Solution for Adding Indicator System to Know When Breakaway Pin Has Been Pulled on Trailer

Question:

I have a 2018 Forest River Rpod 178 Travel trailer. Our breakaway pin accidentally came out while being pulled by F150, car behind us alerted us to burning smell. Entire break assembly on both sides and new breakaway pin/switch box were replaced. My question: Is there any way of wiring in an indicator light of some kind that could be seen by driver to indicate that the breakaway pin is no longer in place and the circuit is closed causing the trailer to apply its breaks? We did not feel any difference in towing when this incident occurred.

asked by: Patrice A

Helpful Expert Reply:

This is a really great question and it honestly sounds like a fantastic idea for a new product. While we can wire in a type of indicator/alert system to the brake circuit or through the breakaway pin itself, there isn't an existing system available that's designed for this purpose. That just means we will need to get a little creative.

Something you could do is add a simple red strip light to the front of the trailer like # CM93281 that you would be able to see in your rear view mirror. This is a waterproof unit that can easily be mounted to the trailer surface with its 3M adhesive backing. You would then wire it to the power output wire coming from the brake switch, or even to the blue brake output wire coming out of the 7-Way. Doing the latter would activate the light each time you stepped on the brake pedal in the truck as well.

This is probably the easiest way to make an indicator system so that what you described doesn't happen again.

expert reply by: Chris R