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Hopkins Replacement Break-Away Switch, 7" Lead Wires
Hopkins

Hopkins Replacement Break-Away Switch, 7" Lead Wires

Part Number: HM20010
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Hopkins Accessories and Parts - HM20010

  • Trailer Breakaway Kit
  • Switches
  • Hopkins


Replacement Switch for Break Away Kits

  • 7" lead wires
  • Pin and cable included

NOTE: For replacement pin and cable, use HM20051.



20010 Hopkins Replacement Break-Away Switch, 7" Lead Wires




California residents: click here


Video of Hopkins Replacement Break-Away Switch, 7" Lead Wires

Videos are provided as a guide only. Refer to manufacturer installation instructions and specs for complete information.




Video Transcript for Checking Out the Hopkins Replacement Break-Away Switch, 7" Lead Wires

The Hopkins breakaway switch is a great replacement breakaway switch for your trailer. After a few years with the breakaway switch sitting out in the elements, depending on how it's stored, rust and corrosion can potentially occur fairly quickly if it is really exposed. And what will happen is if it is heavily corroded on the inside, when you pull the pin out, the contacts may not make good contact with another. They may not close all the way and touch and then it will not activate your brakes. So it is important that you test your breakaway switch before you go out. I usually just give it a pull and then just hop in the truck and throw it in gear without pressing the gas.

You should be able to usually roll a little bit forward or whatnot, maybe touch the gas a little bit if you're on some sort of an incline. And if it feels like your brakes are applied, then you know that you're good. You can insert your pin again and hit the road. But if you pull that pin, you hop in your truck, and it just pulls off, like you have no brakes, then you probably don't have a functioning breakaway switch or you could have an issue with your brakes. Obviously, if you got a brake controller, you can use that to verify if your brakes are working.

And if it works with the brake controller but not with the pin pulled, then you know that your switch here is no good and it needs to be replaced. Replacing your switch is easy, as it's only two wires, it just has a power wire and a brake output wire that goes to the electric brakes on your vehicle. And when the pin is pulled, it just jumps the contact between those two circuits together to send power directly from the battery back to the brakes. This switch comes in two different wiring length options. You can either get the 44 inch version, which is what we installed today, has 44-inch leads coming off the back, or you can get it in the 7 inch version which just has 7-inch wires coming out of the back.

So we'll begin our installation here by taking our switch. We've got two wires that we'll need to hook up and we'll need to mount it on the trailer with the tab there. To get this switch mounted up, we're gonna be using just a self-tapping screw. And then I did put a fender washer on it to increase the surface area, just to make sure that we've got good force on here. I also like that too 'cause it helps the switch, gives it kind of a chance to pivot a little bit better when it's in there.

