a functional 12-V feed on the trailer connector. This being said, if you have a battery charger like # CTEK56865, I'd give the battery a good charge on that. I've linked you to a couple of help articles about trailer break away braking systems.

expert reply by: Mike L