Parts Needed To Transfer A Boat Trailer With Surge Brakes To Electric Over Hydraulic

Published 06/10/2023

Products Featured in This Question

Hydrastar Electric Over Hydraulic Actuator for Disc Brakes - 1,600 psi

(240)

$887.31

Trailer Wiring Junction Box - 7 Color Coded Terminals - ABS

(553)

$10.43

Bright Way Trailer Breakaway Kit with 0.5-Amp Charger and 5 Ah Battery

(430)

$65.01

Hydrastar Electric Over Hydraulic Actuator for Drum Brakes - 1,200 psi

(75)

$929.94

Question:

Hi, I have a 2019 Ram with electric brake towing, I also have a boat trailer 2 axles with a surge brake system that I would like to convert over to electric over hydraulic. what all components would I need to purchase from you to make that happen? Thanks

asked by: Syl D

Expert Reply:

Since you already have a hydraulic surge brake system on your trailer it's going to be fairly easy to swap over to an electric over hydraulic system. Starting with the trailer coupler, you'll want to lockout the actuator, if possible, or replace it with a standard trailer coupler. If you need to swap out the coupler I'd just need to know the size of the channel the current one is mounted on and the GVWR of the trailer to determine the correct capacity coupler.

You'll remove the brake line from the old surge coupler and move it to a new actuator like the Hydrastar # HBA16 (disc brakes) or # HBA-12 (drum brakes). These actuators will wire in the following fashion to the junction box and breakaway battery:

Black - 12v (Junction box)
White - Ground (Junction box or directly to frame)
Yellow - Breakaway switch for breakaway battery
Blue - Brake Controller (Junction box)

If your trailer needs a new junction box to help organize and protect your connections then I recommend part # 3375601101. For the breakaway battery you can use the Bright Way Trailer Breakaway Kit with 0.5-Amp Charger and 5 Ah Battery # 3802339.

Both of these actuators are not confirmed to be compatible with an Ram OEM brake controller. If you are not using an aftermarket brake controller let me know and we can look through some other options to find a compatible fit.