Will, thanks for all the information. That said, my cable is not encased in plastic and I have to remove the horseshoe end to remove mine from the coach so I can store the hitch. I keep mine in the toad when not in use. Since the cable had to be shortened when I installed it, the cable crimps had to be tightened firmly after adjusting and cutting. I check it periodically to ensure they are still tight. Many of us that use the ReadyBrute will be interested in what, if anything NSA has to say about this failure. Please keep us posted, and thanks again for sharing....Dennis
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Executive wrote: Will, thanks for all the information. That said, my cable is not encased in plastic and I have to remove the horseshoe end to remove mine from the coach so I can store the hitch. I keep mine in the toad when not in use.
Hmmm..I just slide the cable over to the side of the 'horseshoe' piece, then hook the towbar on the horseshoe to stow it. Cable stays on the towbar, still attached to the horseshoe, ready to go.
Perhaps that approach is not such a good idea. I don't recall RB's instructions specifying one way or the other, whether or not you should take the cable off of the horseshoe before stowing the twobar.
Think I'm going to look closer at how the cable is positioned when towbar is stored, see if maybe somehow this might have been putting some stress on that eyelet/ferrule piece.
Quote: Many of us that use the ReadyBrute will be interested in what, if anything NSA has to say about this failure.
..As am I. Will definitely post back here when I hear back from them.
Executive wrote: Will, thanks for all the information. That said, my cable is not encased in plastic and I have to remove the horseshoe end to remove mine from the coach so I can store the hitch. I keep mine in the toad when not in use.
Hmmm..I just slide the cable over to the side of the 'horseshoe' piece, then hook the towbar on the horseshoe to stow it. Cable stays on the towbar, still attached to the horseshoe, ready to go.
Perhaps that approach is not such a good idea. I don't recall RB's instructions specifying one way or the other, whether or not you should take the cable off of the horseshoe before stowing the twobar.
Think I'm going to look closer at how the cable is positioned when towbar is stored, see if maybe somehow this might have been putting some stress on that eyelet/ferrule piece.
Will
I stow my ReadyBrute exactly the same way, Will. I see no way that any stress is placed on the cable while stowed. I suspect this may all come down to the fellow that crimped the ferrule having a rare "bad hair day" at the time your cable assembly was put together.
Executive wrote: Will, thanks for all the information. That said, my cable is not encased in plastic and I have to remove the horseshoe end to remove mine from the coach so I can store the hitch. I keep mine in the toad when not in use.
Hmmm..I just slide the cable over to the side of the 'horseshoe' piece, then hook the towbar on the horseshoe to stow it. Cable stays on the towbar, still attached to the horseshoe, ready to go.
Perhaps that approach is not such a good idea. I don't recall RB's instructions specifying one way or the other, whether or not you should take the cable off of the horseshoe before stowing the twobar.
Think I'm going to look closer at how the cable is positioned when towbar is stored, see if maybe somehow this might have been putting some stress on that eyelet/ferrule piece.
Will
I stow my ReadyBrute exactly the same way, Will. I see no way that any stress is placed on the cable while stowed. I suspect this may all come down to the fellow that crimped the ferrule having a rare "bad hair day" at the time your cable assembly was put together.
Could very well be, Dutch. The evidence definitely seems to point to the ferrule giving way.
Like already said, I'm very curious to see what if anything I hear from NSA on this.
In this picture, it doesn't look like the ferrule is crimped at all. Is that just an artifact of the picture? Mine definitely look deformed, but this one looks brand new.
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Bobbo wrote: In this picture, it doesn't look like the ferrule is crimped at all. Is that just an artifact of the picture? Mine definitely look deformed, but this one looks brand new.
