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Expert Answers about Hopkins

  • Parts Needed for Adding a Charging Circuit for a Trailer Battery while Towing with a 2008 FJ cruiser
  • You have it figured out. You will need an appropriate length of 10 Gauge Wire, item # 10-1-1, and a 40 amp circuit breaker, item # PK54540, to provide 12 volt power to the trailer connector at the rear of your FJ. This will provide a maintenance charge to the trailer battery while towing the trailer. You will not need to make any changes at the fuse block on your vehicle. The 12 Volt power wire connects to the number 4 position inside your 7-way connector, see the photo in the trailer wiring dia
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  • Location of Trailer Wiring Conections on a 2005 Dodge Durango Without Factory Hitch
  • If your 2005 Dodge Durango was wired for the factory wiring harness you will be able to use the Multi-Plug T-One Connector Assembly for 7-Way & 4 Pole Trailer Connector, item # 20135, to install a 7-Way and 4-Way connector at the rear of the vehicle. You will find the connector at the rear of the vehicle near the drivers side frame rail above the spare tire. If you do not have the factory installed tow package wiring you will need to use the Tow Ready Custom Fit Vehicle Wiring for the 2005 Du
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  • Troubleshooting a Hopkins Agility Brake Controller on a 2006 Chevy Silverado 1500
  • If your trailer brakes actuate when you use the manual override, but not when you step on the brake pedal, you may have the wrong brake controller adapter. The correct adapter for your 2006 Chevy Silverado 1500 is Hopkins Plug-in Simple Brake Wiring Adapter, # HM47795. If you do have the correct adapter, make sure you have the red wire in the correct port. For your vehicle, you will put the red wire in the bottom left port (when the plug has the blue clip pointing up). See fig. 4 in the instruct
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  • Testing the Center Pin On a 6-Way Trailer Connector
  • You will need to use a circuit tester, item # 3808 if needed, to test the pins in the 6-Way connector at the rear of your vehicle. Ground the alligator clip to the vehicle chassis and touch the test light to the center pin. If the light in the tester lights then the center pin is hot, 12 volts. If the center pin is for brakes it will only have power when the brake pedal is applied or when the manual brake lever on the brake controller is activated. In most cases, the center pin in the 6-Wa
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  • Brake Controller Ouput Fixed at 10 then Nothing on a Hopkins Agility Controller
  • The brake circuit will always have some power to it when the brake controller is on. This is how the brake controller checks to make sure the trailer is connected. I would go back and start like you are setting up the controller for the first time. Settings can get changed and the controller can get bumped out of position and you would not notice it until you are ready for the next tow season. Check to make sure the controller is within the +70 to -20 degree range. Check your sensitivity a
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  • How to Install the Hopkins RV Level # HM08525
  • The levels in the Hopkins Graduated RV Levels, item # HM08525, are not specific to their mounting location. You will need to use a separate level to be sure the trailer is level, front to back and side to side, before installation and apply the levels with the bubble in the center position.
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  • Location of Factory Connector for Trailer Wiring on 2006 Chevy Silverado 1500
  • Your truck should have a round connector located above the spare tire for the adapter (part # 118384) to plug into. To locate the connector, you might have to lower the spare tire. The connector is usually zip tied to the rearmost cross member. The connector might have a protective cover over the end of it to keep road debris out of it. Certain models might not have the plug, but the wiring harness should still be there. If this is the case with your vehicle, cut the plug off the end of the 11
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  • Dimensions and Specificatioins for Hopkins Rear View Camera with Backup Sensors Part # HM60195VA
  • I pulled the Hopkins Rear View Camera with Backup Sensors, part # HM60195VA, off the the shelf to take measurements. The license plate mount is made of a heavy plastic. The coaxial cable that connects the camera to the LCD display is 19.7 feet. The red and black wires coming off the cable are the power and ground wires, and they are 6.5 feet long. The red wire connects to the reverse light wire and the black connects to a ground. In the instructions, it says if the coaxial cable is cut, th
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  • Is there a Brake Controller Adapter for 2003 Chrysler Town and Country?
  • I am sorry, you will not be able to use a brake controller adapter. You will need to hardwire a 4-way plug, part # 118376, and use the Brake Controller 7 & 4 Way Installation Kit - 10 Gauge, part #ETBC7, with your brake controller.
