Where Should the Ground Wire be Attached for a Trailer Breakaway Battery
Question:
Should the white wire from the battery pack be grounding my entire trailer? I contacted tech support on the telephone for Hopkins towing solutions and the person I spoke with indicated that the white wire will only ground the brakes themselves. That sounds incorrect if not impossible. Will the brakes work without my trailer being grounded from the break away battery pack when it breaks away? I have good ground when I am connected to my truck but I lose ground once disconnected and my theory is I should be getting ground from the battery pack for the breakway systemin order for the brakes to work if they break away
asked by: Karl
Expert Reply:
You will likely have several different grounds on any given trailer. The breakaway battery can ground by itself to the frame and to the trailer connector's ground if you want. But at the very least ground the battery to the frame.
The brake magnets should be grounded independently near the magnets (axle or frame) for the best results.
As long as the breakaway battery is grounded to the trailer frame and the magnets are properly grounded it will work should the trailer separate from the tow vehicle.
If the trailer only grounds properly when connected to the ball then that indicates that there is a ground problem with the main trailer connector ground. All grounds on the trailer should be attached to clean and corrosion free bare metal surfaces. You may need to sand away some paint or coating to get good metal to metal contact.
I have included a couple of links that should also help.
Product Page this Question was Asked From
Hopkins Engager Push-To-Test Trailer Breakaway Kit w/ Built-In Charger - Side Load - 7" Wire
- Trailer Breakaway Kit
- Kit with Charger
- Side Load
- Single-axle
- Tandem-axle
- LED Tester
- Hopkins
more information >
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