So in case it's not perfectly straight, if you have a disconnect it can kind of pivot the switch to be straight with the vehicle and pull the pin out straight. So we're gonna mount it just on the bottom side of the trailer. We're gonna be putting it probably right here next to the switch box. That way it's close to the front. So that way our cable here will be long enough to be able to reach the vehicle and attach. So yeah, we're gonna put it in roughly that location there. And it's easier to just use the screw by itself to make the initial hole, and we can always zip it back out. So it is gonna take some pressure to get it to drill. There we go. And then we can just run it right back out, got our threads and everything made. We'll put our washer back on our bolt, line it up with our switch and then run it in there. That way you don't gotta hold a bunch of stuff together while you're trying to do this. And we've got our switch mounted and you can see it's got some pivot to it. So if it needs it, it can kind of transition to the best pull position for our vehicle there. So now we'll hook our wires up to our junction box here. I've already took the cover off the junction box. We have two wires here, a blue and a black. The black wire will go to power, so that way our switch has power going to it. And the blue wire will go to the electric brake, to the output that's gonna actually go to the brakes at the back. That way, if the pin gets pulled, it'll complete the circuit sending power from our battery down the black wire, through the switch, out the blue wire to our brakes at the back to activate 'em. So we're gonna push it through one of the grommets here on the side of our box. If you don't have a junction box and you don't wanna put one on, you'll just need to find your trailer brake wiring on your 7-way. It is typically the blue wire that's on your 7-way. And the black wire is typically the power from your 7-way. So for example, if you we're looking for trailer brake wires, you didn't have one of these boxes, here's our 7-way wiring. We hooked it into our box, but a lot of times that 7-way wiring, if you don't have a junction box, it'll just kind of go into the frame and my hole like this, or just run down the side of the frame back to your brakes and you can find the wiring there. So blue wires are gonna be brakes on ours. And again, that's usually the standard on most trailers is the blue wire. So we've got our blue here. This etrailer junction box simplifies things and gives you an easy way to hook a bunch of stuff up 'cause all of our 7-way wires have coloring on them and it matches up with the coloring on the end of the studs here. So it makes things just easy to make your connections. You can get this box here at etrailer and I do highly recommend it 'cause it protects all your connections from moisture and just really makes your trailer installation a lot neater and easier to work with, easier to add accessories and stuff like that in the future. So we're gonna take our wiring here. We're gonna trim it down. I usually recommend the 44 inch, people that have junction boxes just 'cause you don't know what kinda length you're gonna need to be able to go around, in, and then up. Sometimes it does exceed the 7 inch. If you're just hooking into like your 7-way here at the front and you're just gonna tap into it, then usually the 7-inch is good enough so you can mount the switch next to that. And then just reach right in here where you can splice into 'em. Both of these wires, we're gonna put ring terminals on. We've got our ring terminals connected. We just crimped it onto the wires. We can make our connections here on our breakaway, or in our box, or junction box here. So I'm just removing the nut for the blue stud here. And then oftentimes in these boxes you'll have a little washer on there. So just slide your little washer off. Then we'll hook up our circuits. Our blue is gonna go over here to this connection point. So we'll just slide that in place. We can then put our washer back on and then our nut. After we hooked up our blue wire we just hooked the black wire to the black post. Again, that's our battery positive. If you are doing this on your box, be careful when hooking it up to the black wire, because that is a live circuit that's hooked to the battery. One way you could make it safer is you could just disconnect the positive or negative side from your battery. I recommend usually the negative side, just disconnect the negative side of your battery. That'll remove power from your whole trailer once that negative side's disconnected and then this wire won't be live so you can make your connections without having to worry about any shorts. After we've got that connected up though, we're just gonna reinstall the cover on our box and then we'll test everything out. There's a couple of ways you can test it. We can verify the breakaway switch. You can do it right here on the junction box that you we're in, with your test light to see that it's getting output. And you can also verify that it's working by actually checking your brakes. That's the best way to do it. So you're verifying that your brakes are also working, but if you know your brake's working, you just need to check your switch, then you could do it with a test light. So we'll do it with a test light right here. And then we'll go back to the brake and show you that it works there as well. So I have a little breakout wire that I've got here to go inside the box to be able to check the brakes. So we're just gonna poke it in there and I'm gonna pull the pin and you can see that it's sending current back to my brakes right now. Put the pin back in and it stops. So what we're gonna do now is I've jacked up the trailer on the side. If I go back here and spin the wheel, you'll see that it's gonna rotate. I'm gonna pull the pin and it should have stopped the wheel from rotating. And then if I try to rotate it now, I'm unable to rotate it, the brakes are applied. When I put the pin back in, you should hear the brakes release. And we heard it release back there. We'll double-check to make sure that it did release and our brakes did release, so our breakaway switch is working properly. Our brakes are working. We're ready to get out and go on adventures again..


Customer Reviews

Hopkins Replacement Break-Away Switch, 7" Lead Wires - HM20010

Average Customer Rating:  4.8 out of 5 stars   (136 Customer Reviews)


by:

Identical replacement. Quality is the same as the original! Nice experience!



by:

I accidentally let my Breakaway unit go with a Jeep I sold. Therefore I needed a new one for my new Jeep which I tow behind my motorhome. Brake Buddy wanted close to $80 for a replacement Breakaway unit and this one cost me less than $10 and a little bit of wiring. Works great.

Sally C. profile picture

Sally C.

8/29/2019

Great



by:

Seems to be reasonably well-made and is easy to install. When adding brakes to a trailer the constant recommendation is to use 10-gauge wire. Odd, then, to see smaller gauge wire on the brakes themselves and on this switch. Since it, at worst, only has to work once, I suppose it isn't a big deal, and it does make splicing those short little wires easier.

Mike R. profile picture

Mike R.

9/16/2015

Seems to be fine - havent tested it but no obvious corrosion.



by:

It was the identical replacement…awesome!
It
turned out that it was the Key along with the cable that I had to replace and not the switch…so no wiring was necessary.

