DVSA issuing illegal breakaway cable notices
Comments
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I hope I'm not throwing petrol of the fire but I never understood how it was considered acceptable for the break away cable to be simply looped and dropped over the ball. If a hitch can for a variety of reasons lift and separate from the ball, the logic
says the loop could also lift over the ball, separate and be unable to apply the brakes.My sentiments entirely, I cannot imagine why anyone with an ounce of common sense would advocate looping the breakaway cable over the ball.
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***Update***
I have just spoken to the NCC who are very kindly addressing this issue to VOSA and the Vehicle Policy department at DVSA. As soon as I have more information I will of course post again.
Both myself and the NCC think that the officers issuing the fines are getting stuck on Regulation 55 requirements that any NEW towbar (new design, modification etc) has to have a secondary coupling attachment point.
However I do need to stress that neither the 94/20 or Reg 55 states how to use the breakaway cable. Both Regulations refer to the specifications of the design and testing of the towbar and do not cover guidance on how the towbar or breakaway cable
should be used.The Gov.uk website does have a
Categorisation of Defects PDF. Page 157 lists the reasons for defects and page 10 gives advice on appealing. The advice is also on the reverse of the prohibition notice. There is a 14 day window for complaints.So NCC or Noddy's caravan Club are going to contact VOSA? That could be extremely difficult as VOSA no longer exist and are now known as DVSA. VOSA was changed to DVSA in April 2014 which goes to show how out of touch the NCC is with the real world!
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The points that I've asked about in the "Ask the Expert" section are -
Our detachable towball has a small bracket bolted to the side of the receiver, with a hole in it. I assume this is to take the breakaway cable. But it seems to me that there is more chance of that bracket breaking off / falling off than there is of the towball
detaching. So is it better to use the bracket?Secondly, the hole in the bracket is too small to thread the spring clip of the breakaway cable through. As I understand it, it cannot be clipped to the hole, because the clip is weak and would fail before the cable applied the brakes. So what do I do? Am
I supposed to replace a piece of equipment that the caravan manufacturer fitted as standard?Or do I do as the dealer who sold us the caravan told us - just loop the cable around the swan neck?
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According to Alko, the spring clip type breakaway cable is ONLY designed for looping back onto the cable and NOT for direct attachment to a mounting point. It's not intended to withstand a 15KN straight pull (which is what the regs demand) and may fail
before the handbrake is applied. For attachment direct, a carabiner type breakaway cable is required. They are available for under a fiver on popular online shopping sites.Why Alko have ever fitted the spring clip type as standard is a complete mystery as the carabiner type is equally good if looped back onto the cable!
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First of all, there is no regulation so the 15kN figure can, if anything, only be an industry standard and even that can only refer to the tensile strength of the cable itself, not that of the assembly with the end fastener components, such as the clip,
attached. 15kN is, after all, 1.5 tonnes and that would be well in excess of what the brakes require to operate.0 -
The break-away cable is intended to do just that - break. It is not a Brake.
Once there has been a decoupling, for whatever reason, the cable is intended to apply adequate force to apply the brakes on the trailer. This is by using the handbrake mechanism, but without the mechanical advantage of the long handle lever. If one goes
underneath the tow coupling and identifies the other end of the breakaway cable one could attach a small rope and try pulling it to get an idea of the force required. It is considerable.Once the brakes are applied the break away cable is required to fail so that the trailer is now completely detached, but with the brakes on. (This is thought to be safer than the tow vehicle continuing to drag the trailer about). So the cable has to be (1)
strong enough to apply the brakes and (2) weak enought to fail and not tow the trailer along.So here is the experiment I would ask anyone who is on the point of fitting the new cable to carry out for everyone's information. With the caravan on a slight backward slope and held on chocks with the brakes off, jockey wheel down and pointing forward,
uncouple the hitch but not the break away cable, and then drive smartly forward. The 'van should stay where it is with the brakes now on and the cable assembly failed - most likely the clip, or the crimp at the trailer end.Then fit your new cable, and tell us what had actually happened. If the brakes do not apply the van will simply follow the tow vehicle.
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After reading this thread I checked the breakaway cable on our 19 year old Elddis and found that it wasn't a proper BPW, but an aftermarket version with a red sheath. I've now fitted a genuine BPW cable with a blue sheath. The carabiner also fits the hole in the towball now, so I can clip it on rather than loop it around the towball. Many thanks to the OP for highlighting the issue.
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Why Alko have ever fitted the spring clip type as standard is a complete mystery as the carabiner type is equally good if looped back onto the cable!
Write your comments here...
