When towing a caravan in what position should the hand brake handle on the caravan be. Should it be towards the tow ball keeping the cable tight or should it be back towards the caravan leaving the cable loose.When the cable is tight is it pulling the brakes on or off
handbrake
- Thread starter David_374370315
- Start date
I'm puzzled. When the handle is down, i.e. towards the towball, the cable (or sometimes rod) to the caravan's brakes must be slack or else the brakes would be applied. Or are you referring to the brakeaway cable which attaches to the car's towbar? If that is tight when then handle is down, it has either been attached incorrectly or it is too short.
David, the caravan handbrake lever should be fully forward i.e. towards the towball when towing. The clip at the end of the cable should be attached to a ring or loop on the towbar. If there is no such ring, then it is permissable to run the cable round the towball and clip it back onto itself, although this is not the preferred way. There should still be sufficient slack in the cable to allow for turning movement between car and caravan.
The purpose of this cable - "breakway cable" is to apply the caravan brakes should the caravan become unhitched while travelling. It will pull the bottom of the handbrake forward, moving the top towards the upright and should then itself break or snap so the car can be stopped safely.
Unhitching like this is not very common - fortunately - and is usually casued by a worn (and thus small) towball and or a worn and thus large hitch body. Another cause is failure to engage the hitch and ball correctly. Most modern hitches have a button in the hitch body which rises to show a green band when the hitch and ball are correctly engaged. If yours has one of these check it every time you hitch up and when you stop.
If you have any doubt about the state of your hitch or towball please get it checked as soon as you can.
The purpose of this cable - "breakway cable" is to apply the caravan brakes should the caravan become unhitched while travelling. It will pull the bottom of the handbrake forward, moving the top towards the upright and should then itself break or snap so the car can be stopped safely.
Unhitching like this is not very common - fortunately - and is usually casued by a worn (and thus small) towball and or a worn and thus large hitch body. Another cause is failure to engage the hitch and ball correctly. Most modern hitches have a button in the hitch body which rises to show a green band when the hitch and ball are correctly engaged. If yours has one of these check it every time you hitch up and when you stop.
If you have any doubt about the state of your hitch or towball please get it checked as soon as you can.
Hi David,
Well, one way the brakes will be engaged and you'll end up with hot brake drums and very poor fuel consumption.
So just like a car - handbrake down means brakes released.
But you talk about "keeping the cable tight" - for the most part, caravan brakes are rod operated (until you get to the balance bar near the axle).
When the car brakes, the caravan momentarily continues forwards - compressing the hitch damper - and applying the caravan brakes.
I'm assuming that the cable you're talking about is the brake-away cable - the function of this is to apply the brakes if the caravan should become disconnected. And this cable should be slack whilst towing - to account for natural movements between the car and caravan - you certainly don't want this cable to inadvertently apply the brakes for no reason...
Robert
Well, one way the brakes will be engaged and you'll end up with hot brake drums and very poor fuel consumption.
So just like a car - handbrake down means brakes released.
But you talk about "keeping the cable tight" - for the most part, caravan brakes are rod operated (until you get to the balance bar near the axle).
When the car brakes, the caravan momentarily continues forwards - compressing the hitch damper - and applying the caravan brakes.
I'm assuming that the cable you're talking about is the brake-away cable - the function of this is to apply the brakes if the caravan should become disconnected. And this cable should be slack whilst towing - to account for natural movements between the car and caravan - you certainly don't want this cable to inadvertently apply the brakes for no reason...
Robert
And if the handbrake is down (released) but the brake-away cable is tight when hooked to the car - then you've either connected the brake-away cable incorrectly or you need a longer cable.
Robert
Robert
Facebook
Twitter