How to disable brakes due to pin pull on breakaway switch

[Butcher]

I inadvertently pulled the pin on the breakaway switch of my 1974 31 ft Sovereign travel trailer and of course, killed the battery and probably the controller. The brakes are stuck on and won't release. I cut all the wires at the wheels to release the brakes because I couldn't get them to release any other way. My question is: If I re-splice and reconnect the wires, will the brakes lock up again. And if so, how to I get them working again? Thanks.

[RickDavis]

The brakes should release as soon as you put the pin back. Odds are you won't damage the controller if it is well designed even tho they warn about that. If you disconect the plug from your TV that gets the controller out of the picture. If the brakes are still hung up try backing up a couple feet. ( If they hung mechanically)
If you reconnect things and the brakes come on there are only 2 possible problems. The contacts in the break away switch are stuck ( cut wire from switch) or the controller, which is out of the picture when you disconnect the umbilical cord. The only other thing that could put the brakes on is a short between the battery lead and the break lead inside the 7 pin connector. That is extremely unlikely.

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by Butcher

I inadvertently pulled the pin on the breakaway switch of my 1974 31 ft Sovereign travel trailer and of course, killed the battery and probably the controller. The brakes are stuck on and won't release. I cut all the wires at the wheels to release the brakes because I couldn't get them to release any other way. My question is: If I re-splice and reconnect the wires, will the brakes lock up again. And if so, how to I get them working again? Thanks.

Be prepared to possibly find the magnets burned to a crisp, and a possibility of the axle spindles being heated to the degree of detempering. Additionally, the drums could now be out of round.

The brakes are an easy fix. You replace the backing plates.

Check the spindles for discoloration. If they did not change color, then you lucked out.

Andy

[richinny]

Originally Posted by Butcher

I inadvertently pulled the pin on the breakaway switch of my 1974 31 ft Sovereign travel trailer and of course, killed the battery and probably the controller. The brakes are stuck on and won't release. I cut all the wires at the wheels to release the brakes because I couldn't get them to release any other way. My question is: If I re-splice and reconnect the wires, will the brakes lock up again. And if so, how to I get them working again? Thanks.

if the umbilical was disconnected and the brakes stayed applied, the battery wasn't dead.

if the breakaway switch is working properly, the reconnected brakes should be ok, provided that it wasn't long enough to ruin the brake magnets.

polarity does not matter with the wires at the wheels. i'd try testing with just one wheel rewired.

you can do some testing with just the trailer if the battery is ok now. put a jumper wire from the 12v hot to the brake wire at the umbilical end.