Why would we believe what Towsure say (when they are trying to sell us something) when on the website for The Caravan Club there is the following information which has been produced by the National Caravan Council and is supported by The Camping & Caravanning Club, the NTTA and SMMT:
Correct Attachment of Breakaway Cables ................... Where there is a designated attachment point on the towbar ....................
Either:
a) Pass the cable
through the
attachment point and
clip it back on itself
Or:
b) Attach the clip
directly to the
designated point
This
alternative must be
specifically permitted
by the trailer
manufacturer since
the clip may not be sufficiently strong
for use in this way.
Where no designated
attachment point has been
provided on the towbar:
Fixed ball
Loop the cable around
the neck of the towball.
If you fit the cable like
this, use a single loop
only.
Detachable ball
You must seek guidance
on procedure from the
towbar manufacturer or
supplier.
Other means of attachment:
In some instances it may be possible to attach the
cable assembly:
Either:
a) to a permanent part of the towbar structure, as
long as this meets the approval of the towbar
manufacturer/supplier,
Or:
b) to an accessory sold for the specific purpose of
breakaway cable attachment.
------------- Caz
If you can't see the light at the end of the tunnel, just keep going till you go round the bend.
I found my breakaway cable was too long I have a place on the back plate for it but the clip on the end has broken.
I made a loop with the exsisting cable and put a u ring on it then i fasten with a carabina to the plate its a good length and the loop is very small and so would hold the carabina will hold but isnt too strong that it will not breakaway.
What ever you do always do it safely and if its not right then make it so...
This is text from the NTTA website . Do not loop it round the towball neck unless you can find no alternative .
What you could really say is you should make every effort to find an alternative , if your tow ball was to fail ( ie snap off ) the breakaway cable would be a waste of time . Weather the law says it's ok to wrap round the towball or not is not the point , you should have/make the safest attachment of the breakaway cable possible .
This sentance should say . Where no designated attachment point has been provided on the towbar: You should have one fitted .
I maybe wrong, but it is surely safer attached to a bracket
true but some removable types have no location for a bracket to be fixed for the cable to fit on.once forgot to remove mine after reversing on to a pitch.it worked though,the handbrake was full on as never before and the cable clip was in a straight line.cost me £9.50 to get one made at a boat yard.carry a spare now.
------------- the only silly question is the one you do not ask.
I don't see why you say that if it is wrapped around the towball it won't work - the only time I have had a caravan come off the hitch the breakaway cable stayed on the ball - it took the Police half an hour to get it off so they could move the caravan away from the car.
The bracket shown on the Towsure website isn't big enough for the cable clip to go through and be wrapped back on itself as it should be, clipping it direct to the bracket would mean it would be too long and may not work properly.
------------- Caz
If you can't see the light at the end of the tunnel, just keep going till you go round the bend.
As I understand it the reason for not attaching the cable to the towball is not so much that the towball will fail but the greater possibility that someone will not attach the tow hitch to the towball correctly. The risk is that the tow hitch will part company with the tow ball and the cable could slip over the tow ball thus providing no protection to stop the van.
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Topic: breakaway cables
