another battery question

[lpk49]

i have abused my battery but it is 5-6 years old so i guess it is ok to change it.

i wanted to go without one...and some on here said i could. but now the rv guy is saying the emergency brake wire wont work with out it. i hate that i have to replace it just for that...does that sound right to you guys?

if so...he want to put a delco in cuz thats what they have the best luck with. my son says sears have always been good to him.

putting water in will be impossible for my arthritic hands...but the rv guy said the maintanece free ones can have problems. he said its best to have a way to add water. i know i will just have to have him check it regularly.

so my main question is: is there a way to tow without a battery? safely.

[Thomas G.]

You can get a small battery made expressly for the break away function, if you don't need a battery for interior lights, etc. This place also sells a small box to mount it in.

Breakaway Kit Replacement 12 V Battery Hopkins Accessories and Parts HM20008

[GMike A]

You can get small maintenance free batteries that dont require adding water and you will be just fine. The one Tom showed you above is maintenance free and will fill the bill.

[lpk49]

thank you both-sounds like just what i need. kayak

[Thomas G.]

Originally Posted by lpk49

thank you both-sounds like just what i need. kayak

This explains it. Breakaway Kit Installation for Single and Dual Brake Axle Trailers | etrailer.com

http://www.etrailer.com/tv-this-old-...away-kit6.aspx

[floyd]

Brakes are not required on trailers under 3000 Pounds in NH.
Breakaway switches are not specified as required in any case.
OK... time to pile on!

[Steve Hammel]

You may need your battery for lights, to run the fridge electronics, your heater when not hooked up, etc, etc. There are plenty of reasons why you shouldn't get rid or your battery. For $100 or less why mess with success?
PS I don't buy anything from Sears that is auto related. Buy the Wal Mart special if you want portability.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by floyd

Brakes are not required on trailers under 3000 Pounds in NH.
Breakaway switches are not specified as required in any case.

Great if...

• you don't plan to leave New Hampshire, and
• you only care about legality, not safety.

[GMike A]

Im not going to pile on Floyd. IF I had functional brakes on my trailer and had a controller etc I would use it;however, I see and understand your point. I have had cases on my trailer where it started swaying and I am able to just tap the controller and slow the back end down and get back in alignment instead of wobbling all over. Of course you can accelerate and other options to boot.

True story- my friend and his wife were on their way camping and hit a pretty good bump. Not sure what happened but he looked to his left and his camper was passing him on the road. Fortunately no one was in the other lane and it went off the road and no one was hurt except his pride. He must have been asleep when he hooked up because he committed about 3 cardinal sins on that day.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by lpk49

my son says sears have always been good to him

Sears has never made batteries, but for years sold batteries with the Sears name on them... which could have been made by anyone, to any specifications, which could have changed at any time.

Currently, at least in Canada, Sears doesn't sell automotive batteries (and thus likely not RV batteries) - they farmed out the auto department business to other companies to operate, attached to Sears stores. The "DieHard" branding is still there, but may have nothing to do with the similarly branded batteries sold in the past.

[floyd]

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

Great if...

• you don't plan to leave New Hampshire, and
• you only care about legality, not safety.

Hilarious... Like I care about legality! (Sarcasm, for those who must be told...EH?) Heck...I don't even plan to VISIT New Hampshire

From what I've seen of Fiberglass Trailers, if you want a breakaway switch it should be mounted (with battery) to the axle, certainly not the tongue.

[floyd]

Originally Posted by GMike A

Im not going to pile on Floyd. IF I had functional brakes on my trailer and had a controller etc I would use it;however, I see and understand your point. I have had cases on my trailer where it started swaying and I am able to just tap the controller and slow the back end down and get back in alignment instead of wobbling all over. Of course you can accelerate and other options to boot.

True story- my friend and his wife were on their way camping and hit a pretty good bump. Not sure what happened but he looked to his left and his camper was passing him on the road. Fortunately no one was in the other lane and it went off the road and no one was hurt except his pride. He must have been asleep when he hooked up because he committed about 3 cardinal sins on that day.

You don't need a breakaway switch or a battery on the trailer to operate trailer brakes. Heck... you could even have brakes without having a requirement.

As strange as it may seem, you don't need bureaucrats to exercise good judgement. Would you trust a vehicle built by a politician?
Even John Glenn went from astronaut to space cadet in one election!

[Joe MacDonald]

My Trillium 5500 came from the factory with brakes, but no breakaway switch, it was not required at the time. I will be putting one on sometime this year, but have been towing it for the last 6 years with no problems.

One thing I try to be careful about, is trying to keep my ideas of safety vs what the law says toned down. On a computer it is very hard sometimes to read in sarcasm, or humor and i think sometimes what gets lost in translation on both sides causes us all some grief.

i am a wiring nut, there are specific ways I will do wiring and and only those ways, for me, it's one of the the things I can never let go as good-enough. Everybody has their own things I am sure.

I have seen many things over the years that I would never do, and probably as many that were either should-do's or could-do's.
being able to have a forum where sharing these ideas is easy and friendly is what makes this site so great

Joe

[Byron Kinnaman]

Originally Posted by floyd

Brakes are not required on trailers under 3000 Pounds in NH.
Breakaway switches are not specified as required in any case.
OK... time to pile on!

