Can Breakaway Pin be Pulled to Help Prevent Trailer From Being Stolen

Question:

You missed the whole question! I was asking if you remove the breakaway actuator plug.... you know the little thing that pulls out if you lose your TOAD.

asked by: Charlie C

Expert Reply:

At first glance that is a great idea but if you want to keep a trailer from being stolen your best defense is installing a lock or multiple locks so that potential thieves see that your rig is more challenging than the next. You mentioned Blue Ox but the only thing they have with a breakaway kit is the Patriot # BLU37TR which installs in a towed vehicle that can be locked so I believe you are referring to a kit like the Hopkins # HM20001 which installs on a trailer.

Either way, the stored power in the Patriot and the battery that comes with the Hopkins (or any) breakaway kit is designed to only fully apply the brakes for a short time like 15 minutes. Theoretically you'd be able to properly secure the towed vehicle or trailer within 15 minutes of an emergency situation.

As I mentioned above, you can simply lock the towed vehicle to prevent it from being stolen so for the trailer side you'll need to add some security like Master Lock Coupler Lock for 1-7/8", 2", 2-5/16" Couplers # ML389DAT or something a little simpler like the Reese Tow and Store Lock Kit # RP7014700.

Attached are some review videos that you can check out for both lock kits as well as some links to our various locking products to help better secure your trailer.

expert reply by: Jon G

Charlie C.

10/14/2019

You missed the whole question! I was asking if you remove the breakaway actuator plug.... you know the little thing that pulls out if you lose your TOAD.

Jon G.

10/14/2019

I'm sorry, I misunderstood your initial question. When you aren't towing your vehicle I suppose you could technically remove the breakaway plug after taking the Patriot # BLU37TR out of your vehicle but I recommend just removing the coiled cable from the pin instead of actually removing the pin. Reason being that if you forget to reinsert the pin before installing the braking system it could very well be harmful to the Patriot II and you or your vehicle as the braking system will apply the brakes without that pin in place. I can see someone swiping the coiled cable but there isn't a real point in taking the pin itself unless the thief is just trying to be a nuisance because the pin is easily replaceable with a low-cost generic pin like part # C52020.