This actuator is made for serious hauling. With an 8,000-lb gross towing weight and an 800-lb maximum tongue weight, it delivers solid braking power for trailers running disc brakes. The hydraulic surge design automatically applies pressure when your tow vehicle slows down, giving you smooth, consistent stops without extra electronics to manage. It’s built to take on tough jobs and keep braking steady even on long grades or in tight turns.
The internal roller setup keeps everything moving clean and straight when the actuator compresses. Instead of dragging or binding under load, the roller design reduces resistance so braking feels smooth and controlled. That means less wear inside the actuator and more reliable engagement every time you slow down.
Lining up your trailer is easy with the five mounting positions on the offset adjustable channel. You can bolt on a coupler attachment (sold separately) at the height that works best for your setup, whether you need extra drop for a tall trailer or a level match to your hitch. The 12" channel gives plenty of adjustment room so your trailer sits right where it should.
Made from sturdy steel with a zinc coating, this actuator stands up to moisture and corrosion over time. It’s a good fit for trailers that see regular exposure to water or rough conditions. The frame resists bending in jackknife situations, keeping everything straight and secure when things get tight.
A built-in breakaway kit is included to help stop your trailer if it ever disconnects from the hitch. It’s one less thing to worry about when you’re loaded down or traveling long distances. The actuator does not have a reverse lockout built in, so using an external solenoid lockout is recommended if you need to back up without activating the brakes.
Because this actuator does not include a reverse lockout, it is recommended that you equip your trailer with free-backing brakes so that you can drive in reverse without the actuator triggering your trailer's brakes.
Videos are provided as a guide only. Refer to manufacturer installation instructions and specs for complete information.
Hello everybody, this is Jeff etrailer.com. Today we're gonna take a look at this Dexter DX 8.0 12" Adjustable Channel Center Hydraulic Disc Brake Actuator with the 8,000 pound gross towing weight capacity and a zinc-plated finish. Now you can use this actuator to synchronize your trailer brakes with your tow vehicle brakes. Basically what happens is this hydraulic actuator will activate your trailer brakes when the tow vehicle slows or stops. Basically, what happens is when you apply the brakes in your tow vehicle, deceleration occurs and the momentum will push the trailer toward the rear of your vehicle. And with this surge brake system, this actuator is then triggered as your trailer moves forward while the tow vehicle slows, the actuator will telescope, this outer portion will telescope in this case here, and it applies force to the master cylinder in the back here, which in turn will supply the necessary hydraulic pressure to engage your trailer's brakes.
Now this one here is an adjustable channel design. You can see it has five different mounting positions for your coupler. Now the coupler is not included. We do sell those separately on our website. And we mentioned this is a channel center design, so it'll let you adjust the height of the coupler to fit your application.
The height on this channel right here, we put a ruler on from the bottom to the top, it's right at 12". The width, which is measured inside to inside, is right at 3". Now this is a heavy duty steel construction. Has the efficient roller design. You can see a roller right up here, one right down here.
This one up here you notice has a grease zerk fitting on it. So you can actually apply your grease gun, connect it to there. Pump grease in there for easy lubrication of that roller. Has a nice sink plating to it, provides corrosion resistance. And it does include this breakaway cable.
Now this breakaway cable is required by law because what it does is it prevents a trailer runaway situation. So you can see it has this carabiner type hook right here that you'll connect to your tow vehicle. When you hook your trailer up then you'll connect this to your tow vehicle. And then what happens, if by chance your trailer would ever become disconnected, it would pull on this cable, which would activate this lever this way, which would then apply the pressure to the master cylinder back here, which then would apply the pressure to your brakes, and then stop that trailer in a runaway situation. So this breakaway kit is required by law, and as we mentioned, it is included. Now this is a bolt-on installation. If you look right down here where the holes are, you'd bolt this onto your 3" wide straight trailer tongue. It is made in the USA. Application, again, this fits hydraulic disc brakes. Has a gross towing weight capacity of 8,000 pounds, tow weight capacity of 800 pounds. One last thing I do wanna mention, this model does not include a reverse lockout solenoid which is usually installed on the back of the master cylinder. It is recommended that you either equip your trailer with either the electric reverse lockout solenoid on the back here, or to use free-backing brakes on your trailer. So then you can drive in reverse without triggering your trailer's brakes. But that should do it for the review on this Dexter DX 8.0 12" Adjustable Channel Center Hydraulic Disc Brake Actuator with the 8,000 pound gross towing weight capacity.
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