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  • Troubleshooting Plug-N-Tow Wiring Harness Part # 40455 on 2006 Ford Escape
  • My guess is that your Escape was not equipped with the Tow Package from the factory. The plug for the Hoppy wiring harness will be present behind the bumper, but unless the Escape has the tow package it will NOT be active. To activate, a relay will need to be placed into the wiring block located behind the dash. From what I understand, the relay would need to be obtained from your Ford Dealer. If your Escape is not equipped with the Tow Package, your best bet would be to use the T-1 Vehicle W
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  • Does the White Wire on the 4 to 7-Way Adapter # 37185 Have to Be Connected on a 2012 Mazda CX-9
  • You will need to ground the adapter # 37185 to the vehicle frame for it to work. The other functions if you do not need them can be taped up and stowed out of the way. The 4-Way that you installed may be ground but that ground does not continue on the 4-Way part of # 37185. That is why the white ground wire must be attached.
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  • Trailer Wiring Harness Recommendation for a 2003 Toyota Highlander without Factory Tow Package
  • For a 2003 Toyota Highlander without the factory tow package you can use T-connector # 118413. It does not require a connection to the vehicle battery. I have included a link to the instructions and a link to a video showing a typical installation for you.
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  • When Stepping on Brake Pedal and Connected to Dump Trailer Brake Light Fuse Blows on 2004 Ford E-350
  • It sounds like there is back feeding to the van from the trailer when you step on the brake pedal and that is what is causing the fuse to blow. There may be a higher rated fuse on the other vehicle which could be why it is not blowing. It is also possible that there is corrosion in the van side trailer connector that you will have to clear out. You will want to make sure that the trailer connector on the van and on the trailer are pinned out to match each other. I have provided a link that i
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  • How Does the OEM Backup Camera System Work on New Ford Vehicles
  • The lines that appear on the screen on the backup camera system you are referring to is a sort of augmented reality if you are familiar with the term. It overlays a graphic, in this case two straight lines, over a live video feed of what is behind the vehicle when the camera is powered on (normally when the vehicle is put into reverse). Since the rear wheels of a vehicle are fixed (meaning they do not turn like the front wheels) it does not have to recalculate based on the angle of approach.
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  • 2001 Chevy Silverado 3500 Tail Lights Not Working and Brake Signal on 7-Way Not Working
  • From what I have been able to find, the 2001 Chevy Silverado 3500 had what is called a 3-wire system. This means the turn signals are separate from the brake lights. If the lights you are using are designed for a 2 wire system then it they will not function properly. There are 2 possible options. First, you can get lights that do have separate turn signal functions. Second you can use a special converter on the truck wiring to take the separate signals and combine them to a 2-wire system (co
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  • Troubleshooting Wiring Issues on 2002 Dodge Ram Pickup And Trailer
  • There are a couple issues that could cause the situation you are experiencing. Start out by checking the vehicle-side trailer connector with a circuit tester such as # 3808 to isolate whether the issue is originating from your truck or trailer. I have included a link to a video showing how to test a trailer connector. If you have OEM trailer wiring on your 2002 Dodge Ram Pickup, you can also check out the tow package fuses on the truck to make sure you do not have a blown fuse. If you have a
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  • Issue With Dash Warning Light Illuminating When Installing Brake Controller on a 2003 Dodge Ram
  • The most likely solution is to cut away the red wire you found under your wheel that you ran to your 12 volt auxiliary. There should not be a 12 volt accessory wire in that bundle. If this circuit is needed for your trailer you will need to run wire from the positive side of the battery through a 40 amp circuit breaker, such as the Pollak # 9510, to the 7-way. This should fix the trouble light you are seeing on your dash, but if not, you can test the blue wire in the wheel well to ensure it w
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  • Installing a Hopkins Agility Brake Controller on a 1998 Chevrolet Pickup
  • We have everything that you need to install your Hopkins Agility Brake Controller, # HM47294, on your 1998 Chevrolet truck. The installation process is going to depend on how your truck is currently equipped. If your truck has no trailer wiring at all, then you will need a few different components. First, you will need 4-way flat trailer connector. For this, I recommend the Curt T-Connector Harness, # C55315. This harness will plug into the factory connector located on the driver side frame
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  • Wiring Hopkins Agility Brake Controller in a 2002 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Without Tow Package
  • Installation of a Hopkins Agility brake controller in your 2002 Silverado without factory 7-way will require use of an adapter. You can use the Draw-Tite adapter for Chevrolet trucks, part # 20263. Instructions for this part are included. If you prefer not splicing wires you can instead use Hopkins adapter # HM47795 which includes a plug for the Agility. Please also refer to the linked article that details the brake controller installation process for your vehicle without factory 7-way (you will
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  • 7-Way Wiring Harness Recommendation for a 2012 Toyota Tundra with a Factory 4-Way
