Troubleshooting Hopkins Trailer Breakaway Unit That Does Not Engage Trailer Brakes

Question

Question:

Hi, I have installed a hopkins breakaway system but the brakes do not operate after pulling the pin. Breaks work great connected to the vehicle but not when pin is pulled. I have 12 volts coming out of the pin switch but will not operate the brakes. Have traced the wire back and it is connected to the brake wire coming from the 7 pin

asked by: Rob M

0

Expert Reply:

You can refer to the linked article on breakaway kit installation for help in confirming that your Hopkins unit is wired correctly. The two blue wires from the switch should be spliced to the trailer brake circuit and to the breakaway battery box, as shown in the linked diagram. Also be sure the ground and 12V power wires, white and black wire respectively, are connected securely.

If it is wired correctly the issue may be that your breakaway battery is not fully charged. A fully-charged breakaway should be able to keep the trailer brakes engaged for no less than 15-minutes.

expert reply by: Adam R

0

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Answer 1

I have a suspicion about what might be causing the problem you mention. Do your trucks have 6-way trailer connectors? Or, do the trucks have 7-way connectors, but you are using a 6-way to 7-way adapters because the trailers use 6-way connectors?…

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Answer 2

Just to make sure that I am understanding correctly, you installed the Hopkins Engager #20099 on your trailer and it doesn't activate the brakes on your trailer when you pull the pin, but your trailer brakes are working when you send power back…

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Answer 3

You will splice one wire of the Break-Away Switch to the electric brake wire coming from the trailer side connector. The other wire on the switch connects to the break away box. It should not matter which wire is used for which function. I have…

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Answer 4

The first thing to check is the connectors to make sure there is no corrosion present. That can cause a variety of problems. If that checks out you will need to do some other testing. You can sever the blue wire about 4 to 6 inches from the back of…

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Answer 5

Since wire color codes are NOT universal, we always recommend wiring by function, rather than wire color. If you look at the Trailer Wiring FAQ article I have linked you to, you can see some diagrams showing the proper way to wire a vehicle and…

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Answer 6

You can certainly add a 7-way trailer connector to your trailer with 6 wires. You would simply have 1 pin on the 7-way connector that did not function. I recommend adding a 7-way molded trailer wire connector like part #H20046, and a junction box…

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Answer 7

There are several ways that you can cut off the power to your trailer brakes. The easiest option would be to simply unplug your brake controller. If the brake controller is disconnected, the brakes will not receive power. If your brake controller was…

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Answer 8

The Hopkins Adapter 7-Pole to 6-Pole #47549 plugs into a vehicle side 7-way socket and converts that connector format to a 6-way round-pin type. If you think you will need some length for your connection, #HM47083 is an alternative that does the same…

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Answer 9

The reason your brakes are locking up when you use the 7 Pole to 6 Pole Adapter, #47549, is because there are two ways that 6-way round trailer connectors can be wired, as you may have already discovered. The difference is the pin for the electric…

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Answer 10

The orange light on breakaway kit #20099 is indicating that the battery is charging. Since this is happening, not once, but twice with 2 different units on your trailer without the trailer connected that indicates a short. Since the breakaway system…

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Answer 11

It sounds like you will need to set up the Hopkins Agility brake controller, #HM47294, as if you have just installed it. From time to time, settings can get changed and the controller can get knocked out of position and you might not notice. Double…

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Answer 12

The Hopkins Engager Trailer Break-Away Kit works by applying 12 volts of power to the trailer brakes when the plastic key is pulled out of the switch box allowing the circuit to be completed and power applied from the breakaway battery. If the…

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Troubleshooting Hopkins Trailer Breakaway Unit That Does Not Engage Trailer Brakes

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