Thanks etrailer.com



by:

Product was as listed. Looked better when it arrived, good shipping also.



by:

Yes, i rec'd my order of break away switches. Thank you



by:

excellent replacement breakaway switch for my snowmobile trailer. accidentally pulled the original one out with the lawnmower, this on replaced it exactly. Thank you!



by:

Used this to replace an existing break-away switch on a horse trailer. Was basically a direct one-for-one replacement of the existing unit. Easy to put in, and worked fine once soldered and wrapped.



by:

This product works excellent and is many times less expensive than the one you can purchase from the supplemental brake system manufacturers.
The service was excellent and I look forward to checking out other etrailer products.



by:

Ordering was quick and easy and the product was just what we needed.



by:

Great quality, much better price than I could get for an original switch and will serve the same purpose. This switch is to replace the one that was missing from a Brake Buddy that I bought used. Fast shipping and would recommend this product.

Robert profile picture

Robert

9/9/2018

Still working as good as original equipment. Great quality, would buy again



by:

I'm very pleased with this break away switch. Replaced my old broken one with this, and it appears to work as expected.



by:

I discovered etrailer.com scrolling for parts for trailers and am very pleased with the very prompt reply that my order is being filled and shipped in a day or two and it was, I received the order sooner than I expected and it is exactly just right to replace my broke Break-Away Switch, I have not installed the new Switch yet since the trailer is not in use at this time. THANK YOU etrailer.com



by:

Emergency break-away brake switch.....
Lets hope we never have to use it!
Remember to make sure it works before every trip...
A little silicone keeps it working smooth and reliable.



by:

Great addition to my military surplus trailer. Substituted the Hydrastar for the old surge brakes, and works like a champ!



by:

Nice price for this needed item. I do wish that Hopkins would make them with a ring on the end. I always cut the cables and put a ring in them for use with the coiled breakaway cable I have. This is about the 4th vehicle I have installed one of these, always having to cut the cable. Cable is Item # FA80-01-2140 at eTrailer, by the way.



by:

It’s always nice to have extra cords just in case. Where better to buy them then here.



by:

Installed OK - haven't had breakaway occur so cant say that it does or doesn't work when the going gets tough.

Worked OK Manually.



by:

Didn't want to spend $70 for one of these for my brake buddy. Crimped these onto the correct ends and it works perfectly.



by:

I received the item exactly as described. The order was processed in a timely manner and placed into the USPS system. I received it with no damage.
Thank you.



by:

Arrived in good time and installation was easy enough. The 7" lead wire for the brake was too short and I had to add wire to make it reach.



by:

7 point wiring plug & Safety brakeaway for e-brakeVery pleased with the turn around time and they sent exactly what I ordered. They are also very concerned about the end of the project in the fact it is working right. It really great when you find a caring company like etrailer.com over the internet. etrailer.com will go on my list of favorites.

Thanks again

Randy



by:

Price is very good compared to Brake Buddy replacement. Delivery was good, as well. I have not installed or used product, yet.



by:

Great break away cable.



by:

Wet similar to the failed switch on my KZ sportsman. Wires were not the same color, wiring diagram is for Hopkins system. It comes with. I instructions but easily found on line. Just wanted to confirm the blue wire was the same as original orange wire on my old switch.


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See what our Experts say about this Hopkins Accessories and Parts

