Replacement Hydraulic Brake Actuator for Homemade Trailer With Short Tongue

Question:

I purchased a homebuilt trailer years ago. it came with a hydraulic brake boat hitch. It was in pretty terrible condition when i bought it and it never really worked good, well it finally broke to the point of no return. the tounge itself is a 3in x3in and only 5.5in long. Tandum axle 7k lbs. What is the recommendation?

asked by: Devon S

Expert Reply:

I'm assuming you have hydraulic drum brakes and actually need the brake actuator. If that is the case, you're looking at either extending the tongue so you can bolt on an actuator like the # DX33FR or welding one on like the # DEX94FR. Both have a 7,500 lb capacity and are compatible with drum brakes.

If it were me, I would stick with the bolt on option and get a local trailer shop to extend the tongue a bit. This would also make for an easier swap in the future should you need to replace it again. There probably isn't much of a cost difference between extending the trailer tongue slightly and paying a professional welder to install the weld-on coupler to what you have now. That will also give you a little more room to work with so everything isn't cramped.

If you don't need an actuator then the Demco Channel Tongue Trailer Coupler # 12564 you looked at could work if you extended the trailer tongue. If the distance between those bolt holes is 3" then you could use the Demco Channel Tongue Trailer Coupler # DM13689-95. All you would need to do is drill the third hole on the bottom for installation.

expert reply by: Robin H