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Vented, marine-grade aluminum electric-hydraulic actuator lets you use your brake controller (sold separately) to activate your trailer's hydraulic drum brakes. Includes wiring, 7-way harness, and breakaway. Brake lines 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. This setup is ideal for boat trailers because you will get responsive hydraulic braking, which you control conveniently from inside your vehicle with your electric brake controller.
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 stainless steel hardware. The included 7-pole junction box with color-coded studs makes it simple to splice into your trailer's wiring and to connect the provided 7-way trailer connector. Once the actuator is correctly wired, you can connect your trailer's hydraulic brake lines to the 3/16" female port. Lines and fittings are sold separately.
Durable, Marine-Grade Construction
The Hydrastar Marine actuator is ideal for use on boat trailers. Just like other Hydrastar electric-over-hydraulic actuator models, this system is built of extruded anodized aluminum for superior corrosion resistance. The weathertight seals protect internal components from the elements. The Hydrastar Marine actuator also features marine-grade gaskets and stainless steel hardware that won't rust. These extra features make it perfect for marine applications.
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.
Breakaway Kit
Required by law in most states, a breakaway system will activate your trailer's brakes in the unlikely event that your trailer disconnects from your tow vehicle. This kit wires to the included battery and to the Hydrastar actuator. If your trailer separates from your tow vehicle, the breakaway kit signals the actuator to apply the brakes.
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 |
Ratings & Reviews
Item must have been dropped one of the mounting brackets was bent and I had to straighten it out.
Easy to install. Works great
I like the braking and the tunability; definitely and upgrade from surge brakes! There is some lag in the response which is unsettling. It also makes a ton of noise.
Trailer braking is incredible compared to the surge brakes. Love the control.
This is the BEST way to convert your surge brakes to electric. Pared perfectly with my 2014 F150 with the electric trailer brake option. Controls work great and this specific 1k PSI version easily handles my trailer and 21' SeaRay boat.
The product seems to be of high quality. Easy to lay out and with some referring back to blueprints it was easy install . My biggest problem was wire color did not match. But a trouble light solved the equation . 2019 boat trailer I didn’t know there were different color codes . Still took a few hours to do it right. Pulled the boat 125 miles each way from home to lake and was pleasantly surprised at the steady brake response . So much better than surge brakes .
It took a lot longer to install the unit than I thought, and I am mechanically and electrically competent. Being there is no mounting hardware I had to purchase several bolts and fasteners to securely attach everything to my trailer. The color coding on the wire from the plug is not standard with anything. I found out the hard way and had to rewire the lights, brakes, and signals. After two days of constructing and installing the bracket and unit, I finally got to test it. It works great so far and much smoother and controllable than my old surge coupler. etrailer promptly sent everything in a strong box and it arrived in only a few days to Alaska from the date I placed my order. Great so far!
Awesome product. Would buy again and again. Easy set up. Bought this with kodiac disk brakes. I have a triaxle snowmobile trailer and also bought their triaxle line kit. Easy to install. Only problem was trailer wiring did not match up with the supplied plug. The plug was correct not the trailer. Easy fix though. Only other problem was 100% my fault. The disk brakes DO NOT come with bearings. They should. Would have saved me having to order them. Local auto supply shops did not not have six bearings and seals. If you have a drum brake trailer I would buy this just asap. Hit the truck brakes and the trailer stopped the truck. Had to reduce the power to the trailer. Slide the trailer brake lever and all six tires smoke.
The reason for 4 stars is in photo 1, the junction box is by far the cheapest and worst junction box I have ever had the pleasure of putting together, and I have installed many of them. My local suppliers junction boxes make this junction box look well let the imagination roam on this one, TERRIBLE. Again the break away setup in my opinion is sub par, not well built, though which break away system now a day's is they are all cheap. The 7 way harness as well is sub par, I have hand built better. The actuator, very interesting and a little different, not to sure about the quality, only time will tell, it does seem to be working and working well at this point. Stops trailer and tow vehicle on just trailer brakes alone, impressive.
Kit works well and overall easy to install. Hardest part of the install was drilling/tapping the hard steel on the trailer tubing. I did need to buy a separate brake line elbow fitting to be able to turn 90 degrees right next to the actuator.