  • Are Brakes Damaged After Driving 40 Miles With Breakaway Pin Pulled on 2022 NuCamp TaG TT
    If the trailer brakes activated when the pin was pulled on your breakaway you would have noticed. You would have heard the trailer dragging, felt it while towing, or seen the smoke coming off of the tires as you dragged it along. More than likely the battery on your breakaway was dead and needs to be charged so the brakes never engaged. This means your trailer brakes should be fine. However, you may need to replace the cable on your breakaway if you were dragging the old one along while...
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  • Replacement Solenoid and Breakaway Switch for Roadmaster BrakeMaster Systems
    We do have the 3-Way Mac valve solenoid for the BrakeMaster braking systems which does sound like the issue. It is # RM-450420. For the switch you can use any breakaway switch such as # HM20010 as an example because all it does is complete a circuit once the pin is pulled.
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  • Largest Available Breakaway Battery for Trailer
    I may have a solution for you, but the largest breakaway system battery we offer comes with a 10 amp hour battery # BRW87FR; the complete system is the Bright Way Push-to-Test Trailer Breakaway Kit with 2-Amp Charger and 10 Ah Battery - Top Load # 3802311. I'm not aware of a breakaway system that uses a battery that large and this would be the best solution we have available for this.
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    There are a few things that can cause your Dexter Electric Over Hydraulic Actuator # K71-651 to run none stop. The most likely reason is an issue with your break away switch. If the break away switch is faulty that would cause the actuator to think the breakaway pin has been pulled and will run the actuator directly from the battery of the trailer. The other cause is if you just installed the actuator and had a mix up in the wiring coming from the trailers battery. If this power wire...
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  • Breakaway Switch Recommendation to Replace a Bargman Breakaway on a 1976 Nomad Trailer
    The Bargman breakaway switch that you have is still sold to this day. Basically, you can use any breakaway switch that you would like. They are a very simple device. Once the pin is pulled it completes the circuit from the breakaway battery and the trailer brakes which applies the trailer brakes. What I recommend is a system that comes with a charger. Take a look at the Engager Trailer BreakAway Kit, # 20099. This is our most popular kit. It comes with the switch, a battery, a box, charger,...
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  • Break Away Switch Replacement Recommendation for Brake Buddy
    According to my contact at Hopkins Manufacturing, the # HM20010 break away switch you referenced would be a good choice to replace your damaged breakaway switch. A breakaway switch basically only completes the circuit between two wires so I am not sure why your setup would have three wires.
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  • Will a Hopkins Breakaway Switch Work with a BrakeBuddy Braking System
    A breakaway switch is a very basic device so you can use switch # HM20010 with your braking system. But I recently learned that the BrakeBuddy switches use banana clips to connect to the BrakeBuddy itself. To use this switch you would need to obtain those clips from an electrical supply store. Likewise, the coiled cable, # RM-8603, can be used on any system that has a loop in the breakaway cable that it can attach to so it will work with # HM20010.
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  • Replacement Switch for Hopkins Breakaway Kit
    We have a replacement breakaway switch that uses two wires like with the Hopkins part # HM20010. For situations like yours where the pin needs to be replaced it's just easiest to go with an all new switch that comes with a plunger that fits it. Since the wiring and function is universal across systems but the plungers are really specific it's just the simplest solution to go with an all new switch.
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  • Replacement Breakaway Cable and Pin for Hopkins
    The Replacement Cable and Pin for Hopkins Breakaway Kits # HM20012 is what you need. You will simply pull the pin from your breakaway just like you would to test the breakaway system and then reinsert the new pin. It takes a little bit of force but shouldn't be too difficult to pull. You can pull on the remaining cord length or you can use a pliers on the pin itself if no cord remains. If the pin is too difficult to pull then use # HM20010 to replace the holder as well.
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  • What are the Functions of the 3 Wires on Hopkins LED Breakaway Switch, # HM20059
    You are correct, the Hopkins LED Breakaway Switch, # HM20059, does have 3 wires. The white wire is the ground wire and should be attached to the trailer frame. The blue wire on the switch will connect to the electric brake wire coming from the trailer side connector. The black wire goes to the break away battery. This part is just a switch, if you need a new system, I recommend Engager Trailer BreakAway Kit with Charger and Tester, # 20099. I have included a link to the installation details...
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  • Replacement Pin for an LBS48-16 ESCO Break Away Switch
    While we do have numerous replacement break away system pins, all of which are similar, I cannot guarantee that any will fit your ESCO brand switch because they have not all been tested together. The difference in cost between a replacement pin and a new switch is minimal so I advise just replacing the switch with # HM20010.
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  • How to Find Breakaway Battery on Fifth Wheel Camper
    I really wish we had a diagram or a way to pull up where it'd be. Most likely under the overhang near the landing gear jacks as that's the most popular place. Check there first and then trace the wiring from the breakaway switch to see where they go as they will lead to the battery.
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  • Does a Vehicle Being Flat Towed Need a Breakaway System
    When flat towing a vehicle the supplemental braking system being used will have a specific breakaway switch that goes with it. Supplemental braking is required by law in most states so if you are not using one you will want to look into getting one. The breakaway switches will not work with vehicle brakes directly because they are hydraulic and the switches work with electric systems. If you have a braking system, let me know which one it is and I can explain how a breakaway system gets...