  • I wish I had a plug and play 7-way that would install on your 2012 Toyota Tundra that would replace your 7-way. But you will need to hardwire in a 7-way. If you only need a 7-way for a trailer without trailer brakes you could get away with just getting a # 37185 and just plugging in your 4-way to it. If you need to install a brake controller and operate trailer brakes you will need to get a Brake Controller Installation Kit part # ETBC7. This comes with everything you will need to install a f
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  • How to Isolate the Brake Light Circuit on a 2013 GMC Terrain with Combined Tail Lights
  • What you could get is a tail light converter like our part # C56196. What you would need to do is tap into the tail light wiring of your 2013 GMC Terrain and then you will have a dedicated brake light circuit for you to use. You would run the green wire of the input side of the # C56196 to the right stop turn of your vehicle. The white wire to a ground, and the yellow wire to the left stop and turn circuit. Once this is all hooked up the red wire on the output side will be a dedicated brak
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  • Troubleshooting a Boat Trailer that the Left Light Assembly Does Not Function
  • It sounds like you have a bad ground on the left side light assembly. That would explain why all functions of that assembly are not working. I would check the condition of the ground and make sure its attached to a clean metal surface. Or if the assembly grounds through the installation brackets you would want to make sure its attached to a clean metal surface. There could also be corrosion in the trailer harness plug, you might check for that and clean as necessary. I also attached an FAQ
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  • Trailer Wiring Harness Recommendation for a 2013 Honda Ridgeline
  • For a 4-way wiring harness for your 2013 Honda Ridgeline you would want to get a Tow Ready Custom Harness # 118400. I attached an installation video for this kit as well as installation instructions for you to check out. Current pricing is available on the product page.
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  • Troubleshooting No Right Brake Light on a Trailer Towed by a 2001 Chevrolet Silverado
  • The turn signal and brake light circuits on your 2001 Chevrolet Silverado are separate and trailers typically require a combined turn signal and brake light circuit because they only use one bulb for both functions at the tail lights. If you have a factory installed wiring harness on your truck, these circuits should already be combined at the trailer connector. If this is the case, then the issue may likely be a poor ground connection on your trailer. I recommend checking the ground connect
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  • Will the Hopkins Backup Sensor System, # HM60100VA, Fit a 2003 Chevy Tahoe
  • The steel bumper on your 2003 Chevy Tahoe may make the sensors on the Hopkins Backup Sensor System, # HM60100VA, go off but if this happens all you will need to do is adjust the sensors so it does not give you a false alert. Some customers have also used spacers to mount the unit out a little further so the sensors will clear an obstruction.
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  • Adding a 7-Way Trailer Connector to a 2012 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited
  • If your 2012 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited came with a 4-Way you will need to use 4 and 7 way installation kit # ETBC7. This is a hardwire installation but it does come with everything you will need for the installation. I have included some links that will explain the ETBC7 installation for you. If the trailer also has electric brakes you will need a brake controller to operate them. The ETBC7 comes with the wiring needed to install a brake controller but the controller itself is sold separately.
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  • Brake Lights on Trailer Do Not Work But All Other Lights Work
  • The most likely problem is a bad ground. A bad ground will appear when there is more load on a system. In this case the brake lights which light up brighter and constant have more load than do turn signals or running lights. The first thing to check is the trailer connectors on the vehicle and trailer. Make sure they are clean and free of corrosion. That might be all it needs. If you still have problems then use a circuit tester like # 3808 if needed and check the functions on the vehicle sid
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  • 5th Wheel/Gooseneck Trailer In-Bed Wiring Harness for a 2002 Ford F-250
  • Wiring harness # HM40157 is listed as a fit for a 1999 to 2001 Ford F-250/F-350, but not a 2002. For a 2002 you can use harness # 40167. We have a few other options and I have included a link to them for you.
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  • How Long Will the Engager Trailer Breakaway Kit Battery Last Without a Charge
  • Battery life depends on so many factors that it is hard to quantify the life any given battery. I spoke with my contact at Hopkins and he stated that if the battery is stored outside he estimates a 3 to 6 month life span. If stored inside it will last a little longer and will most likely make it to 6 months. If the battery is not being charged via the 7-Way trailer connector regularly then it is recommended to charge the battery every 3 months using a battery charger like # CTEK56158. If y
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  • Trailer Wiring Recommendation for a 2013 Chevy Express Van
  • What I would recommend you get is a Curt Custom Fit Vehicle Wiring # 55540. This wiring kit plugs inline with the tail lights of your vehicle and will activate the trailer lights of your small trailer. Curt has determined that you do not necessarily need a powered unit like the Hopkins Converters # 46255 or # 46365 and since your trailer only has two lights on it I think the # 55540 would work well for you. The main difference between the # 46255 and the # 46365 is that the # 46365 can han
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