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What does happen when pulling brake cable


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Is there a thread that explains the process of undoing or unlocking the brakes once the cable has been pulled?  I'm just curious in the event I ever have to manually pull it on a slope. Can you undo or unlock the brakes easily?  What's the process?

Chris
2016 Legacy Elite II  o--o  Hull #110 o--o  Wayfinder  o--o  Twin Bed  o--o  2020 RAM 1500 Limited 5.7L 
Augusta, Georgia

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Well, I guess I answered my own question thanks to YouTube. Does anyone check this on the Olivers?

 

 

 

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Chris
2016 Legacy Elite II  o--o  Hull #110 o--o  Wayfinder  o--o  Twin Bed  o--o  2020 RAM 1500 Limited 5.7L 
Augusta, Georgia

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I check mine a couple times a year, anytime I have the trailer jacked up with the wheels off the ground, for doing bearing maintenance and suspension greasing.   And the mechanic checks it as well during the annual Pennsylvania state safety inspection required on trailers here in Pennsylvania.  I think the official recommendation is to test it before every trip, but I doubt most owners actually do that.  It is an easy test though.   Just pull the cable until the black plastic pin comes out of the breakaway switch.  That activates the emergency brakes.  At that point you should not be able to spin the wheels.  After you test them, just make sure you put the plastic pin back in place correctly, otherwise the electric brakes will drain the trailer batteries.  Once the pin is reinserted, that shuts off power to the emergency brake circuit and the tires should spin freely. 

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I test mine before every trip. And I am pretty anal. I use my VictronConnect app to watch the amp draw change, the load should increase by “about” 11 or 12 amps, full current is flowing to all the magnets.

BTW, you are not supposed to use it as a parking brake! But in a true emergency, go for it.

If you want an actual parking brake, you can install backing plate assemblies that have that feature, they are quite expensive.

John Davies

Spokane WA

 

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SOLD 07/23 "Mouse":  2017 Legacy Elite II Two Beds, Hull Number 218, See my HOW TO threads: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/john-e-davies-how-to-threads-and-tech-articles-links/

Tow Vehicle: 2013 Land Cruiser 200, 32” LT tires, airbags, Safari snorkel, Maggiolina Grand Tour 360 Carbon RTT.

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Great advice from both of you. Adding to my checklist. 

This was the first time to park on a slope towards a lake. So the cable did stay connected to the truck last and I was ready to pull it after that just in case. Also, being anal is safe, usually. 

Although, I would hope I would have the peace of mind to video record and Oliver floating in a lake because at that point there would not be much else I could do. LoL

I wonder what Tennessee Oliver would say if someone brought an Oliver to them for repairs and was full of water and a fish or two?  Hehe

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Chris
2016 Legacy Elite II  o--o  Hull #110 o--o  Wayfinder  o--o  Twin Bed  o--o  2020 RAM 1500 Limited 5.7L 
Augusta, Georgia

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Well, it took me a bit to reply to my emergency brake pulling exercise.  Man, let me tell you what, that pin was in there tight.  It took quite a bit muscle to get it to pull out of the box.  From the signs of it, the pin has never been pulled before today.  I inspected the box, pin, and pin cable for any signs of wear and tear.  Everything looks good.  I took pictures of my battery voltage/amps before and after pulling the ping.  Looks like with the brakes activated they're pulling -10.7 amps.

Also, and I'm sure it's in these forums somewhere, can someone, who still has a Blue Sky ProRemote Solar/Charger remind me what the difference is, or the relationship is between the INPUT -vs- CHG OUT is? (also pictures below).  I can't find that info anywhere on the Internet or any of the old BlueSky videos.

Thanks,  Chris

Break-pin-pulled-amps.jpg

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Chris
2016 Legacy Elite II  o--o  Hull #110 o--o  Wayfinder  o--o  Twin Bed  o--o  2020 RAM 1500 Limited 5.7L 
Augusta, Georgia

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4 hours ago, Wayfinder said:

Well, it took me a bit to reply to my emergency brake pulling exercise.  Man, let me tell you what, that pin was in there tight.  It took quite a bit muscle to get it to pull out of the box.  From the signs of it, the pin has never been pulled before today.  I inspected the box, pin, and pin cable for any signs of wear and tear.  Everything looks good. 

That device is located in a wet, dusty, gritty location. Flush it out with spray contact cleaner or alcohol, lube afterwards with silicone spray.

This is exactly why you are supposed to pull that cable often. Thanks for the pics.