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  • Trailer Batteries On a 2018 Winnebago Died and Now Won't Hold a Charge
    Michael, there could be a chance that your breakaway system could still be activating your brakes even if the pin is pushed back in. The breakaway system works by allowing 2 pieces of metal to touch, completing the circuit between the breakaway battery and the trailer brakes. So, to reset it you'd just need to put the pin back in, but if there is an internal problem with the breakaway system, that could cause those metal pieces to keep the circuit completed even after the pin is put back....
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  • Does the Cable and Pin Come with the Replacement Trailer Break Away Switch # HM20010
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  • Troubleshoot/Repair Damaged Trailer Break Away Braking System
    It looks like the interior of the switch was damaged. It's not a big deal assuming it's an electric breakaway system. You can just replace the switch assembly very affordably. The switches use two wires to connect, so they're not system specific. I like the switches offered by Fastway that use a coiled cable that won't drag and feature a carabiner that makes it simple to attach to the tow vehicle. The switches are available with a 4 foot cable as part # FA80-00-2040 or a 6 foot cable as...
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  • How Much Force does it Take to Pull the Pin on a Break-Away Kit Switch
    It is a simple switch, so brand compatibility should be a non-issue. When the pin is pulled, two pins are allowed to contact and complete the circuit to engage the brakes. Any switch should work fine. I pulled the Hopkins Switch, part # HM20010, to test it out. It does take a good tug to pull it out and close the switch. You should not need to use two hands, but it should not easily slide out. You do not want the pin coming out when you hit a hard bump. I would not repeatedly pull the...
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  • Replacing the Breakaway Brakes Pin When It Becomes Disconnected From The Breakaway Switch
    Replacing just the plunger portion of the Breakaway Switch # HM20010 is simple if you still have the plunger end. The plunger will simply reinsert into the switch, you may need to move the trailer to get the brakes to fully disengage as they will likely be held into place on the drums. If you do not have the plunger it can be difficult to find depending on which one you have. First you will want to locate the box itself to see which manufacturer you have. This box is mounted to either...
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  • Does Breakaway System Pin for Flat Tow Supplemental Braking System Need to be Left in Place
    It's not recommended that the pin from the breakaway switch be removed, in order to keep dirt and debris from getting into the switch and interfering with its operation. Unfortunately, I'm not aware of a cover or cap. I've checked with a couple of our manufacturers who tell me that they don't offer a cap. Your best bet would be to simply leave the switch in place. I've been doing this for 15 years, and I've honestly never head of a breakaway pin being stolen. If you're using a # HM20010...
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  • How to Install an Aftermarket Breakaway Switch on the Demco Stay-IN-Play
    The Hopkins Replacement Break-Away Switch part # HM20010 has a normally open circuit which means there will not be any current that passes through the breakaway switch while the pin is intact. Once the pin is pulled the circuit then becomes closed and power is able to pass through the switch and send power to the trailer brakes. It does not matter if you hook the blue wire on the switch to the blue wire on the Stay-IN-Play or the black wire on the switch to the blue wire on the Stay-IN-Play....
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  • Trouble Shooting Electric Trailer Brakes Not Engaging with New Brake Controller
    It sounds like your brake controller may be wired incorrectly or more specifically you have an issue with your brake control wire. This is the blue wire that runs from the brake controller to your vehicles connector. I recommend checking the wire to see if its been severed or frayed. Another wire you may want to check is the red wire to the cold side of the brake light switch. A fault or miswiring in either of this would cause your brakes not to engage. You may also want to check your breakaway...
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  • 2014 Ford Edge Titanium Flat Towing Parts
    According to my contact at Hopkins Manufacturing, the # HM20010 break away switch you referenced would be a good choice to replace your damaged breakaway switch. For a Roadmaster base plate kit you would need the part # 4408-1 which has been confirmed as a fit for your 2014 Ford Edge. I attached an install video for you to check out as well. For an adapter you would want the part # BX88178 to adapt the base plate to your Blue Ox tow bar. For a diode kit you would want the part # RM-152....
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  • What to Do About Missing Breakaway Switch Pin if You Don't Know the Manufacturer
    Not all pins are created equally but all breakaway switches are pretty much the same. Since we can't determine for sure which system you have I recommend replacing the whole switch with # HM20010. The only thing in the switch are 2 metal contacts that are kept separated by the plastic pin. When the pin is pulled the contacts can touch and complete the circuit from the battery to the brakes. That is why you can use a different switch. It is a very basic system!
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  • Troubleshooting Trailer that Has Locked Up Brakes After Disconnected from Trailer
    I attached a help article that details how to test a breakaway system, but basically it sounds like your breakaway switch has gone bad or the pin of it has partially unplugged itself so your system is locking up the brakes. If you cut the wire leading to or from the breakaway switch itself the brakes should release. For a replacement switch that would fit nearly all systems you would want the # 3802348. To pick out the correct brake assemblies for your trailer you need to know a few things. You...
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Info for this part was:

Employee Mike L
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Employee Michael H
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Michael H
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Employee Dustin K
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