Trailer Breakaway Kit Battery Charger

See what our Experts say about this Hopkins Accessories and Parts

• Powering a Refrigerator in a Trailer While Towing
  Some items in a trailer or RV will run off of 12 volt DC power or AC power so if your fridge runs when not connected to shore power then it will run off of the battery. That battery can receive a maintenance charge from the 12 volt circuit on a 7-Way trailer connector but the fridge would draw power faster than the 12 volt circuit can charge. What you would need to do to provide the best charge to the battery is use a DC to DC charger while you are towing such as # 331-BCDC1240D. If the...
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• Which Wire From Breakaway Switch Does Blue Wire from Hopkins Charger # 20011 Connect To
  The blue wire from the Breakaway Kit Battery Charger # 20011 will go to the power (likely black) coming from your breakaway switch, such as with the Hopkins Break-Away Switch # HM20010. The other wire from the breakaway switch should be spliced into the brake output wire coming from the back of the trailer's 7-Way connector. I have attached full breakaway kit wiring diagram that you might find helpful as well.
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• Wire Recommendation for Maintenance Charge of Trailer Battery
  The part # 20011 that you referenced is designed to charge a breakaway battery (which is very small). It sounds like you are looking for something to put a maintenance charge on a larger battery. Which if so you would instead want to run a length of 10 gauge wire like part # 10-1-1 from the 12 volt accessory circuit of your trailer wiring to the positive battery post. A thicker gauge wire will do a much better job charging a battery as opposed to the thinner wires of the # 20011.
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• Can a Trailer Mounted Battery be Charged Up Using a Breakaway Battery Charger
  A charger such as # 20011 will not be able to charge up a regular battery, only small breakaway batteries. The issue is that the wiring on the trailer and vehicle is not large enough and the alternator is not strong enough (on most vehicles) to push back the amperage required to charge up a battery. At best it can only maintain the charge level of the battery. Also, you will want to disconnect the breakaway battery from the larger battery. Otherwise it will just drain it and also shorten...
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• How is Trailer Battery Charged from Trailer 7-Way Connector
  If you wanted to run a maintenance charge to your trailer's battery you'll need to run wire directly from the battery's positive terminal to the 12 volt power circuit of the 7-way. You'll want to use 10 gauge wire like part # 10-1-1. There would be no need to wire in a charger as well since just the wire will deliver the maintenance charge. It won't charge a dead battery though. You'd have to use a wall charger for that like the CTEK # CTEK56353 when the trailer is parked.
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• Function of Blue Wire on Hopkins Breakaway Kit Battery Charger # 20011
  The blue wire from the Hopkins Breakaway Kit Battery Charger # 20011 is what goes to the actual breakaway switch. The black wire goes to the 12V power circuit and the red wire connects to the breakaway battery on the trailer. I have attached a sample installation video that you can also follow along with.
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• Can Trailer Breakaway Kit Battery Charger be Used With Battery on Trailer
  Yes, you can use the Trailer Breakaway Kit Battery Charger # 20011 from the main trailer battery. You will not want to attach the red wire to the switch battery positive and blue to the negative. To install, what you need to do is connect the black wire on the charger to the positive side of your trailer's 12 volt battery that you mentioned is kept in a charged state by the solar panel. The red wire on this charger will connect to the battery in the breakaway kit and the blue wire is connected...
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• Hopkins Trailer Breakaway Battery Charger Gets Hot
  Battery chargers do get hot, especially if plugged in for long periods of time. If it is so hot that you can't even touch it then that would be a problem, a short somewhere either with the wiring or internal on the charger. On the wiring make sure there are no pinched, frayed or damaged wires and fix as needed. Make sure that the black wire is connected to the 12 volt circuit coming from the vehicle, red is connected to the positive breakaway battery terminal, and blue is connected to the...
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• Is Diode Needed When Using the Trailer Breakaway Kit Battery Charger # 20011
  If you wanted to prevent the trailer back feeding to the vehicle battery a diode like the part # RM-690 would be what you need. If instead you install the part # 20011 you would not need to install a diode to prevent the battery from back feeding.
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• Recommended Battery Size for Breakaway Brake System
  The battery you use for a break away system needs to be able to power the trailer brakes on full for 15 minutes. A 12 volt battery rated for 5 amp hours is normally used, unless you have 3 axles each with brakes, then you would benefit more from a 9 amp hour battery. However a battery this large would not charge up through the 12 volt circuit coming through the trailer connector. The replacement batteries we carry, # HM20008 and # TK2023 are both rated for 5 amp hours. You can add a charger...
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• Should The Trailer 12 Volt Hot Wire Be Connected To Hot Wire On Vehicle 7-Way?
  A Diode # RM-690 can be used to prevent battery power from your trailer traveling to your tow vehicle. This diode is rated up to 85 amps which is more than the charging system on your vehicle is capable of providing. Having it connected hot to hot allows you to use your vehicle power to charge the battery and also power any lights or electric jacks off your vehicle when the trailer battery is dead. If your trailer only uses the power for a breakaway battery you can instead us the Charger...