Your solar controller is a basic PWM unit. It will always have a higher input amps figure than output.

A smart solar charge control (MPPT) boosts output amperage in mysterious ways few mortals understand. A PWM unit basically is a switch, on off on on on off on off. The MPPT magically combines volts and amps from the panels to give out a higher amperage into the batteries.

https://www.greentechrenewables.com/article/how-do-mppt-charge-controllers-work

I enjoy watching my Victron display as it puts out all those extra tenths of an amp. Upgrade your unit and enjoy more efficient charging.

https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/5329-how-to-victron-mppt-solar-charge-controller-underneath-the-street-side-bed/

John Davies

Spokane WA 

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SOLD 07/23 "Mouse":  2017 Legacy Elite II Two Beds, Hull Number 218, See my HOW TO threads: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/john-e-davies-how-to-threads-and-tech-articles-links/

Tow Vehicle: 2013 Land Cruiser 200, 32” LT tires, airbags, Safari snorkel, Maggiolina Grand Tour 360 Carbon RTT.

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I wish I had the confidence to upgrade the charge controller, batteries, and other electrical components.  I wish I could find someone relatively near me to assist me to upgrade parts.  Even though I've watched many MANY YouTube videos over the years, I don't want to cause any issues.  And yet, I hate the idea of paying outrageous prices for some unknown "scrub" to do it for me.  Frustrating to me.  😞

Roadtrip?  🙂

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Chris
2016 Legacy Elite II  o--o  Hull #110 o--o  Wayfinder  o--o  Twin Bed  o--o  2020 RAM 1500 Limited 5.7L 
Augusta, Georgia

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  • The title was changed to What does happen when pulling brake cable
40 minutes ago, Wayfinder said:

I wish I had the confidence to upgrade the charge controller, batteries, and other electrical components.  I wish I could find someone relatively near me to assist me to upgrade parts.  Even though I've watched many MANY YouTube videos over the years, I don't want to cause any issues.  And yet, I hate the idea of paying outrageous prices for some unknown "scrub" to do it for me.  Frustrating to me.  😞

Roadtrip?  🙂

I feel for you. This comes easily to me because I was an aircraft A&P…. Please post your location as part of your signature. You need to visit an off grid RV solar installer *specialist*. Here is some reading.

https://battlebornbatteries.com/rv-or-boat-lithium-battery-installers/

https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/6629-how-to-find-happiness-with-lifepo4-lithium-ion-batteries-solacity-article/

I would not hesitate to go here (no personal experience). They are in Colorado and can do the installation in a couple of days. Read the reviews near the bottom…..

https://www.rvoffgridsolar.com/

I am very happy with my choice of components, scroll through my links page for ideas. If you do not use the microwave a lot and don’t want to run AC, 200 amp hrs is plenty. If you want to run a compressor fridge go with at least 300 AH. Make sure that they add some extra ventilation for dead-end compartments! Oliver does not do this! It all depends on your camping style and where you do it. It will be costly but if your batteries are toast, it makes sense as an upgrade and it adds value to the trailer.

High end RV manufacturers are joining in. For example the Cirrus truck camper comes with a standard single 100 AH Battle Born. Here is their (power user) option:

IMG_1636.thumb.jpeg.d13dcd6ca99c5ddd941315cd3dd68ea0.jpeg
 

John Davies

Spokane WA

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SOLD 07/23 "Mouse":  2017 Legacy Elite II Two Beds, Hull Number 218, See my HOW TO threads: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/john-e-davies-how-to-threads-and-tech-articles-links/

Tow Vehicle: 2013 Land Cruiser 200, 32” LT tires, airbags, Safari snorkel, Maggiolina Grand Tour 360 Carbon RTT.

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8 hours ago, John E Davies said:

...Your solar controller is a basic PWM unit. It will always have a higher input amps figure than output.

A smart solar charge control (MPPT) boosts output amperage in mysterious ways few mortals understand. A PWM unit basically is a switch, on off on on on off on off. The MPPT magically combines volts and amps from the panels to give out a higher amperage into the batteries.

John Davies

If you’re referring to the Blue Sky controller as shown in the pictures, it is a MPPT rather than a PWM controller. The Zamp is the PWM system. 

