The reason you DO Not want the trailer brakes to come on when the
trailer is still attached to the tow vehicle is
The brakes are activated with a full 12 volts. On most trailers this
will lock the wheels slamming the trailer back against the chains
hard. Picture this happening going up hill, on a curve on a wet
road, with no warning and the potential control problems.
If your safety chains are crossed, in theory at least, the trailer
tongue should fall on the crossed chains, keeping it from hitting
the ground. It should be possible to make a slow controlled
stop. If the trailer tongue should make a ding in the bumper that is
a minor consequence. More likely the tongue would hit the hitch or
head or go below the hitch and would be stopped by the tongue
jack. If one would install a resistor in the breakaway line and have
it pre adjusted for gentle braking it would be a different story, but
I know of no one ever doing this.
I see the purpose of the break away switch to stop the trailer if it
seperates completely from the vehicle to reduce the chance of an
accident involving some one else. I personally believe it is not
desirable to have full brake action on a trailer which is still
attached to the vehicle.
Obviously this is an area of multiple opinions and maybe no one correct answer.
Hopefully none of us will ever put them to the test.
Just as an aside, A few years ago I had a campsite so far off front
to back level, that after chocking the wheels I drove a spike into
the ground and looped the break away cable around it in case the
trailer decided to leave on its own.
Rick Davis 1602
>It seems to me that if my trailer came off the ball and was held only by the
>safety chains, I'd want the trailer brakes to activate in order to keep the
>trailer from running forward into the tow vehicle. Also, with the trailer
>brakes on and rearward pressure against the chains it would be easier to stop
>in a straight line. Otherwise, the trailer would tend to wander side to side
>and slam into the tow vehicle repeatedly as you tried to slow down.
>Brian Jenkins