This surge actuator lets your trailer's disc brakes work without wiring or a brake controller, so nothing electrical sits in the water. That makes it ideal for boat trailers. And since it's zinc plated, you can get it wet without it rusting.
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 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 don't 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're away.
The composite master cylinder features a glass-reinforced nylon body, a large reservoir for added fluid capacity, and an automotive style diaphragm cap that encloses the system to keep contaminants out.
Inside the actuator, a spring-loaded push rod controls line pressure while an integrated dampener reduces impact shock. That gives you more predictable braking even when your load shifts or weight fluctuates.
The color coded decal on the emergency lever shows red when the breakaway is engaged and green when it's released, so you can spot a tripped system before you tow. Bear in mind, this isn't a parking brake. If you're on a slope, use wheel chocks and your truck's parking brake to keep your trailer from rolling.
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Videos are provided as a guide only. Refer to manufacturer installation instructions and specs for complete information.
Hi, everybody. Andy here with etrailer.com. Let's take a quick look at this Demco DA86 Trailer Brake Actuator. Now this actuator is designed to activate your trailer's disc brakes when your tow vehicle slows or stops. So obviously no brake controller will be needed with this. This is going to fit your boat and light utility trailers, and so this is again gonna work with trailers with hydraulic disc brakes.
This is designed to fit your straight three-inch wide trailer tongue. This is going to couple to your two-inch ball, and this has a gross towing weight of 8,600 pounds and a maximum tongue weight of 800 pounds. And this features a composite master cylinder that's durable, it's efficient, and the glass-reinforced nylon construction is gonna resist rust and corrosion. And the large reservoir's going to give you increased capacity for the brake fluid, and the automotive-style diaphragm cap that you see here, that's going to create a completely enclosed system to help prevent the contamination of your brake fluid. So this feature is one of my favorite things here, an EZ latch coupler mechanism that's going to give you a simple secure hookup and disconnect.
So, as you can see, the latch is currently down, and this is going to let you hook up to your 2-inch ball when the latch is in the closed position as it is now. So I'm just gonna give you a brief demonstration of that with my 2-inch ball (latch coupler clicking) just like that. So I've got a secure connection. So you're just gonna drop your coupler over the hitch ball and then that latch is going to snap in place. And then when you're ready to uncouple, (latch coupler clicking) just like that, and lift that up, and you'll be able to uncouple from the ball.
So this is also going to be able to accommodate a trailer lock right there, and that would be a separate purchase, but you can find those options here at etrailer.com. Now the breakaway is also included, and this has a snap hook as well. So this is required, I believe, in most states to have to prevent a runaway situation. So you would just hook this up to your tow vehicle, and then, in the case of a breakaway situation, if this would for some reason become uncoupled, this cable would then pull and activate that brakes to prevent a trailer runaway situation. I did want to show you, let me see if I can tip this over here real quick, that we do have these large rollers right here, right here as you can see.
So that's going to allow for easy movement and smooth operation. It's a very durable product. This is a constructive zinc-plated, heavy-duty steel with a sturdy reinforced outer casing, and so this will bolt onto your trailer tongue. The overall length is about 19 1/2 inches long. If you happen to have any other additional questions about this or any other item that we carry here at etrailer.com, don't hesitate to reach back out to us 'cause we want to make sure that you're getting exactly what you want and need. Well, that's gonna wrap up our look today. I do hope that it was helpful for you. Again, my name is Andy. Thank you for joining me.
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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