Hopkins Engager Breakaway Kit Replacement Battery and Charger for Flat/Dead Battery

Question:

So that battery is flat and doesn’t seem to want to charge on my car trailer. Can I still move the empty trailer or do the brakes somehow default to locked on as the left hand side gets pretty hot.

asked by: Barry

Expert Reply:

With a flat/dead battery the trailer brakes should not default to braking but the exact opposite. When a trailer breakaway battery is flat/dead then there should be no difference in braking function at all. The trailer brakes should work as designed on the trailer, the only issue would be if your trailer where to disconnect the pin of your breakaway system would get pulled and no power would be applied to the brakes. Basically you'd have no brakes on a runaway trailer versus having that extra battery to apply the brakes and bring the trailer to a stop. Obviously the safety chains of your trailer are there for that purpose as well, so the issue would more likely be the trailer could make contact with your vehicle if disconnected versus applying the brakes to keep the trailer as far behind your vehicle as the chains will allow until your tow vehicle and trailer can come to a stop. I've attached a couple articles on breakaway systems to help.

If your battery has been sitting for a while in storage you may need to connect a standard charger to it to bring it back to a level where it can hold a charge. If you have already tried to charge it via another charger like # 329-GENIUS5, then you will need to replace the battery. I recommend the Hopkins Breakaway Kit Replacement 12 V Battery # HM20008.

expert reply by: Jason S