Alko have told us that the carabiner type of clip is too strong for around the ball fixing. As it seems that many people, for their own reasons, don't want to use the dedicated tow bar fixing point, then I imagine that Alko found themselves in a lose lose
situation. And heaven help them if they encouraged van manufacturers to document using dedicated fixing points where possible - can you imagine the amount of legal advice that some purchasers would bury them under. In any event, Alko don't know if you have
a dedicated fixing or not.0 -
The points that I've asked about in the "Ask the Expert" section are -
Our detachable towball has a small bracket bolted to the side of the receiver, with a hole in it. I assume this is to take the breakaway cable. But it seems to me that there is more chance of that bracket breaking off / falling off than there is of the towball
detaching. So is it better to use the bracket?Secondly, the hole in the bracket is too small to thread the spring clip of the breakaway cable through. As I understand it, it cannot be clipped to the hole, because the clip is weak and would fail before the cable applied the brakes. So what do I do? Am
I supposed to replace a piece of equipment that the caravan manufacturer fitted as standard?Or do I do as the dealer who sold us the caravan told us - just loop the cable around the swan neck?
The spring type clip should not be used when fastened to the hole in the towbar (whichever type you have). The clip would simply straighten out and become useless. For the sake of a few pounds why not purchase the correct cable for the fitting and be legal!
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This video, posted in another thread on T/A motor movers, towards the end shows a BMW X5 with a factory towbar, ALKO stabiliser; watch how the breakeaway cable is fitted:
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The spring type clip should not be used when fastened to the hole in the towbar (whichever type you have). The clip would simply straighten out and become useless. For the sake of a few pounds why not purchase the correct cable for the fitting and be legal!
I'm not questioning the advisability of using a dedicated anchorage point, but I can't find reference in legislation anywhere that looping around the towbar is actually illegal.
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How can the breakaway cable be regarded as a safety measure when it endangers the lives of other road users. In the event of a decoupling and the cable snapping, the caravan is still free to go on its merry way as there is no way it will come to a dead
stop.After decoupling the caravan could veer across the road due to one brake being more efficient than the other and have a head on with on coming traffic. It could veer right across the road onto the pavement causing injury or even death.
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How can the breakaway cable be regarded as a safety measure when it endangers the lives of other road users. In the event of a decoupling and the cable snapping, the caravan is still free to go on its merry way as there is no way it will come to a dead
stop.After decoupling the caravan could veer across the road due to one brake being more efficient than the other and have a head on with on coming traffic. It could veer right across the road onto the pavement causing injury or even death.
...because by the time the cable has snapped tbe caravan's brakes should have been fully applied
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How can the breakaway cable be regarded as a safety measure when it endangers the lives of other road users. In the event of a decoupling and the cable snapping, the caravan is still free to go on its merry way as there is no way it will come to a dead
stop.After decoupling the caravan could veer across the road due to one brake being more efficient than the other and have a head on with on coming traffic. It could veer right across the road onto the pavement causing injury or even death.
...because by the time the cable has snapped tbe caravan's brakes should have been fully applied
This all happens in a split second and there is no way a caravan travelling at 30 mph will come to a dead stop even with brakes fully applied.
At 30mph it will take a minimum of 23m or 4 car lengths to stop. At 40mph it will take the caravan a minimum 36m or 10 car lenghts to stop. At 50mph it will take the caravan a minimumum of 53m or 14 car lengths to stop.
By the time the caravan has stopped it could have caused fatalties. However if the trailer had a chain attachment like in many countries, the coupling will not fall onto the ground the trailer will remain attached to the towing vehicle and not endanger
other lives.0 -
That'd be a fair old chain to stop/hold a ton plus caravan .... it could double up as an anchor chain for the QE II .... in the mean time the break away cable isn't a bad attempt at stopping the 'van.
Have you seen many run away trailers? I haven't
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That'd be a fair old chain to stop/hold a ton plus caravan .... it could double up as an anchor chain for the QE II .... in the mean time the break away cable isn't a bad attempt at stopping the 'van.
Have you seen many run away trailers? I haven't
We had to use them in South Africa and the chains were not massive as they held the caravan in place and prevented the drawbar from hitting the road. Very little strain on the chain in the event of a decoupling. No need for a breakaway cable.
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This all happens in a split second and there is no way a caravan travelling at 30 mph will come to a dead stop even with brakes fully applied.
At 30mph it will take a minimum of 23m or 4 car lengths to stop. At 40mph it will take the caravan a minimum 36m or 10 car lenghts to stop. At 50mph it will take the caravan a minimumum of 53m or 14 car lengths to stop.
By the time the caravan has stopped it could have caused fatalties. However if the trailer had a chain attachment like in many countries, the coupling will not fall onto the ground the trailer will remain attached to the towing vehicle and not endanger other lives.
I have my doubts whether a caravan which has separated from the towball but remains connected to the towing vehicle by a chain is any safer than one which has detached completely and had its brakes applied by the breakaway cable. If the chain is strong enough and the caravan relatively heavy in relation to the car it might even cause the car to leave its intended course and run into something.
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How can the breakaway cable be regarded as a safety measure when it endangers the lives of other road users. In the event of a decoupling and the cable snapping, the caravan is still free to go on its merry way as there is no way it will come to a dead
stop.After decoupling the caravan could veer across the road due to one brake being more efficient than the other and have a head on with on coming traffic. It could veer right across the road onto the pavement causing injury or even death.
...because by the time the cable has snapped tbe caravan's brakes should have been fully applied
This all happens in a split second and there is no way a caravan travelling at 30 mph will come to a dead stop even with brakes fully applied.
