Could Breakaway Pin be Pulled on Trailer to Lock Brakes Up and Hold Trailer in Place When Loading
Updated 10/30/2025 | Published 02/05/2025
Question:
I use wheel chocks and stabilizer jacks while loading equipment on my trailer but sometimes the trailer still wants to rock hard against my pulling vehicle and puts stress on my stabilizer jacks. Is it okay to pull the pin on the breakaway switch to keep my equipment trailer from rocking while loading equipment or is that bad on the emergency braking system?
asked by: Dan
Helpful Expert Reply:
Hey Dan, that's actually not a terrible idea. Pulling the pin of your breakaway system will lock the brakes up and it will have the battery charged back up once you put the plunger back in the switch. It can take a decent amount of force to pull the pin out and put it back in though so you might find that its more effort than you'd like. You could accomplish the same thing by having the override lever of your brake controller slid but that would require you to manually hold that or find a way to lock it slid all the way.
Product Page this Question was Asked From
Hopkins Replacement Break-Away Switch, 7" Lead Wires
- Accessories and Parts
- Trailer Breakaway Kit
- Switches
- Hopkins
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Jameson C.
10/30/2025
Hey Dan, how did things go when you tried using the breakaway switch to hold your trailer steady while loading? Your results could really help others looking for a simple way to keep their trailers from rocking.