Anodized aluminum electric-hydraulic actuator lets you use your brake controller (sold separately) to activate your trailer's hydraulic disc brakes. Vented end plate releases heat. Hydraulic lines and breakaway sold separately.
Features:
Specs:
Note: Do not power wash the HydraStar actuator or take it through a commercial car wash. High-pressure water may damage the seals on the actuator.
The HydraStar electric-over-hydraulic trailer brake actuator applies pressure to your trailer's hydraulic brake system in response to the electrical signals sent from your in-cab brake controller. As a result, your trailer's hydraulic brakes will be activated every time you apply the brakes in your vehicle or press the manual override on your controller.
Pair the HydraStar electric-over-hydraulic actuator with your trailer's disc brakes to get the best possible braking setup. With disc brakes, you already have more consistent braking at higher speeds and a shorter stopping distance than you'd get with drum brakes. In addition to more reliable braking, you also have less cost to maintain the brakes as there are fewer moving parts. Combine these benefits with an electric brake controller and you'll get greater control over your already superior brakes, providing you with the best braking performance.
HydraStar Electric-Over-Hydraulic Actuator vs. Standard Surge Brake Actuators
With the HydraStar electric-over-hydraulic actuator, you can get all the benefits of towing with an electric brake controller while using hydraulic brakes. Because this actuator will activate according to the settings you have chosen for your brake controller (sold separately), you will have more control over when and how your trailer brakes engage. Depending on the features of your brake controller, you may be able to control both the rate and intensity with which your trailer's brakes activate. You can also use the manual override on your brake controller, which allows you to engage the trailer brakes without having to apply the brakes in your vehicle. And perhaps most impressive, if you have a proportional brake controller, your brakes will be activated with an intensity that matches the braking speed and power of your rig.
This pump-and-motor-based system increases response time compared with traditional actuators because the trailer brakes are triggered when you apply the brakes in the tow vehicle, as opposed to when the trailer pushes against the hitch ball. This not only gives you faster, more efficient braking, but it also eliminates the pushing sensation that occurs in setups that use standard surge brake actuators.
HydraStar actuators are also beneficial because, unlike standard surge couplers, they allow you to activate your brakes when reversing down an incline, such as a boat ramp. Having the ability to brake in reverse gives you more control and prevents wear on your tow vehicle.
HydraStar Installation
This HydraStar electric-over-hydraulic brake actuator will give you years of trailer-stopping performance. The actuator mounts on your trailer's frame with the included hardware. Then it splices into the trailer's wiring and connects to your hydraulic brake lines from the 3/16" female port. Lines and fittings are sold separately.
Durable Construction
Just like other HydraStar electric-over-hydraulic actuator models, this system is built of extruded anodized aluminum for excellent corrosion resistance. In addition, the weathertight seals protect internal components from the elements.
This actuator also has a vented end plate that releases pressure, moisture, and heat to help prevent any internal damage. Unlike models that are unable to release heat and pressure, this vented actuator can be safely mounted inside of a compartment on your trailer. As a result, this actuator is great for gooseneck and fifth-wheel trailers where finding space on the tongue can be nearly impossible.
Brake Controller Compatibility
Not all electric trailer brake controllers will work with this electric-over-hydraulic brake actuator. See the following table to determine compatibility with common models of brake controllers. For best performance, it is recommended that you use an aftermarket electric brake controller rather than an OEM factory-installed controller.
