Breakaway Battery Kit and Brake Controller for Electric-Over-Hydraulic Trailer Brakes

Question:

Just bought trailer .....Looking for trailer breakaway battery/charger and brake controller for hydrostar electric over hyd brakes, what is suggested for that set up

asked by: Jason

Expert Reply:

For a trailer breakaway battery and charger you can use the Hopkins Engager Push-To-Test Trailer Breakaway Kit with Built-In Battery Charger # 20400. This kit has a built in charger to charge the battery while connected to the tow vehicle and has an automatic shut-off when the battery is fully charged. It also has a test button that displays the batteries status for you.

For a brake controller I personally like the Redarc Tow-Pro Elite Brake Controller # RED44FR because it has a sleek installation that does not require a big bulky brake controller. It is compatible with electric-over-hydraulic trailer brakes.

Since you have a 1995 Ford F-250/F-350 in the fit guide I will use that for the tow vehicle. If you have the factory tow package, you can use the Plug-and-Play Wiring Harness for Redarc Tow-Pro Trailer Brake Controllers # RED87FR to ease the installation process of the Redarc Tow-Pro Elite Brake Controller # RED44FR. If you do not, the Redarc Tow-Pro Elite Brake Controller # RED44FR has a universal harness that can be spliced in included.

If you do not already have a 7-way on your truck, you will need one to use the brake controller. That can be accomplished using the Universal Installation Kit for Trailer Brake Controller # ETBC7 which adapts a 4-way into a 7-way. If you already have a 4-way then you just need the # ETBC7. If you do not have a 4-way, you will need to add one first. The T-One Vehicle Wiring Harness # 118316 (4-way) is a fit for the 1995 Ford F-250/F-350.