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Hopkins/
Kit with Charger/
Top LoadItem # 20400
Retail:$79.47
Our Price: $45.95
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Breakaway system with built-in charger is designed to bring a trailer safely to a stop by activating its electric brakes should it become disconnected while being towed. Push-button tester lets you know if the rechargeable battery is fully charged.
Features:
Specs:
Note: A breakaway system is required by law in most states for trailers that are equipped with electric brakes and have a GTW of at least 3,000 lbs.
Installation Details 
California residents: click here
Video of Hopkins Engager Push-To-Test Trailer Breakaway Kit with Built-In Battery Charger - Top Load
Videos are provided as a guide only. Refer to manufacturer installation instructions and specs for complete information.
Today on our trailer, we'll be installing the Hopkins Engager Trailer Breakaway Kit with Charger and Tester, part number 20400. Breakaway switches and kits are installed for emergency breakaways from the towed vehicle. It will pull the pin and gauge the battery, sending power to the trailer breaking, automatically applying the breaks to your trailer. Here, we have the new Engager Breakaway System with charger and battery. We have the pre-installed wires, our ground, power, and break-V. Built into the case, our attachment points on both sides.
Once we have it in place, we can go ahead and use some self-tapping screws to secure it. Now with our box mounted, we'll go ahead and mount the new switch. The black wire will run to the vehicle battery which was the red wire from our pigtail. Added to that, we'll have the black wire from our breakaway switch. Next, we'll go ahead and hook up the ground circuit. That will be the white wire from our breakaway box and the white wire that's pre-attached to our pigtail.
Then, our last connection will be the blue wire from our breakaway box will connect to the blue wire from the breakaway switch and the black wire from our trailer pigtail. We're going to be using the Deka Yellow Heat-Shrink Butt Connector for 12 to 10-Gauge Wiring, part number DW05745-5, and the Deka Blue Heat-Shrink Butt Connector for 16 to 14-Gauge Wiring, part number DW05744-5. We'll need to heat up the shrinkage portion of the butt connector. Using our heat gun, we'll go ahead and do that now. Note, if you don't have a heat gun, you could also use a lighter or a butane torch. Just keep in mind to keep your heat source moving, so that you don't actually melt the wire.
We'll now go in and put the breakaway switch pin into the breakaway switch. Now with everything connected, we'll go ahead and finish securing our wiring. We'll put the remaining portion of the wire back into the wire loom. At the end, install our digression. I'm going to go ahead and use some black electrical tape just to wrap up my wiring. I'll bundle it up and clean up the install look.
Next, we'll go through operation of our new breakaway system. We can press the green test button to check the battery voltage. You can see it indicated it's recharged, so as our trailer is being towed, the hot lead from the 7-pole connector that connects to the vehicle will supply power to our battery charger, recharging the internal battery. That will complete our install of the Hopkins Engager Trailer Breakaway Kit with Charger and Tester, part number 20400. .
Average Customer Rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars (324 Customer Reviews)
Breakaway system with built-in charger is designed to bring a trailer safely to a stop by activating its electric brakes should it become disconnected while being towed. Push-button tester lets you know if the rechargeable battery is fully charged.Since I was rewiring the trailer anyway, I decided to install the breakaway as an upgrade. I received the part in good shape and it appears to fill the bill. I mounted the switch in the front of the V of the hitch where there is a flat surface. I drilled a 3/4" hole to allow the pin to be inserted without being subjected to damage. The mounting surface used was a plate along side of the jack lift. By mounting it against the backside of the front plate through the hole, the switch is held in place and totally protected. I mounted the battery in the upper part of the storage compartment in the front of the trailer and used a terminal strip to connect it to the other wiring as needed. I connected the interior LED lights through a switch to this battery to provide lighting inside the trailer. Pretty cool. When the vehicle is connected to the trailer, the battery is charged. If the pin is pulled out of the breakaway switch, the power from the battery is applied to the brakes. The battery is quite small something like 4 amp hours, but that is great plenty to operate the brakes in any emergency situation for several minutes because the brakes have a small draw. The only problem I had with the battery was that it lays in the package without constraints so that it can flop around. It had yanked the white wire loose from the battery so the system did not operate until I realized that it was disconnected. So I reconnected it and put it back together, but the wire disconnected again. The wires pass through a slot in the box and are also not constrained so that they are pulled out by operating the cover door. I just taped the wires together with electricians tape so they fit more firmly in the slot provided. 652885
i am virtually computer illiterate and capable of VERY limited functions on it of only the simplest range and therefore was resigned to having to place my order over the telephone fully expecting to be forced to listen to countless recordings giving me various "options" to place my order as is so commonplace in today's world when doing business by telephone . I was pleasantly surprised to have my call answered by a very personable and extremely helpful woman by the name of Ashley who made my transaction with this company thoroughly successful as well as pleasantly memorable . After very patiently walking me through the processing of my order from start to finish and ending our call , she then sent me an email that she was able to expedite the shipping on my order at no additional charge adding to the overall exceptional experience . My order arrived promptly as promised completing a flawless experience . 539903
I really wanted a 9 ah setup to insure ample power but I could not find one that also had a push button test feature so I decided I would just mount two and configure them to work together. It uses two, dpdt switches to switch the units on and off line either independently or together. This gives me assurance of ample power and a backup to each other.. One thing I'm going to do is run a diode isolated circuit to the cold side of the breakaway switch to the l.e.d. Break lights so if the trailer ever did come lose, it will also apply the break lights. The two diodes will keep the tow vehicles breaklight power from back feeding into the actuator's emergency stop circuit. 403367
The Break-away kit with charger and tester and a top mount display is a well made product that took maybe 4 minutes to replace and 8 more minutes to wire. The original was damaged when loading my trailer and no longer charged the battery making the breakaway system useless. I was looking for the circuit board to replace, but the entire unit was well priced and easy to replace. The only thing I would add to the kit are the needed butt splice wire connectors. 310034
Outstanding product. The blade on my tractor hit the original break-away battery box. ordered this and fit perfect, no changes needed. Works great.
