This surge actuator lets your boat trailer's disc brakes work without wiring or a brake controller, so nothing electrical sits in the water. It also includes a solenoid so you can back up your trailer without engaging the brakes.
This Demco DA86 actuator is built for life at the boat ramp. Its zinc plated body resists corrosion when exposed to saltwater, and the master cylinder is sealed with a diaphragm cap and a booted push rod to help keep moisture out, so you can use it in coastal or brackish water environments.
The EZ Latch coupler drops onto a 2" hitch ball and clicks shut on its own, even if the latch is already closed. You do not need to hold the handle while you work the jack or line up the ball. That keeps fingers out of the pinch zone and makes it faster to hook up by yourself. After it clicks, give it a firm tug to confirm the catch, then add a coupler lock (sold separately) to help deter theft while you are away.
The color coded decal on the emergency lever shows when the breakaway is engaged or released, so you can spot a tripped system before you tow. It is not a parking brake. If you are on a slope, use wheel chocks and your trucks parking brake to keep the trailer from rolling.
Inside the actuator, a spring loaded push rod controls line pressure while an integrated dampener reduces impact shock. A large reservoir increases brake fluid capacity, and large rear rollers support movement for smooth operation.
The inline electric reverse lockout ties into the tow vehicle reverse light circuit. When you shift into reverse, the solenoid blocks brake pressure so you can back up without the brakes engaging. If wiring is not available, use the manual lockout tab as a backup.
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Videos are provided as a guide only. Refer to manufacturer installation instructions and specs for complete information.
Hi everyone, Steven here with etrailer.com. Today we're looking at our Demco DA 86 brake actuator with built-in solenoid for disc brakes. It's a zinc finish with a two inch ball coupler and it's rated at 8,600 pounds gross towing weight. So folks, if you're not familiar with these, basically the brake actuator, like this system with coupler included, activates your trailer's disc brakes. When the towed vehicle slows or stops, it basically pushes the inertia from the trailer, which then pushes the brake fluid back through the brake lines to the brakes to activate them. Now this is what's considered an easy latch coupler, and by that I mean up here you do not have to lift this to get the ball in place.
Now it does not come with the ball. I went ahead and got one here for demo purposes. I'm gonna flip this over just so I can kind of show you from underneath what's going on and from the side, so. So again, you have this down, you do not have to raise it. All you're literally gonna do is drop the coupler weight onto the ball and it's gonna automatically do its thing.
Now the only time you have to move this is to release the ball and then the ball's out. So again, it's automatically doing it and then to release the ball. So pretty nice design, pretty nifty. And there's a look from the underside while we got it flipped over. Here's your electronic solenoid with the wires and of course the main actuator and system inside of there.
As you can see, you got your breakaway cable. So it says right here on the sticker, you got red and green. The red one, brakes, no, do not tow or brakes on, do not tow. And then green is towable. So if it's pulled up, you can't tow.
If it's pushed back and green, you're good to go. And then of course you have your brake fluid cap and it says right on there, while which brake dot to use, three or four is acceptable. So again, a very nice coupler. It does fit three inch wide trailer tongues. So right here, the width three inch wide and that would bolt on down in here. There's no hardware included. You can see the bolt holes there where you would put bolts through and everything. And again, it fits and requires a two inch ball. Well folks, that is gonna wrap it up for our quick look together. I'm Steven, thanks for watching.
Exactly what I needed. Just bolt on and fill with DOT 3
Well made, and rugged. Was skeptical about the ball hitch just dropping on and securing to the trailer ball but works great. Installation was easy. Mounting holes aligned perfectly. I did have to drill two holes for the two cable attachments but went smoothly. However, the only complaint would be that the Grade 8 mounting bolts were not supplied. Would still highly recommend this actuator for towing a #5k+ load.
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