Trailer Brakes while parked backwards down hill

[monkeybusiness]

The only time I've personally known trailers to come detached from towing vehicles is when towball bolts snap, normally as a result of badly maintained trailers crashing and banging around on the hitch. That towball chain or a breakaway cable looped around the towball neck would be totally useless in that scenario.

[Goaty]

  scraggs said:

I thought it was illegal to use chains like that now ?

But I stand to be corrected

 

In New Zealand they bin our breakaway cable, off imported uk made gear and replace with a chain.

[Dean Lofthouse]

We will do this in a scientific way, fact only. Give me some time and I will service both my trailers. Adjust the brakes as per manufactures instructions and i will take both down to the mot station and put them on the test rollers and get an actual brake efficiency reading in forward and reverse. One of my trailers is a Meridian and Aire ratchet lever and the other a Bateson over centre lever. Two different systems.

That way there is no speculation

[WeFixIt]

You must have a brakes way cable fitted if the trailer is fitted with brakes which is all trailers over 750kg but you can fit a chain as well! As the hitch on the trailer is only held on with 2 bolts!!

 

But the chain isn't a replacement for the breakaway cable!

 

I also know someone how towed a inflatable type lift boat up the motorway for about 60 miles

Trailer being a little nose heavy stopped off at the motorway services, went over a speed bump in the carpark and off came the trailer!!! It had been sitting on top of the ball for the last 60 miles !!!

[WeFixIt]

  Dean Lofthouse said:

We will do this in a scientific way, fact only. Give me some time and I will service both my trailers. Adjust the brakes as per manufactures instructions and i will take both down to the mot station and put them on the test rollers and get an actual brake efficiency reading in forward and reverse. One of my trailers is a Meridian and Aire ratchet lever and the other a Bateson over centre lever. Two different systems.

That way there is no speculation

 

 

Don't forget on a hill with a loaded trailer the figures would be some what different!!!

[Dean Lofthouse]

  WeFixIt said:

Don't forget on a hill with a loaded trailer the figures would be some what different!!!

 

As in the weight would be more over the rear axle ?

[Treewolf]

  WeFixIt said:

You must have a brakes way cable fitted if the trailer is fitted with brakes which is all trailers over 750kg but you can fit a chain as well!

 

I usually have a chain as well as the breakaway cable (chain is also padlocked) but I always make sure that the chain is long enough to allow the breakaway cable to do its job. Both cable and chain are attached to strongpoints on the Landrover not to the coupling.

 

If the trailer were ever to come off, I want the brakes to come on but I also want to retain some control over where it goes.

 

 

  Quote

I also know someone how towed a inflatable type lift boat up the motorway for about 60 miles

Trailer being a little nose heavy stopped off at the motorway services, went over a speed bump in the carpark and off came the trailer!!! It had been sitting on top of the ball for the last 60 miles !!!

 

Many years ago I had a heavy flatbed plant trailer stolen. The trailer had a 2" ring coupling, the thieves had a transit with a 50mm ball. To effect the theft they dropped the ring over the ball and set off (not using the breakaway cable). About a mile up the road the trailer came off and entered someone's front garden at about 40mph, straight through a flowerbed and ploughing a furrow across the lawn. Fortunately it hit no one and missed the Beemer on the drive. I got the trailer back but it was only because the homeowner saw it come off a Transit that I was able to convice plod it wasn't my Landrover it came off! It makes you shudder to think what would have happened if it had come off outside a school at chucking out time. Shocking that the greed of these lowlifes completely overules any kind of social responsibility.

[WeFixIt]

What's more worrying is the thought of trying to prove it wasn't you towing it if no one was watching!!!

 

And therefore by default get the blame and the penalty to go with it!