Note the clamp with the nut and bolt on it next to the ferrule in the picture. This is the adjustable end. The end that gets crimped is the end that came apart and was lost by dragging on the ground (per the OP's earlier pictures)
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To the OP...What is the chrome clamp for??? THAT would be the weakest link in your set up. Any hard snap or pull on the cable would either break that pot metal or spread the clamp there. I just can't see how the cable could break when you've several weaker spots....Dennis
Dennis,
If by 'chrome clamp', you mean the snap link on the 'towed vehicle' side of the cable, the reasons for it were discussed in a previous thread (HERE), but here's why I added it:
1. Allows much easier hookup and disconnect of the cable, without having to pull on the cable like you do with the carabiner link RB comes with. I've found when disconnecting, once there is no vacuum assist on the brake pedal, pulling that cable enough to take the carabiner loose can be very difficult. The snap link avoids this. Thats probably why you said in the last post that you have to take the cable loose from the other 'horseshoe' end on MH side. I had to as well, until I got the snap link
2. Allows the cable to twist/spin on that end, so that the turnbuckle can be used to make adjustments easier.
I agree, Dennis, that this snap link is probably one of the weakest links in the chain. I would like to replace it with something stronger that will provide same functionality (twisting, and hookup/disconnect without having to pull on the cable). Have not found anything yet, though, that I like.
Even though this 'weak link' really is not relevant/related to this break incident, I'd love to hear suggestions of something that could provide same functionality it provides, yet is more stout.
Bobbo,
I think portscanner answered your question well - the 'car' end of the cable is meant to be adjustable, so the ferrule is not crimped/clamped down on the cable. The clamp you see just to the left of the ferrule is what holds it in place.
There were actually TWO of those U clamps on the cable before the break happened - the one you see right up against the ferrule, and one other one was a few inches further down. That 2nd U clamp is gone. My guess is that it worked loose or was broken loose and flew off when it was dragged down the highway for several miles.
Bobbo wrote: In this picture, it doesn't look like the ferrule is crimped at all. Is that just an artifact of the picture? Mine definitely look deformed, but this one looks brand new.
Note the clamp with the nut and bolt on it next to the ferrule in the picture. This is the adjustable end. The end that gets crimped is the end that came apart and was lost by dragging on the ground (per the OP's earlier pictures)
Yes, but if this one isn't crimped (it should have been crimped after adjusting the cable to length BTW, the other clamp is just to control the loose end) how do we know the other end WAS crimped?
I can see the other end NOT crimped, and the screw clamp wasn't quite tight enough, allowing the loose end to slip through and fall out. Come to think, it would leave EXACTLY what we saw in the other photo, just the loop channel as the cable fell out and dragged.
willald wrote: Bobbo,
I think portscanner answered your question well - the 'car' end of the cable is meant to be adjustable, so the ferrule is not crimped/clamped down on the cable. The clamp you see just to the left of the ferrule is what holds it in place.
Will
It is meant to be ajdustable ONLY until it has been adjusted. When it is the proper length, it is meant to be crimped down tight. The other clamp is not secure enough to hold. However, your rig, your choice.
Bobbo wrote: Yes, but if this one isn't crimped (it should have been crimped after adjusting the cable to length BTW, the other clamp is just to control the loose end) how do we know the other end WAS crimped?
..Because the other end did not have the U clamps to hold it, the crimping was what held it in place on that end.
Also, look at the first picture I provided, its crimped there, and that crimping held on for first couple of trips, maybe 1500 miles or so.
If it was not crimped at all on that end....Well, the whole cable would have been worthless and would never have worked from the get-go, haha.
Quote: I can see the other end NOT crimped, and the screw clamp wasn't quite tight enough, allowing the loose end to slip through and fall out. Come to think, it would leave EXACTLY what we saw in the other photo, just the loop channel as the cable fell out and dragged.
Correct, but the other end (the end that broke loose) did not have screw clamps, it relied strictly on the crimped ferrule to hold it. There was no excess cable on that end to clamp, anyway. That was how it came from RB.
Quote: It is meant to be ajdustable ONLY until it has been adjusted. When it is the proper length, it is meant to be crimped down tight. The other clamp is not secure enough to hold. However, your rig, your choice.
Well, RB's instructions said nothing about crimping down the ferrule after initial adjustment, and thats the first I've heard that suggestion.
If you did that (crimped down ferrule after first setup/adjustment), you'd have to replace and re-crimp that ferrule any time you need to make an adjustment after that. That would not be very practical, IMO, which is probably why RB does not tell you to do that.
Bobbo, when you have some time, look at ReadyBrake's instruction manual for adjusting the cable, on page 4 of that .pdf file. Look at Figure D at the top of page 4, and the instructions underneath that. I think that'll give you a better understanding of how the cable is meant to be set up.
Will
* This post was
edited 08/10/12 09:14am by willald *
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