Can Electric-Over-Hydraulic Actuator Be Submerged In Water When Launching Pontoon Boat

Question:

I have a 35 foot pontoon boat with a double axle trailer. There is a compression style tounge controller on it now....the question is can these electronic controllers be submerged in water when launching the pontoon?

asked by: Josep

Expert Reply:

You said you have a compression type coupler on your tandem pontoon boat trailer right now. You will have to deactivate it so that you can use the electric over hydraulic actuator on your trailer. I spoke with my contact at Dexter and they told me that the Electric over hydraulic actuators are NOT submersible.

They told me that if you want to use a unit like part # K71-651, for disc brakes, or part # K71-650, for drum brakes, you will need to mount it higher on the trailer so that it does not wind up in the water.

If you do decide to install one of these units, you will need a brake controller in your vehicle to send the brake signal to the actuator. I recommend a brake controller like the Tekonsha Prodigy P3, part # 90195. This is one of our most popular controllers because of its ease to install and operate.

I have attached a couple of helpful articles about brake controllers you can check out.

expert reply by: Jeffrey L