Brakes

New here , hello to all . I have a new 3800 , first 5'er , does the unit's 7 pin connecter have to be connected to the TV in order to release the brakes ? This has happened to me twice now , could not move until connected . Is this like a emergency brake feature . Thanks , and again hello to all , a lot of good info here .

Hi crossbones,

Congratulations on your new 3800 and welcome to the posting side of the Heartland Owners Forum. There's a lot of useful information here along with a great bunch of friendly and helpful people.

I'm not familiar with the Cyclone specifics, but I don't think the emergency braking is any different from other 5'ers. The emergency braking circuit is energized when the breakaway cable comes unplugged from the switch on the pinbox. In the breakaway scenario, power comes from the trailer's battery because it's assumed that the trailer has broken away from the tow vehicle, disconnecting the 7-pin cable along with the breakaway cable.

In normal operation, the brakes would not be applied unless you're stepping on the brake pedal in the tow vehicle, or manually operating the trailer brake controller.

It sounds like maybe the breakaway cable's pin is not fully inserted into the switch, allowing the switch to operate intermittently. Another possibility is that the breakaway cable is getting caught on something in the truck bed, or perhaps is too short and pulls the pin out of the switch a little when you make a turn.

Hi Dan
Thank you for the info I will check that pin . When this happened I had just hooked up, and pulled forward to insure that it was a good connection I attempted to pull forward , it would not budge , I remembered the 7 pin was not connected , plugged it in and all was fine . I do not know if my battery disconnect was on or off . My guess was that without power the brakes were somehow
engaged and locked , then when powered would go into a operation mode , naturally I don't really know - hence the post.
Thanks again , Dave

No, brakes should not be applied unless they are getting power from somewhere, ie the TV or the breakaway battery. Their unpowered state is released.