18' Series Breakaway System

pjulian

New Member
Oct 21, 2018
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Sydney
Hi all, I have searched the forums a bit and found snippets of information about breakaway systems.
I know I need one as I'm in NSW and the Expanda we just bought has the unit on the drawbar, but that's about all I can figure out about it.
The van is exactly 2 years old, so I figure that this breakaway system should apply the van brakes if the plug is pulled from the unit on the drawbar, I tested it the other day and the van still moved easily.

Is anybody able to enlighten me on whether this actually should be working or did this van miss out on needing the unit that actually applies the brakes or something ?

Thanks
Paul
 

Drover

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Nov 7, 2013
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Found your post, you should have a manual on the breakaway unit fitted to your van, if not track down the unit and Google the model online and you can download a manual, the unit will be hidden in a cupboard somewhere, they have writing over them so should be easy to ID.
The brakes should come on when you pull the pin if not it usually means the battery in the unit is flat, they should charge when you plug into the tug but the plugs need to be wired properly but they can be charged from other sources.
Since you just bought the vehicle if from a dealer I'd be getting onto them about it as technically it's not roadworthy, also in NSW you require a breakaway monitor in the tug to show that it has power and is working.....

If you ID the unit and still need a hand just give us a yell on here and we will do what we can to help, not a problem.


These are a what you could find inside your van.

cam.jpgred.jpgbrk.jpg
 

pjulian

New Member
Oct 21, 2018
21
4
3
Sydney
OK I found the unit inside the van, it was in the cupboard under the stove, it looks like the third one you have shown there Drover.
It had a test button on it and I pressed it and it came back green which is supposed to be OK.

I'm not sure why the brakes aren't applying then when I remove the plug from the drawbar, I will have to check it again I think and make sure I am not imagining things. The brakes on the van work fine normally and I would imagine that the box is just applying the brakes in the same way the brake controller would, so really it should be working.
 
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Drover

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Thats the same one I have you can get the fitting and operating instructions onlne, you may have to do some wire tracking to make sure it's actually connected...
Fitting instructions.....https://rvelectronics.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/5000-FITTING-INSTRUCTIONS.pdf

Operating instructions....https://rvelectronics.com.au/wp-con...IES-5000-AND-5000XP-OPERATING-INTRUCTIONS.pdf

so blue wire goes to van brakes and orange wires go to draw bar unit basically, if like Big Mal the wires for the tug to charge it were cut at the 12pin.............so arm yourself with a multi meter and start testing, start at the break a way switch it may just be dirty contacts.

To check BIg Mals I just jack up one wheel and spin it, usually when I do my end/start of trip checks.
 

pjulian

New Member
Oct 21, 2018
21
4
3
Sydney
Just an update on this, thanks for all the help and suggestions.
I connected the van up on the weekend and tested the system, it actually does work which is great.
What I didn't realise though is that just rocking the van back and forth a bit wasn't enough for it to engage, it had to actually move a couple of inches for the brake to apply. Not really an issue in an emergency but thought it was worth mentioning in case somebody else thought theirs wasn't working.

For what it's worth though, the van brakes when applied by the emergency breakaway system were good enough to hold the van and my patrol on a bit of a slope without moving.
 
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Drover

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Thanks for the follow up, it always helps....yes, I should have mentioned that movement is required, as power applied the brake magnets lock onto hub and lever action will apply the shoes, power off and the magnets release and springs pull the shoes off the hub, thusly hub needs to be moving to actuate the brake, they don't work in reverse though, hand brake will operate but not electric.
 

pjulian

New Member
Oct 21, 2018
21
4
3
Sydney
All good Drover !
It's important to share as much info as possible I reckon.
When you say they don't work in reverse, do you mean just the breakaway ?
When I reverse down my long driveway the van brakes definitely seem to be working, I hope so based on my driveway LOL.
 

Drover

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They will work but due to the lever action set up they won't work as well as when going forward.... The breaksafe set up is only a system to activate the brakes and will apply the brakes the same as your foot does........
If you have the cable which pulls the plug as short as possible then the breakaway may work before the drawbar digs into the road, most I have seen the plug will be pulled out after the drawbar digs into the road and the wheels are in the air,
 

pjulian

New Member
Oct 21, 2018
21
4
3
Sydney
Ahh, good point about the drawbar impacting the ground, I suppose though with a tandem axle van you really should still have both sets of wheels touching the ground hopefully even if the drawbar is too, sounds like having a small dolly wheel under the drawbar would be a good idea for such emergencies :)
 

Drover

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No what I meant was, the Breakaway system is designed for when your towing your van down the road belting along at 90kph and the tow ball/hitch/tow bar comes away, your van separates from the tug, pulls the breakaway switch and the van brakes apply to stop the van, well that's the theory...........its actually in the hand of the gods......
 

Drover

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The biggest problem with reversing and using the van brakes, like a semi trailer dont have your van brakes turned up full and don't use the trailer brakes on their own, for when reversing if a trailer wheel locks then it could jack, depending on your speed and your reactions it may hit things, so you always want the tug to have the major breaking component ......................

And a general warning to all:
Since most vehicles are Auto's nowadays , no matter what your doing, towing, solo driving whatever, Never, Ever use your left foot on the brake, it is the most stupid, dangerous habit to get into ........... this is usually the reason why people drive into shops, parked cars, people etc they use their left foot to apply the brake and in a panic situation you slam the left foot on the brake but you apply just as much pressure to the right foot....guess where it is, on the Go Pedal.....the left foot is for the clutch, no clutch then it stays on the floor, it doesn't have a job, need to panic brake, instinctively the right foot lifts off the right pedal and smashes down on the brake pedal, power to engine is cut, get into the habit, left foot stays on the floor..............

Right, off the soap box, back to normal chatter.........................
 
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Glen Bundesen

Active Member
Jan 12, 2014
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Perth WA
Hi Pjulian

Another aspect to be aware of with the breakaway system - the battery will only last holding the brakes on for about 20 minutes, so don't pull out the drawbar breakaway plug and expect it to hold the brakes on overnight!
You do have to replace the breakaway battery once they don't retain the charge. I believe in NSW you now have to have an indicator in your car which shows that the breakaway battery is fully charged???

Glen
 
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