Break Away Cable Length

[DanKathyC]

i had a trailer come loose from a pickup many years ago, and in the ensuing panic to get things stopped the trailer ran into the back of the pickup causing yet more damage because the break away switch did not engage. since then i have always trimmed the cable length so the switch will trip a few inches before the safety cables come tight. my reasoning is that the toad/trailer is already tight on the cables, so not a sudden impact to break things and completely loose the connection. i would much rather lock up the brakes and burn them up before i got stopped than have something smash into the back of the motorhome. my biggest concern is that if a 4000lb trailer/toad comes loose from a 36000lb dp motorhome, will i know it before the brakes catch fire? hope i never find out how do you adjust your cable lengths?

[TonyMac]

My concern is that the additional load on the chains of dragging four locked wheels might break the chains, causing the trailer to come to a complete and immediate stop in the middle of the freeway, causing havoc and risk to those following. I'll take the bumping into the back of my rig to preclude massive lawsuits from those crashing into my trailer or eachother. My breakaway cable is longer than my safety chains for this reason. jmho