"Last line of Defense" cord on Shorlandr trailers

[jetboatjay]

Pretty sure every topic or question imaginable has been asked and commented on, but I can't seem to find a thread on this one.

A "friend of mine" was pulling away from his storage unit after putting his trailer away on Sunday night. Electrical unplugged, safety chains disconnected, and pin/ball lifted so that the boat was completely stored. Wheels were chocked, and lock was put on the tongue. Cover was on and life jackets were in the back of the truck drying out. All was done.......

As "my friend" pulled away, I heard a wire snap. I instantly knew I forgot to unhook the cable my dealer said "was the last line of defense" should all else fail and your trailer falls off your car. "My friend" tore it completely off. In an attempt to assess the damage: he then hooked the trailer back up and rolled it forward 5 feet and back in place 5 feet to see if the brakes locked up...nothing seemed different.

QUESTION: Does anyone know what this cord does? Do I need to be nervous that my fiend's brakes are going to lock up now or something? Any experience here group?

...just asking for a friend.....

 

[Yamahaul]

i was told it does engage the brakes in that situation. just put that little D shape thing in there for now until you/ he gets it fixed. . it prob rolled because there wasnt constant tension becasue it snapped? not sure.

 

[jetboatjay]

i was told it does engage the brakes in that situation. just put that little D shape thing in there for now until you/ he gets it fixed. . it prob rolled because there wasnt constant tension becasue it snapped? not sure.

Yeah, I was told the same. I think I will have to go try it in full tow mode and see what happens. Not sure exactly how I will fix it if its got to be replaced. Moving the tongue back and getting in there might open up some ideas.

Thanks,

 

[RightStuff]

Check out this video, might give you some ideas what happens in there and make sure the brakes are reset.

 

[Canuckjetboater]

Yes, you MUST have this functional if it is standard equipment on your trailer - and it should be unless your trailer was a "homebuilt" - and likely your insurance would be void if your safety braking wire was dysfunctional. I believe I posted this before on this forum: when picking-up a brand new 2011 bowrider (expensive) I noticed the wire we are speaking of (brake activating disconnect safety wire) was missing. Some red faces and "sorry we forgot to disconnect it and it got pulled -off". It was a weekend and I had plans. "What are you going to do I asked?" "Don't worry they said you don't need it". Telephoned my friend who owns two insurance brokerages and put it on speakerphone in front of the service manager....friend said "The dealership has damaged a mandatory safety feature and as your insurance is now void get a letter from them on their dealership letterhead signed by the service manager stating they acknowledge the situation and assume full responsibility." 30 minutes later they had removed the entire assembly from a new (identical trailer) and installed it on mine, bled the disc brakes and I was on my way. Feel like playing Russian Roulette with your assets (and someone's life)....then try towing with that wire disabled.

 

[Mike Clark]

It appears that you didn’t get an answer to your question, other than it mandatory , must have, etc. The reason for the safety wire is in the event that somehow the trailer get disconnected from the ball and comes off the the hitch, the brakes to the trailer will be engaged by this wire and it bring the boat to stop instead of being an out of control 4000lb object slamming into another vehicle or obstacle or more importantly your towing vehicle causing you to crash

 

[tdonoughue]

Right, @Mike Clark .

And, the fact that the trailer was able to be moved after the safety cable was pulled (and snapped) indicates that the brakes are probably not working anyway. Probably need to be bled and/or brake fluid added. To test (which should be done at each hookup), hook up everything except the electrical connector and try to back up. The brakes on the trailer should lock. If they don't, they need attention. If the brakes have air in the line or not enough fluid, not only does normal braking not happen, but that emergency braking triggered by the cord does not happen either.

 

[jetboatjay]

Check out this video, might give you some ideas what happens in there and make sure the brakes are reset.

Thank you.

 

[jetboatjay]

Appreciate the help everyone. I have headed down to Home Depot and bought what I need to replace the breakaway cable. Will replace it tonight and stay in compliance of my warranty as well as continue to be safe. I mean...I will tell my friend to fix this.....

 

[jetboatjay]

Quick update to anyone else with a friend like I have: Somehow the exterior snap ring and washer came off the brake piston bolt when the safety wire snapped. I am very surprised by this, but as I was taking the tongue apart I noticed the snap ring (retaining ring) was missing. Not a big deal to fix, but keep that in mind if this happens to you...or your friend.

Appreciate all the help from the forum.

 

[washipdog]

I know this is a few month late, but I did the exact same thing as your "friend." When this happens you really shouldn't just go to home depot and replace the cable. This is what I was going to to do until I started doing some research. If you look in your trailer manual, you will find the part number for the cable assembly you need to do a proper repair. It can be purchased online for about $30. There are different length cables for different trailers.

 

[Scuba_ref]

Your friend is lucky to have you!

