Breakaway Battery Life??

[CoventryKid]

Hi:

In preparation for our travels this year, I took our CT to have the brakes checked. The wheels were off the ground. The first test the mechanic did was pull the pin on the breakaway switch. Nada - the wheels kept spinning.

The trailer was new in 2014. I converted it over the winter of 2014/2015. In May 2015 we started travelling. We've been parked (camping) on our friend's property here on Vancouver Island over the winter (6 months). So I am not surprised that the battery might be flat.

But I am wondering whether the battery will charge back up or should I just buy a new battery?

I guess I am answering my own question as I do not want to deal with replacing the battery "out on the road". Just curious though, what is the expected life of these batteries? Will it charge up after some miles? I really don't want to buy a new battery if I don't need to.

Thanks for any and all advice.

[billbob412]

Just hook them up to your house batteries.

[hankaye]

CoventryKid, Howdy;

Question, did the mechanic also check for cut/broken/mouse chewed wires?
Simple test is to use a compass (Magnetic type), hold it near the wheel,
energize brake system does needle deflect to aim at wheel? It should as the
brakes are actuated by magnets. Those wee batteries don't hold on to very
many amps but accept a charge slowly. Did breaks work while hooked up to
tow veh.?
Just askin' a few questions to help with the thought process.

hank

PS. or do as mentioned above...

[CoventryKid]

Just hook them up to your house batteries.

Billbob412: Good idea, duh, why didn't I think of that?! Thanks for that.

Did breaks work while hooked up to tow veh.? 

Hankaye: Yes, brakes checked out fine when slider on brake controller (Tekonsha) was activated - each wheel stopped immediately. Thanks!

I kinda like the idea of running off house batteries - they're always charged/charging.

Thanks guys.

[SalsaDog]

Just hook them up to your house batteries.

^^^ +1 This has been working flawlessly for years.

[CoventryKid]

Just hook them up to your house batteries.

Billbob412/Salsadog:

Here's what I found when I opened the breakaway battery box:



Obviously, I don't need the battery charger (black thing).

So, do I just wire the blue brake wire to my house batteries and ground the white wire? Makes sense to me, but I just want to be sure I do this right.

Thanks in advance!

[McDave]

I do not have a breakaway setup but I found this on e trailer. There is a lot of info there and its worth a look.


McDave