Break Away Battery

And if the DOT stops you, they may pull the pin to make sure the brakes come on, if they don't, your day just went in the crapper.

 

It was dual purpose, worked for both systems, somethings never seem to change, they have used that system for ever.

 

NO NO NO Its only for the "Break away " emergency brake system! If the trailer separates from the tow vehicle it automatically engages the electric brake system on the RV, (any trailer).

 

You don't understand, on an RV there is not a seperate battery for the breakaway switch. It draws it's power from the house battery. On trailers other than RV there is a small battery pack usually on the trailer A frame for the breakaway switch. There that is about the 5-6 time it has been explained.

 

So close. After delivery to the end user the system works off of the house batteries, but the batteries in an rv ARE NOT HOOKED UP FROM THE FACTORY!!!! Some sit in yards for several weeks at a time.

Several RV’s do not even come with batteries. They are added or hooked up after delivery at the dealership. We are all in agreement that if you are towing an RV for delivery YOU NEED AN RV FRAMED BASED BATTERY FOR THE BREAK AWAY SYSTEM before you roll the wheels. It does charge from the trucks electrical system.

It’s a good idea to replace it every year or so just from a discharge/recharge perspective.

So the answer is YES you need it and you need to mount it on the RV frame, (oh God - not in the bed of the truck as someone suggested), and check and/or replace it every year.

 

I use a deep cycle 750cca for the breakaway $79.00 bucks at Walmart. When hauling RVs it's better when you have to hook and unhook it so many times. My battery for travel trailers is in a battery box and modified with cables and posts with wing nuts for ease of access.

 

Not to mention Texas has decided to require that the battery be in a box secured to the trailer as well. Makes it very difficult to be checking the connection every time you stop to be sure it is tight. Many work loose as the road vibrates.

They also require the breakaway battery cable be attached to a different point on the truck away from the hitch. The connection is to be a high strength metal and not the cheap plastic metal ones. They then use their weight to pull against it for testing.

 

Same here. I clean the connections for rusting and such during the year.