Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

Break away cable

Options
  • 05-06-2021 10:45pm
    #1
    Charolois 19
    Registered Users Posts: 107 ✭✭


    Hi all,

    Bought a bit of a fixer upper cattle trailer there and started doing her up this week, spare or sell on i haven't decided, mechanically she's in good order, breaks back working lights ect, here's the thing, I was replacing the hitch chain this evening, old one was fine just tatty looking and I seen there is also a mounting point for a breakaway cable, legally speaking do I need one or the other or both when there's mounting points for both? Just want to have her done right and above board


Comments

  • Options
    #2
    have2flushtwice
    Registered Users Posts: 1,398 ✭✭✭have2flushtwice


    a cable is less than 20 quid.
    i had a near miss before and the cable saved me.
    i was putting on a boat onto the jeep. lads were coming over looking etc and I let myself get distracted. hitch was resting on the ball but not clicked in. wound up the jockey. put on the cable. drive on nice and handy up the hill out of terryglass harbour towards the village. wasn't far from the slipway. as it was a tight spot and people walking about. next thing I feel a tug and here's the boat trailer bouncing backwards. the cable pulled the brake and stopped it rolling into the car behind me.

    so get the cable ok!


  • Options
    #3
    Bass Reeves
    Registered Users Posts: 18,165 ✭✭✭✭Bass Reeves


    Charolois 19 wrote: »
    Hi all,

    Bought a bit of a fixer upper cattle trailer there and started doing her up this week, spare or sell on i haven't decided, mechanically she's in good order, breaks back working lights ect, here's the thing, I was replacing the hitch chain this evening, old one was fine just tatty looking and I seen there is also a mounting point for a breakaway cable, legally speaking do I need one or the other or both when there's mounting points for both? Just want to have her done right and above board

    You legally have to have either a safety chain or a breakaway cable on all trailers with more than two wheels. If the guards stop you afaik you can gets points on your licience for it

    Slava Ukrainii



  • Options
    #4
    Charolois 19
    Registered Users Posts: 107 ✭✭Charolois 19


    Aw the price of it dosent bother me at all, and a new hefty chain has gone on this evening regardless, christ you were lucky, imagine boat and trailer gone down the ramp, ara I'll run down to the Co op tomorrow and pick one up better safe than sorry hearing that, was more wondering if your expected to have both legally if 2 options are there or if your stopped and its looked at is one or the other acceptable


  • Options
    #5
    Charolois 19
    Registered Users Posts: 107 ✭✭Charolois 19


    Bass Reeves wrote: »
    You legally have to have either a safety chain or a breakaway cable on all trailers with more than two wheels. If the guards stop you afaik you can gets points on your licience for it

    Thanks Bass, im going to stick a cable on with the chain regardless, better looking at it than for it


  • Options
    #6
    _Brian
    Registered Users Posts: 18,475 ✭✭✭✭_Brian


    Either or is the law.

    The safety chain would prevent the break away chain working so I could see no reason to have both.


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #7
    Base price
    Registered Users Posts: 11,137 ✭✭✭✭Base price


    _Brian wrote: »
    Either or is the law.

    The safety chain would prevent the break away chain working so I could see no reason to have both.
    Braked trailer: a trailer constructed with brakes fitted. Trailers with a MAM (see page 8) more than 750kg or half the laden weight of the towing vehicle to which they are attached require brakes. They must also be fitted with a parking brake and a breakaway brake. Older trailers that don’t have a breakaway brake must have a secondary coupling (a chain or wire rope) fitted instead.Breakaway brake: a breakaway brake fitted to a trailer is a braking device that can automatically stop the trailer if it becomes detached from the towing vehicle while moving.
    https://www.rsa.ie/Documents/Vehicle%20Std%20Leg/Road%20Safety%20Advice%20for%20Drawing%20Light%20Trailers%20A5%20booklet%20Amends%209-12-15%20%20%20%20.pdf


  • Options
    #8
    Albert Johnson
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 1,870 Mod ✭✭✭✭Albert Johnson


    If it's anything bigger than an 8x4 trailer then I'd forget about the chain and fit a breakaway cable to a functioning handbrake. Imagine your going down the road doing 50kmh towing a 12x6 trailer with four 600kg stores on board, including the weight of the trailer we're talking about 3500kg behind the towing vehicle. What happens if the trailer becomes decoupled while using a breakaway cable compared to a chain?

