All caravans with an MTPLM greater than 750kg must be fitted with brakes. Above this limit and below 3500kg MTPLM, all caravans must also be fitted with a breakaway cable. It is a legal requirement that a breakaway cable is fitted and properly attached.

OK, that's the legal aspect of things said and done but that said, whilst over in the UK recently I noticed a mixture of 'red' and 'blue' breakaway cables in use. I mentioned this in passing to a guy at Ropers Caravan World who stated that my Eriba Triton 430 due to it's 1200kg axle should have been fitted with a 'blue' cable as opposed to the 'red' type that is fitted. He then went on to explain further but as I have had other more pressing things on my mind since that time I've forgotten what the other reasons for this were - hence the question here.

Does anyone have any authoritative knowledge on this subject or can point to a link that advises further as I myself have failed miserably in this?

Al-ko only sell one strength, but with two different attachments. I think the red is a visible colour that is also corporate for them and copied by others because Al-ko is synonymous with quality. I think Al-ko are the original equipment provider for most Eriba. This link is to a fact sheet on their website endorsed by CC and C&CC amongst others and does not mention strength or weight.

Thanks for the links guys which made for interesting, if not entirely new, reading. I was particularly interested to see how you routed the breakaway cable on your van, Aaron. If you take a look at my set-up below you'll notice that I don't have the cable routed through the cut-out at the front of the frame. Please ignore the electrical cabke which, after several uses has developed it's own kinks and turns and is no longer routed above the rubber gaiter.

Back to the routing of the breakaway cable. When we took delivery of the van the cable was never routed through that cut out although having read for myself that the route the cable takes from it's connection point on the van to the securing point on the towbar should be as straight a line as possible for obvious reasons. So with that in mind, I re-routed the cable through the cut-out but was left with the feeling that coming from the outside and then being threaded through that relatively small cut-out was an invitation for chafing of the cable at these two points. The cable was also easier to hand pull when routed outside of the cut-out which led me to believe that in an emergency the cables free movement wouldn't be hindered in any way. This is a point I shall raise with Hymer when our van goes in for service on the 7th September because on thinking back, non of the cables fitted to any of the vans parked outside in their backyard had cables routed through the cut-out. I wonder if this is to do with the fact that whilst we have an AL-KO nose bit the actual chassis (frame really) is BP.

I shall be having the cable changed as a matter of course during the vans service because the current cable has the more common 'clip' type fitting to the end whilst those designed for either direct clip on to the towbar or threaded through a hole in the towbar provided for this purpose prior to being looped around the ball have a far sturdier carabiner clip fitted. The prime reason for this change is that I will be shortly changing my current VW Touran which doesn't have a cut-out in the towbar, for a Mazda CX-5 which does.

When you think about it, as the Dutch have obviously done by making it illegal, the wrapping of the breakaway cable around a detachable tow ball is madness in itself because if the tow ball itself becomes detached by falling off so to does the breakaway cable attached to it.
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Quote: Aaron Calder wrote in post #5

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Quote: Deeps wrote in post #4

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When you think about it, as the Dutch have obviously done by making it illegal, the wrapping of the breakaway cable around a detachable tow ball is madness in itself because if the tow ball itself becomes detached by falling off so to does the breakaway cable attached to it.

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But is this really a problem or just something that could happen in theory? The removable Westfalia tow bar on our car locks in place with a loud clunk and is locked on with a key. It is absolutely solid when fitted and I can't envisage any situation where it might conceivably fall off.

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The actual tow ball is a casting, and like any casting can fracture, not a frequent occurrence, but a possibility
Dave

Quote: Deeps wrote in post #1

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a guy at Ropers Caravan World who stated that my Eriba Triton 430 due to it's 1200kg axle should have been fitted with a 'blue' cable as opposed to the 'red' type that is fitted.

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Quote: JohnE wrote in post #8

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Breakaway cables manufactured by Al-Ko are red, BPW's are blue.

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Quote: Aaron Calder wrote in post #5

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Quote: Deeps wrote in post #4

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When you think about it, as the Dutch have obviously done by making it illegal, the wrapping of the breakaway cable around a detachable tow ball is madness in itself because if the tow ball itself becomes detached by falling off so to does the breakaway cable attached to it.

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But is this really a problem or just something that could happen in theory? The removable Westfalia tow bar on our car locks in place with a loud clunk and is locked on with a key. It is absolutely solid when fitted and I can't envisage any situation where it might conceivably fall off.

I seem to recall reading of a survey being done of caravans in transit by the police with the most common problem being that a surprisingly large number of outfits either didn't have breakaway cables fitted or didn't have them attached to the tow vehicle.

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