Braking Components for a Dump Truck to Dump Trailer Conversion  

Question:

Expert Reply:

Thanks for reaching out Jeffery. We do carry a product designed for this type of application called an electric over hydraulic (EOH) brake actuator, such as the Hydrastar Electric Over Hydraulic Actuator for Drum Brakes - 1,000 PSI # HBA-10. These actuators receive a signal from an electric trailer brake controller in your tow vehicle and use an electric motor and hydraulic pump to generate the pressure needed to operate hydraulic trailer brakes. This allows you to control hydraulic brakes using a traditional electric trailer brake controller.

Since you're converting an older dump truck into a dump trailer, though, there are a few important things we'll need to consider before selecting an actuator. The biggest consideration is what type of brakes are currently installed on the truck. Hydraulic drum brakes and hydraulic disc brakes operate at different pressures, so the actuator needs to be matched to the specific braking system.

We'll also need to determine whether the existing truck brakes can be safely operated by a trailer style EOH actuator. Heavy-duty truck braking systems can have different hydraulic requirements than conventional trailer brakes, so we can't assume a standard trailer actuator will be compatible based on brake type alone.

Are you planning to reuse the existing hydraulic brakes on the dump truck, or are you considering replacing them with a trailer specific braking system? Also, do you know whether the truck currently has hydraulic drum or disc brakes?

expert reply by: Christopher H

0

Hydrastar Electric Over Hydraulic Actuator for Drum Brakes
(click to enlarge)

Jeffery M.

10/28/2026

It’s a 1963 Ford F600, the rear axle has drum brakes. I plan on using the existing axle and brakes.

Christopher H.

11/3/2026

@JefferyM The difficult thing to determine here is going to be the output pressure needed for the brakes on your F600. Something like # HBA-10 would work if we know it was 1,000 PSI. We also have systems rated for 1,200 PSI for drum brakes such as # HBA-12. These are not necessarily rated for use with vehicle components and would be more common in conversions where the axle components and brakes were replaced with trailer specific components.