    In the case of the cable the handbrake is applied and provided it's working then the trailer should stop relatively quickly. Compare this to a chain where the trailer is still free wheeling, you've lost all braking ability because its no longer connected and you essentially have 3 odd tonne on a leash behind you. You'd be as well to move into the passenger seat at this stage because regardless of what you do the trailer is going to bully the jeep in whatever direction it wants to go.


  • Options
    #9
    _Brian
    Registered Users Posts: 18,475 ✭✭✭✭_Brian


    Base price wrote: »
    Braked trailer: a trailer constructed with brakes fitted. Trailers with a MAM (see page 8) more than 750kg or half the laden weight of the towing vehicle to which they are attached require brakes. They must also be fitted with a parking brake and a breakaway brake. Older trailers that don’t have a breakaway brake must have a secondary coupling (a chain or wire rope) fitted instead.Breakaway brake: a breakaway brake fitted to a trailer is a braking device that can automatically stop the trailer if it becomes detached from the towing vehicle while moving.
    https://www.rsa.ie/Documents/Vehicle%20Std%20Leg/Road%20Safety%20Advice%20for%20Drawing%20Light%20Trailers%20A5%20booklet%20Amends%209-12-15%20%20%20%20.pdf

    Cheers


  • Options
    #10
    Fils
    Registered Users Posts: 293 ✭✭Fils


    Lucky have2flushtwice that the brakes held in reverse down hill. Lucky the auto reverse didn’t kick in.


  • Options
    #11
    Albert Johnson
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 1,870 Mod ✭✭✭✭Albert Johnson


    Fils wrote: »
    Lucky have2flushtwice that the brakes held in reverse down hill. Lucky the auto reverse didn’t kick in.

    The breakaway cable would have activated the trailers handbrake which isn't subject to the auto reverse effect during normal braking whilst driving.


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #12
    Fils
    Registered Users Posts: 293 ✭✭Fils


    Albert Johnson wrote: »
    The breakaway cable would have activated the trailers handbrake which isn't subject to the auto reverse effect during normal braking whilst driving.

    I thought the auto-reverse is a feature of the shoes and has nothing to do with the coupling or anything else. One shoe is mounted on a slide and lets it slip.


  • Options
    #13
    Albert Johnson
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 1,870 Mod ✭✭✭✭Albert Johnson


    Fils wrote: »
    I thought the auto-reverse is a feature of the shoes and has nothing to do with the coupling or anything else. One shoe is mounted on a slide and lets it slip.

    I was of the opinion that the auto reverse worked off the coupling and was engaged when pressure was applied backwards as opposed to forwards ie when revesing. The handbrake applies the brake continually either in forward or reverse.


  • Options
    #14
    paddysdream
    Registered Users Posts: 1,776 ✭✭✭paddysdream


    Breakaway chain in my opinion is a dangerous thing.If your hitch breaks or trailer uncouples from the towing vehicle then you have a load behind you that will slap into the jeep and be totally uncontrollable .Lethal.
    Same as those with tractor trailers with a chain attached to the top link pin.Trailer unhitches and what happens ?
    Breakaway cable is less than a tenner and should apply the trailer brake and at least stop the trailer fairly sharply assuming the brakes are good enough .


  • Options
    #15
    Charolois 19
    Registered Users Posts: 107 ✭✭Charolois 19


    Stuck the cable on there this eve and got rid of the chain, breaks are good as 2 new axels and hubs gone in and all set up just a week before I bought her, thanks for the advice all


  • Options
    #16
    funkey_monkey
    Registered Users Posts: 8,057 ✭✭✭funkey_monkey


    have2flushtwice wrote: »
    a cable is less than 20 quid.
    i had a near miss before and the cable saved me.
    i was putting on a boat onto the jeep. lads were coming over looking etc and I let myself get distracted. hitch was resting on the ball but not clicked in. wound up the jockey. put on the cable. drive on nice and handy up the hill out of terryglass harbour towards the village. wasn't far from the slipway. as it was a tight spot and people walking about. next thing I feel a tug and here's the boat trailer bouncing backwards. the cable pulled the brake and stopped it rolling into the car behind me.

    so get the cable ok!

    Is that how you got your username?


Advertisement