This question is directed primarily at anyone that may have imported their van from Holland as the Dutch have different regulations as regards the securing of the breakaway cable that apply to us in Germany - and presumably also the UK.

As a reminder - it is illegal in Holland to wrap the breakaway cable around the towball as should the said towball (detachable) part company with the car or, in most instances, the van has not been securely attached to the towball, then the breakaway cable is unable to function as intended.

The only exemption to this law, and one where the breakaway cable is allowed to be wrapped around the towball, is when a non-detachable towball is used. In all other cases the breakaway cable should be secured to a secure point on the towing vehicle and in more modern towbar installations an eye is provided for this purpose.

The towbar on my new towing vehicle has such an eye (see attachment) but I am unable to attach the breakaway cable to it due to the fact that (a) it has a snap-hook fitted instead of a Carabina Clip for direct attachment to the eye and/or (b) if the cable is threaded through the eye and then attached back on itself, the cable is far too short and would apply the vans handbrake during any vehicle movement.

This leads me to the conclusion that Eribas sold on the Dutch market must come as standard with a much longer breakaway cable with perhaps a Carabina Clip attached to the end. If this in fact is the case would owners of Dutch imported vans kindly measure the length of the breakaway cable and post an answer in this thread. Please also include whether or not a Carabina Clip is also fitted. Thanks.

Edit: the breakaway cable length on my Triton 430 is 100cm which is the standard size and the only one currently available as wrapping the cable around the towball is, at this moment in time, still legal in Germany.

Breakaway Cable Eye.jpg - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)

Hi Deeps - if you get no replies today then I'll do it when I get home from work tonight (if its still light!)

Hi Deeps - the cable is approx 1 mtr long and it has a clip measuring approx 3" long.
I'll take a photo in the morning and post it on this thread.

Here it WP_20151021_002.jpg - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)is

OK, Dave - thanks for the measurement and photo which appear identical to the breakaway cable fitted to our Triton 430. In the absence of any other replies I'll have to ask elsewhere as I still feel sure that in the main most Dutch vans would have longer cables or how else can they possibly attach the cable to the towball eye - it simply isn't long enough.

Just for additional info - with the clip attachment that you have it would be ok for you to thread the cable through the eye (assuming you have one) and then secure it back on itself in exactly the same way that you would were the cable to go around the towball. Unfortunately the cable at 100cm is far too short to effect this as there remains very little slack in the cable which is needed when executing turns etc. With a Carabiner fitted instead of the clip (see picture) the regulations allow for the Carabiner to be attached directly to the eye. If you're wondering why the more usual type clip is not allowed to be attached directly to the eye it's because there is a danger of the clip breaking before the cable whereas the Carabiner, which is stronger, will stay attached to the vehicle. One has to remember that the cable is so designed (in terms of strength) so that once the caravans brake has been applied the cable will snap and so by definition, the attachment (Carabiner) needs to be stronger than the cable. If the normal clip were attached to the eye then there would be a danger of the clip breaking before the caravans brakes had been applied which kind of defeats the object somewhat.

Personally I'm not entirely convinced that the current regulations that apply to the UK and Germany (and possibly others) in that they allow for the breakaway cable to be wrapped around the towball and then secured back on itself is in fact doing anything at all. The way that I see it is that if the caravan has not been properly attached to the towball (remote I know) and the breakaway cable somehow jumps the now free towball head then this method of attachment also has drawbacks to it. Also, I'm also not entirely convinced that even should the breakaway cable remain attached, that the strain placed on the clip as it tightens up around the towball head would also end up with the clip breaking before the cable.

Clip-carabiner.low-res.jpg - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)

Oh well - I'll see if a Dutch motorcycle contact of mine can add anything further to this.

Only indirectly related - here's a short but interesting video concerning the Carlos test. Never heard of it? Neither did I until a few moments ago LOL.

When we picked the Triton up from the Dutch dealer he hitched the caravan to the car and he secured the cable to the towball eye beneath the car.
I must admit I wasnt aware that you couldnt just wrap it around the towball there so just as well really.

No, Dave - in the UK you ARE allowed to wrap the breakaway cable around the towball and then clip back on itself. It's just that in Holland this method is not allowed due to the risk - although small - of the cable jumping off the towball in the instance that the caravan has not been correctly coupled on to the towball. This regulation only applies to detachable towballs and in the case that the towball is permanently bolted onto the towing vehicle then the wrapping of the cable around it is permitted.
The fine for non-compliance by the way is 100€ - ouch.

Hello Deeps, sorry for the delay. Our ex-Dutch 310 has a 1.05m cable length and a spring type clip just like the picture posted by DaveF. It is actually long enough to wrap around the towbar beam (fixed towball) immediately forward of the ball attachment flange and clip back on itself. Regards, George.

Just an update on this (and thanks to all who posted an PM'd me) but I have today gone ahead and ordered the AL-KO breakaway cable with Carabina Clip to replace the cable currently fitted to my van that only has a simple clip attached on the end.

The Carabina Clip allows me to make use of the attachment point (eye) of my cars towbar by attaching the Carabina directly onto it. I was never 100% happy with the wrapping of the breakaway cable around the towball (although allowed here in Germany & the UK) and can see good reason why this practice is not allowed in Holland. It doesn't seem to make much sense - to me anyway - of having an attachment point (eye) fitted on the towbar and not making good use of it.

http://www.al-ko.com/shop/uk_vt/breakawa...ibena-clip.html

Breakaway Cable with Caribena Clip.jpg - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)

Thanks - reminded us we needed a new cable!

Interesting and I remember reading this when you originally posted it.

Of particular interest was the part you placed in brackets i.e. make sure the cable passes through the rectangular aperture in the drawbar 'foot' and I wonder if this is something that you've always done out of habit or have you been reliably informed / have read somewhere that this is the correct way?

The reason I ask is that upon first taking delivery of our then new van I assumed, wrongly it seems, that the purpose of this rectangular aperture was to thread the breakaway cable through. Not so according to my dealer who advised that this aperture was simply a way of shaving off a few grams off the gross weight of the van and that the cable should run unhindered i.e. outside of the cut-out to the point at which the clip/Carabiner is secured. Walking around the service yard and showroom a little later - as one does of course - I noted that not a single Eriba had the breakaway cable threaded through this rectangular cut-out. Um - being thoroughly confused at this point I fired off an email to Hymer upon returning home but am still waiting for a reply some 15 months later.

Quote: Aaron Calder wrote in post #13

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See page 33 of the Alko chassis guide which states:

For this emergency brake to work correctly, it is absolutely essential that the following points are observed:

1. The breakaway cable MUST run through the breakaway cable guide.

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Here's a short but interesting video with reference to breakaway cables that I've just stumbled upon.