 

[Ronnie]

Many years ago I installed the locking pin behind the draw bar instead of through the mounting hole in the draw bar, long story short, the draw bar separated from the hitch 30 miles later while I was doing 60 mph on the highway. Thankfully all the safety equipment on the trailer worked. That is, the brake cable engaged the brakes before it snapped and the cables kept the trailer and boat attached to the tow bar. A little side note the cables were too long so the trailer’s tongue with tow ball and drawbar attached drug on the pavement instead of falling into and being held above ground in the cradle created by the intersection of the crossed cables (this is why you are supposed to cross the cables/chains and you can get a ticket for not crossing them, it’s one of the first things I learned in boating class over 20 years ago).

Anyway, the cable is important. If it broke or frayed for any reason I would not hesitate to replace it. The manual for the trailer had two c clips taped into it should the cable come loose. These were useless to me but I found the replacement cable and hook online at pacific trailer or eTrailer for less than $10 shipped. If the brake line is short (and it probably is) it could take hours to replace the cable even opif the tongue swings/is detachable but it’s worth it. Finally, the fact that the brakes were not locked up after the cable broke does not necessarily mean the cable didn’t do it’s job since what could have happened is the release button/tab under the tongue was pressed when the damage was initially assessed.

 

[Bizywk]

Many years ago I installed the locking pin behind the draw bar instead of through the mounting hole in the draw bar, long story short, the draw bar separated from the hitch 30 miles later while I was doing 60 mph on the highway. Thankfully all the safety equipment on the trailer worked. That is, the brake cable engaged the brakes before it snapped and the cables kept the trailer and boat attached to the tow bar. A little side note the cables were too long so the trailer’s tongue with tow ball and drawbar attached drug on the pavement instead of falling into and being held above ground in the cradle created by the intersection of the crossed cables (this is why you are supposed to cross the cables/chains and you can get a ticket for not crossing them, it’s one of the first things I learned in boating class over 20 years ago).

Anyway, the cable is important. If it broke or frayed for any reason I would not hesitate to replace it. The manual for the trailer had two c clips taped into it should the cable come loose. These were useless to me but I found the replacement cable and hook online at pacific trailer or eTrailer for less than $10 shipped. If the brake line is short (and it probably is) it could take hours to replace the cable even opif the tongue swings/is detachable but it’s worth it. Finally, the fact that the brakes were not locked up after the cable broke does not necessarily mean the cable didn’t do it’s job since what could have happened is the release button/tab under the tongue was pressed when the damage was initially assessed.

View attachment 137640View attachment 137641

Such a simple and easy mistake with the high likelihood for disaster. So glad one was injured. Another life lesson learned the hard way: "Don't let the water lure you into being in a hurry".

 

[adrianp89]

Anyone have a video of how the brakes work?

 

[Ronnie]

Anyone have a video of how the brakes work?

This maybe what you are looking for. I wouldn’t be surprised if many most people don’t know about the release clip under their trailer tongue.

 

[RobbieO]

Thank you.

This maybe what you are looking for. I wouldn’t be surprised if many most people don’t know about the release clip under their trailer tongue.

Great information! Thank you!

 

[adrianp89]

This maybe what you are looking for. I wouldn’t be surprised if many most people don’t know about the release clip under their trailer tongue.

I was referring to the brakes on the trailer under normal circumstances.

 

[Ronnie]

I’m not brake expert but i do spend an inordinate amount of time on line.

summarily, when the tow vehicle slows down the tongue on the trailer compresses causing the hydraulic fluid in the tongue to be pushed though the brake lines which activates the drum or disc brake mechanisms on the trailer wheels. The more the tongue is compressed the stronger the braking will be. If the tongue is prevented from compressing mechanically the brakes won’t work. This is also accomplished electronically on most newer trailers with surge brakes via a solenoid which activates when the tow vehicle is shifted into reverse.

 

[tdonoughue]

Further: the solenoid, when the vehicle is placed in reverse and energizes the reverse light pin, activates to block off the hydraulic fluid path. That is why you will see a little key thing to the side of your hitch. When you put that key thing into the slot, that prevents the mechanical pressing @Ronnie referenced. It is intended as a backup so you can still backup in case you have an issue with the brake lights (or are using a manual device that does not have backup lights to lockout the hydraulics, like a manual dolly).

Also I learned: the brake lines on the Shorlandr are mostly (totally?) rubber. Rubber is nice in that it is flexible and cheap, but it does slowly let contaminants (air, water) into the system (which is why you will notice in your car metal lines until right by the wheel, where they use a short section of rubber for the flexibility to allow the suspension to work). Therefore it is wise to service your brakes annually (whether you have used the trailer a lot or not) and have them bled. Bleeding adds new fluid to the reservoir, then pumps some out the calipers, removing air (primarily) along with some of the contaminated fluid (which then gets replaced with the stuff in the reservoir). A brake flush will replace all of the fluid (other than some remnants).