Breakaway cable snagged on hitch and accidentally pulled out the switch

[Dick Noble]

I had this happen this past Aug. Took the 5er in to be weighted and pulled off the scale too sharp. I knew right off that the brakes were on. Did not hurt anything. I use an Anderson Hitch and after this happened, I had to move the locking pull on to the king pin to keep it from being able to be pinched.

[Bob/OlallaWA]

Another good reason to do a brake check before hitting the road. It takes a very small amount of time and makes sure you have brakes when you need them.

[LV Naturist]

Another good reason to do a brake check before hitting the road. It takes a very small amount of time and makes sure you have brakes when you need them.

Additionally, I always do a walk-around whenever we stop for a potty break, or whatever and check for anything unusual, eyeball the tires, check hubs for excess heat (I carry an infrared thermometer). It just takes a moment and gives me a chance to stretch my legs. You might have caught it then and been able to mitigate the issue.

John

[Clanker24]

It's obvious your brakes were defective before this happened or you would have felt it pulling when the breakaway switch was out. Every time I hook up I do a brake check using just the manual slider on the brake controller to ensure they are functioning.
I had it happen on a 41'er triple axle with disc brakes and it stopped me dead. I was in a campground on a slight incline and doing a sharp turn. Thought I had cut the corner too sharp and come up against a rock on the inside. With the truck in neutral it wouldn't even roll back. When I got out of the truck I could hear the hydraulic pump going so knew exactly what was going on then.

[jim1521]

Ditto for the brakes already being bad beforehand. Easy test: move along at idle speed, set your brake controller to 10.0, and with trailer slowly moving squeeze the brake controller manually. It should lock you up and you should stop IMMEDIATELY. If you continue to move forward your brakes are defective.

I now have disc brakes installed, and when you squeeze that controller it stops instantly. Before it would slowly continue to roll.

[vonzoog]

True Story. When we pickup our Momentum from the dealer there was no gas in the generator tank. So they gave me a slip to fill up the tank at a station just down the street. Less than 2 miles down the road I turn to pull into the station and there was a strong pull that almost brought me to a stop. I stopped and then then started pulling forward. I could tell that there was a drag on the Momentum and was sure it was the brakes trying to lockup. I drove around to the fuel tanks with RV pulling hard, but the brakes where not locked up and all six wheels turning.

After exiting the truck I saw the brake away switch had been pull out and was still attached to the cable. Closer inspection showed that the cable (way too long) was caught onto one of the lever for mounting the hitch into the factory "puck" system and had pulled the pin. I reattached the pin and rerouted the cable and was able to drive home. The next day I installed new disc brakes (I had already purchased the brakes). When the old drums were pulled the brakes looked in new condition and I had no grease problems. This trailer was under the "new" grease method from the factory and appeared to work.

My point being is that with new self-adjusting drum brakes I could pull the trailer around without locking the brakes. That would be and is impossible to do with the disc brakes installed.

[RustyTam]

are there any GD reps associated with this forum that could weigh in on this?

[TucsonJim]

are there any GD reps associated with this forum that could weigh in on this?

GDRV does not monitor this section of forum. Specific questions for them can be posted in the "manufacturer's corner".

Jim

[BabyBober]

It's obvious your brakes were defective before this happened or you would have felt it pulling when the breakaway switch was out. .

While I would agree to that statement I also question if the OP didn't "feel anything" how the brakes and the hydrolic lines could have "melted"... Just saying ya can't have it both ways...

[TucsonJim]

While I would agree to that statement I also question if the OP didn't "feel anything" how the brakes and the hydrolic lines could have "melted"... Just saying ya can't have it both ways...

That is an excellent question. Another question is what caused the hydraulic lines to fail? Does the 2017 310GK have hydraulic activated brakes? How did the overheating brakes cause the hydraulic line to fail?

Jim