I believe this isn't quite true. Federal law requires a breakaway system if brakes are required. I researched this a few years ago, and this is as I remember.

[Byron Kinnaman]

Originally Posted by floyd

You don't need a breakaway switch or a battery on the trailer to operate trailer brakes. Heck... you could even have brakes without having a requirement.

As strange as it may seem, you don't need bureaucrats to exercise good judgement. Would you trust a vehicle built by a politician?
Even John Glenn went from astronaut to space cadet in one election!

Sometimes it's better to do as the law requires rather than buck the law. A small cost for something like a breakaway switch for electric trailer brakes is a small cost compared to a fine. Even if you get away with violating the law, the peace of mind of reducing the chances of getting fined and all the nonsense that entails is worth the small cost.

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by Byron Kinnaman

I believe this isn't quite true. Federal law requires a breakaway system if brakes are required. I researched this a few years ago, and this is as I remember.

After getting lots of conflicting info and trying to sort that out here in BC I discovered that requirement only applies to Commercial trailers. Go figure.

[lpk49]

i have been off-line . its been busy here while i was gone. i ordered :

Breakaway Kit Replacement 12 V Battery Hopkins Accessories and Parts HM20008

the rv guy is doing something to the wiring so automatic stuff (smoke detectors etc) wont wear it down

my camper is a 2007 casita freedom deluxe and someone reminded me to put water in the batter but when the rv guy got it out he said it was maint. free/gel si guess with those you dont have to put water in. i dont know if all casitas have that or if it was ordered special.

anyway-i am in nh and 3 rv places that worked on my camper when i pulled with a 2007 silverado 4x4 never mentioned i didnt have a break controller.

now with the rav4 i am finding out about them but one guy said any trailer over 2000 lbs needs brakes in nh. to be legal. i am not doing business with that guy for a number of reasons but it seems even the rv shops dont agree on what is legal.

but thanks to those who told me about the small battery. the big replacement battery was over 200. and the little was under 30. and i dont use the battery for elec. i just plug in.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Byron Kinnaman

Federal law requires a breakaway system if brakes are required. I researched this a few years ago, and this is as I remember.

While I wouldn't be surprised by a federal (U.S. or Canada) regulation regarding commercial vehicles, or non-commercial vehicles as they are manufactured or imported, I would be very surprised if there is any federal law applying to the operation of a non-commercial trailer. This is just my expectation, not information: I could be completely wrong and would appreciate a link to any such regulation.

For example, 393.43 is a U.S. federal regulation for breakaway brakes, however:

The rules in this part establish minimum standards for commercial motor vehicles as defined in §390.5 of this title.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by lpk49

... one guy said any trailer over 2000 lbs needs brakes in nh. to be legal. i am not doing business with that guy for a number of reasons but it seems even the rv shops dont agree on what is legal.

You can guess, or you can accept rumours from people with no authority or training, or you can spend five minutes on the internet with our friend Google and find the authoritative trailer brake rules for New Hampshire:

TITLE XXI
MOTOR VEHICLES

CHAPTER 266
EQUIPMENT OF VEHICLES

Brakes

Section 266:30

266:30 Trailer Brakes. –
I. No motor vehicle trailer or semi-trailer shall be driven on the ways of this state unless equipped with adequate brakes in good working order and sufficient to control the said vehicle at all times. No house trailer weighing in excess of 1,500 pounds shall be driven on the ways of this state unless so equipped.
II. This section shall not apply to:
(a) A motor vehicle trailer or semi-trailer with a gross weight of less than 3,000 pounds if the axle weight of the towed vehicle does not exceed 40 percent of the sum of the rated axle weights of the towing vehicle.
(b) Wood-sawing machines, log splitters, cement mixers, compressors, tar kettles, conveyors, devices of 2 wheels used by public utilities for the transportation of cables or poles not exceeding 6 in number, road rollers and sweepers, thawing devices, or refreshment booths on wheels towed not more than 2 miles at any one time, only if being driven in intrastate commerce on the ways of New Hampshire.
Source. 1937, 81:1; 194:1. 1939, 123:1. RL 119:5. RSA 263:7. 1979, 59:1. 1981, 146:1, eff. Jan. 1, 1982. 2011, 183:1, eff. Jan. 1, 2012.

Of course, I understand that not everyone is inclined to sort through search matches and navigate government websites, just to find regulations which then need to be interpreted...

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by lpk49

anyway-i am in nh and 3 rv places that worked on my camper when i pulled with a 2007 silverado 4x4 never mentioned i didnt have a break controller.

now with the rav4 i am finding out about them but one guy said any trailer over 2000 lbs needs brakes in nh. to be legal. i am not doing business with that guy for a number of reasons but it seems even the rv shops dont agree on what is legal.

Kayak they reason may be that they think Toyota has a requirement for brakes if pulling trailers over x so many lbs with a RAV4. Its pretty common with most smaller tow vehicles. You Silverado probable didnt have such a requirement. What does your manual say in regards to the need for brakes on the trailer? There are also some states and provinces that have requirements for brakes on trailers if the trailer is more then 40% or so of the gross weight of the tug.