| Manufacturer | Vehicle Years/Controller Models | Compatible | Compatible if Used with HBA-CAM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicles | Ford | 2005-2006 | Yes | |
| 2007-2008 | No | Yes | ||
| 2009-2015 | Yes | |||
| Dodge | 2010-2015 | Yes | ||
| GMC/Chevy | 2007-2015 | No | Yes | |
| Brake Controllers | Draw-Tite | Activator (5100) | Yes | |
| Activator II (5500 or 5510) | Yes | |||
| Activator III (5520) | Yes | |||
| Activator IV (5504) | Yes | |||
| Hayes | Energize III (81741B) | Yes | ||
| Energize III+ (HA81742B) | Yes | |||
| Energize XPC (HA81745) | Yes | |||
| Engage (HA81760) | Yes | |||
| G2 Brake Boss (81792BB) | Yes | |||
| Syncronizer (HA81725) | Yes | |||
| Endeavor (81770) | Yes | |||
| Genesis (HA81790) | Yes | |||
| Blackbird (HA81726) | Yes | |||
| Hopkins | Impulse Digital (47325) | Yes | ||
| Insight (HM47297) | Yes | |||
| Brake Force (47225) | No | |||
| Reliance (47284) | No | |||
| Agility (47294 or 47295) | No | |||
| Maxbrake | Brake Controller | Yes | ||
| Redline | Redline TA900 | Yes | ||
| RedlineTA900A | No | |||
| RedlineTA1000 | No | |||
| RedlineTA1100 | No | |||
| RedlineTA1200 | No | |||
| Tekonsha | Prodigy (90185) | Yes | ||
| Prodigy P2 (90885) | Yes | |||
| Prodigy P3 (90195) | Yes | |||
| Primus IQ (TK90160) | No | |||
| PowerTrac (39523) | Yes | |||
| Voyager (39510 or 9030) | Yes | |||
| Valley | VA32812 Blackbird | Yes | ||
| VA32811 Phantom | Yes |
Videos are provided as a guide only. Refer to manufacturer installation instructions and specs for complete information.
Speaker 1: Today we're going to be taking a look at the Hydrostar line of Electric Over Hydraulic Brake Actuators. Now here's our Hydrostar Brake Actuator installed. As you can see, it's a nice, slim design, it doesn't take up a lot of room and it's definitely an ideal choice for wanting to add hydraulic brakes to your camper or improving the already hydraulic brake system in your camper if you've got the traditional style to an electric over hydraulic style. So we can have direct control of the braking of the trailer from the cab of our vehicle with use of an electronic brake controller.Now, these come in two different varieties. We've got either the disc brake type or the drum brake type. You want to be sure that the actuator you get matches the type brakes that you have on your trailer.
This one happens to be the disc brake style. And what happens here is that we've got our brake fluid in the reservoir. When we hit the brakes in our vehicle, the actuator is going to respond just like the old electric brakes would. So, if we hit the brakes in our vehicle, our brake controller sends back the signal and that's going to tell our actuator how much power it needs to send out to our disc brakes to bring everything safely to a stop.It's a pretty straightforward wiring system. You've got four wires.
One's going to go to power, one's going to go to ground. One's going to go to the break-away kit and the other one goes to of course the brake signal coming back from your truck. So it's not too difficult of an installation to do, but it's really going to give you superior control over the brakes that you have, especially if you have the old hydraulic style pressure actuator. In that case you'd have that surge, like when you're going down hill, you'll feel that bumping kind of from the trailer pushing on the back of the truck and the brakes being applied. This is going to give you a lot more comfortable ride in that situation as well.There are two mounting tabs on the actuator.
We've got one on the front side here, one on the back side or you can flip it around the other way, it really doesn't matter. But you'll see the mounting tabs there. Just going to take two screws to attach it. It's going to make it work out really well, even if you're putting it on kind of on a narrow tongue or something it'll sit up there fine, not really any issues to worry about there with the attachment points.You want to make sure that your cap stays open and accessible. That's where you're going to fill the reservoir, maintain the brake fluid level and it's going to have a bleeder screw.
