Secondary coupling or breakaway device

A trailer is always attached to the car by connecting it to the tow bar. If the trailer remains attached to this, there’s no problem. It’s a different story if the trailer slips off the tow bar. In that case, additional safety measures are required; otherwise, the trailer could roll in any direction, which can cause life-threatening situations. There are two options for this safety measure:

A trailer with a permissible maximum weight exceeding 1500 kilograms must be equipped with a breakaway brake, as shown in the image above. As soon as the connection between the car and the trailer is broken, the brakes should automatically engage. For this purpose, a cable is connected from the brake to a special hook on the tow bar.

Trailers with a maximum permissible weight of less than 1500 kilograms may be equipped with a breakaway brake. If the trailer is not equipped with a breakaway brake, it must be fitted with a secondary coupling. A secondary coupling is an additional connection between the car and the trailer, using a steel cable.

A trailer must never be equipped with both a breakaway brake and a secondary coupling. It’s either one or the other.

Note! The cable must not be laid loosely over the tow bar as shown in the image above.
The cable must be routed through a special bracket, as shown in the image below.