Towing and Safety Breakaway Cable

[SouthpawHD]

Where do you hook the cable while towing?

 

I have yet to find a decent spot. Anything under the truck I can get a quick connect link there or a carabiner style clip. Nothing decent on the hitch either.

[redwngr]

Is it a factory hitch?

 

There should be 2 big holes in the hitch to attach the safety chains to. Depending on the ends on the cables/chains, it may be necessary to add shackles or similar to make hookup easier.

 

Chains should be in a cross pattern under the tongue, to better support the tongue and steer the trailer should the ball hitch come unhooked.

 

 

I have 4 trailers that I tow. They all will hook directly to the holes on either side of the hitch. Was the same with the heaver trailers I pulled with the 2500's I had prior to switching to the 1500.

[Old School Mechanic]

I assume you are talking about the thin cable going to the electric brake switch for the trailer.

The end of the cable have a loop?

Just hook it in the eyelet where the safety chains clip in.

Use a thick plastic wire tie... It won't take much to pull the key out of the switch if you have separation.

When you are done towing, just cut the plastic tie, or

you could pull the key out of the switch, run it through the eyelet, then run it through the loop

to make a noose and plug it back into the switch.

 

[jhplak325]

Where do you hook the cable while towing?

I have yet to find a decent spot. Anything under the truck I can get a quick connect link there or a carabiner style clip. Nothing decent on the hitch either.

There are 2 holes on the bottom of the hitch, I added an eyebolt and clip the breakaway there.

[DBTravelers]

SouthpawHD, I ran into the same issue with my travel trailer break-away brake cable. My 1500 GMC had a loop for the safety chains and I put a carabineer on it that I would clip the loop of the cable on when needed. The new 3500HD has the massive hitch and I have been looking for a steel tie down eye-bolt that will go into the hole in the very center bottom of the hitch plate. I found one, but am going to have to shorten it before installing. When done, I should have a eye-bolt loop sticking down from the hitch that I can again add a carabineer to for the cable connection. Till then I am slipping it over the safety chain hook before hooking them to the hitch. I am just making sure it won't get caught in a bind and get cut. This is probably okay, because the chains will break away before the cable would activate the emergency trailer brakes.

[SouthpawHD]

Yes, I am taking about the cable attached to the electronic brake that is used for emergencies if the trailer breaks free. It has a loop on it.

 

I'm trying not to attach it to the hitch because of the hitch were to fail, the cable wouldn't pull tight and therefore not engage. But there doesn't seem to be any viable options.

 

As for an any holes on the hitch, I can't seem to figure out how to get an eyebolt into while attaching a nut on the other end. Any pics would be helpful.

[Chevor]

Plastic Zip tie D.O.T. would be seeing $$$ for that. Lucky your not a commercial driver.

[mdauwald]

I have always slipped the loop over the trailer ball prior to adding the trailer. There seems to be ample room for the cable to slide around with the trailer attached and not get pinched/cut.

[SouthpawHD]

I think the zip tie idea could work, since it doesn't need much to activate the emergency braking system.

 

I am still interested in an eye bolt in the hitch, but no idea how to make that work with my hitch as I cannot figure out how to get some sort nut on the backside to attach the eye bolt to. Any pics?

 

Thanks for all the help fellas.

[Cosmic Charlie]

http://www.gm-trucks.com/forums/topic/185548-how-to-hook-up-chains-from-trailer/

[Old School Mechanic]

A plastic zip tie is probably stronger than the cable itself.

Or you could use one of these

[MotionMan]

I did the above. Good ones are rated to 22Kn or 5000lbs. Mine are from my climb harness but can be bought at a good climb shop. ANSI approved. I use them for the safety chains on my cargo trailer, it's 3000lb max rating is well within the safety of 10000lbs between the 2. It never carries close to that. You need really big hooks to fish them through the screw ball double inverted octagon triangle they have us hook to.

[Cowpie]

Or you could really do it right. I put on Crosby 1018133 shackles with 3/4" pin and rated for 4.75 tons each.  

 

 

 

 

[rocnrol]

Or you could really do it right. I put on Crosby 1018133 shackles with 3/4" pin and rated for 4.75 tons each.  
 
 
 
 

Yeah..... suppose that might be enough for this cable..... be close though [emoji849]

Sent from my STH100-1 using Tapatalk

[Chebbyfan]

I have mine looped around the hook on the end of one of the safety chains.  It loops through the safety chain hook on the drivers side of the hitch, then loops onto the hook on the passenger side chain of the hitch.  Its up out of the way, taught, but not tight, and I've owned that trailer now for about four years, using it three to four times a year pulling with no issues.