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Steve, Tali and our dog Rocky plus our beloved Storm, Maggie, Lucy and Reacher (all waiting at the Rainbow Bridge)

2008 Legacy Elite I - Outlaw Oliver, Hull #026 | 2014 Legacy Elite II - Outlaw Oliver, Hull #050 | 2022 Silverado High Country 3500HD SRW Diesel 4x4 

 

             801469912_StatesVisitedTaliandSteve08-23-2021-I.jpg.26814499292ab76ee55b889b69ad3ef0.jpg1226003278_StatesVisitedTaliandSteve08-23-2021-H.jpg.dc46129cb4967a7fd2531b16699e9e45.jpg

 

 

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1 hour ago, ScubaRx said:

If you’re referring to the Blue Sky controller as shown in the pictures, it is a MPPT rather than a PWM controller. The Zamp is the PWM system. 

Then why those amp readings? Does not compute…. My Victron MPPT unit will show, for example, 5.0 amps in from the roof panels, and 5.4 amps out to the lithium batteries. WayFinder’s pics don’t show that happening at all.

John Davies

Spokane WA

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SOLD 07/23 "Mouse":  2017 Legacy Elite II Two Beds, Hull Number 218, See my HOW TO threads: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/john-e-davies-how-to-threads-and-tech-articles-links/

Tow Vehicle: 2013 Land Cruiser 200, 32” LT tires, airbags, Safari snorkel, Maggiolina Grand Tour 360 Carbon RTT.

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1 hour ago, John E Davies said:

Then why those amp readings? Does not compute…. My Victron MPPT unit will show, for example, 5.0 amps in from the roof panels, and 5.4 amps out to the lithium batteries. WayFinder’s pics don’t show that happening at all.

John Davies

Spokane WA

The Blue Sky system works just as effectively as the Victron does. It just doesn’t have all the bells and whistles like Bluetooth and color displays. You’re not taking the whole picture into consideration. In your example your batteries must be somewhat less than fully charged therefore they were accepting a slight charge and you apparently had no appreciable load at the time so you see a small positive value going to your batteries.
 

According to his photos, it appears his batteries are fully charged, therefore no charge going in. The negative difference in the two values is most likely a slight load that is taking away from the power coming down from the panels. 

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Steve, Tali and our dog Rocky plus our beloved Storm, Maggie, Lucy and Reacher (all waiting at the Rainbow Bridge)

2008 Legacy Elite I - Outlaw Oliver, Hull #026 | 2014 Legacy Elite II - Outlaw Oliver, Hull #050 | 2022 Silverado High Country 3500HD SRW Diesel 4x4 

 

             801469912_StatesVisitedTaliandSteve08-23-2021-I.jpg.26814499292ab76ee55b889b69ad3ef0.jpg1226003278_StatesVisitedTaliandSteve08-23-2021-H.jpg.dc46129cb4967a7fd2531b16699e9e45.jpg

 

 

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On 4/26/2023 at 9:04 AM, John E Davies said:

I feel for you. This comes easily to me because I was an aircraft A&P…. Please post your location as part of your signature. You need to visit an off grid RV solar installer *specialist*. Here is some reading.

https://battlebornbatteries.com/rv-or-boat-lithium-battery-installers/

https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/6629-how-to-find-happiness-with-lifepo4-lithium-ion-batteries-solacity-article/

I would not hesitate to go here (no personal experience). They are in Colorado and can do the installation in a couple of days. Read the reviews near the bottom…..

https://www.rvoffgridsolar.com/

I am very happy with my choice of components, scroll through my links page for ideas. If you do not use the microwave a lot and don’t want to run AC, 200 amp hrs is plenty. If you want to run a compressor fridge go with at least 300 AH. Make sure that they add some extra ventilation for dead-end compartments! Oliver does not do this! It all depends on your camping style and where you do it. It will be costly but if your batteries are toast, it makes sense as an upgrade and it adds value to the trailer.

High end RV manufacturers are joining in. For example the Cirrus truck camper comes with a standard single 100 AH Battle Born. Here is their (power user) option:

IMG_1636.thumb.jpeg.d13dcd6ca99c5ddd941315cd3dd68ea0.jpeg
 

John Davies

Spokane WA

Thanks @John E Davies , without ever touching them before, I love the Battleborn solution. I almost missed your suggestion, but just now saw it as I updated this thread. I've been trying to be more active here as I'm finally able to get out and camp this year. Hope to meet many of you at the rally. 

Chris
2016 Legacy Elite II  o--o  Hull #110 o--o  Wayfinder  o--o  Twin Bed  o--o  2020 RAM 1500 Limited 5.7L 
Augusta, Georgia

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