Only have taken one test drive, but it is so much better than surge brakes. No more slamming during takeoff. Much stronger than my surge setup. The install was straight-forward using the video and other folks pictures. I stole the stand idea from one of the other users here and it worked very well. I chose to drive bolts through the tongue to lock the existing actuator into place after removing the guts of it. This is because the tongue on my trailer is 3.3" wide and I would have had to get a new tongue welded on. This seems to do as good of a job with much lower cost. My only complaints are with the electrical box. It seems I received a much cheaper one that was shown in the videos. The bus snapped in instead of screwing/rivet and it kept popping out. The entire box cracked during the install, so I threw it out and bought another one from a local shop. Additionally, I didn't get the full compliment of connectors, instead they were already installed on the cable. The problem is I didn't need 8ft of cable, so I had to cut those off and go get other connectors. All in all, I am very happy with the EOH system vs surge and I would buy this again and again.
Every boat trailer should come with this. It makes trailering so much easier. Being able to test the brakes, and adjust on the trailer brake controller if there is a boat or no boat on the trailer is huge.
Prompt service, arrived on time.
Product came as described and works. Time will tell longevity, but it does what it's suppose to.
Works as described.
Well packaged and on time!
Easy to install had an issue with my controller not working.
once I updated my controller it worked good.
Not sure how to recharge the battery will need to look into that
Mike L.
7/11/2019
The breakaway system battery should be getting a trickle or maintenance charge from the 12-volt feed on your 7-way trailer connector. Check how the battery and system is wired up against the diagram above, you might also want to test the battery as well and replace it if necessary.
Just finished installing have not took it out yet
This is the best brake setup I have seen or used on a trailer!!!
And I have 3 other trailers with electric brakes!!!
If I ever have a problem with them I will replace with the Hydrastar unit!!!
Donald L.
6/21/2018
The only change I should have done was to use Disc brakes instead of Drums! The Hydrastar is still the best!
Awesome product works way better than my surge brakes, the terminal connection box made wiring a breeze! Awesome customer support from E trailer.com to resolve a cracked hydraulic cap!
hydrastar system has been the answer as we can back down the boat ramp with our tri-axle being able to have braking power in reverse. The product is every thing it was said to be and can not say enough about the system to our friends. We installed six new brakes and kit lines all from etrailer.com. The staff was very helpful, and would deal with them again.
Love the brake aspect, works well with my 2019 F350 stock controller set @ 5.5 output on a 8000 lbs triple axle boat trailer. (Dual axle brakes, center free axle)
Nice unit, however the instructions are something left to be desired.
Not straight forward at all, Wire colors, connections are not clear.
Currently having issue with the breakaway battery always showing charging but it is not hooked up to anything that 'could' be charging the battery.
Other Critical aspect, the breakaway battery came with a note to not have any additional 12v items attached to the junction box!!
This imho should have been disclosed in the capabilities of the unit. Reason I did not go with the prewired unit is because I wanted the junction box to hook in my 4 way light plug as well as my wiring for the electric tongue jack.
Note strictly said to NOT have the electric jack wired to the junction box. So now I have 2 sets of cables to the trailer, one for this unit and the other for powering the jack and lights.
It works, but just not as easily as it should have been.
We added this to a tri-axlel boat trailer. I have never liked the feel of surge brakes and felt that with the weight of the boat and trailer it would be better to have smooth braking. This unit worked great with a Ram 3500 factory brake controller. Driving through heavy traffic we were able to increase the brake pressure to help with the constant stopping and starting of Atlanta traffic. After the first trip, I was very pleased with the performance. It was relatively easy to install, and the easiest brake bleed I have ever had on a trailer.
Mike L.
6/2/2026
That's great to hear, Mike. Hydrastar is definitely the way to go as far as hydraulic braking systems go. It's what our install folks use on their own rigs, so I can't think of a higher recommendation than that.
Do you have a question about this Brake Actuator?
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John
7/30/2023
Product works fine, I exercise brakes monthly, keep battery charged, ect. Don’t use trailer often as keep boat on lift. Insurance coverage requires alternate means of moving boat in hurricane prone areas. Yearly I do replace brake fluid.