At 30mph it will take a minimum of 23m or 4 car lengths to stop. At 40mph it will take the caravan a minimum 36m or 10 car lenghts to stop. At 50mph it will take the caravan a minimumum of 53m or 14 car lengths to stop.
By the time the caravan has stopped it could have caused fatalties. However if the trailer had a chain attachment like in many countries, the coupling will not fall onto the ground the trailer will remain attached to the towing vehicle and not endanger
other lives.It is true that the varavan will carry on but it will stop which may save the day if you are lucky. It is better to have a caravan stop using the brakes rather than just let it run wild. At least if it hits something it will have slowed down so reducing
the impact.The only case of a caravan beaking away I have come accross did involve it not stopping immediately and in fact it hit a bus stop although luckily there was no one there at the time.
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This all happens in a split second and there is no way a caravan travelling at 30 mph will come to a dead stop even with brakes fully applied.
At 30mph it will take a minimum of 23m or 4 car lengths to stop. At 40mph it will take the caravan a minimum 36m or 10 car lenghts to stop. At 50mph it will take the caravan a minimumum of 53m or 14 car lengths to stop.
By the time the caravan has stopped it could have caused fatalties. However if the trailer had a chain attachment like in many countries, the coupling will not fall onto the ground the trailer will remain attached to the towing vehicle and not endanger
other lives.I have my doubts whether a caravan which has separated from the towball but remains connected to the towing vehicle by a chain is any safer than one which has detached completely and had its brakes applied by the breakaway cable. If the chain is strong enough
and the caravan relatively heavy in relation to the car it might even cause the car to leave its intended course and run into something.I am sorry but I do not understand your reasoning. With a chain the trailer remains attached to the toing vehicle and will not seperate. Why would a a detachment of trailer connected with a safety chain cause the car to veer as the caravan is still going
in a straight line behind the vehicle? We towed thousands of miles on gravel roads with no issue as gravel roads are not the smoothest of roads.In all the time I was there we never came across a unit that had totally seperated from the towing unit or even heard of one but then again the Internet was not around then.
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In the UK (and maybe even EU) lightweight ubraked trailers require a "secondary means of attachment" as well as the hitch. This could be a chain.
Heavier trailers are required to have brakes, and to have a means to apply the brakes should the trailer become detached. This
can be a breakaway cable.A trailer attached by chains following the failure of the main hitch will flail about, snaking violently, striking vehicles in adjacent lanes, street furniture, pedestrians,oncoming vehicles. Considerable mayhem (there are plenty of snaking caravan videos
on internet) with the only saving grace that if the trailer is a caravan will destroy itself to matchwood in 15 seconds. A plant trailer with an item such as a road-roller lashed down will not destruct, but continue to cause considerable damage until both
it and tow vehicle come to rest. The flailing trailer (including caravans) will probably overturn the towing vehicle.The trailer going its own way with brake applied will stop much as described above.
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Hi question then I admit (sorry your honour) have been looping my cable, even though i have a "clip point" reason being if I use the loop on the hitch my cable is way to long and drags on the ground, obviously that’s not a good plan! I have since looked
for shorter cable, but they all seem same length, Ideas anyone?0 -
There are a lot of assertions on here that the clip will straighten out and fail. Having once forgotten to disconnect my cable I found the clip was fine although the cable broke. I bought a new cable from eBay but it was much flimsier than the Alko one I
purchased instead. The hook is actually quite strong.0 -
If you have been issued a Prohibition Notice because of the way the breakaway cable was attached, please email Technical@caravanclub.co.uk with your car reg number and I can pass this onto the DVSA to investigate further.
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This is news to me as well, however I purchased a new Rav4 in march and the Westfalia detachable does have a dedicated eyelet for attaching a cable, but its the first car Iv'e bought for years where a factory fitted bar has this facillity, that I was aware
of.I also wonder why have I not seen this mentioned specifically by the Caravan Club in bold type, as member I wonder what % of people wrap the cable stil....90%!!
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Hi guys, Kelly is answering your towing questions live in Ask the Expert, if you have any queries click
here and ask away
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Bozobloggs I too found this problem out a year ago when I had to replace my breakaway cable and proceeded to burn through it on our way to Dorset. I explained to a dealer down there that it was too long for direct contact and he said the same as what my
service engineer said when I had a service this year and that is that there all the same length because there designed to be wrapped around the ball!!!! So it seems alko make a purpose cable for direct connection but make it to long so people can loop it.
I shortened mine by doubling it back on itself under the a frame and fixing it with locking cable clamps. Not ideal but best I could do and its been given the thumbs up on service. This whole thing from poor info supplied to us as members to the club not seeming
to know and therefore unable to give advice to us or make recommendations on our behalf to the industry in even a small way like make shorter cables makes you question the money spent on the legal and technical departments, however while its members are up
a creek with half a paddle don't despair because next years coty is going to be epic!0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OrOMZ3ovr8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cifSzg-Z7XY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCTG62JkF3s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXtgW2h7MBo