It's also conveniently located. You're not going to have to really work to get to it. That's going to help with bleed out any air in the system initially or if we have to make any repairs down the road.All in all the actuator is going to take the electronic signals coming back from our truck or from the breakaway kit and it's going to convert that into brake fluid pressure. The brake fluid that comes through here is going to be what is going to activate the disc or the drums, whatever style hydraulic brakes that you have.Another advantage to the Hydrostar is that when used in conjunction with the proportional brake controller, we're going to get much smoother and much more effective braking. In the event of an emergency sway situation, we also have the manual override lever on that brake controller. So that's going to allow us to apply brakes to just the trailer and bring everything under control.Now, the entire body of the Hydrostar is constructed out of aluminum, so we're going to have superior corrosion resistance and it's going to look good for a long time to come. Now, since this does work with the disc or the drum brakes and some people add these to a trailer that has electric brakes, some people are just re-finding the already existing hydraulic braking system, we've got several kits available on the website, so you can get the on that's going to fit your needs the best.Depending on the kit you choose, it can also contain the breakaway battery and box that would be a nice push to test. It'll have your breakaway switch if you don't already have one, choose a kit that'll have that. Even down to the seven way RV plug that we can wire directly in and plug it right into the back of our truck.And that's going to complete our look at the Hydrostar Electric Over Hydraulic Actuators.
Average Customer Rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars (66 Customer Reviews)
Anodized aluminum electric-hydraulic actuator lets you use your brake controller (sold separately) to activate your trailer's hydraulic disc brakes. Vented end plate releases heat. Hydraulic lines and breakaway sold separately.Great product, I in stalled it my self it was pretty easy i also bought new rotors calibers and break lines. I bleed the lines then tested the whole system. and WOW! THE STOPPING POWER That i have now is awesome electric over Hydraulic is amazing. I would definitely recommend E-trailer for all your needs. P.S. I don't usually leave a review but this worth mentioning 707734
Product was delivered within two days after I ordered it. As far as i can tell everything ordered was delivered and should work as expected once installed. 633458
Install was a breeze! The wiring of this unit was different than my two wire actuator that come on my generator trailer, but, the directions were easy to follow and it works like a charm! 651676
The product works as it should. But builds pressure slowly. I reccomend spending the extra money and get the other brand. I have that on a different trailer with no issues 497305
The unit failed after about one month. I called etrailer and they gave me the info to file a warranty claim with the manufacturer. The manufacturer had a replacement to me in a day and a half with a shipping label for the bad one. The replacement has been solid for 11 months with 60,000 miles on it. This was a great upgrade! It’s worth the money. Braking is so much better. I use this on a 33 foot 16,000 flatbed for work. I can stop with confidence every time now. 640814
I've been using this brake controller with a disc brake conversion I got from Kodiak Trailer Brakes for about a year and the results have been fantastic. Prior to doing the disk conversion, I'd been through about 3 sets of the old electric drum brakes on my 18,000 lb. dual axle toy hauler and I'll never use drums again. The stopping distance is noticeably shorter and I anticipate the maintenance to be super simple since they are discs. The electric controller takes some getting used to since there's about a 1-1.5 second delay between hitting the pedal and the brakes engaging. That can be a little unnerving until you get used to the fact that when the brakes come on, the REALLY come on. After owning my toy hauler for ~10 years, this is easily the most important modification I've done. I will be stripping off brand new drum brakes on my next trailer and replacing them with discs before even the first trip. 471556
I purchased the HydraStar Electric over hydraulic actuator for disc brakes. I have been very happy with this purchase. Product arrived very quickly . Instructions were clear and installation went smoothly. Brake system is working great for me on my equipment trailer. 425291
Billy K - 08/28/2018I upgraded the 32" 12,000 lbs rated trailer to Electric/Hydraulic as the electric brakes really were not doing very much to help slow the trailer down. The overall upgrade included new 7,000# axles as well as this hydraulic converter next to the winch in the front of the trailer. If I ever get another trailer, this unit will be spec'd into it 711788