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• Hopkins Breakaway Battery Charger Output Specs and Compatibility with 12V 5aH Battery
  The Hopkins Trailer Breakaway Kit Battery Charger # 20011 has a power output of 2.5 amps according to my tech contact at the manufacturer. It basically gives a maintenance charge to the battery. It is designed for use with the 12 volt 5 amp hour battery traditionally found on single and tandem axle trailers like # HM20008 or # TK2023. The larger battery you referenced in the video is needed on larger trailers like triple axle applications but this charger will work perfectly with the...
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• Trailer Breakaway Kit Battery Charger Wire Functions
  Each of the wires on the Trailer Breakaway Kit Battery Charger, part # 20011, have a specific function, but none of them are grounding. The black wire goes to your vehicle battery, the red wire goes to your trailer breakaway battery, and the blue wire goes to your break-away switch.
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• Can 12V Feed from Vehicle 7-Way Overcharge Trailer Battery
  You don't need to install any other parts in line with your 12V trailer battery line. Because the current being sent through the 7 pin power wire is so low, it acts more like a trickle charge to simply keep your battery topped off. It is not powerful enough to actually provide a full charge to your trailer battery, so it couldn't overcharge it even during a long trip. The Breakaway Kit Battery Charger # 20011 is used to prevent overcharging the smaller battery in a breakaway kit, like...
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• Can a Trailer Breakaway System be Run off of Existing Trailer Battery
  A breakaway kit can be wired in one of two ways to the trailer brake system. The first way would be to use the Engager Trailer BreakAway Kit with Charger and Tester, item # 20099 , and splice off of the power wire that maintains the trailer's battery on the trailer to charge the battery included in the kit (see instructions). This is the recommended method of installing a breakaway kit since many states require that a breakaway kit with separate power supply be used. The second option,...
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• Can Battery Ban, on Trailer Split Up for Breakaway and Trailer Accessories
  I think your plan would work just fine. You'll need to make sure the breakaway battery though is charged at all times in the event of a trailer disconnect. Typically charging it off of the tow vehicle is adequate for this. For a breakaway battery charger we have the part # 20011 that gets wired to the breakaway battery from the tow vehicle wiring.
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• Battery Charger for a Trailer Breakaway Kit Battery
  Generally a breakaway kit is installed mounting the battery to the frame but it doesn't have to be. We carry a few different chargers separate from the kits themselves and I've linked our selection for you. The most popular of the chargers if the Hopkins # 20011. To install the Hopkins charger the black wire connects to the power coming from the vehicle battery, the red wire to the breakaway kit's battery, and the blue to the pin. I've also linked a video for you.
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• Is a Battery Isolator Needed for 7-Way Wiring on 2001 Ford F250
  The 12-volt power source at the 7-way connector is typically protected by a 40 amp fuse or breaker. This circuit is usually tied directly to the battery, with the fuse or breaker installed inline. This circuit is not isolated. Because this circuit can remain live even when the ignition is switched off (depending on the vehicle), we recommend unplugging the trailer when the vehicle is not running to avoid the battery from being discharged. If you wish to avoid this problem altogether, using...
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• Converter to Allow Fridge to Draw Power from Battery or RV Service Power
  What you'd want is a converter/smart charger like the Progressive Dynamics part # PD4060K which you'll wire your battery, RV service power supply, and fridge and it will allow you to charge the battery and draw from the RV power source when it's plugged in.
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• Does Breakaway Battery Charger 20011 Have Built-In Diode
  There is not a built-in diode on the Trailer Breakaway Kit Battery Charger # 20011. There isn't one that does have a diode but you can add one with the Roadmaster Single Park Light Diode # RM-690.
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• How To Install Hopkins Battery Charger For BreakAway Switch 20011
  The Trailer Breakaway Kit Battery Charger # 20011 is used to charge the breakaway battery on a trailer. The black wire connects to the tow vehicle's battery to get 12V, the red wire connects to the positive terminal on the trailer's breakaway battery, and the blue wire connects to the breakaway switch. I made a simplified wiring diagram to show you how it gets wired in; I also attached a demonstration video for you.
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• Availability of Chargers for Trailer Breakaway System Batteries
  We carry a Trailer Breakaway Kit Battery Charger that would be perfect for you, the part # is 20011. The black wire connects to the 12-volt power from the trailer connector, the red wire connects to the positive battery terminal on the breakaway battery, and the blue wire connects to the breakaway switch. This would be the easiest, most economical way of providing battery chargers for the breakaway systems on your various trailers. You will want to make sure that the batteries are still...
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• How Large Of Battery Can Hopkins Trailer Breakaway Kit Battery Charger # 20011 Trickle Charge
  I contacted our representative at Hopkins and he informed me that the Trailer Breakaway Kit Battery Charger, part # 20011 can charge batteries of different sizes, even large batteries, it will just take a bit longer. He informed me that part # 20011 will trickle charge your regular 12 volt battery just fine. If you do have the vehicle battery connected directly to the battery on trailer it will keep sending power to the battery even after the battery is charged, which could be bad for...
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• Do Trailer Breakaway Batteries Apply Enough Power for a Dual Axle Trailer with 4 Brake Assemblies
  Any battery that is used in a breakaway system on a trailer needs to be able to sustain full braking power to the trailer brakes for at least 15 minutes to be in compliance with various laws in regions that require breakaway kits. The batteries we sell meet the requirements and where designed for that purpose for 2 axles. Always make sure that brake away batteries are fully charged before using them. The Engager Trailer BreakAway Kit, # 20099, is our most popular option. It comes with...
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