Darrell N - 01/01/2018
Perfect item.. i had a battery go dead and lock up my trailer brakes at 65 mph.... no worries from this one! 314986
reliable product, Fast delivery 604575
Loved it , mounted it and smiled . But your tires Stink ! Blew sidewall cords after 500 miles on a dual axle trailer with 2 Polaris ATVs and fuel . 608529
Shipped and received quickly. Products appear to be just as ordered. Thanks again for an easy transaction. 372375
This is direct fit for my old one. mounting hole lined right up. My old one had a bad battery and the box was weathered and cracked. This is definitely the way to go, all new stuff. Shipping was really fast! good job folks. I'll be back. 562627
Excellent quality brake controller at a great price and fast shipping. No need to shop anywhere else! 725901
Very happy with the hitch. Have not used it regularly but very pleased when I do have to use it. 725002
Battery Breakaway Box is of good quality & u can utilize the different cutouts for entrance/exit of wiring with common electrical wire knockout clamps , although wiring instructions on battery box need more clarification or better wiring instructions added to product . Also information on test circuit lighting functions of breakaway battery box would be helpful also . 717365
I have linked a help article with more information on installing a trailer breakaway kit. The article specifically covers wiring a Hopkins breakaway kit with built in charger about half way through the article.
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Victoria B - 11/05/2019Order received as ordered. Michelle was great contacting me letting me know a part that was ordered would be delayed and found an in stock replacement part. 716660
Stuff fit and everything was in the box. Got to me in less than 3 business days with regular shipping. 707562
great selection and fast shipping 679392
Product was faulty from the factory. It was easy enough to get a replacement part at no cost from the manufacturer, but it should have been an easily seen fault for quality control to catch. It does what is is supposed to however & the battery is of good quality and hasn’t lost significant charge in a year. 673843
Great product and price. No complaints 670483
Fast shipping & good quality 667346
The delivery was excellent on time. Havent install this product yet , I cannot opine on the performance of it at this time. 640459
I am making a ice fishing house and the products that I have ordered have all worked great. I have recommended etrailer to everyone that I know . 629259
Good product - simple to install - Item came charged and ready to go. Thumbs up! 617437
great price, fast shipping 599450
Had the parts I needed at the right price. When one item was delayed I was notified and given the choice to choose another item that was readily available. Great service! 583949
Good quality product on time 580368
Very easy to install. The linked video on etrailer website makes it a no- brainer. One note; if wired as instructed the unit will charge at ALL times. Not a problem as I just unplug the trailer pigtail whenever I park long-term. To avoid this you will have to find power on a switched/accessory cuircuit that is ignition off-power off. 521426
This product worked perfectly to replace the broken battery box on my Master Tow car dolly. Excellent product comes with everything you need to install or replace an electric trailer braking system. 517139
Exactly what I needed for my trailer! 502446
Parts were just what we ordered, and service was even better! Everything arrived even faster than I expected. Thanks! 501785
Works nice, peace of mind knowing that my trailer breakway brakes will work even if cabin battery is low 497464
Product works well Applies power to the electrical brakes if the cord is pulled Easy to put the cord back into the switch Used on a homemade trailer That was made to carry bale barns (hay feeder for horses) 491485
Product was as listed. Shipping was fast. No problems!!! 477351
It seems to be working ok, but of course I have not really need to use it. Thanks for asking. 474636
I have not installed this product yet, but I did take it out of the box and looked it over. I was surprised that the battery was already pre-charged !! 473767
Perfect !! I test it before every tow. I mounted the battery box inside and the indicator lights let me know everything is working correctly.
Emmett - 02/08/2019Great product from a great company, nice having the readout and tester on top can see when my battery is charging and how full the charge is at all times. 469640
Fast shipping. Product as described 455811
Easy install as a replacement for old unit. You always receive a quality product at a good price, 452404
Timely delivery and at a good price . Product meets expectations 447956
This product worked as expected 438542
easy hookup 433935
There are so many choices for these brake battery kits it is confusing. I chose this one based on the size hoping I wouldn't have to drill new holes to mount it. I was a little impressed though. Wiring and instructions were no problem at all. The nice part was how water tight the box seems to be and the sturdiness of the box. I waited about 3 months to write this to make sure the 'new' didn't wear off. And yes, I had a friend jog beside me and pull the pin with an attached string at 5 mph and it does indeed work. 426017
Exactly what I was looking for. Prompt service excellent quality. Will definitely use etrailer in the future. Thank you very much. 397020
Great price. Fast shipping. Precise fit. Great service. Berry happy can you tell? 390493
Great little unit. With six bolt holes, this battery box isn't going anywhere. The battery test light is handy and the battery box lid snapping on instead of being part of the mounting screws is a nice feature. The break away switch is nice quality and the cable has a clear coating. All great features for use in northern Canada. 386455
Great price on great product. Shipping was super fast. 366069
Great on line supplier. Good prices and many products available. Fast shipping , Thanks 365539
The service provided by etrailer has been top notch each time I have ordered from them, very professional with fantastic follow through to insure product has delivered and customer satisfaction has been achieved. 347963
Easy to install, bolt holes were the same as old one I replaced, I like the test button feature 341691
excellent product. Everything I ordered was received in great condition and very fast shipping. Thanks. 339195
I installed it on an older trailer. I hope I never need it but is there if I should. 335900
THE ITEMS APPEAR TO BE GOOD, HAVEN'T INSTALLED THEM YET. 321267
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