Have been using this brake actuator for a year now with absolutely no issues. Other people who have committed on how much better my trailer brakes better than theirs. I’m looking at ordering another one to be placed on a trailer I’m changing the axles out on. I’m going from electric brakes to the hydraulic brakes. Great product 711724
Kodiak disk brakes on a 95 EBY stock trailer. Made a real trailer out of it... JK... 710616
It was a replacement for a failed unit, the person on the phone was pleasant and knowledgeable. 697592
Fast Shipping. Great service.... Will buy again... 666600
This is the preeminent hydraulic disc brake pump. It is built like a tank. I couldn’t be more happy with not only the stopping power, but the response time. I highly recommend hydrastar. Also, the packaging was impressive as well. This is a product designed to ride on a bumpy trailer in all the elements nature can throw at it. Yet etrailer still took the time to package it as if it were some fragile glassware. That’s impressive. 664443
Great product, came in just like I was told, easily mounted where my other was,works great 656097
Got it in great time new people are great to do and it will be a while week or two before installing thank you that’s what I ordered 655278
The break bleeder value was over tightened from the factory. Using a line wrench, it rounded off the value. Had to use a vice grip to unscrew it. Called the manufacture they had a replacement value to me in two days. Works great and great customer service from the manufacture. Not so much from etrailer. 647017
I just received eoh trailer brake actuator. I will be installing it soon on my triaxle boat trailer, packaging is in good condition, so the actuator should work as intended. Service is outstanding as usual, shipping was excellent. If the Canadian dollar was i stronger i would certainly make more purchases from E-trailer. Thank you 639834
Great customer service and great shipping time. Selection and price is outstanding 639743
product showed up on time in working order, but was aesthetically damaged, the mounting tabs were bent and scratched ,it wasn't during shipping because the box was undamaged , so i would return it as its going on a 75k $ dollar polo trailer but my customer needs it asap the free shipping was nice , but would have gladly paid more for an undamaged actuator. 633848
Ordered easy, arrived fast. not installed yet. 629548
Trailer Brake actuator is working flawlessly. Perfect size and I love the slimline dimensions. 625595
The parts came yesterday, hopefully we can get them installed soon 621529
Very well assembled and top quality. Not excessive in size and fits easily in trailer. Extremely easy hookup and straight forward to do using instructions. Wired into existing break away and 12v RV battery' 617719
As for the product, Hydrastar HBA16, it’s great. Have lots of trouble-free experience with this model on my ‘07 trailer up until I bought a new 18 Ram 3500. Had compatability issues so I bought the newer updated model as recommended by Hydrastar. Installation was easy except for the new mounting hole spacing had changed so I had to drill new mounting holes on my trailer. However, unit works great, as expected. Hopefully I will get at least 12 or more years of trouble-free use and service out of this unit as I did the previous one. As for eTrailer, the shipping is always fast and the prices are great. However, the packaging on this order was not great. The unit was basically wrapped in brown paper and tossed in an oversized box. When I received the package there were holes in the box where the unit poked through during shipping resulting in the mounting brackets being bent on both ends. Thankfully I was able to straighten them and there seems to be no functional damage to the unit itself. On that issue alone I am a bit disappointed with my experience on this transaction with eTrailer. 615090
I have a 2015 GMC Sierra 2500HD Diesel, towing a 2017 Pinnacle 36FBTS 5th. wheel. The Pinnacle has a standard drum braking system. On a long trip this year I cracked both rotors on my truck from over heating related to the Pinnacle's drum brakes failing to fully provide proper stopping. I decided no more, and after much review I replaced the factory drum brakes with the Kodiak Discbrake system. (my first time ever doing something like this) In addition, one of the key items for me was a way not to replace my on-board factory trailer brake controller, (did not want to use an aftermarket product, that would diminish the interior look ) thus I also added the control Adapter Module that enabled me to use the factory installed brake controller. With all this change I decided to also go ahead and add a separate brake away battery. Everything I just described are shown in the attached photos. I found eTrailer extremely helpful in answering questions, although I did not have a lot of questions since their online videos proved most helpful. All parts of the Kodiak system worked fantastic following a 2500 mile trip. The improved braking is superior, and I did not need to replace my on board controller, but continued to use it by installing the control adapter. The disc brake picture is one of the disc brakes that I examined following our trip...all in perfect shape with everything working great for the entire trip. 611001
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