Recommended Replacement for Atwood Surge Brake Actuator 85778

Expert Reply:

The manual lockout on your Atwood 85778 surge brake coupler is there so that you can back up the trailer without the brakes locking up on you. Yes you can safely tow your trailer with the broken manual lockout, you just have to make sure you don't put yourself in the situation where you have to back your trailer up.

Since Atwood went out of business there aren't any exact replacements for your coupler but you can use a different brand. The only thing I was able to find online about the 85778 is that it has a 2" coupler, is rated for 6,000 lbs and that it was used for either drum or disc brake applications. I recommend checking out the Demco Hydraulic Actuator # DM72VR for Drum or # DM62VR for Disc brakes. These are rated for 7K and are compatible with a 2" hitch ball. The drum brake option doesn't have a lockout while the disc brake application has an electric lockout. These fit a 3" wide trailer tongue and have bolt holes that are 3" apart on center.

The installation itself is pretty straightforward and I have attached a video of the drum brake actuator being installed that you can reference.

click to enlarge

expert reply by: Jon G

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