How to Wire the Trailer Breakaway Kit Battery Charger Part # 20011

Question

Question:

My cargo trailer has its own aux 12v battery that is maintained by a solar system while disconnected from the tow vehicle. Can this Breakaway Kit Charger be connected to that 12v battery and keep the Breakaway battery charged? If so, does the black wire connect to the aux battery Negative side, Red to the Breakaway battery and blue to Breakaway switch? Thanks

asked by: Jerry

1

Helpful Expert Reply:

To answer your question yes, the Trailer Breakaway Kit Battery Charger part # 20011 can be used to charge your breakaway battery while drawing power from the 12 volt auxiliary battery on your trailer. However, most local and state regulations require that the breakaway battery receive a charge from a battery not mounted on the trailer therefore, I recommend using the Trailer Breakaway Kit Battery Charger part # 20011 to pull power from the vehicle's battery via the 12 volt pin on the 7-way in order to charge your breakaway battery.

The black wire will need to either be connected to the 12 volt pin on the 7-way or the positive side of the 12 volt auxiliary battery on your trailer depending on which of the above options you go with. The red wire goes to the breakaway battery and the blue wire goes to the breakaway switch.

expert reply by: Conner L

1

Answer 1

If you have a break away kit that does not include a charger, you can provide a charge to the battery using the 12 volt circuit or auxiliary circuit from the vehicle 7-Way trailer connector. However, using the 7-Way can overcharge a break away…

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Answer 2

You don't need to install any other parts in line with your 12V trailer battery line. Because the current being sent through the 7 pin power wire is so low, it acts more like a trickle charge to simply keep your battery topped off. It is not…

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Answer 3

I think your plan would work just fine. You'll need to make sure the breakaway battery though is charged at all times in the event of a trailer disconnect. Typically charging it off of the tow vehicle is adequate for this. For a breakaway battery…

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Answer 4

I contacted our representative at Hopkins and he informed me that the Trailer Breakaway Kit Battery Charger, part #20011 can charge batteries of different sizes, even large batteries, it will just take a bit longer. He informed me that part #20011…

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Answer 5

A Diode #RM-690 can be used to prevent battery power from your trailer traveling to your tow vehicle. This diode is rated up to 85 amps which is more than the charging system on your vehicle is capable of providing. Having it connected hot to hot…

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Answer 6

Yes, you can use the Trailer Breakaway Kit Battery Charger #20011 from the main trailer battery. You will not want to attach the red wire to the switch battery positive and blue to the negative. To install, what you need to do is connect the black…

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Answer 7

The Trailer Breakaway Kit Battery Charger #20011 is used to charge the breakaway battery on a trailer. The black wire connects to the tow vehicle's battery to get 12V, the red wire connects to the positive terminal on the trailer's breakaway…

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Answer 8

I spoke with a technical adviser at Hopkins, the maker of this charger and he said the safe operating temperatures for this Trailer Breakaway Kit Battery Charger, part #20011, is between -20 degrees and 140 degrees Fahrenheit. The max current draw is…

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Answer 9

A breakaway kit can be wired in one of two ways to the trailer brake system. The first way would be to use the Engager Trailer BreakAway Kit with Charger and Tester, item #20099 , and splice off of the power wire that maintains the trailer's…

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Answer 10

Yes, you can use the Hopkins Trailer Breakaway Kit Battery Charger, #20011, with the motorcycle battery on your motorcycle trailer. Like you said, you would simply tie-off the blue wire since it will not be used. This charger will maintain the charge…

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Answer 11

Generally you do not want to leave a DC to DC charger exposed to the elements. While a charger like the OptiMate Smart Battery Charger #MA99JR does have a durable weatherproof case they restrict use to inside only. We do have the Breakaway Style…

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Answer 12

If you wanted to prevent the trailer back feeding to the vehicle battery a diode like the part #RM-690 would be what you need. If instead you install the part #20011 you would not need to install a diode to prevent the battery from back feeding.

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How to Wire the Trailer Breakaway Kit Battery Charger Part # 20011

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